old barnardian newsletter - january 2012

www.barnardcastleschool.org.uk 1

A message from the Headmaster

Dear Old Barnardian

“Alien they seemed to be:No mortal eye could seeThe intimate welding of their later history,Or sign that they were bentBy paths coincidentOn being anon twin halves of one august event,Till the Spinner of the YearsSaid ‘Now!’ And each one hears,And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres.”

Thomas Hardy’s lines, of course, take as their subject the loss of the Titanic in 1912. However, the Spinner of the Years also decreed that at Barnard Castle in May 1912 twin halves of one august event should unite around a very different and happier development. In the porch the stained glass portraits of Benjamin Flounders and John Balliol, two men separated by six centuries, continue to watch over the boys and girls of our school as they come and go to daily Chapel services, morning prayer, evensong, exeat compline, communions and carol services.

In 2012 we celebrate the centenary of our Chapel, a building that is close to the heart of many OBs and one that has changed little in recent decades. Sheffer’s painting of Christ the Consoler in the sanctuary still looks back towards the magnificent Willis organ, just as it has done for the last 83 years of the Chapel’s history. The sights, sounds and smell of Chapel is part of our collective experience and memory.

I value our daily Chapel services at Barnard Castle so highly because, within the intensity of a school day, they offer a precious time in which we come together as a community to be thankful, to be reflective and to be aware of the needs of others. As a society many seem to have forgotten the art of silence. Some seem driven to fill the spaces of their lives with sound: background music, to which they do not listen; background TV, which they do not watch; car music systems blaring and thumping as they drive. News bulletins every half hour: instant comment followed by comments upon comment - called analysis to make it sound better. Many live for chatter and noise, much of it aimless, most of it meaningless or gratuitous.

However, Chapel today still gives young Barnardians the capacity for calm, for reflection, for individual thought – for wisdom, in fact. Chapel is about us as a community and you remain very much part of it. You are very welcome to join any of the Sunday services which are listed on our website and, of course, you will be especially welcome to the Barnardian Day service in 2012 which will be a special celebration of the Chapel’s centenary.

Alan Stevens, Headmaster.

Old Barnardians NewsletterPresident: Alan Stevens, Vice Presidents: Kenneth King and Alan Wilkinson. January 2012

Barnardians Reconnected2 www.barnardcastleschool.org.uk 3

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Welcome to this year’s annual newsletter and I hope you find it both interesting and informative. Please remember to inform the Club’s secretary, Dorothy Jones, of any items of your news as they happen.

Since the last edition, the year has passed quickly. Unfortunately the Club had to cancel the planned Dinner-Dance scheduled for April because of lack of numbers but Barnardian Day in the summer was a pleasant day weather-

wise, and this enabled a good number of Old Barnardians to return to school and either spectate or participate in a number of sports.

A group from the early 1980s had arranged to meet on Barnardian Day and, I believe, a good time was had by all. Some had travelled great distances to attend this gathering and it is my hope that other year groups will use future occasions to do exactly the same. A group, who had attended the Summer Gathering had also agreed to go to the London Dinner in October, held this year at the East India Club. I sat with this group and enjoyed their company, noting still that after 30 years House loyalties ran deep! This was the first time that I had attended the London Dinner as indeed it was for the Headmaster and his wife and also the new Bursar, Mr Simon Dowson. Numbers were up on last year and, as everyone appeared to have had an enjoyable time, I hope this trend continues. It is important for any event organised to be well supported and I would urge all members to try and attend at least one club event per year. The school said goodbye to Mr Iain Fairbairn this year, when he retired in September. Iain Fairbairn was not only the School’s Clerk of Works but also the School’s archivist. The Club is very grateful for all he did in collecting, organising and keeping artefacts, articles and mementoes. Dorothy Jones now has the onerous task of doing the same duty and whilst she is delving into all that is contained in the archive room I know she would welcome any additions to the collection. The intention is to display some of what the school holds at regular intervals.

Finally I should like to thank, on your behalf, the work done throughout the year by the committee and, of course, by Dorothy Jones, the Club’s Secretary.

I look forward to another eventful year and to meeting as many of you as possible.

With kind regards

Stuart Everall

Chairman


REVIEW of the SCHOOL ACADEMIC YEAR 2010-2011

The School reconvened in September with numbers still healthy both in the Senior school and in the Prep school. Of course, the biggest change saw the tenure of the new Headmaster, Mr Alan Stevens begin and so the term started, as ever, with pre-season training for hockey and rugby and a drinks reception for all the staff. Physically there were some changes as two new portacabins provided much needed accommodation for sixth form day girls and the A block, officially opened the previous Speech Day, was ready for pupils and staff to use.Soon the normal routine was in full swing. This meant that pretty quickly Houses were practising for the Coombes Cup, with various songs being heard from different common rooms. Come the day of the competition York House won the Junior title and Longfield were victorious in the senior event. It was not just in the inter house competition where singing and more generally music flourished.The Wind band performed throughout the year at such varying venues as the Bowes Museum, Darlington Football Club, the School for the Valentines Jazz evening and Disneyland in Paris and on each occasion to great acclaim. Elsewhere the individual music lessons are huge in number, the

standard invariably excellent as witnessed by the Gala concert held in the Spring term. Mention must be made of Arjen Jongschaap, who achieved the honour of becoming an Associate of the London College of Music in jazz saxophone, a very rare distinction for a schoolboy. Singing within the Chapel Choir is also of a high quality and they performed with distinction throughout, undertaking events at Cotherstone, Durham Cathedral and all of the School’s commitments; Carol Concerts, Confirmation and First Communion and even the odd wedding! More informal concerts at School have also occurred with a

charity event in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital being most successful.The School’s musical included a wide array of talent and whilst Hannah Robertson was a known quantity others were not. Rent: School Edition was performed to rave receptions and all 60 pupils both back and on stage achieved a remarkable standard. Earlier in the year Skellig was produced and again the wealth of talent available to the school was evident. Under Miss Baldwin’s direction another splendid piece of drama was produced. The junior part of the School, years 7 and 8, not to be outdone performed Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations in the summer term. Here Mrs Beaty directed her young and enthusiastic cast to great effect. In the Public Speaking competition for the Old Barnardian Cup, Durham House produced a winning display in a very entertaining evening. Skills apparent on this occasion due in no small way to the excellent efforts of the Lectern Club, which meets about half a dozen times a year and encourages sixth formers to speak in front of their peers.The sporting side of school life continues to play a significant part. In the Autumn term the boys’ rugby sides performed with great credit as did the girls’ hockey sides. The 1st XV won 9 out of 12 games but disappointingly lost to Durham in the Daily Mail Cup, having beaten them earlier in the term. The 3rd XV, under Mr Gorman’s


stewardship had an unbeaten season but all the sides showed that the sport is in a healthy position. The 1st XI hockey side had a splendid season remaining undefeated in inter-school fixtures and fielding some super players in their final year at school. In the House competitions North for rugby and Longfield for hockey did the honours at the end of term “nailing up.”The Spring term began very much as the previous one had ended, that is to say, snow still lay thickly on the ground. This does not prevent, of course, cross country running and so all the Houses, in varying degrees of enthusiasm, started their Barnard Run preparation. First the Barney Bash saw Marwood and Durham win their respective competitions but more importantly nearly £4000 was raised for the Butterwick Hospice. Soon afterwards the 119th Barnard Run took place and, as ever, six keenly contested races occurred. James Ingram and Rachel Brown won their respective

senior races and Dale and Marwood the House competitions. Special mention must be made of the fact that five brothers, the Carters in Tees House, all ran in the various age groups on the Barnard Run.Elsewhere the girls’ netball had a satisfactory season as did the boys’ hockey. Lacrosse faired slightly better and the football side remained unbeaten. In rugby sevens there were several victories by some of the junior sides and the 1st seven won their County competition. The best performance by the seniors was in the Sedbergh tens. Victories against schools such as

Wellington and Millfield put them in the final, where they narrowly lost by 24-12 to Filton College and Guy van den Dries was named player of the tournament. Squash had its successes with the 1st V winning over half their games and the 2nd V remaining unbeaten. The under 15 V progressed to the final of the National Schools Trophy and just lost 3-2 against Cheltenham.The Summer term was equally full of fixtures but the seniors’ list is reduced because of examination commitments. Nonetheless the 1st XI played thirteen and won two and the tennis teams met with mixed fortunes. Sports’ Day was moved to a Friday afternoon and several records were broken, most notably by Ian Swall in the discus, who broke the existing record by thirteen metres. Bowes won the girls’ competition and North the boys with Caroline Simpson and Finlay Tait being crowned Victrix and Victor Ludorum respectively. At the final “nailing up” of the year Durham won the cricket and Longfield the rounders.Whilst sport takes up much time there are numerous activities outside of this environment that are equally impressive. The School’s CCF continues to thrive under the leadership of Major Hall with just under 200 cadets being involved. Highlights in their year included being runners-up in the Cadet SAAM competition, second again in the Colts Canter and a similar position in the Jarvais Cup. They also played a significant part in the School’s and Town’s contribution to Remembrance Day.The Duke of Edinburgh award is very popular and a steady stream of pupils attempt the Silver award and twelve senior pupils pursued the Gold award.Within School a sixth form team puts together a weekly publication for both pupils and parents and The Barney Bulletin has a wide readership! Similar skills were used, but not just by the sixth formers, when a team took part in the BBC School Report Day and received commendations


for their efforts. The Young Enterprise team invested time and effort in trying to sell School mugs and calendars.Other academic activities occurred such as the Design and Technology competition for juniors and intermediates and the “Top of the Bench” for our chemists, which was most successful, winning the regional event and then performing admirably in the national one. The School also received many visitors during the year and not just from Old Barnardians. Some parents spoke to the sixth form about their careers and the local MP, Mrs Helen Goodman entertained the politics' pupils. The Classics department organised a trip to Italy, the RS department trips to Lindisfarne, Hindu Mandir and Beth Shalom, the History department to the

Battlefields and Auschwitz and the Art department a trip to Yorkshire Sculpture Park. All these undertaken due to the staff’s generosity with their time. Not quite so academic but certainly worthy of mention are the two ski trips organised by Mr Bishop, one for the sixth form and the other for the juniors.As the end of the academic year came into sight the final few commitments were undertaken. A successful Barnardian Day was held and as the final week passed thoughts turned to what had happened throughout the year. The School had come through its Inspection in a very encouraging way with the feedback praising all areas of school life. The snow, that had meant a group of Hong Kong students had had to stay at school and not get their intended flights resulting in a minibus trip to Paris, was very much a thing of the past and just Speech Day remained. Mr Tony Aikenhead, OB and Project Manager of the Olympic Stadium, addressed the audience and awarded prizes, evidence again of what a full and busy year it had been. The Headmaster spoke of his first year at Barney, the Wind Band performed and speeches from Tom Harrison and Head of School, Nick Crowe were listened to. As ever in school life, the year never really ends; there were CCF camps, Pennine Way walks, canoeing in Sweden and water sports in Spain all to be undertaken. There was time to say goodbye to several members of staff, who were going on to pastures new. Oliver Marlow had left at Christmas and he was joined in the summer by Emma Baldwin, Emily Burgess, Alan Dougherty, Paul McHarry, Lynne Richardson, Jane Tulip and

Alistair White (Bursar). All were thanked for their huge contributions. Farewells were also made to the upper sixth at the Leavers’ Ball and the school year seemed to finish as carriages departed. This review can never be fully comprehensive and undoubtedly areas have been omitted. The School is a busy place, as it should be, and there have been many successes, of which we can be proud.

DCSE.


A Message from the Head of School

Looking back upon the four and a half years I have spent at Barnard Castle School, it’s impossible for me to think of anywhere else that I would rather have been. Coming from a much smaller, all boys school, the seemingly titanic leap from being a big fish in a small pond to a tiny fish in an ocean of diversity seemed somewhat daunting. However, it was made so much easier by the welcoming attitude of the school towards every kind of skill and talent available.

Life is what you make of it, and I can safely say that here at Barney, just like so many other pupils, I have been given the opportunities to be everything that I have wanted to be. During my time here I have been an academic, an athlete, a public speaker, a dramatic performer, a captain and even a catwalk model. These opportunities have allowed me to develop massively as a well rounded human being but most importantly, have allowed me to enjoy my time at school.

I believe that there are so many students elsewhere that leave school with every qualification that they could hope for, yet fail to leave with a proper education. It’s Barney’s emphasis on such a rounded education, rather than one focused entirely on the classroom that enables us to continuously produce brilliant young men and women rather than just students.

The past few years have seen millions of pounds spent in development both inside and out of the class room, yet after all these years, the school still maintains its traditional ‘Barnardian spirit’ that has led it through the past 130 years. For all my very positive experiences here at Barney, I am ready to move on towards the future; something for which Barnard Castle School has prepared me extremely well.

Guy Van Den Dries

DIARY DATES

Sat 7th Jan 2012 – Committee Meeting 10.30am

Sat 31st March 2012 – OB Annual Dinner 7pm

Sat 5th May – Committee Meeting 10.30am

Sun 1st July – Barnardian Day 10am

Sat 8th Sept – Committee Meeting 10.30am

Sun 9th Sept – Golf Day, BC Golf Club 11am

Fri 12th Oct – London Dinner, East India Club. 7pm for 8pm


Welcome to our new Development DirectorBarnard Castle School is pleased to welcome Rachael Barker to the new role of DevelopmentDirector.

Established in September 2011, the Development Office provides a professional focus for all School marketing and communications, admissions and alumni relations activity.

Headmaster Mr Alan Stevens comments: “We are delighted to welcome Rachael to Barnard Castle School to help guide and develop our marketing and communications, admissions and alumni relation functions as we approach our 130th anniversary year. It is an exciting time for the School as we continue to develop and build on the solid foundations of earlier years. The Development Office represents further investment in our community and our children’s future.”

Rachael adds: “It has been a great pleasure to be part of the Barney community since autumn half term and I must thank the many staff, students and friends of the School for their warm welcome. I’ve already had the opportunity to meet with many alumni and parents, and I very much look forward to the various events and occasions this year - and beyond - which will give me an opportunity to meet many more of you in person.”

Rachael will lead the Development Office Team and work alongside Julia Simpson (Admissions Secretary), Judith Pepper (Marketing Officer) and Dorothy Jones (Alumni Officer and Secretary to the Old Barnardian Club). Bringing a wealth of experience to her role, Rachael has worked in education management for over ten years and joins us from the University of Cambridge where she was Head of Alumni & Community Relations at Cambridge Judge Business School. Alumni will be able to read more about the Development Office in the coming months. In the meanwhile, connect with Rachael online: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/rachaelbarker or email [email protected]

Memory LaneIn preparation for Barnard Castle School’s 130th anniversary in 2013, the Development Office is keen to hear from alumni who can help the School build a collection of ‘memorable memories’.

The Development Office invites all former pupils – both men and women – to share their recollections and provide illuminating insights into days gone by.

Which sports teams were you part of? Did you meet your spouse during your time at Barney? Which teachers did you find particularly inspiring? Can you recall your favourite school trip?

Whether anecdotes from your time in a House or a particularly memorable visit or recollection - we want to hear from you! Pictures welcomed too. Submit your memories online www.surveymonkey.com/s/barneymemories or email [email protected]


Your News 2011

Lt Col John Starling (1969-76) - left the Army in June 2006 on his return from Iraq and now lectures in Small Arms Design at the Defence Academy Shrivenham.

Frank Whately (N, 1958-67) is to be made Kingston University’s first Honorary Fellow in a ceremony at the Rose Theatre, Kingston. It is ‘in recognition of an outstanding contribution to Theatre in the United Kingdom, Kingston in particular and Performance Arts at Kingston University’. Frank retired as Head of the School of Performance at Kingston a couple of years ago (which he had created several years ago), but still does some teaching particularly on the postgraduate course at the Rose which he created with Sir Peter Hall. He is also writing a book on the Rose Theatre....

The following OBs met in Hong Kong on Dec 11th 2011 for Dinner Joseph Yap, Jason Tse,Leslie Chan, Wilson Fung, Kenneth Chan (Jefferies), Kenneth Chan, Kenneth Wong. They had a fabulous night and intend to meet on a yearly basis. Thanks to Joseph Yap for organising it.

James Waddington (T, 1995-03) After School James attended Northumbria Univesity where he gained a BSc in Geography. In April 2008 James joined the Royal Navy where he trained as a minesweeper specialist. He served aboard HMS Grimsby for 6 months in the Gulf and more recently aboard HMS Bangor for 6 months in Libyan waters.

Bruce Mcara (Y, 1970-80) Bruce has taken up the position of CEO at Turner & Townsend Inc based in New York where he is responsible for North and South America and Canada.

Nigel Farndale (Y, 1976-81) visited the School in May 2011 to be interviewed by the Editorial team of the Barney Bulletin. It had been many years since his last visit and he was most impressed by the changes but glad that it was the same in many ways. Nigel’s niece and nephew are current pupils.

Alan Wilkinson (1937-44) has narrated the audio guide for the Blue Plaque walk around Barnard Castle. This can be downloaded on to i-pods or smartphones.

Giles Deacon (T, 1983-88) the Silver Swan at the Bowes Museum was the inspiration for his latest collection.

Dominic Sewell (1975-83) is a Historic Re-enactor and recently rode before the Queen at the Royal Tournament. In 2013 he will take over as ‘Master of Horse’ at Bolsover Castle on behalf of English heritage.

Martin Sinclair (Y, 1961-70) recently wrote ‘I miss flying over the Dales and the Durham/Northumberland area, especially in nice weather at low level. I always used to look down and see if the cricketers were out or rugby or tennis players! The last time I visited was just after I had led a 4 ship formation of Jet Provosts in a flypast for the CCF annual inspection day. I managed to fill it with 4 pilots who either had been to the school as pupils or who had sons there. When I visited the school I met Mr Rowell who had been a maths master- a very nice man with an ironic sense of humour. I did notice how much more upmarket the school had gone since my day, I think a succession of Headmasters had got it by the scruff of the neck and pulled it into the 20th Century! I’d have died for some of the hobby facilities that had been introduced when I last saw it -1986 if I remember correctly so I am well out of date with it now. Anyway, bed calls with early breakfasts in the morning, a bit of a change to gung ho military flying.

Peter Smith (left), Miles Dixon (centre) and Robert Wilkinson met this year after 44 yrs whilst Robert was over in the UK for a visit from his home in Canada. The pose is reminiscent of the pose for rugby photos in the 1960s.


Mike Woodhall (1973–78) Recently retired at the rank of Inspector after 32 years in the Police Service. He is married with two teenage daughters and lives in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, where he has bought into a successful taxi business and works as an owner/driver. Mike enjoys motorcycling and has recently been on two trips covering France, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, including the Battlefields. Further trips are planned for next year. Note from OB Sec: the mother of OB Chris Burgess, has spent some time researching OBs killed in WW1. If anyone is planning a visit to the Battlefields she would be happy to share her knowledge.

David Austin (T, 1994-2005) David is living in Russia teaching English in a language school. He hopes to spend the next two years abroad - where is not definite yet - teaching English. After school David spent over six months volunteering in a rural primary school in Ecuador. He then went on to study French, Spanish and Russian at Nottingham. Dr Paul Millican (N, 1968-72) Paul lives in Christchurch, New Zealand but fortunately was not badly affected by the earthquake and is safe and well.

Dr Colin Crosby (D,1962-71) has had an eventful year having been appointed by the Football Association (FA) as co-ordinator of all Sports Medicine Insurance matters during the World Cup of 2010. The England results may not have gone entirely as planned but at least most of the players stayed healthy! In November he was appointed as a Director and Treasurer of the Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine (ISEM), the Research Arm of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine, which co-ordinates all training, examination and appraisal of the speciality in the UK. Finally in March 2011 he was elected to the council of the Independent Doctors Federation (IDF). This is the principle body representing private practitioners in the UK and his role will be to foster the cause of Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) within the private sector both in the run up to the Olympics and beyond. He is actively involved in promoting careers in Sport and Exercise Medicine and would be very happy to hear from any current students/alumni who have an interest in this field. Dr Crosby can be contacted via E-mail ([email protected]) or the Office Tel: 0207 372 8566

Adrian Radcliffe (N, 1970-79) lives in Kenya where he works for the World Agroforestry Centre, mostly on programme management related to ecosystems services and other agroforestry projects. He is also involved with a local social cricket team and was amazed in 2008 to meet the son of Andy Frater (N, 1973-80), Jack , who was out in Kenya with some other OBs to help with Project Swallow (see 2010 newsletter). Adrian has 2 sons and a daughter. He rarely visits the UK. Adrian has offered to be a contact for OBs in Kenya.

Katie Fellows, nee Hartley (1987-89) has recently relocated to Doha, Qatar. She is a senior manager with a telecommunications company. She has 2 daughters aged 4 and 7 years. Through Barnrdians Reconnected we have been able to put Ken Proud (Y, 1955-66) and Peter Smith (D,1957-67) in touch with one another after 44yrs! They met in 1956 in Prep School and haven’t seen each other since 1966.

S Arnold (N, 1964-71) - Worked in London for Sedgwicks (then Price Forbes), an international insurance broker, for 3 years. Moved to Sydney, Australia in 1975. Continued working for Sedgwicks in Sydney for another 23 years and as a Director for the last 10 years before joining the NSW energy industry in 1998 involved in the risk financing area. I now work for EnergyAustralia based in Sydney as their Group Insurance Manager and was Chairman of the NSW Energy Industry’s Risk Management Committee for 6 years and still participates on this committee.

I married Catherine in Bermuda in 1988 and we live in Sydney and have 2 sons. We separated July 2003 but still both live nearby. I live in Sydney with my 2 sons James (19) and Robert (16) with my new partner Sharon and her 2 children. I gave up rugby in 1977 having survived a whole season of club rugby for Eastwood in Sydney without injury (this was a miracle considering how rough the games were!). Played


many years of social club cricket in Sydney and captained the side for a few years (scored 2 centuries-something I could not even get close to at school!). I coached my sons’ junior soccer teams for 5 years and now watch them play rugby (my elder son played school 1st XV and now plays for Manly U21’s 1st XV on the wing; my younger son plays outside centre for his school U16 A’s, basketball and athletics), from the sidelines. I loved sport at school and I now try to swim 3 times a week to keep fit (thanks to Mr Parry, wonderful school swim coach during my time at school) and also enjoy walking, tennis, cycling and golf.

My 3 younger brothers Roger, Jeremy and James also all went to Barney and they also live in Australia. All are happily married with a total of 8 children between them so far. My father (85) lives in Sydney (Mum died in 2006).

Rupert Murray - I left Barney in 1981, following an unremarkable school career. Painfully shy and withdrawn, I spent my school years trying to blend in with the background, attempting to imitate a wood panel in the dining room or a locker!

Following school, I had a brief foray into the world of catering, with diploma to match. I also gained my private pilots licence in 1985. I had various jobs until 1990 and lived at home.

The turning point was going to University as a mature student. The course I chose brought me out of my shell and largely cured me of the shyness. It has also given me a fantastic 15 year career as an Occupational Therapist, manager and locum.

I married my wonderful Kenyan wife in 1997 and moved to Kenya in 2004. Until now, I have continued to work in various parts of the UK, for a few months per year, to maintain my professional registration.

In Kenya, we have successfully invested in real estate and have a property at Green Park Naivasha, which we let out for short term holiday lets.

I may not have been a high flyer at school, but am eternally thankful for having been there and the role Barney played in shaping the person I am today.

Jonathan Anderson (T, 1982-89) Left School and went to Newcastle University to study Agricultural Engineering. Joined the Officer Training Corps and played rugby. Worked on the family farm for a few years then decided to use my instructing skills and become a teacher. Teaching Design Technology since 1996 in Norfolk, then Lincolnshire and now have moved to New Zealand, in 2011, to teach the Kiwis Electronics. Married to Catherine and have a little boy called William.

In June and July 2011 Bryan Patterson (Y, 1957-64) rode across America from San Francisco to New York to raise money for CitySquash, which is a not-for-profit after-school enrichment program based in the Bronx at Fordham University. The organisation helps motivated and talented young people from economically disadvantaged households in the Bronx fulfill their academic, athletic and personal potential. Bryan is the Director of Squash. The ride took 35 days and Bryan said ‘ We had an awesome time and what a great way to see the country. We camped too!! Raised $25,000 for CitySquash not bad!! ‘Well done Bryan and the team.

Congratulations to Patrick Grant (Y 1990) who won the Menswear Designer of the Year Award 2010.This award ‘recognises a leading British Designer of ready-to-wear and bespoke tailoring who has been instrumental in enhancing men’s fashion over the last year.’ The finalists included designers from Burberry and Paul Smith. Patrick is the owner of Norton and Sons, Savile Row and its ready-to-wear collection E Tautz. Patrick’s broken herringbone tie has also been voted in at 15th Most Wanted Things’ in GQ magazine 2011.

Thank you for sending in your news – we love to hear it. If we could have a cut off date for articles/news etc of Nov 30th 2012 that would be most helpful.


Mr Paul McHarry

HM’s interview notes (1983): McHarry – physics (not science); formidable (gown and cane); dry humour (chose Tio Pepe); smart (St. Andrews, wears tie pin, uses a serviette); budding gardener (greenhouse club?); lay preacher (Moore relief?); seeks suite of rooms (Junior House tutor?); opinions (Barnardian editor?); could make something of him.

McHarry has achieved spectacularly over his 28 years. His commanding views over the campus from the M Block keep him fully aware of School matters and even provide evidence of late arrivals to class (reminding us of headmaster Cleese in ‘Clockwise’, perhaps?).

His department is superbly organised with every drawer and cupboard labelled, and apparatus bar-coded (care of Mrs H actually). The library is beautifully catalogued; his physics’ website is amongst the country’s very best; syllabi and courses are chosen and tailored to foster rigorous inquiry and promote intellectual curiosity, and contain the Nuffield excitement of practical demonstrations; colleagues share the highest standards; pupils are committed to their own success. His department has progressed many on to MPhys and MSc courses at the best universities as well as provided all with the chance of separate science success at a time of general science mediocrity. McHarry is perceived by most, to include urchins and sloths, to be an outstanding schoolmaster and teacher (the pupils’ Mr McHarry facebook appreciation site is testament to this) and the department’s excellent

academic results evidence this. Open Day Physics has always been the place to be!

He is a pastoral man too. This Junior House resident assistant housemaster saw deserving promotion to Durham; the senses of loyalty and devotion to the Gold Flag, so well documented and with masterly photography in the House’s history, are lodged in the hearts of McHarry’s OB men who breathe style and success throughout the land. In latter years, he has been a calming influence and wise counsel in Marwood – a senior man in a vital role. Tutees have been rewarded with cakes and Coke in P1 (care of Mrs H), a highlight of their week if not his.

And very much a schoolmaster: he has sung the staff unison, completed the Barnard Run staff course (when younger), been selected as the number one time-keeper for track events on Sports Day, provided memorable addresses at Sunday Chapel, promoted Barney at ISIS Fairs, threatened to resurrect Durham allotments where the 1st XV now practises, umpired Counties’ cricket matches (but only on fine afternoons), produced ‘Good Morning BCS’ – an award winning weekly which caught the imagination of all through its text and images, and gently challenged and teased the bumptious speaker in inter-House public speaking competitions.

As a colleague, he is fun. Whilst shooting from the hip and telling it as it is, he is honest and forthright. Humour wins the day as well as friends. The smile is engaging; his time is readily given and comments which can be brief, are invariably pithy, witty and often reassuring.

McHarry is a legend of our years. He says he is ready, after 84 terms of distinguished service, to make way for younger men. We have certainly made something of him and, most definitely, he of us. We will remember him.

DHE


‘Lest We Forget’The Barnard Castle School community showed its respect to the fallen of both World Wars and subsequent conflicts at a number of acts of remembrance in the run up to Remembrance Sunday this weekend.

School Chapel was filled on the morning of Friday 11th – Armistice Day – when a short service of reflection was conducted. Following a service led by the Reverend Ridley and a reading by Upper Sixth pupil, Anthony Harrison; twenty five pupils representing all School Houses – Northumberland, York, Durham, Longfield, Bowes, Marwood, Dale and Tees planted 202 poppy crosses in remembrance of Old Barnardians and Masters who had fought and died in World War 1, World War 2 and the Falkland conflict.

The School also observed a two minute silence as the clock struck 11.00am on Armistice Day.

Old Barnardians and their families once again joined pupils and staff of the School on Remembrance Sunday in School Chapel. Mr Stuart Everall, Chairman of the Old Barnardians Club joined the Headmaster in delivering readings to the congregation before the service ended with a rousing rendition of Jerusalem. The School then joined the town and assorted civic dignitaries, the Royal British Legion and representatives from other local associations in the grounds of Bowes Museum.

A marching band and Barnard Castle School CCF led the town parade to the cenotaph in the Bowes Museum grounds where a short service was held and a minutes silence was observed.

Captain Christopher Dent

Earlier this year the father of one of our current Year Nine boarders was stationed in the Falklands and took these photos of the memorial to those killed in battle there, including Captain Christopher Dent. Capt. Dent was a boarder in Durham House from 1959-66 and he is remembered here in Chapel behind the choir stalls on the wooden panels. He was killed instantly by enemy fire on May 28th 1982 at Darwin Hill.

L to R: Alan Wilkinson, Gary Brown, Les Dodds, Gerry Camozzi, Stuart Everall, Peter Hodges, Tom Hatfield and Alan Stevens (Headmaster)


I was going through an old photograph album earlier this year and came across some photos, that might bring back some memories for those in them, assuming that I am not the only one still alive from that era! Back in the late 40’s/early 50’s we had a fairly active Railway Club at School. I suppose that nowadays such an activity would be considered very infra dig. But, back then, we were quite active. The leaders were Dr. Woods and Mr. Hayward and I am attaching three photos taken on two of our Club outings. All of these photos were taken by Dr. Woods, who was the physics master - and a good egg! The first was taken on Wednesday the 14th of July 1948 during a visit we made to the Motive Power Depot at Darlington. The Foreman Fitter was explaining the valve gear of a D49 Class locomotive to us. Left to right - Donald Bennett, Michael Millar, “Jock” McEwan, and Holliday (I don’t remember his first name). While not remembering all of the details I expect that we went over to Darlington on the 12:32 train and came back on the 5:30 out of Darlington The second and third photos were taken on Saturday the 17th of June 1950 at Tebay. Tebay, on the West Coast Main Line, was at the foot of the very steep Shap Bank and many trains stopped at Tebay for banking assistance. Tebay had an allocation of Fowler Class 4 locomotives for banking duties. Mr. Hayward had arranged with the Railway authorities for the Club, possibly six or eight of us, to go up Shap in pairs on one of the banking engines. Photo 2 shows the engine I went up on being coaled prior to the trip, I am on the left and Noble ( again, I don’t recall his first name, but I do remember he was in Durham House) is on the right. Photo 3 is of our engine moving forward to get onto the rear of a passenger train that we then pushed up the bank. Noble looking forward. Once we got to the top of the bank the passenger train pulled away, we crossed over to the other track and ran back down the bank to Tebay station. We went over to Tebay on the 7:15 a.m. train, arriving at Tebay at 8:55, returning on the 8:05 p.m., that had us back at Barnard Castle at 10:00 p.m. A long day for sure but one we all thoroughly enjoyed. All impossible now of course, with no railway at Barnard Castle anymore. But in those days we travelled everywhere by train, or occasionally by bus. In fact, in those all boys days at School, the girls who were children of masters had to travel back and forth from Barnard Castle to Bishop Auckland to attend the Grammar School there. Mind you, they were not alone because with there not being a Grammar School in Barnard Castle, other boys and girls from the town also went to B. A. and back on the train. Barnard Castle Station was a “Happnin’ Place” in those days. The Railway Club also had another outing, possibly in 1949, to Carlisle and I have several photos taken there by Dr. Woods, but there are no Club Members in any of them. I think we spent the day train spotting - i.e. collecting engine numbers - at Citadel Station and I can’t remember how we got there and back, but for that one I don’t think it was by train. Michael Millar,(Y, 1947-51)

Michael Millar Memories


In Memory of my Father

This year 2 Old Barnardians have completed amazing trials of endurance in honour of their fathers Richard Parker ran the length of Hadrian’s Wall in less than 24 hours and Stuart Walker rode a leg of the Tour de France. Old Barnardian Matthew Harrison also met the challenge of the long walk from John O’Groat’s to Lands End to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease

Richard wrote:

Sadly, in March this year I lost my father to cancer, which was a massive blow for my family. The cancer was very aggressive but my father had amazing help and assistance from the Macmillan Cancer Support Nurses. I felt I had to try and raise as much money for these incredible people as possible and planned to run/walk the entire length of Hadrian’s Wall (86 miles) in 24 hours, a task that many described politely as ‘ambitious’. On mentioning this challenge to a number of my friends, my single one man expedition turned into a 10 man group, 5 of whom were Old Barnardians.

At 20:00 on the 25th of June, 2011, the 10 of us set off from Bowness-on-Solway to embark on this marathon task. Wallsend in the East of Newcastle seemed a very, very long way off. The weather was great and by 23:00 we had covered 20 miles. Head torches on running through the middle of Carlisle city centre on a Saturday night was somewhat of a surreal experience. By 04:00 on Sunday the sun had come up and the difficult night section had finished. The group was going strong and the views of Northumberland with the

Roman Wall as a backdrop provided a pleasant distraction from the running. By 09:00 we had covered the high, hilly section just north of Corbridge and apart from sunburn and blisters everybody was doing well. In the heat of the middle of the day the group started to separate and the last hours into Wallsend saw everyone pairing off. The arrival at Wallsend roughly 19:30, 86 miles later was a welcome relief. Blistered feet, dead legs and stiff backs made even standing up horrendous. It was a massive effort and achievement for everybody that took part and we really

appreciated all of the donations and I would personally like to thank everybody who did donate, raising a huge £7,367.99. Any furthers donations would be really appreciated. MacMillian Cancer Support is a worthy cause and you can donate directly at: www.justgiving.com/RP81

Thank you.

Stuart wrote:

After a very long drive we arrived at Issoire, the start of the ‘Etape du Tour Mondovelo’ the night before the start of the race to register. We handed over our medical certificates saying we were apparently in sufficient condition to be able to attempt the 210km bike ride and picked up our competition numbers. The lower the number the better/more experienced the rider…mine was 6316! Seeing some of our fellow competitors looking double our age gave me some confidence…until I noticed the size of some of the calf muscles and thighs on show. Tent up, and bikes suitably oiled, we devoured one kilogram of pasta, which surely would give us enough energy for the demands of a sunny ride in the French hills. Having to get up at 5.30 for the start was a little bit painful, but seeing the rain and dark clouds was even worse… nevertheless the nerves and adrenalin soon woke us up!


Off we went, jostling as a peloton, with people searching for space and trying to find their rhythm. The pace was high and frenetic to begin with but I gradually settled into my own pace. After 30km the first hill came with strong rain and a decent headwind …surely my winter commute was better preparation than the sun the French, European and Australian competitors might be used to. Arriving into check point and food station 1 after 70km of brutal weather that would be bad even for the hardened Scots, several coaches of shivering people had decided enough was enough and stopped the race right there. One banana, two cereal bars and some dodgy looking powder into my water bottle and I was back on the bike for the 1600m mountain climb...

Happily the rain had died down a little as we climbed the twisty road up the mountain, where temperatures dropped to 3 degrees, but sadly we were unable to enjoy the view due to the fog…so quickly down (or as quickly as I was willing to go as more seasoned cyclists raced past me at 70km/h +). I could not tell if my feet were freezing cold by now or boiling hot, so I thought ‘mind over matter’ and told myself they were toasty warm. Arriving into food station 2 was a real morale boost as I realised we were past half way with only a little 100km to go. The road continued up, down, up and left, right, twisting and turning and down again and then up again, with the many supporters cheering us on and telling us there was only a few km to the top of the next ‘small hill’. How many ‘small’ hills remained I kept asking myself!

And so as I found myself only a few km short of the finish line, and legs definitely on the heavy side, I thought of all the many people back at home that had supported me and The Prostate Cancer Charity. The last one km was a cruel uphill finish into the village of St Flour, where names had been painted on the road of the tour professionals who had finished to thousands of cheering fans only a week before. Seeing my Mum and Aunt (who had placed themselves strategically at checkpoints along the route to cheer me on) standing only 150m from the finish line amongst the crowd gave me the last push I needed…and crossed the finish line in 10 hours 25 minutes ( A mere 4 hours 45 minutes behind the professional winner!).

Very emotional having completed the 210km in 1600th position (later learning that only 1983 actually finished out of the 4,500 who started), I was ecstatic. The training over the last 8 months had paid off!

With over £12,000 raised for the Prostate Cancer Charity I have been bowled over by the support of all my family and friends from all parts of my life. The Charity and I are so grateful

A special thanks to my wingman Rich, my Mum, Aunt Paddy, my wife Lorna and so many others for all your love, help and support and to everyone who has helped contribute to this incredibly important charity.

For my Grandfather

Matthew wrote: ‘The walk went well; I stuck to my schedule and finished in 10 weeks. The final mileage was about 1225 miles- higher than originally planned due to getting lost on one day. Not everything went to plan (alongside getting lost I got ill and my first pair of boots started to develop holes) but I managed to get around any problems and make it to Land’s End. I’ve raised about £5100 so far but that is going to be added to by GiftAid and also by Tesco so that it should come to around £7 500, going to Parkinson’s UK. I’m still accepting money, donations can be made by going to www.walkoftheuk.weebly.com, and any donations are really appreciated. I had a really amazing time, I managed to meet some brilliant people and the walking was generally fantastic. Well done to Richard Stuart and Matthew - amazing!


Barnardian Day and London Dinner 2011by David Leonard

A number of the ‘81 and ‘83 crop of leavers, in particular, used this year’s Summer Gathering and London Dinner events to meet up again. The School had glorious weather for the Summer Gathering with an impressive turnout for the ‘83 leavers. We met new Head, Alan Stevens, had tea on the library lawn and a guided tour of the school - much new development has happened since many of us last visited (fitness suite and dance studio, science and ICT block, boarding houses, a new floor over Central Hall above the first floor balcony, individual rooms where the dorms used to be), but much is reassuringly unchanged. Dot Jones, with Gary Underwood (‘83) & Andy Baker (‘83), had assembled various school sports results and records for comparisons with recent results (it’s amazing how many unreliable memories we have of the past) - off to the Old Well Inn for a great evening, joined by John Oates, Nick Wilson, Gary Bishop, Martin Pepper and Dot, then Chapel the following morning with Rev Ridley and the reading by Rory Underwood (‘81)..only one mobile phone rang.

L-R: Paul Kelly, Alan Stevens, John Oates. L-R: Graeme Seddon, Stuart Everall

L-R: Paul Kelly, David Leonard, Rory Underwood, Stephen Rainbow

L-R: Gary Underwood, Jeremy Clark

L-R: Jane Larcombe, Jess Neville, Vicky Neville, Charlotte Owen.

L-R: Joel Wilks, Ed Bishop, Josh Waldin. Back: Phil Spowart, Graeme Seddon, Simon Davies.Front: Ricky Hopwood, Jack Frater, Max Alexander.

On grass: Matthew Brown.


The London Dinner was at the East India Club, attended by about 55 OB’s with a wide spread of OB leaving dates, and two generations Goundrys. There were two short speeches by the Head, Alan Stevens and Club Chairman, Stuart Everall who spoke confidently about the future and the considerable ongoing achievements at the School. We had a great evening which ended all too soon. One note of caution to any men attending future dinners ... do bring a tie or you will be wearing a gravy stained one of the East India Club’s choosing. We were all very warmly welcomed to both events and the school is very keen to grow the numbers of OB’s participating once again. Many thanks for the support of Alan Stevens and the formidable organisational skills of OB Secretary Dot Jones... and yes, please do spread the word and put the 2012 dates in your diary!Thank you David for providing your memories of these two occasions. Barnardian Day was busy with lots of OBs

coming back, not only to play in the games vs the School, but to catch up with old friends. Mr Hammond hadn’t been back for 50 years. He had been taught by Alan Wilkinson and was able to sit next to Alan in Chapel and have a cup of tea with him afterwards. The weather was very kind to us, there was no World Cup football game against Germany and the ‘party’ continued until after 5pm. The Challenge Shield was won by the OBs and our thanks go to those who organised the teams and all those who played. Our thanks also go to Staff Members John Lister, Tanya Broadbent, Gary Bishop, John Gedye and Allen Jacobs for their help and support.

As David said the London Dinner was a terrific night with much banter and many enthusiastic ‘the one that got away’ type stories!

Attendees at London Dinner 2011 : T Aikenhead (’72), P Hodges (’72), J Littlefair (’72), J Millican (’73), N Pearson (’62), G Brown (’53) T Hatfield (’54), L Dodds (’67), M Moss (’01), S Moss (’04), J Goundry (’81), M Goundry (’78), W Goundry (’50), Bob Clark (ex-staff), J Fifield (’78), D Laskow-Pooley (’78), S Rainbow (’81), P Kelly (’81) D Leonard (’81), R Underwood (’81), R Coulthwaite (’81), N McCallum (’80), P Hill (’81), J Cohu (’81), P Blakely (’01), D Rickard (’75), N Clark (’78), I Owens (’78), G Hetherington (’77), G Duckett (’78), M Rainbow (’78). Mr & Mrs A D Stevens (Headmaster), DCS Everall (Chairman), D Jones (Secretary), S Dowson (Bursar).

The next London Dinner is on Friday October 12th 2012, 7pm for 8pm. Look forward to seeing you there.

L-R: Tom Hatfield, Stuart Everall. L-R: Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Dodds. L-R: Neil McCallum, Alan Stevens, Richard Coulthwaite.

L-R: Mrs. Hodges, Mrs. Littlefair. L-R: Rory Underwood, Walter Goundry. L-R: John Littlefair, Tony Aikenhead, Peter Hodges.


The Trophy was won by Edmund Levie with 41 Stableford points and Stuart Everall was the winner of the Parkinson Trophy for the Longest Drive. Daniel Parkin, Nick Seddon, Graydon Parkin, Kevin Atkin, Peter Ashman, David Hill and Luke Kelton enjoyed a great day's golf.

If you would like to be involved in the next OB Golf Day in 2012 please contact Dorothy Jones, OB Secretary.

Golf Day 2011 – Graydon Cup

L-R: S. Everall, K. Atkin, N. Seddon. L-R: G Parkin, D. Parkin, D. Hill, L. Kelton.

L-R: E. Levie, G. Parkin. S. Everall

Please register on our very own website. Through this you will be able to re-connect with old friends, keep up to date with OB and School news offer professional services, network.

www.barnardcastleschool.org.uk

Scroll to bottom of page and click on Old BarnardiansClick on Barnardians Reconnected Register.


...to Claire Cox, nee Ewart (M, 01) and Ben on the birth of their first child, Oliver David. ... to Sarah Moss (L/M, 04) who has had an article published in the prestigious Burlington magazine, based on her dissertation, ‘Le Vrai et Le Faux’ in Juan Gris’s ‘The Table’ (1914). Sarah has dedicated this article to Suzanne Cuthbertson who was her art teacher and encouraged Sarah at all times. ...to Anja Madhvani (08) who gained a 2.1 BMus (Huddersfield) ...to Alex Gray (09) who captained England U20 earlier this year. ...to Aiden Turnbull (N, 1972-79) who has recently been made Managing Editor of Global Media Publishing Limited, a B2B publishing company with a stable of titles covering power and cogeneration companies.

CONGRATULATIONS

... to James Beattie (Du, 1998-2000) on his marriage to Kate on July 24th 2011 in Ascot- under-Wych Wood. Richard Parker and Rob Stewart were guests. Kate and James live in Melbourne. We wish them every happiness.

...to Martin Burgess (Da, 95) and Lesley Shorthouse (staff member) who were married by Rev John Moore in the School Chapel in July. Many of the guests were OBs.

...to Jane Wallis (M, 1993-2000) who, on May 19th, became engaged to Craig Turnbull- we wish them every happiness.

...to Andrew Henley on the opening of his cafe ‘West Park Cafe’ in the suburb of West Park on the outskirts of Darlington. We wish him well. ...to Capt Matthew Selby who has been awarded an operational medal after he was deployed to Afghanistan to lead a troop of men after their commander was injured. ... to Darren Shield who has opened an upmarket wine bar in Darlington called Vesuvio. We wish him well. ... to Jane Johnson, nee Ewart (Ma, ‘99) and her husband Ed who welcomed their first child a son, Freddie, in September.

... to Charles Harrison (Dale, ‘04) who married Gabriella Ferri on Sept 9th in Disley.


Can You Help?Three OBs contacted the Old Barnardians Secretary recently asking for help from the Old Barnardians Community.

Nick Zissler wrote:I left Barney in 2005, after playing a lot of sport at school and thoroughly enjoying my time there. I took up modern pentathlon at university, my previous rugby and athletics training at school made the transition quick and I broke into the Senior British team within two years.Having graduated in the summer, I am now working part time in the highways department of the County Council to fund my training. They are fairly flexible and do what they can to help, however the hours I have to put in greatly restrict training and recovery time, but unless I can sort out some sponsorship there is no other way to fund competing. This season I have taken some big steps forward from the Bath international competition last year to third in the initial British rankings a World cup place in Italy and competitions in Hungary and France this season. There are only a few small improvements required to be more competitive at the top level and make finals. I have setup a good coaching team around me, but it is expensive to travel to the competitions and training camps required to gain the experience needed to compete against full time professional athletes. If any OBs have the opportunity to support my ambition to compete at the very top level any help would be greatly appreciated. I am especially keen to get support from the North East as that is where I do all my training.

Please contact Nick on [email protected]

Jack Frater wrote:I was just wondering if any OBs could help me find employment within property in London. Basically I graduated from Nottingham Trent University studying Property Investment and Finance BCs Hons. I would love the opportunity to do a graduate scheme or work for a company involved with commercial property. I am currently applying for graduate schemes but not really having any success.

Please contact Jack on [email protected]

Peter Harvey wrote:LIEUTENANT COLONEL PETER J HARVEY MBE FCMI R IRISH

Born in West Germany, eldest of 4 children, whose father was at the time an RAF officer. Educated at Barney from 66 –75 along with younger brothers, Michael and David and a sister who went to Polam Hall. Enlisted in the British Army Oct 75 and commissioned at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Dec 76 into originally, the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (infantry) and then the Royal Irish Rangers, seeing service in N Ireland (5 tours), Germany, Canada, Gibraltar, Belize, Cyprus and the UK. Attended Army Staff College in ‘91 and promoted to Lt Col in ‘02 with recent appointments in the Falklands, Germany, UK and Cyprus. Heavily involved in policy and planning especially so in his latest appointment in Cyprus dealing with the Cyprus Review or in simple terms what does the Govt and MOD want out of Cyprus and the Sovereign Base Areas after 2015.Interests include country pursuits, appreciating fine wine, tennis, fitness and gardening. He leaves the Army in Jun 12 after nearly 37 years and will be seeking employment in the areas of rural management or bursary around the area of Newbury, Berks where he intends to settle. Please contact Peter on [email protected]

I am happy to act as a contact for these 3 OBs if you are not able to contact them by email. Please phone 01833 690222.


OBs currently playing Premiership Rugby

1. Rory Clegg (08) – Harlequins

2. Karl Dickson (00) – Harlequins

3. Mathew Tait (04) – Leicester

4. Alex Tait (06) – Falcons

5. Alex Gray (09) – London Irish

6. Tom Catterick (09) – Falcons

7. Lee Dickson (03) – Northampton

8. Calum Clark (07) – Northampton

9 Ross Batty (05) – Bath

10. Tim Visser (06)- Edinburgh (Magners League)

OB Professional Players in the Championship

1. Michael Ellery (08) – Moseley

2. Sean Dougall (08) - Rotherham

Old Barnardians may be interested to note how many recent former pupils are playing professional rugby. It is not quite a complete team but hopefully numbers will continue to increase.


Obituaries

The thoughts and prayers of the whole Barnard Castle School community are extended to the family and friends and of those Old Barnardians no longer with us. May they rest in peace. Peter MacDonald (1942-52) died on 2nd October after a short illness. He served with the RAF during his national service where he spent time in Egypt during the Suez crisis. On demob he worked for Wales and Davy Bitumastic until 1970 when he set up his own firm supplying pipeline protection for the oil industry retiring in 1995. Whilst being a keen golfer his main sporting interest throughout his life was rugby and he was quite prepared to travel the globe to watch a match. He leaves wife Jeanne, two sons and elder brother Ian also a past pupil of Barney. Obituary written by Geoffrey Mills (1950-56). Peter Chew (N, 1943-52) in August 2011. Peter was one of the first Old Barnardians I met after accepting the post of OB Secretary. He was over from Melbourne, Australia and, having not been back to school for many years, had the opportunity to pop in. He was very impressed by what he saw and spent quite some time here. Malcolm Brownson Bowman (1970) passed away on 26/09/2011 after a short stay in hospital. We have just received the news that Alan Bosomworth (Bosworth) who was at School 1949 -56 died after a short illness with cancer on 5/1/06. Alan was Captain Bosworth with the RAF serving in Dover, Maidstone, Malaya, Hong Kong and Germany. He leaves his wife Shirley, their 3 children and 4 grandchildren in Church Crookham, Hampshire.

Stephen Goldsack (1938-44). Stephen’s brother Ian (1945-51) has informed us of his death and has written the following obituary:

Stephen was a ‘new boy’ in September 1938 and left in June 1943. That was the summer when the school closed early and he, with a handful of his colleagues, stayed on to sit their Higher Certificate Examinations. The reason for the closure was an outbreak of infantile paralysis (now known as polio) before the days of inoculation. This happened again in October 1945 when pupils enjoyed an extended half term break.

Because he was studying science Stephen was not called up to join the armed services but attended Kings College in Newcastle (then part of the University of Durham) followed by a PhD at the University of Manchester where he worked in Professor M S Blankett’s school, first in Terrestrial Magnetism but later in Cosmic Rays. This was followed by periods as research assistant at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (made possible by his love of French fostered by former Head of the Primary and later Depute Head Mr ‘Buster’ Hardy). No doubt the same teacher influenced his choice in marrying a Belgian wife (a marriage which lasted over fifty five happy years) and bringing up his family as bilingual. He went on to work at the Berkeley campus of the University of California before returning to Britain to work as a lecturer at Birmingham University. Five years later he was appointed Reader in Physics at Imperial College, London.

In 1973, University College decided to expand the newly formed Department of Computing and Control in order to open an undergraduate course in Computer Science. Stephen was invited to switch departments and become Professor of Computing. In retirement, Stephen spent time writing up for record purposes some of the work done on constructing an optical device


for measuring curvatures of tracks in bubble chambers and cloud chambers. This device was developed from an idea of Professor Patrick Blackett and consequently became nick-named PATRICK. Those interested are invited to Google that name for further information.

Interestingly, former Head Teacher, Mr Birkbeck, left Barnard Castle to become Secretary of the Independent Schools Board. He took his then Secretary, Miss Taylor, with him. Miss Taylor had a phenomenal memory for the names of pupils and was very kind and sympathetic to them. Her new office was just round the corner from Imperial College. When Stephen called in to see her she recognised him immediately.

His wife’s grandfather, who was a surgeon, came over from Brussels to the UK at the start of the First World War. He practised as a much esteemed GP in Leek. When he died he was buried there. Written on his gravestone are the words “tu vivras toujours dans le Coeur de ta femme, des enfants et petits enfants” (you will live forever in the hearts of your wife, your children and your grandchildren). There can be no more appropriate epitaph for Stephen.

Peter ‘Bilko’ Gaffney – Head Porter - passed away on 26th July 2011, aged 93. The following obituary was written by Alan Wilkinson.

‘ The news of his death will cause sorrow to hundreds of Old Barnardians but will also revive happy memories of their schooldays; it brings sadness, too, to those of us who continued to meet him in Barnard Castle where we will see him no more.

Peter (or ‘Bilko’ as he was familiarly known) served the school for 26years, 23 of them as Head Porter, until his retirement in 1983. He had the organisational ability based on his own high standards of efficiency, and he ran his department with tact, humour, a friendly approach and, when necessary, sternness.

His attitude to pupils was exactly the same but spiced with more comedy which, however, never detracted from his serious aims. One of his duties was the issue of equipment on games afternoons. It was just one way in which he demonstrated his standards by insisting that the kit was returned to him as pleasantly and as neatly as he had issued it. He was in this broad sense, a member of the teaching staff.

The abiding memory of ‘Bilko’ among the pupils will however be his sense of fun which sparkled through all his dealings with them and all fellow employees in the school. Peter was part of the spirit of the school. Those who knew him well recognised that beneath his brisk exterior he was a sensitive and caring man who felt sympathy for people, young or old, who were coping with difficulties in life. Peter was a man who inspired respect as well as affection.’

Francis Edward Whitfield on 10th Feb 2011, aged 74, after a long illness.

Stephen Bernard Hooper passed away on 22/11/06 aged 74.


Suzanne Cuthbertson

1952 – 2011

Suzanne joined Barnard Castle School in 1989 and became Head of Art in 2004. She was a tutor in Marwood House from 1993, Assistant Housemistress of Bowes from 2002, and took over as Housemistress in January 2011 until, sadly, she had to relinquish the role because of her illness.

Under her leadership the Art Department flourished. She expected all her pupils to give of their best and in return would give whatever support she could. Although the expression “inspirational teacher” is often overworked, in her case it is entirely appropriate. Countless numbers of former pupils owe their choice of degree course, and frequently their career, to the love for their subject which Mrs Cuthbertson inspired.

As tutor and Assistant Housemistress she got to know the girls quickly and thoroughly, and they knew she would always support them, advise, encourage, cajole, nag and even shout at them. Many rebellious teenagers became co-operative, hard-working and focussed because that was what she expected. In the words of a former tutee “she was an amazing tutor and every memory of her is a happy one”.

Throughout her illness she was keen to be kept informed of what was going on at School and in the House, and was thrilled to be able to return briefly to teaching, against all medical advice. It was very important to her to be able to close the door to such a significant part of her life in an appropriate way, still operating as a consummate professional despite all the odds.

Any account of Suzanne’s life would not be complete without mentioning her treasured family. She is survived by husband Raymond, sons Dominic and Jonathan, both OBs, her mother and her brother. To each of them our hearts go out. They are all only too aware of how much she gave to the pupils and staff of the School and we thank them for supporting her in her tireless devotion to her job. They have lost a beloved wife, mother, daughter and sister; we have lost a remarkable colleague and a very dear friend.


Old Barnardians visiting the School in 2011

G Raine, D March, M Thompson, P Kelly, S Rainbow, D Leonard, N Willings, R Hunter, I Lithgow, I Taylor, A Oxenhall, R Blamire, T Lee, J R Sykes, J Clark, J Spalding, E Gibbon, N Harper, T Batt, T W Blackburn, D Raper, G Hetherington, A Baker, P Emerson, R W Stokoe, R Knight, K Pearson, P Blakeway, A Kuti, L Jopling, G Donkin, C W Bird, F Fuller (Davies), P Scott-Gray, J G Allen, C Oliver, N Farndale, C Turnbull, I Hatfield, R Austen.

OBs are always very welcome. Please do sign the Visitors' Book which is kept in General Office.

Kenneth King

I know that many of you would want to know that Kenneth King, our Vice-President has been quite unwell. He had heart surgery earlier in the year and has spent over 5 months in hospital. He is due to return home before Christmas. Kenneth has asked me to thank you all for the cards, letters and messages he has received. He was deeply touched and grateful for the encouragement and support of so many friends during his time in hospital.

Please register on our very own website. Through this you will be able to re-connect with old friends, keep up to date with OB and School news offer professional services, network.

www.barnardcastleschool.org.uk

Scroll to bottom of page and click on Old BarnardiansClick on Barnardians Reconnected Register.


Barnardian Day Sunday 1st July 2012

10 am - Chapel (9am Choir practice for those interested in singing with the choir)

11am – all sports beginAGM

1.30pm-3pm - Lunch

Hog Roast (with burgers, hot dogs and vegetarian option).

Bar.

Please let us know if you are coming for catering purposes.

[email protected]

01833 690222

Committee Ballot 2011-2013

Ten members of the Committee are elected by ballot biennially. Listed below are the names of those nominated for the Ballot 2011-2013. Members are urged to vote for as many candidates as they wish by placing a tick in the box beside the chosen names.

Please return the ballot sheet to Dorothy Jones, Old Barnardian Secretary, Barnard Castle School, Barnard Castle, Co Durham DL12 8UN or by email to [email protected] by Fri 29th June 2012.

If you, or anyone you know, would like to be on the Old Barnardians Committee then please let the Old Barnardians Secretary know as soon as possible.

Gary Brown 1946-53 YorkMike Goundry 1971-78 NewcastleTom Hatfield 1948-54 Ingleby CrossDaniel Parkin 1984-93 CockfieldHenry Coates 1948-55 DarlingtonGerry Camozzi 1949-57 Newcastle


Old Barnardians Annual Club Dinner 2012

at

Barnard Castle School

Saturday 31st March 2012

7 for 7.30pm

Tickets £27.50 pp (£22 for University Students)

This is your opportunity to be part of a vibrant and forward thinking network of Old Barnardians. The Annual Dinner is open to all Old Barnardians wether members of the Club or not and this year we hope to include reunion groups from 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002.

Details from Dorothy Jones

Barnardians Reconnected28Design & Print: www.refprint.co.uk

A SPORTSMANS DINNER At Barnard Castle School

Sarurday 28th January 2012 7pm for 7.30pm start

��with special guest

Former Wasps, England & British Lion

Joe Worsley

Tickets cost £35 per person including: Three courses & four bottles of wine on a table.

To book a table of 10 please complete the slip below and send to: M. Pepper at Barnard Castle School (all cheques made payable to BCS)

Alternatively email at: [email protected] ��.

Name: ��..��..

Name of Company: ��..��..��

Contact address: ��.��.��.

email address: ��.��..��.

Number of tickets required: ��I enclose a cheque made payable to BCS for £ ��

Signature:

old barnardian newsletter - january 2012

Documents

daily chapel services

smell of chapel

school day

alan stevens

carol services

barnardian day service

alan wilkinson

twin halves