Eltham College

A NEWSLETTER FOR OLD ELTHAMIANS JANUARY 2013 ~ ISSUE 11

Winter Reunion 2012The 2012 Winter Reunion had something for everyone. In addition to meeting up with friends old and new, there was a clock to unveil, new changing rooms to open, a gallery to visit, sport to watch or take part in and plenty to keep body and soul together. After the OEA AGM, at which Adrian Baulf was appointed the new President, David Norris unveiled a clock, presented by the OEA to the school to celebrate the 100 years in Mottingham. Jack Oliver then opened

the new changing rooms on the London Marathon field. Those not taking part in the formal lunch were invited into the London Marathon pavilion for festive fare whilst being entertained by Mr Levy and Cool Jazz. Throughout the afternoon OEs were able to bid their farewells to Keith Barron, of whom there is more in another article.

In addition to the fiercely contested fixture between the school and recent leavers, which the school won 32 – 14, those looking

for a gentler way of passing an afternoon were able to take part in a touch rugby tournament which featured four OE teams and one each from the staff and parents. This was a great success and promises to become a regular feature of the day.

Afterwards Adrian Baulf’s first duty as President was to award the cups. He is pictured below presenting the Touch Rugby Tournament Cup to winning team captain Andrew Velasco.

In this issue >>>

Eltham College and Recent Leavers Teams

OEA Secretary David Norris unveiling the Centenary Clock

GB Olympian Jack Oliver opening the London

Marathon Pavilion changing rooms

Andrew Velasco and Adrian Baulf.

Richard Clegg, Chris Redfern, James Mole, Chris Chan (all 2000), Hugh Wade-Jones (1999), Dan Shering (1999)

An Epic 2012 Challenge Oxbridge OEs assist Current PupilsA Visit from Down UnderHong Kong ReunionHigh Praise for Contemporary RecordingRation Books in the Tuck Shop!If Opportunity Knocks…Blue is the Colour

A Helping HandEngineering and Information Technology Careers ForumSeptember 2012 – A Busy Month for ReunionsFarewell Notes from the PresidentThe Write StuffFamily HistoryGetting In TouchFuture Events

OLD ELTHAMIAN NEWS JANUARY 2013 ~ ISSUE 11

An Epic 2012 Challenge In the final days of his epic 2012 mile “BRIT

2012 Challenge” walk, Phil Packer MBE,

the founder of the British Inspiration Trust,

visited Eltham College on Monday 10

December 2012.

First he talked about his challenge to the

pupils in Chapel and answered many of

their questions, before using the playing

fields for the latest stage of his challenge

walk. He was accompanied by a number

of pupils who were selected by their

classmates after giving short presentations

why they should be the ones to join Phil on

his challenge.

Phil, who left the school in 1989, undertook

the challenge after suffering a severe spinal

cord injury in 2008 and being told he was

unlikely to walk again; walking seven miles

for Phil is the equivalent of over a marathon

for a person without a spinal cord injury. He

walked around three miles in each London

Borough during December as the final part

of his nationwide journey, proving time and

time again that “Everything is possible,”

in line with the motto of his charity – the

British Inspiration Trust (BRIT). His aim is to

raise £15 million to build the BRIT Centre of

Inspiration in West Sussex for young people

facing adversity.

This Centre will aim to transform the lives

of young people contemplating self-harm

or facing depression and self-despair as

a result of traumatic experiences. It will

bring young people nominated by BRIT’s 50

current charity partners under one roof for

residential courses to help reshape their lives,

inspired by a number of high-profile figures,

including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Ade Adepitan

MBE and Sir Richard Branson, who have

pledged their time and support.

Phil has now completed the 2012

mile challenge and said of his visit to

Eltham College;

“I was absolutely delighted that my visit to

the London Borough of Bromley, as part

of my BRIT 2012 mile walk, was hosted by

Eltham College. It was Day 323 of walking

throughout Great Britain and Northern

Ireland during 2012 and I am sincerely

grateful to the Headmaster, staff and pupils

for giving me such a warm welcome. It was a

pleasure to meet the Mayor of Bromley and

to spend time with pupils who accompanied

me as we walked around the grounds. The

day was a very special one as I spent 8 years

at the school and since then have continued

to stay in touch. Many of the teachers

who gave me so much support when I was

younger, and was experiencing domestic

violence at home, came to greet me and

I am humbled to continue to receive such

strong support from the Headmaster who

has been a great friend to me.”

Phil Packer MBE (1989) with Year 7 pupils

Oxbridge OEs assist Current PupilsBack in September Eltham College hosted its first

Oxbridge Evening for pupils in the Lower and Upper

Sixth. We were very pleased to welcome back to

the school a group of Old Elthamians who are

undergraduates and graduates from Oxford and

Cambridge Universities. For the first hour, the panel

spoke to the Lower Sixth and their parents about their

experiences of life at university. They then moved on

to work with the 2012 applicants. In small tutorial-style

groups they offered some advice on personal statements

and then had discussions in subject groups. It was an

extremely useful evening and all involved would like to

express thanks to the Old Elthamians for coming back to

provide such helpful insights.

Ben Pollard – Oxbridge Co-ordinator

L to R: Oli Baggaley (2006), Stephen Lenzi (2008), Aamir Saifuddin (2005), Lewis Owen (2009), Clare Palmer (2009), Greg Liddington (2010), Will Oram (2010), Hamish Greer (2010). Also present was Tom Belger (2010)


Stephen Farr (1984) has directed a collection of

contemporary carols with the Choir of Worcester

College, Oxford. BBC Music Magazine said of

the recording “Stephen Farr directs delectably

sensitive performances, and the sound is

immaculate.” The collection can be downloaded

from Resonus Classics. Further information about

Stephen, including all his choral and organ works,

can be found at www.stephenfarr.co.uk

It was a great pleasure back in December

to visit Eltham College, almost twenty

years after leaving the Upper Sixth back in

1993. Life has been quite a journey since

those days. A teaching degree at St. Luke’s

College, Exeter University followed a gap

year working at Waverley College in Bondi,

Sydney! I am not sure if it was the sand,

surf or Sheila’s but I somehow knew I would

end up Down Under again.

The worst pupils make the best teachers

so they say, so my cheeky times upsetting

some of the teachers in the classrooms

of Eltham College was good preparation

for my teaching career which took me to

Amersham School and Clayesmore in Dorset

before a four year sojourn in the British

Virgin Islands. Initially as Director of Youth

Football for the BVI Football Association,

and then two years as Head of PE at

Cedar School. Although one of the many

highlights in the islands of rum and reggae

was watching Brian Lara score his world

record 400 runs versus England at the Old

Recreation ground in Antigua, 2004.

In 2006, I achieved my dream of emigrating

to Australia, and for the past six years have

been working for the Australian Sports

Commission. Following the huge Team GB

success at London 2012, many of my green-

and-gold-blooded colleagues are convinced

I have been working undercover for UK

Sport. For many years I continued to play

rugby union and soccer, but now don the

vest and tight shorts for my local Aussie

Rules football team.

Whilst I did not scale many dizzy academic

heights at Eltham, I can reflect now

upon the lessons and skills learnt on the

sports fields, in the debating chambers,

representing and captaining Moffatt House

and partaking in College life…these were certainly the building blocks of a wonderful journey, which is not even half-done. For those who taught me, I thank you.

Roger Carter (1993)

A Visit from Down Under

High Praise for Contemporary Recording

Hong Kong ReunionThe Hong Kong branch of the OE

network met on 4 November after

a kind invitation from Harry Pong to

gather at his son’s celebrated restaurant,

The Pawn Roof Garden. Harry was

joined by two of his four brothers,

Edward and Stanley. In addition to those

attendees who live and work in Hong

Kong, David Russell was visiting from

Thailand, whilst Andrew Green and his

wife Rebecca flew down from Singapore

to join the reunion.

Back: James Tsang (1979), Chris Place (2006), Charles Lau (1989), Edward Pong (1965), Raphael Chan (1992), Raphael Ho (1992), Simon McGrahan, Harry Pong (1960), Wai Lum Li (1994), Rebecca & Andrew Green (1992), Bruce Tseng (1990)

Front: David Russell (1952), Paul Henderson, Paula Fisher (1993)

A reunion for those Elthamians who will celebrate their 80th birthdays in 2013 is planned for Sunday 30 June, Old Elthamians Cricket Day. Already 19 of the 1950 and 1951 leavers have confirmed their interest in attending what will be for some, their first visit to Eltham since they left. Michael Baulf (1951) the organiser can be contacted on 01732 851353 or [email protected]

Ration Books in the Tuck Shop!


If Opportunity Knocks…

Napoleon said that ability is nothing without opportunity. Over the years I have come to realise just how true that is. My first stroke of luck was being born on the 13 April 1946 into a privileged group, now known as “the baby boomers”.

We would enjoy first class primary, secondary and university education debt free. We would also benefit from a wide selection of employment opportunities, periods of high inflation that saw our salaries and house values multiply into telephone numbers, an explosion of technology in communications, transport, health and peace in our time (well almost). Now as we reach retirement, we can either continue to work or we can sit back and enjoy our defined benefit pensions. Halcyon days, indeed.

But all that lay in the future as I arrived aged eight at Eltham College Junior School and into the arms of Miss Brown and Mrs Fraser. I was never academically minded and it was a surprise to no-one that I fitted comfortably into the B stream in Main School, where I spent the next six years, being neither good nor bad, and with my only claim to fame being a member of the 1st VI Tennis Team.

Not for me the open state scholarship, or my name on the honour boards that hang in the Hall, but rather disappointing O-level results at my first attempt, resulting in an unremarkable stint in 5C, in an effort to bring my grades up to an acceptable level.

I left Eltham in July 1963, abandoning the cocooned life of a public schoolboy for the unrefined, cut and thrust of the outside world. Post boy as it happened, in a chemical distribution company in Baker Street.

This was to be another opportunity, although at 17, from the position of dogsbody to the various sales departments, it was hard to spot. But from that moment I was to spend the next 38 years in the chemical distribution industry, eventually managing the European business of the global leader and, on the way, acquiring the business where I started.

I have always believed that if you work hard and you do your job well, when you spot that an opportunity has come along, you can take full advantage. However at 55, when you are at the peak of performance and ready for new and exciting challenges, an early retirement package doesn’t look like it’s going to be the start of a new and most rewarding journey.

But I was wrong. I applied for and was accepted as a Magistrate and, rather to my surprise, I was appointed to the Greenwich Bench after just two days induction to the Judicial System. This has resulted in ten years of worthwhile public service and has led to other opportunities.

I was invited to join the Council of Brunel

University. While Higher Education is

very different from the private sector, it

nevertheless has to operate in a business–

like way and my previous experience was

therefore of value. After chairing various

committees, I became Chairman of the

University.

I also had more time for my family –

Toni, my lovely wife, and Jessica, then aged

5, and Elizabeth who had just been born.

To complete my renaissance we decided to

move from vibrant and exciting Chelsea to

the peaceful and sleepy village of Uplyme,

just north of Lyme Regis in Dorset, where

I adopted the role of Clerk of Works for

the construction of our new house

overlooking the sea. Not an experience I

would wish to repeat!

While this move enabled me to transfer

to the Exeter Bench, my long commute

to Brunel in Uxbridge presented more of

a problem and I reluctantly decided to

resign. Much to my surprise and delight,

the University conferred on me an honorary

Doctorate of Business.

Almost immediately, a further opportunity presented itself via the NHS Appointments Commission who were seeking a Non-Executive Director with business experience,

for Dorset County Hospital, a new NHS Foundation Trust.

Shortly afterwards the Trust faced a serious financial deficit and Monitor, the parliamentary Regulator, declared the Trust in breach of authorisation, and asked me to take over the Chairmanship, to help establish a recovery plan.

I gained huge satisfaction from the fact that after two years of challenging and dedicated engagement by the staff and the appointment of a new executive team, Monitor in November 2011 declared the hospital a fully authorised Foundation Trust.

At the moment I fully intend to continue with my current interests but who knows what further opportunities await. I know they are out there and at 66, I trust I still have the ability to spot them!

Jeffrey Ellwood (1963)

Jamie Harris (2005) won his Oxford Blue on Thursday 7 December when he played as open-side flanker in the Varsity Match against Cambridge at Twickenham. In fact he captained Oxford for a good deal of the match, after the original captain had gone off injured. Throughout the game Jamie worked hard in defence, making some big tackles. Cambridge were on top for much of the game but in the last twenty minutes Oxford assumed control as Jamie spurred his team on. It was fitting that he finished off a flowing move to score the crucial try which changed the game. Oxford went on to win the match 26–19.

Blue is the Colour

Jamie at Twickenham after the Varsity match

Dr Jeffrey Ellwood (1963)


Engineering and Information Technology Careers ForumEltham College hosted a Careers Forum in November which focused on the Engineering and Information Technology industries. We were joined by a number of Old Elthamians and industry experts who shared their experience and career paths with an audience of over 100 pupils and parents.

Jim Ryan (1984), a Chartered Civil Engineer at Siemens, gave a very colourful account of his time working as an engineer and of the opportunities for travel he has been presented with working in the industry. Jeremy Gorbold (1985), an Electronic Engineer & Designer at Analogue Devices, provided a good insight into the changing face of a career as an Electronic Engineer, particularly as someone working with analogue in an increasing digital world.

Max Murray (2004), an Integration Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, gave a lively presentation about the application of engineering in the car market and made many of the audience a little jealous that his job involved crashing expensive cars for a living!

Vinno Bala (2005) is a Structural Engineer at Aecom and currently involved in working on the London Super Sewer. Vinno gave an

extremely passionate presentation about

his career to date and his enthusiasm was

infectious. Our final engineer of the evening

was Warren Lister (1957) who is the

Founding Member of the Expert Witness

Institute, where he uses his engineering

skills during court cases, presenting

technical knowledge in a manner that has

to be accessible to all. We are grateful to

Mr Lister for his return of Calculus Made Easy, a book which he borrowed from the

school back in 1957 and is now back in the

library to assist current Elthamians with their

mathematical problems!

Representing careers in Information

Technology were Toby Lomax (1998), who

is currently working as a Consultant at

Accenture and Neil Fowler-Wright (1991)

Vice President and IT Security Manager

at MSCI Inc. the body responsible for

managing the FTSE. Both gave very insightful

presentations about working in Information Technology covering the wide and varied career paths that can be followed within the industry. We were also very pleased to welcome Ben Nunney, a Technical Evangelist from Microsoft and the only speaker not originally from Eltham College. Ben gave a great overview of both his own career and opportunities available at Microsoft for school leavers and graduates.

We are very grateful to all our speakers for giving such an enthusiastic account of their careers to date, and their enthusiasm was matched by that of the audience.

Our next career forum will be held in the ABH on Thursday 5 March. If you work in advertising, marketing, journalism, communications, film, TV or radio and would like to speak at the event, please contact Simon in the Development Office.

Hester Barsham-Rolfe – Head of Careers

A Helping HandMy eight week internship at The Deborah Hutton Campaign has

now ended, and I didn’t expect to learn so much, so fast! I have

always felt that entering the work place after A-levels was the best

decision for me as I thoroughly enjoy on the job learning, and I still

believe I have made the correct decision!

During my internship I worked on PR and marketing projects, as this

is my main interest, learning a number of key skills and tools that are

essential in order to succeed in the PR and marketing industry. Press

releases were my main focus, learning how to structure and write an

effective piece, whilst using Gorkana database to form relationships

with vital press contacts. Seeing the release that I worked on

appearing in local newspapers and online was definitely rewarding

and also something I can attach to my CV for future interviews.

Leading on from this I then began working on the PR plan for 2013,

and helped with a Press Launch, which involved a Flash Mob in a

busy shopping center. This was highly entertaining and showed me

that although tough, this industry really can be fun, with a great deal

of variety!

I will begin studying for my chartered marketing exams this year,

which will enable me to gain the CIM qualification, which so many

PR and marketing employers now look for. My aim is to gain a

large amount of experience, as this is more essential than ever and

continue on learning a great deal. I look forward to 2013 where

hopefully, with a lot of hard work, my career will take off!

Ella Paterson (2012)

Emma Wrafter (1998), Director of The Deborah Hutton Campaign

and OE said: “It’s been brilliant to have Ella in the office and give

her a first-hand experience of PR and marketing in a busy charity. As

a school leaver it gives her the opportunity to develop her skills, try

out the different aspects of PR and marketing and build a portfolio

which will prove invaluable as she embarks on her career. Doing

Chartered Institute of Marketing qualifications illustrates that she’s

committed to her personal learning and development which will be

very attractive to prospective employers.”

Emma Wrafter (1989) and Ella Paterson (2012)


September 2012 – A Busy Month for Reunions

2002 L to R – Jack Wootton, Mark Jones, Keith Barron, Angus Brown, Patrick Miller, Anoula Rayburn, Pete Murrell, Kylie Simons, Nick Wright, Louisa Sinfield, David Hamlin, Rich Palmer, Oli Willis, Adam Salama,

Stephen Thew, Tom Lockyer

2002 L to R - Mark Jones, Oli Willis, Jack Wootton, David Hamlin

Saturday 28 September was a full day of reunions! We started the

day by hosting a reunion lunch for the 2008 leavers which was

well attended with 30 OEs joining us in the Old Library. All 2009

leavers will be invited back to Eltham College to join us for lunch on

Saturday 14 September.

1997: L to R – Keith Barron, Myooressh Mahaswaran, Paul McCartney, Richard Galloway, Neil Mohoboob

The first reunion was for the 2002 leavers to mark 10 years since

they left Eltham College. This event was held once again at

Corney and Barrow, Paternoster Square in London and saw 20 OEs

gathering for drinks. This year’s event, for all 2003 leavers, will be

held at the same venue on Thursday 12 September.

2008: Front L to R – Mark Warman, Stephen Lenzi, Jasper Yeung, Adrian Mojabber, Matt Bunnage, Adrian Barrow, Hannah Dale, Sophie Roche, Raj Tarat, Rachel Collins, Julia Hall, Jodie Daniel

Back L to R – Nathan Allen, Kelwyn Looi, Ben Hawkins, James Richardson, James Brook, David Thompson, Freddie Muirhead, Marcus Berry, James Hopkins, Alex Read, Rebecca Curtin, Molly Baxter, Joe Grima, Helen Lowe, Tom Garton, Ravi Patel, Fleur Mason

The evening reunion on the 28 September, for the 1967, 1987

and 1997 leavers, commenced with a tour of the school followed

by drinks in Central Hall and dinner in the Old Library. For some it

was the first time back to Eltham College since leaving, with OEs

travelling from as far as New York, Wyoming and British Columbia

to attend the dinner. The evening was a great success with many

friendships and acquaintances renewed and lots of stories told

throughout the evening.

1967: L to R Kendall N Gaze, Iain Macbriar, Martin Oinn, Andrew Couldridge, Richard ‘Foddy’ Foster, Bill ‘Hylobates’ (or ‘Gibbon’) Deakin, Brian Treleaven, Peter ‘Carpet’ Aubusson, and Richard ‘Bish’ Nokes

1987: Front L to R – Jim Egan, Catherine Taylor (Gunning), Andy Devaux, Dan Duncombe, Keith Barron, Jon Chase.

Back L to R – Philippa Cowdell (Giles), Jo Blaine (Gooch), Nick Clay, Russell Dellar, Sacha Govinda, Tim Prifti, Anna Burman (Martin), Mark Voysey, Mark Lyons


Farewell Notes from the PresidentWhen Ian Beith visited me in Devon

to invite me to consider becoming

President, I remember he talked,

among other things, of the need

to re-structure the Association and

create closer links with the Eltham

College and the Development Office.

He and David Norris had already

started drafting plans and sharing

their thoughts with the school

and reported that the proposals were being given steady

encouragement by Headmaster and his senior colleagues.

Spurred on by the committee and a stream of e-mails

supporting the proposals, the AGM and EGM of 2011

gave us a clear mandate to proceed. At the 2012 AGM

we unanimously carried a motion which confirmed the re-

structuring proposals. OEAL will replace the OEA as soon

as the legal requirements both for the formation of the

Company limited by guarantee and the Charity have

been completed.

This past year has seen a magnificent programme of

events devised to celebrate the school’s hundred years in

Mottingham, often bringing together the school of today with

its former pupils. Once again, ‘Plane Talking’ has reported

fully on all of these events and many of us have had the

privilege of participating. Our warmest congratulations go

to Paul Henderson and his staff for seizing this opportunity

with such energy. The whole programme seems to have been

enhanced not only by the recalling of the Olympic triumph of

our most famous OE Eric Liddell, but lit up by the triumphs of

the London 2012 Games themselves. Mark Stickings’ book

Our Century is a beautiful photographic record of Eltham

College, 1912-2012, and the OEA has presented the school

with a fine Centenary clock which is now handsomely situated

in the Old Quad. The presentation was most appropriately

made by David Norris OE, past Chairman of Governors,

President of the OEA, and Chairman of the Sports Club.

I am delighted that Adrian Baulf has accepted the invitation

to be my successor. I can assure him that he will find

outstanding support from those long-serving stalwarts,

David Norris and Ian Beith, as well as the committee and

membership, together with the Headmaster, Development

Director, Bursar and Chaplain. I am pleased to record my

warmest thanks to you all for two very happy years back in

touch with Eltham College, a fine school with fine traditions

that continue to flourish today.

Chris Bradnock (1961)

The Write StuffParky couldn’t keep order. English periods in Room 20 of the New Building (aka Science Block; we’re talking 1950s) sometimes ended in rioting. But if you sat near the front, Mr C A A Parkinson M.A, G&S enthusiast, author of the school song ‘Floreat Elthamia’, could breathe life into the page and the worlds beyond – Browning, Johnson, Shakespeare, even Wordsworth. To me, he was inspirational.

When I was six, creative writing scared me stiff. It became ‘composition’, then essays; at Eltham I learned to love it and gradually became a compulsive scribbler. I mean, you’re reading this aren’t you?

“Dad, how did you get into Oxford?” - that’s my teenage son in the 1980s. He thought only clever people went there. Two clues: one, I casually mentioned at my interview for St Peter’s Hall (now ‘College’) that, inspired by classics master Duchesne, I hitch-hiked to Greece and back in the summer holiday with classmate Tony Naden. We were all of sixteen; how crazy were our parents? And two, to win through to the English faculty we had to write out 20 lines by our favourite poet and say why we liked them.

Twenty lines! All I knew was the opening of Wordsworth’s famous Ode (‘Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting’) which I didn’t much fancy, but when you’re up against it… Parky once made the Upper 5th learn it; strange, because he could be slightly detached from WW, and I never quite lost his gentle cynicism about the Lakeland bard. What I didn’t know: my future English tutor, who set and marked the entrance exam, was a Wordsworth buff, the Ode being his all-time beloved poem. So in I scraped, and on I wrote.

Graduation, marriage, ordination, growing family… my first curacy in Barrow-in-Furness bought another challenge – to provide fresh words for an old hymn-tune at a Youth service. “You did English, didn’t you? So what about it?”

That was 1965. Since then, countless articles, reviews, news items, obituaries, columns in the local press, even books; but my main energies have gone into writing hymns. Text, not tune, but ‘real’ hymns in these days of saturation-by-song. What a privilege to provide some for the school chapel where we used to ‘Sing we the men whose steps have trod’ – words by CAAP. Remember the ‘Master of masters’?

My masterpiece? Watch this space. One favourite, a collection of ‘Grandpa’s Amazing Poems and Awful Pictures’ assembled one Christmas for my two eldest grandchildren. Opening lines: ‘You can’t keep toast in your teapot; you don’t hang the milk on your chair; or chuck your ice-cream in the dustbin, or hide all the bread in your hair.

Catherine and Alex are now near teenagers with different reading-matter, but new generations of nippers have stunned me by learning it all by heart – voluntarily. Should stand them in good stead for Uni. Eat your heart out, William W; but thank your dear old Parky!

Chris Idle (1956)

Chris Bradnock

Keep in touch www.elthamians.net


Fri 8 February Oxbridge Dinner - Christ’s College, Cambridge, 7pm

Tue 5 March Media Careers Forum - Eltham College ABH, 7.30pm to 9.30pm

Thu 7 March London Gathering Drinks - Simpsons-in-the-Strand, 6.30pm to 9.30pm

Sat 27 April ‘ All the 3s’ Reunion Dinner – Eltham College, 6.30pm to 11.30pm

Tue 7 May Finance Careers Forum – Eltham College ABH, 7.30pm to 9.30pm

Fri 10 May OE Golf Day - Chislehurst Golf Club, 8am to 5pmSat 11 May South East Reunion Lunch – Wilderness Golf Club

from midday to 4pmThu 16 May 1964-66 Reunion Drinks – Temple, London, 6pm

Sun 30 June OE Cricket v School XI – Eltham College from midday to 5pm

Sun 30 June ‘Ration Books in the Tuck Shop’ Reunion – Eltham College.

Thu 12 Sep 2003 Leavers’ Drinks – Corney & Barrow, Paternoster Square, 6.30pm to 9.30pm

Sat 14 Sep 2009 Leavers’ Lunch – Eltham College from midday to 3pm

Sat 5 Oct ‘All the 9s’ Reunion Dinner - Eltham College, 6.30pm to 11.30pm

Sun 15 Dec OE Winter Reunion – Eltham College from midday to 5pm

Future Events

Getting In Touch

Family History

Graham and R. Gordon Davies visited Eltham College in November

to meet school archivist and historian Mark Stickings. The brothers

who left the school in 1956 and 1961 respectively were interested

not only in the records we have of their time at Eltham College but

also those of their six uncles, the Elder brothers, who were at the

school between 1913 and 1938. Mark had put together information

for them to take away and in return they were able to pass on to the

archive information and documents from their family.

After 30 years teaching at

Eltham, Keith is taking up a

part-time role working for the

Independent Schools’ body

which oversees the Induction

of Newly Qualified Teachers,

drawing on his experiences at

Eltham and his experience as

an Inspector. He is hoping to

volunteer to mentor bright but

disadvantaged students, too. He

is working on putting together his father’s war story (based

on letters from Normandy, the Netherlands and Germany)

and on his grandfather’s World War I service.

Keith really appreciated the reminiscences of his lessons

which OEs sent in, it was both touching and amusing to be

reminded of his past. Meanwhile, he is keen to meet OEs for

coffee, lunch or an after-work drink and can be contacted

via the Development Office.

Development Office

Development Director - Simon McGrahan

E: [email protected]

School Historian and Archivist - Mark Stickings


Database Manager- Penny Waterson


Communications Officer- Helen Wilson


OE Officers

President - Adrian Baulf


Treasurer - Robin Foster


Secretary - David Norris


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Graham (1956) and R. Gordon (1961) Davies

Keith Barron

Commemoration Day DinnerLord Puttnam, Guest of Honour at the Centenary Dinner on 30th January revealed a true sense of humility as he talked about “Liddellism” – he laid a challenge before us: is it possible to do the right thing and not expect a reward (financial or otherwise) for it?

King George’s Hall looked splendid, the College Choir sang Grace with dignity, and the assembled host, OEs, Governors, parents and both teaching and non-teaching staff, all enjoyed each other’s company.

Earlier in the day, all members of the school had attended one of three Chapel Services to remember

and celebrate our relocation to the Mottingham site; the Choir sang Parry’s I Was Glad and Jenkins’ Sing We Merrily, before the Chaplain reminded us of the school’s origins and the challenges of being a Christian today. Outside the Centenary flag tried to wave as we emerged into a rather still winter’s day.

Inside Central Hall the Centenary Cake took pride of place on Monday, roped off for all to admire the handiwork of Mr and Mrs Slatter in the characters and trappings of life for a pupil at Eltham College. The cake itself was divided up by the catering team and we enjoyed the jam sponge and icing, all 900 of us!

The year 2012 was very special for Eltham

College, marking 100 years since the School for the Sons of Missionaries moved to Mottingham. This Centenary Newsletter records the many events held throughout 2012 to celebrate our time in Mottingham, remembering our Christian mission and inspiring our future generations.

OUR CENTENARY

January 2013Eltham College Centenary Newsletter

Big (and little) Run!

What a great day for the Big (and little) Run! In the end we had about 300 runners, and when they all reached the finishing line to receive their centenary medal; there was a great feeling of community with us all in this together. There were pupils from the Junior School right through to members of the Upper Sixth, boys and girls; there were teachers, parents, friends and even two Governors of the school; perhaps the two outstanding images of the day were of the 80 year old Old Elthamian David Jordan who had travelled up from Worthing to complete the 4 miles, and at the other end of the scale the four Year 8 boys who completed the course sewn together in a Caterpillar costume singing “From Blackheath to Mottingham” all the way. It was one of those days where it really did not matter who won (for most) and it was just important to be there and take part.

Mosaic in the Junior School

The Mosaic in the Junior School was designed in workshops for the boys, around the ideas of what has happened over the past 100 years both at school and in British history; using the River Thames as the central focus on which to hang other images of the famous sites of London completed the overall

collage. Under the direction of Tamara Froud, Etienne and Mrs Wrafter, the boys were then instructed in how to attach the tesserae onto a gauze for attaching to the terracotta wall leading down the staircase inside the school into the playground. The overall effect is absolutely stunning,

with images of W G Grace, Eric Liddell, George Band and Mervyn Peake clearly recognisable on the inside section; as you move outside the building into the playground, the school’s Plane Tree is accompanied by the symbols of an Eltham College Junior School education, with sports, music, chess and fencing all being singled out. It is a most worthy celebration of the last 100 years and one of which the boys should be proud.

Summer EventsCentenary events are just like London buses: you wait a month and then three all come at once. But the summer term events had the additional bonus of a special passenger on the buses: Mrs Patricia Liddell Russell. On the same bus ticket as Mrs Russell came two BBC camera crews – BBC “Songs of Praise” wanting to complete a section for the programme going out on 15th July; they even confessed to having cut

a hymn from the programme to fit in the large quantity of material on EHL! BBC Scotland had been the first TV crew to contact us about filming at Eltham, and although their programme (“Eric Liddell, The Champion’s Story”, on 23rd July in Scotland) concentrated on the story of EHL after the 1924 Olympics, they were determined to have some footage at Eltham College where Eric’s character and faith were moulded.

The only real concern for the ECCO Pops concert in the evening was the strength of the wind – would that affect the quality of the sound and would it be safe to launch the fireworks as part of the spectacular finale?

In the end all was well. The National Anthem, arranged by three Year Nine boys, Joe Beesley, Conor

Murphy and Takeo Broadhurst, got the audience of over 1250 to their feet, and we were then taken on a journey through 100 years of film music – Eric Korngold to John Williams, James Bond to Pirates of the Caribbean.

The traditional ECCO climax included Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory: fireworks lit up the whole of South-East London to the accompaniment of the main theme to Star Wars. An amazing day reached an extraordinary and memorable finale.

Sports Day started by 9.45am despite the early morning rain. By the time we reached the end of the usual competitions and the special events from the 1912 Sports Day (Businessman’s Race and the Go-as-you-please Race), we were more concerned about sunstroke than the rain! On the track, after her success in the Big Run, Mrs Headmaster enjoyed the Go-as-you-please Race with dog Murphy acting as her pace-maker! Meanwhile Mrs Russell had handed out the Sports Day prizes, including the paint box, a kite and stylograph pen. She then went on to cut the ribbon to open the College Meadow Pavilion where a board had been placed giving an account of her father’s life at Eltham College at the Olympics and in China. The Olympic football pitch looked like a billiard table lush with fresh grass.

Queen Elizabeth Hall Concert

The Centenary Concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall was a great celebration of the music-making at the school: with over 120 pupils taking part in Ensembles as varied as the Consort Choir and The Jazz Orchestra.

Everyone was at their best, and Mr Alastair Tighe, our Director of Music, and his other staff (especially Mrs Laura Oldfield and Mr Norman Levy) should be very pleased that everything went so well. From the first drum beats of Ives’ Fanfare for the Common Man, through to the last chord of Parry’s Blest Pair of Sirens, there was a genuine feeling of joy at the quality of music being performed. And what an audience! – over 700 seats occupied by parents, pupils, friends, grandparents, OEs and their parents – full of admiration for the orchestras and choirs, and clearly enjoying the evening’s entertainment. It was great to see so many old friends, including Tim Johnson, who had been Director of Music for over eight years, all of whom had come back especially for this evening.

A Gift to Remember

Sporting Successes

Every pupil and member of staff was presented with a commemorative gift – a tie for the boys and men and a scarf for the girls and ladies. The youngest boys faced the challenge of how to deal with ties longer than they were perhaps used to; many boys ended up with ties down around their knees at the first attempt. The challenge in the Senior School was how to wear the scarves – like British Airways Hostesses in a cravat style, or tied to one side, or over the top with bunches? The Catering staff entered into the spirit of the day by all wearing theirs at lunch very smartly. The boys seemed pleased with their ties and wore them with pride during the course of the year.

Several sporting events were held to commemorate the centenary. In January the senior hockey team won their pre-season event with considerable confidence. In July the cricketers hosted the first ever Leslie Gracie Twenty20 tournament, beating Dulwich College in the final. And on the last weekend before returning to school in September, the Rugby 1st XV travelled to the West Country to train and play with Taunton School, in commemoration of both the centenary and the fact that during World War Two the Eltham College boarders were evacuated there and formed their own house as part of Taunton School. The rugby players completed the centenary hat-trick by winning that match comfortably.

Speech Day

Carol Service

Speech Day was an extra special event with two Guests of Honour: in reality we had never been sure that Griff Rhys Jones would actually make it on the night owing to his TV filming schedule – and he kept us waiting until 6.32pm before arriving for the normal 6.30pm start! Fortunately Barnaby Lenon OE, recently retired Headmaster of Harrow and now Chairman of the Independent Schools Council, had agreed to come knowing that Griff might or might not make it: all Barnaby insisted on was speaking first if there were going to be two speakers. His memories of his time at Eltham combined with Winston Churchill’s time at Harrow encouraged all those who might not have received a prize to have confidence that having the right motivation would see them succeed at some stage in their lives. Griff entertained the assembled audience with his nostalgic memories of his time at Brentwood, which included the smell of the polish and seat as well as a humorous version of the school song. The Headmaster asked the school what EHL would have thought about the school 100 years on and Mrs Russell seemed pleased that we were all trying to avoid making him into an idol, something she had mentioned earlier that day in Chapel.

In December the final event of the Centenary Year was the Carol Service which took place with all pupils and teaching staff together in a single service held in Southwark Cathedral.

Once the travelling logistics had been sorted out, 16 coaches delivered just over 800 pupils and 100 teachers from Mottingham to fill the cathedral nave in the afternoon, and so an evening service had to be arranged for the rest of the Eltham Community – OEs, parents, friends and support staff. The music was splendid as it has been throughout the whole year: Mr Alastair Tighe had selected some excellent carols, including one specially commissioned from Tarik O’Regan for this event. They were all

performed by the choirs with the quality we have come to expect, and the rich acoustic of the cathedral enhanced the whole experience. Perhaps the Junior School Choir won the hearts of all present by their performance of Tell out the News!. When the congregations were invited to join in with the hymns the addition of the brass and percussions to the organ left us all overwhelmed by the majesty of Hark the Herald Angels and O Come all ye Faithful. Everyone who was part of this year’s event will remember the beauty of the setting, the purity of the singing and that sense of community which remains at the heart of Eltham College, certainly for the past one hundred years.

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