opus issue 1
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Keeping in touch with OPs wherever they may be
Issue 1 • Autumn 2009
The Magazine for former pupils, former parents and friends of The Portsmouth Grammar School
InsideTying the Knot: A new partnership between the School & OP Club
Arctic Role: OP adventurer sets new polar record
Bumper Crop: 2009 Leavers profiled
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 20092 �Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
Contents
The PGS Development Team are always keen to hear from Old Portmuthians, former parents and friends of the School. Do please stay in touch and share your stories and reminiscences with us, or submit content for future editions of Opus, by contacting us at [email protected]
High Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 2LN Tel: 023 9236 4248
Opus is designed by Simon Udal OP (1977-1987) Simon Udal Design - www.simonudaldesign.co.uk
Alasdair Akass
Development Director
Liz Preece
Development Officer
Sue Merton
Development Office
Administrator
IntroductionFrom Max Lankester, President, OP Club
I am delighted to join with James Priory in launching this
inaugural edition of Opus.
Since 1995 OPs have read The Old Portmuthian as a way of
hearing news of other OPs and of keeping in touch with the OP
Club. Current developments at the School, however, including
the achievements of pupils over an impressively wide range of
activities, is something in which OPs also have a keen interest.
It is clear that many groups of people in addition to OPs – not
least former and present parents and members of staff – have the
School’s wellbeing at heart, and I welcome the erosion of artificial
barriers between such groups and the OP Club.
The Club remains active, and will continue to be the focus of
activity for former pupils. But publication of a single journal, which
will continue to carry material about OPs, reflects the common
interests of the wider School community, and I wish it every
success.
Max Lankester
President, OP Club
I am delighted to be able to introduce this first ever edition of
Opus, the magazine for former pupils and parents, friends and
supporters of The Portsmouth Grammar School.
The word ‘opus’ of course signifies a great work or achievement
and there are many stories contained within these pages of the
extraordinary achievements of Old Portmuthians.
Launching a new magazine is always tricky, especially when your
readership is as diverse as ours. It may be one, ten or possibly fifty
years since you left PGS, but I hope that you find much inside of
interest and that you will be inspired to join with the thousands
of former pupils who still have a strong bond with the School and
the city, and still keep in touch with the Development Office and
friends from their school days.
There is a distinctly global feel to this issue as we focus on alumni
with tales of overseas adventures from record-breaking treks
through arctic Greenland to charity work in Cambodia. PGS has
itself attained the status of an International Baccalaureate World
School this year and is offering IB courses alongside A level
study for the first time. As an Old Portmuthian, you belong to a
world-wide community of many thousands of individuals around
the globe, with active PGS networks in over 30 countries. The
Development Office is always on hand to help you to trace lost
friends and to put you in touch with alumni groups in your area,
wherever in the world that may be.
As with all new magazines, the Development Office relies on your
feedback to make sure Opus covers the subjects and people you
want to read about. If you have any comments about this edition,
or suggestions for future stories, profiles and features, please get
in touch with the team.
We look forward to hearing from you.
James Priory
Headmaster
From James Priory, Headmaster Introduction 3
Good luck messages 4-5
OP is new Chairman of Governors - Brian Larkman OP 6
Letters Home - Lisa Traxler spent several months as artist-in-residence 6
Time Team unearth PGS past - Channel Four descend on Governors Green 7
The View from the Development Office - By Alasdair Akass 8-9
Coming of age? - By Simon Lemieux, Head of History and Politics 10
OP matches - Netball, cricket, tennis and rounders 11
OP makes Polar Expedition history - Alex Hibbert OP 12-13
Class of 2009 - The thoughts about PGS from three Year 13 leavers 14-16
With me every step of the way - Emma Merton OP 17
Lab-Fab! - The building of the new 21st century hub for science 18-19
The school archivist - John Sadden 20
Aero-dynamic - The extraordinary life in the sky of Alan Bristow OP 21
99 Not Out! - Memories of former Art Master Wally Bartle 22
It could be you! - The Weather Lottery 22
Fly the flag with a PGS bag! - The first ever PGS pupil expedition to Africa 22
For OPs going ‘Down Under’ - The Sydney Lunch Table 22
Scaling the heights - A memorial to the late Roger Harris OP 23
In memoriam 24-25
Keeping her hand in - Former parent Sally Gordon 26
Forthcoming events 27
Ties’R’Us!
The cover image shows a selection of PGS ties through the ages.
i) OPClubTie-dateunknown
ii) PrefectsTie
ii) GrantHouseTie
iv) MastersCricketClubTie
v) WhitcombeHouseTie
vi) Hockeyboys’Under14NationalCupFinalTie-designedtocelebratePGSUnder14Teamvictoryinnationalfinals
vii) OPClubTie
vii) SmithHouseTie
ix) Leavers2009Tie
x) OPClubpostwarTie
xi) OPClubTieprewarcirca1930
i
ii
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OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 2009� �Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
Good luck messages
Ed Richards, Guest of Honour at Prizegiving 2008 with some lucky prize recipients
“Best of luck with the new magazine which will be of great interest to the PGS diaspora - wherever they are and whatever they are doing. ”Ed Richards OP (1974 -1984)
Ed Richards is the Chief Executive of Ofcom, the independent
regulator for the communications industry. He was previously
Senior Policy Advisor to former Prime Minister Tony Blair for
Media, Telecoms and the Internet and was Controller of Corporate
Strategy at the BBC. Ed is also a Director of Donmar Warehouse
and a Director of The Teaching Awards Trust.
Roger Black MBE presenting prizes at Prizegiving 2004
“Good luck and congratulations to everybody involved in this first edition of Opus. I am still in contact with many of my PGS friends but it’s always interesting to find out what other OPs have gone on to do. My friendships were formed on the playing fields at Hilsea, the table tennis tables at lunchtime and the bar football table in the 6th Form common room to the soundtrack of the 80s!- I look forward to reading Opus and reflecting on my PGS days for many more years!” Roger Black OP (Head Boy 1983-1984)
For fourteen years Roger Black represented Great Britain at the
highest level in the world of athletics, both as an individual
400 metre runner and as a member of the 4x400 metre relay
team. He won fifteen major Championship medals including
European, Commonwealth, and World Championship Gold
medals, not to mention of course his Olympic 400 metre Silver
medal in 1996.
“1967. 11 years old. I didn’t feel like part of the 60s revolution. I was walking through the forbidding gates of The Portsmouth Grammar School to sit the entrance exam. Official-looking notices in wooden framed cabinets, announcing this week’s 1st XV. Prefects’ walk. Teachers (sorry, Masters) in academic gowns, boys in blazers and caps with gold braid. Why would I want to come to an intimidating school like this? These memories are etched so deep in my mind that even 40 years later it seems like yesterday.
As a small boy from distant Cosham, this was indeed a world away from what I knew, but it was a day that changed my life. Miraculously I was successful in the exam and so, a few months later, I was one of those boys in a blazer and a cap with gold braid. The strangeness of my new surroundings and my sense of inadequacy was only emphasised by lessons in Latin, rugby on cold Wednesday afternoons and, horror of horrors, interminable lessons (double history) on Saturday mornings. All alien concepts in a new world. For the first few weeks it was a world of trepidation and fear rather than of excitement and opportunity.
Like generations of pupils before me, and generations who have followed since, it was only later that I realised that this really was ‘good for me’! After a term or two, I began to enjoy the structured framework of school life, the constant challenge of moving up the ladder, and the group of friends with whom I was now sharing the journey, and with whom I have had so many great times since. With the benefit of hindsight that many more years bring, I now realise that I was benefiting from traditions built up over centuries; from a talented and committed group of staff who were dedicated to academic excellence; and from an atmosphere in which encouragement to make the most of one’s talents was ever present.
I’m delighted to have been asked to help launch this inaugural issue of Opus. Like countless other former pupils, I owe PGS a huge debt for equipping me for the life that lay ahead. For me, that particularly included the sense of values and fair play that have underpinned my work in the charity and public sectors. Very best wishes to Opus for a successful future. ”
Andrew Hind OP (1967-1973)
Andrew Hind, formerly chief operating
officer of the BBC World Service, joined
the Charity Commission as its first chief
executive in 2004. He has also served as a
trustee of several major charities, including
VSO, the UK Committee for UNICEF, the
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund
and a number of smaller charities in his
local community in North London. Andrew
received the Outstanding Achievement
Award for long-standing commitment
and service to the voluntary sector at the
Charity Awards 2008.
Andrew Hind
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 2009� �Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
OP is new Chairman of Governors
Mr Larkman read Mathematics at Exeter
University where he met his wife Angela, a
former pupil of the Portsmouth Northern
Grammar School. He joined National
Westminster Bank in 1970 and enjoyed a
distinguished career in the City, moving
to the bank’s International Treasury
Department in 1982 and assuming
responsibility for the Global Money
Markets business for 10 years before his
retirement in 2001. Since then, he has
worked for the Financial Services Authority
and HMRC and he continues to work for
HM Treasury as a Non Executive Director
of the UK Debt Management Office and
a member of the Exchequer Funds Audit
Committee.
A father of four grown-up children, Mr
Larkman has had a life-long interest in
the education and development of young
people. He has chaired the governing
bodies of two Essex primary schools and is
currently a Trustee of Catch-22, a national
charity created recently by the merger
of The Rainer Foundation with Crime
Concern, which supports young people in
difficulty across the country.
As a Governor of PGS since 2002, he helped to oversee the successful development campaign which created a new dining and theatre complex, the Woolas science laboratory, an all weather hockey pitch and enhanced bursary funds.
He continued to chair the School’s
Development Board until he took up
the reins of Chairman of Governors this
year. Mr Larkman said, “I am thrilled to be
Chairman of Governors of a wonderful
school that I have known and loved for
many years. PGS has made fantastic
progress since my schooldays and is now
at an exciting stage in its development
with the introduction of the International
Baccalaureate later this year and plans
for the development of a new Science
Centre in 2010. I am determined to ensure
that the school will continue to provide
wonderful development opportunities for
all its pupils and remain at the forefront of
educational thinking in the future.”
Brian Larkman OP (1958 – 1967) took over in July as Chairman of PGS’ Governing Body following the retirement of David Bawtree after 19 years distinguished service.
During the spring term of 2008 artist Lisa Traxler arrived at Portsmouth Grammar School to spend several months as artist-in-residence producing work that celebrated the history of the school.
‘My time at Portsmouth Grammar School was a wonderful experience as I was allowed complete access to the thorough archives in the school organised by then archivist Catherine Smith. The excitement of opening and sifting through boxes of photographs holding treasured memories with a dedicated archivist on hand with the appropriate stories was a dream experience. Incorporating collage with stitching, painting and photographic evidence from the unique collection of artifacts available to me was an ideal source for the art-works I later produced.
I was particularly drawn to the images of pupils showing fleeting moments – a winning jump at sports day, under canvas whilst scouting, a moment captured in the school library, deep in thought. With these archival images I combined photographs I took whilst wondering around the school, quiet moments of contemplation. A bicycle left unattended, a journeys end. A stack of books, sentinel, sturdy, as the brick walls surrounding them. Names listed, each a hope and dream and the excitement of life ahead. A flight of stairs tempting the viewer to hear a footstep echo, running to lessons… These thoughts and images I tried to capture and unite with the archival memories retrieved for it is not just the building that makes a school but those who walk its corridors and classrooms that make it so.
Letters Home
Lisa will be exhibiting the art-works from her residency at The Learning Curve Gallery, Quay Arts, Isle of Wight 16 Jan-20 Feb 2010. For more information about this exhibition contact Lisa on www.lisatraxler.com
Several of Lisa’s key pieces of work have been reproduced as greetings cards and a postcard series exclusively for PGS. For the opportunity to purchase these unique images please refer to the order form at the back of this issue.
Time Team unearth PGS past
The site itself is rich in history. In 1212
Peter de Rupibus founded the Domus
Dei, as a combined hospital, poor house
and travellers’ rest. The site continued in
the role of hospice for around 300 years
until the dissolution of the monasteries by
Henry VIII. Beyond this, Governors Green
also welcomed a visit from Elizabeth I
in 1561 which in turn led to a residence
for the governor being built. To this end
Government House and its associated
buildings were constructed on the site of
Governors Green alongside the Domus
Dei. Government House was the focal
point for many significant events including
the marriage of Charles II in 1662. The dig
confirmed much of this, with a series of
walls and floors excavated and matched to
existing records and knowledge by Tony
Robinson and the team.
The School’s initial involvement in the
project came with a group of Year 7 pupils
having the opportunity to spend two days
on site.
Pupils gained a huge amount from the experience, both in terms of the historical and archaeological knowledge, as well as the running of a television set.
Upon arrival the pupils were whisked
straight into the ‘warm’, roofless, door less
garrison church to be filmed for a question
and answer session with Tony Robinson
and a couple of re-enactment pilgrims.
Questions flowed and the session was
enjoyed by all. It was as the pupils left
the site for the day that the Time Team
made a fantastic discovery, which firmly
entrenched PGS with the excavation.
Tantalisingly, pupils were only made aware of the details of the discovery the following day. Pupils worked on through the day, getting closer to the excavation itself, spending time at the main trench of the dig, the very trench where the special discovery had been made.
After washing animal bones and roof tile
fragments ready for analysis off site and
having a fascinating and hands-on lesson
in Geophysics the time had finally come for
their reward.
In The Dolphin pub, a makeshift
archaeology HQ, where they enjoyed a
well deserved sit down and session on
3-D imaging, a group of 23 Year 7 pupils
discovered what the archaeologists had
found the previous day: a PGS cap badge.
Here it was, the moment of discovery, the
passing over of a cold, golden prize.
Still with the distinctive scheme of gold,
red and black, the PGS lion sitting proudly
as pupils speculated on its origins.
‘When could this be from?’ ‘How long
had Governors Green been the site of
PGS rounder’s matches?’ ‘Where on the
dig had it been found?’ Pupils were full
of excitement and questions, delighted
by such a strong link to the dig and the
realisation of the school’s important and
distinctive place within the area’s history
and character.
Jon Cooper
Teacher of History and Politics
As Channel Four’s Time Team descended on Governors Green on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 May, the site’s history would have suggested that onlookers were expecting tales of royalty and pilgrims. Royalty and pilgrims there were indeed but the real excitement of the dig for The Portsmouth Grammar School came with one particular discovery.
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 2009� 9Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
Take, for example, the plea for us to send
blazer buttons from an OP who lost all
his possessions in a house fire in Thailand
and desperately wanted a memento of
his school days to replace those he had
painstakingly collected. Or perhaps the
request of a former pupil now living in
New Zealand who wanted us to trawl the
School archive to prove from medical
records that he suffered from diabetes.
He required this information to evidence
his bid for the record of being the
longest insulin-dependent diabetic in the
Antipodes! Indeed, we often hear about
record attempts – this year from OPs Dave
Holby who is on track to complete his
Guinness World Record 40,000km row on
a land rowing machine in December 2010
and Alex Hibbert who this year led the Tiso
Trans Greenland Expedition which, at 1374
miles, is the longest fully unsupported
polar expedition in history (For more
information about Alex’s adventure,
please see the article in this issue of Opus).
Nothing seemed beyond the reach of our
former pupils this year, with OP inclusion
in the New Year’s Honours List, a winning
OP in the Outstanding Achievement Award
in the UK Charity Awards and even an OP
appearance on Blue Peter!
Though they may be far-flung around the
world, many OPs make special pilgrimages
back to the School. Possibly the most
humbling and rewarding aspect of the
job is helping to host reunions and events
which aim to reconnect these former
pupils to their school. This year, a year in
which the School has been granted IB
World School status, we have welcomed
back OPs from as far afield as Australia,
Canada and South America and attracted
some vocal support on the touchlines
from resident OPs over the Summer for the
Senior School rugby tour of South Africa.
A recent gathering of PGS pupils who
left in the years 1935–45 was particularly
poignant as it was the first time that some
of them had ever seen the School site in
Old Portsmouth, having been evacuated
to Northwood Park, Winchester when the
Second World War broke out and thereafter
to Bournemouth. Our oldest OP, who lives
in British Columbia, reaches his centenary
in 2010 and is regularly visited by fellow
OPs who read him excerpts from the latest
Portmuthian.
The Development Office does not limit
itself to forging links with former pupils.
Our remit extends across the whole School
community – past and present. As a pre-
Christmas treat last year, we transformed
PGS into a Winter Wonderland and for
two days installed a temporary ice-rink in
the Quad and encouraged current pupils,
parents, staff and OPs to get their skates
on.
Donning a seven foot penguin outfit was most definitely not something that was ever mentioned at my interview!
PGS is fortunate enough to have a
committed and dedicated Development
team, but this would amount to nought
without the alums, parents and pupils who
have great affection and affinity for the
School. The Development Office plays a key
role in the life of PGS and is pivotal to the
overall development plan for the School.
We are looking forward to celebrating
several key anniversaries in 2010 – the
80th anniversary of PGS Scouts, 125 years
of sport at Hilsea, the tenth birthday of
the Junior School and one hundred years
of School prefects – all of which will give
us new opportunities to welcome back
many generations of former pupils and
their families to rekindle memories of
their schooldays. These milestones in
the School’s history are mirrored by the
personal milestones of the former pupils
that we are privileged to hear about
throughout the year. The School Song’s
composer P.J Barrow would no doubt be
extremely humbled and heartened to learn
of the breadth of their achievements and
just how much relations with their alma
mater are flourishing.
Alasdair Akass
Director of Development
A temporary ice rink laid on by the Development Office transformed the School Quad for pupils and their families last Christmas
The View from the Deve lopment Office
These words are taken from the School
Song written by the PGS master and Old
Portmuthian P.J Barrow and published
in the Portmuthian in June 1896. More
than a century later it is the Development
Office, now in its new home in the heart
of the main school with views out onto
the High Street, Spinnaker Tower and Old
Portsmouth, that is charged with following
the fortunes of pupils after they pass under
the School’s historic arch for the last time,
wherever they may be in the world.
Working in Development within the School
is a role almost like no other. Sometimes
the requirement is to be amateur sleuth,
tracking down ‘lost’ boys and girls, while
at others it is akin to being a BBC World
Service broadcaster, providing expatriate
Old Portmuthians with news of the mother
country.
It is impossible to predict what will turn up in the postbag: in recent months we have dealt with a whole host of unusual requests.
“Some have sought and won distinction,
Gained the scholar’s bays of green;
Some are sailing foreign waters
In the service of the Queen;
Soldier, sailor, or civilian,
All a welcome back will find:
In the hearts of younger comrades
Are their worthy deeds enshrined.”
PGS Leavers of ’35 – ’45 reminisce with current Sixth Form pupils
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 200910 11Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
Coming of age?
If I had to identify any one constant theme
about my time at the school it is the fact
that rather like Dr Who, I feel as if I have
been re-generated several times, multiple
incarnations of the non religious kind as
it were. My formative years were spent
running some debating and taking a full
(and hopefully useful) part in the Naval
Section of the CCF under the tutelage of
the indomitable and greatly missed Roger
Harris. Newtown Camps and Adventure
Training in the Cairngorms still hold many
happy memories for me.
I also tried my hand at teaching some RE and still contend that the trip by my GCSE class to Portchester Crematorium was one of the most insightful I have ever run as a teacher.
They also let me loose to teach some
History, and even Politics for a couple of
years as Thatcher gave way to Major. Jack
Reger the then Head of History instilled in
me the need to teach in a style that I was
happy with. He quoted Kipling and nine
and ninety tribal ways and every single
one of them was right. That approach to
teaching has never left me. Well that then
can perhaps be ‘The Apprentice’ phase of
my PGS life.
The next stage involved taking on the
History Department and seeing ‘what
could be done’. My main colleague in the
Department quit in the December after I
started in September, although it was just
a coincidence she assured me. Well from
then on, new appointments ensued, the
ever-energetic Tim Hands fed me some
project ideas to keep myself and the
department out of mischief, so research
projects into aspects of the school’s history
and pupils took place. Oral history now
suddenly came to the fore, and so did the
trips. D-Day 60th, Gallipoli, plus annual
history trips to some fairly exotic locations
such as Russia and China. This year it was
the USA, and next Easter Cuba.
So where am I now? Since September
I have also been lucky enough to take
charge of the Politics Department as well,
just in time for the US elections and a mock
presidential election in PGS where the
result turned out to be a pretty convincing
copy of the real result. I’m trying now to
pass myself off as some kind of expert
on US politics, having in previous guises
mugged up on Early Modern history,
19th century British political history, 20th
century Russian history, and so on. That last
bit is genuinely not meant to sound blasé
and cynical. It is a real privilege to read
around, mug up on new topics and make
sure I don’t teach the same material year
in year out. Apologies to any readers out
there who from personal experience might
beg to differ.
I can honestly say that life at PGS has
never ever been dull. Hectic at times yes,
stimulating certainly, but boring not a
chance. Much has changed since I joined;
colleagues, gender balance, facilities, size
in terms of both buildings and pupil body
and the fact that now I very rarely write
memos or notes to colleagues (emails
uber alles!), but kids are still young people
with great potential, irritating habits and
often sharp minds. I still learn much from
them and that’s not just a platitude. It’s still
good fun most of the time, that’s why I’m
still here trying to juggle and keep all the
balls in the air. Well that and the fact that
I am just about to join the parent body
myself, as my eldest child starts at PGS in
Year 7. Yes, very much a coming of age in
all senses.
Simon Lemieux
Head of History and Politics
You know you’ve been at a school a long time when ……. you turn out to have taught a parent of a pupil (which normally surfaces at Parents’ Evening) or younger colleagues cautiously ask ‘So how long exactly have you been at PGS?’ Well so far only the latter has happened, but as I clock up 21 years at PGS perhaps some reflection is called for. As a historian though I am only too aware of my own subjectivity as a historical source as an eye witness. How many times have I told classes that an eye witness is not necessarily the most reliable source to use!
OP matchesOver the years many OP netball matches
have been played at Hilsea, but this year’s
match was different. This was the last time
Mrs. Di Spencer would be attending as a
member of PGS staff before retiring in July
2009. Rachel Blewett, one of the OP netball
players said: “When thinking of netball at
PGS, Mrs. Spencer springs immediately to
mind. There was nothing quite like tackling
the opposition with Mrs Spencer present
providing inspiration, determination and
dedication.”
OPs from across the years attended and
remarkably, almost the entire 1998 team
was present. Many OPs arrived in their old
school red netball skirts – the current PGS
netball kit was considered to be far more
fashionable!
Emily Copsey, another OP player said:
“The competitive nature of a PGS pupil
lives on forever, so although the event
was billed as a get together as much as a
chance to play some netball, each player
wanted their team to win and all put in a
reasonable individual performance. Mrs.
Spencer was able to tell individuals apart
immediately from their playing style and it
was clear that most had continued to play
netball after leaving PGS.”
The event was a happy gathering with
PGS staff and family members of all ages
providing support from the sidelines. OPs
valued the opportunity to play netball
with former friends and team mates and
to reminisce over past challenges and
achievements. “Getting together with
old team mates was brilliant and I
hope that the Reunion will take
place again,” said Emily.
Netball Matches – 28 March 2009
The annual OP vs School Cricket, Tennis and Rounders matches took place this year on 26
June. A large number of OPs, pupils and staff assembled at Hilsea to participate in their
chosen sport or simply to spectate. Simon Udal, OP, provides a summary of the event from
a tennis player’s perspective.
“Having had sunshine and a week of temperatures of around 32˚C, it was somewhat
disappointing to awake on the morning of the OP Tennis, Rounders and Cricket Matches
to find it was overcast and drizzling. Perhaps the school should consider installing a
retractable roof over the tennis hard courts, as Wimbledon has done, to ensure that these
momentous encounters can take place! Fortunately, no roof was required, as the drizzle
and cloud soon disappeared to be replaced once again by glorious sunshine.
At 2pm, the tennis playing OPs assembled to talk tactics, compare wooden rackets, laugh
at each other’s tennis gear and to reminisce! It was decided that the three OP pairs would
be Simon Udal & Nick Gauntlett, Tim Clark & Richard Cunningham and Stefan Filip & A
Ringer (a PGS year 10 student to make up the numbers!). There were three opposing
School pairs. Each pair played against the other and the total number of games won were
totted up at the end of the match to determine the winners.
The first rubber was a close affair with the OPs ending up slightly ahead. By now the first
innings of the cricket match had just finished, so this was an opportune moment to break
for tea with the cricketers. Everyone talked tactics, reminisced and consumed several
rounds of sandwiches and cream cakes. In hindsight, this may have been the downfall
of the OPs as the School players started the next rubber with a greater spring in their
step and managed to draw level at the end of that round. Unfortunately, the heat, lack of
fitness and the thought of more food at the end of the match caused the OPs to fade in
the final rubber, with the School team eventually winning by a total of 36 games to 29.
The School’s first pair of Andy Furness (Year 13 and captain) and John Melville (Year 10)
won all of their rubbers and helped secure the win for the School.
Afterwards, more food, cakes and ice cream were consumed.... and of course, there was
much more reminiscing!”
Cricket, Tennis and Rounders Matches – 26 June 2009
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 200912 1�Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
Ice-cold Is Alex!
When the internationally renowned ‘Born Survivor’ Bear Grylls describes your latest exploit as ‘a hugely ambitious and admirable challenge’, you know that your credentials as a global adventurer are firmly established.
Alex Hibbert OP (1990 – 1996) is not just
a global adventurer, but a world record-
breaking one. Over nearly four months last
year he had to contend with everything
from tent fires to crevasse fields in his
successful bid to ski further than any
previous polar expedition without support
of any kind. His Tiso Trans Greenland
Expedition traversed the Greenland
icecap through a new and uncharted
route from the Nagtivit glacier on the East
coast to Baffin Bay on the West coast and
back during the harsh and unforgiving
Arctic Spring without resupplies and
was completely man powered. One
of the grandees of British exploration,
the adventurer and author Pen Hadow,
remarked at the time that ‘it is as well the
likes of Alex Hibbert stride amongst us
with eyes fixed on the furthest horizons,
because without them we are a spent
force’.
Alex was a pupil at Portsmouth Grammar
School until 1996 when he moved to
school in Dorset before going on to read
Biology at Oxford University.
Of his time at PGS, Alex remarks that ‘the variety and depth of education at PGS, albeit from a young age, gave me a thirst to experience things which were away from the norm.’
Not content with the
challenges of polar
expeditions, Alex is also
something of an extreme
sportsman. He completed the
125 mile Devizes to Westminster
kayak ultra-marathon in 2002,
aged just 15 and is a seasoned
whitewater rafter and London
Marathon competitor.
Nothing however prepared Alex
and team mate George Bullard
for the dangers they were to face
on the polar ice sheets. Living
on emergency rations in the final
10 days of the Expedition with
a very low calorie intake, both
men quickly became dizzy and
hypoglycemic and momentarily
considered abandoning the record
attempt and calling in an early
pick-up. However they persevered,
enduring incredibly long periods
without a break from the whiteout
and the notorious and terrifying
local wind called the Pittaraq, which had
destroyed their first two supply cairns.
Along the way they broke a ski which was
repaired and carried on for the remaining
400 miles and evaded polar bears in order
to complete this incredible feat of human
endeavour.
A CV like no other! Alex Hibbert’s thirst for
adventure has resulted in a succession of
thrills that few could match:
2002: Became on of the youngest people
ever to complete the 125 mile Devizes to
Westminster kayak ultra-marathon at just
15. Aged 16, passed the Royal Marine
Commandos selection procedure for officer
entry – others on the course were at least
20 years old.
2003/4: Twice a finalist in the international
BBC Young Wildlife Photographer of the
Year Competition. Won the coveted Lord
Kitchener’s Scholarship Award.
2005: Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Triathlon.
Signed with first photographic agent and
spent two months photographing Grey
Wolves in USA.
2006: Won his rowing ‘blade’ at University
of Oxford, completed the Flora London
Marathon in 3hrs 19mins. Reached summit
of Mont Blanc.
2007: Elected a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society, the home of British
exploration aged 21, the youngest age
possible. Completed Greenland climbing
expedition. Selected for the 2008 Royal
Marines Young Officer Batch.
2008: After 7.5 million ski steps, 195kg
sledges and temperatures in the minus
thirties, Alex and team-mate George Bullard
make expedition history and set a new
distance record for the longest ever fully
unsupported polar journey, the Tiso Trans
Greenland Expedition. He is presently
developing plans for major expeditions in
both the Arctic and Antarctic.
oP mAkes PolAr exPedItIon HIstory
Alex says that his most exciting moment
was undoubtedly the sight and sound of
the approaching helicopter sent to extract
the pair from the edge of the icecap at
the end of the Expedition. Most moving
for him was the spectacular sight of the
mountains of Greenland’s West Coast
following a period of almost total sensory
deprivation throughout the 70 days of the
outward leg of the journey.
His 18 weeks in arctic Greenland have been
comprehensively documented as Alex is
also an accomplished photographer with
a portfolio of work that includes many
shots of the landmarks and landscapes
of his native Portsmouth and a flair for
photographing the natural world which
has twice seen him reach the finals of
the BBC Young Wildlife Photographer of
the Year Competition. He plans to use
many of the photographs taken at various
stages on his epic journey to illustrate
the forthcoming account of his record-
breaking polar quest. The Long Haul is due
to be published at Christmas.
Although he joined the Royal Marines this
year, Alex has every intention to remain
heavily involved in polar expeditions. He
still has major ambitions to undertake
journeys at both North and South Poles,
but is adamant that the manner in which
he involves himself must be right before
he will consider them. ‘ I want to maintain
my back to basics ethos, avoiding the
commercialisation of polar tourism and
expeditions, and keep travelling fully
unsupported on expeditions that aren’t
repeats of previous ones.’
One thing is for sure – more records will be broken in some of the world’s most inhospitable places as long as Alex satisfies his insatiable appetite for adventure.
(Editor’s note: Alex Hibbert is not the only OP making a bid to be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. His former classmate Dave Holby, at PGS from 1990 – 1999, is in the midst of his own singlehanded global rowing circumnavigation. The unique difference about Dave’s epic 40,075kms voyage is that is he won’t be getting his feet wet; he is attempting to become the first person to row around the world on a land rowing machine! His imaginary course takes him via West and Eastern Europe, Russia, Western Canada and the US, Central America, the northern region of South America, the Atlantic Ocean and North West Africa before back up through South West Europe, around the UK and home to Basingstoke by 23 December 2010!)
The toll of the toil – some facts from Alex’s record-breaking Tiso Trans Greenland Expedition:Miles hauled without support: 1374 statute miles (2211km)Duration: 113 daysSki paces taken: 7,500,000Total calories consumed: 614,000Body weight lost: 15kg (33lb)Starting sledge weight: 195kg (430lb)Amount of flapjack rations: 44kg (88lb)Tent fires: 2Breakages: Tent anchor loop, stove, one ski, pair of glasses, battery charger
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 20091� 1�Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
Class of 2009
It was an event that signified an end to
some of the most stressful months of my
life, as I fought for a place at University,
and revised feverishly before taking my
A level examinations. For several weeks I
looked forward with increasing excitement
to the day when I would hear the words,
“stop writing please” at the end of my final
exam, and to be able to walk that walk out
into the big wide world with my friends,
to enjoy a long summer break before
embarking on the years of partying that
some people call, ‘University’. It therefore
surprised me to realise that when the
time came this excitement had been
replaced by a great sadness, as I realised
an important part of my life had come to
an end.
These past few weeks have been full of
‘lasts’. I had my last lesson, last lunch time,
my last piece of homework, the last day,
and the last time my whole year group
would all be together in one place.
As I look back on my time at PGS however, I realise that my time here has actually been full of ‘firsts’.
Here was the first time I wrote a sentence,
first time I learnt to multiply, first time I was
given a detention (thank you Mr Roland),
first time I caught a rugby ball, picked up
a hockey stick, picked up a cricket bat,
and subsequently the first time I realised
I was rubbish at most ball sports. Here
at PGS was also the first time I picked up
a trumpet, acted in plays, performed in
concerts, won awards, and found a passion
in medicine and science.
Most importantly however, PGS is the place
that I was first introduced to the people
who are now my closest friends, it’s the first
place I’ve been truly happy, and a place
that has taught me an enormous amount
about life. I have come to appreciate that
PGS is full of opportunities and gives all of
its pupils the chance to do some amazing
things that they wouldn’t ordinarily have
been able to try. My personal example
of this was when at 17, I was the Stage
Manager for a production in the Kings
Theatre, Southsea, responsible for running
a show that over 3000 paying members of
the public came to see. What other school
gives its pupils chances such as this?
The school has also always made it very
clear to its pupils that it doesn’t prioritise
exam results over their happiness; nor is it
focused on achieving impressive statistics
in public exams. Instead, it focuses on
where each pupil wants to be at 25 and
beyond, and all of the staff are dedicated to
getting the pupils to fulfil those ambitions.
It is thanks in part to the huge amount
of support available from the staff at
PGS that I have an offer to start medical
school in September, and have been
given the opportunity to turn my passion
for medicine into an exciting career. At
the age of 25 I hope to be working as a
Doctor within the NHS, and in my spare
time working also for medical aid charities,
flying out and providing healthcare all
around the world to different people, some
of whom have never before seen a Doctor.
This is a dream of mine that hopefully, on
results day in August, will become a reality.
I realise that without the motivation, expertise and support of all my teachers, and all the staff at PGS, this may never have been possible.
PGS has been a very special part of my
life, and has given me so much that I feel
I owe it a great deal. I will always have
fond memories, not only of the bricks and
mortar, or of the timetables, or lessons,
or things that most people associate
with a school; but predominantly of the
people, staff and pupils alike, who come
in each day and bring the school to life. I
am incredibly proud to have been a pupil
there, and am proud to still be able to
call it ‘my school’. I hope that each of you
reading this feel exactly the same way, as it
is a school that not only educates its pupils
but brings them up to have ambitions, to
go out into the world to make a difference,
and to fulfil their dreams. Most of all
however, it brings them up to be happy.
Opus asked a selection of Year 13 leavers, the newest batch of Old Portmuthians, for their thoughts about PGS as they head off to university and how it has helped to support them in achieving their aspirations. Nick Coffin, Jemima Hodkinson and Tim Wiggins are all shown wearing the U6 Leaver’s tie which they were presented with on their final day in school. The tie incorporates the school colours prior to 1903, based on the contrasting shades of blue of the ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge. A small black stripe has been added as an elegiac note for the passing of school days….
Nicholas Coffin: Years at PGS 1995-2009This summer after 14 years at the school I walked out through the main arch onto the High Street for the very last time as a pupil of PGS.
Jemima Hodkinson: Years at PGS 1999-2009I have a confession to make – on my bookshelf is a copy of T S Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, borrowed from the Lower School library and now 7 years, 4 months and 21 days overdue.
My guilt at depriving the younger
inhabitants of the school of Macavity and
Skimbleshanks is considerable, but I am
rather fond of this relic of my first few
years at PGS. As I staggered out of the
archway on the last day of term, I carried
with me many similar souvenirs of the
school: a grubby labcoat (seven years old,
presumed lost); a plethora of striped ties;
a knowledge of the rules of croquet. None
of these, nor the glossy mementoes of
leavers’ day, can really sum up the ten busy
years I’ve spent at PGS. And for everything
I’ve left with, I’m still missing something – a
clear idea of where I am going.
PGS has taken me far beyond the confines of the quadrangle – from Prague to Paris, from the Kings Theatre to the Pleasance in Edinburgh, in many a yacht and onto the flight deck of aircraft carriers.
This range of experiences meant that come
the sixth form, and the need to think about
a career, I was stumped. Mr Elphick-Smith
used to refer to me as ‘Hodcarrier’ because
he could (for some reason) imagine me
working on a building site, but I thought
this a rather poor basis for a career in
bricklaying. So where to go after passing
out through the archway for the last time?
The regular lunchtime decision, of left
– towards Twigs – or right – towards the
café Parisien – was hard enough; while
school hasn’t provided an answer to this
question, it has shown me that I needn’t
commit to one specific career plan.
I have probably been a bit slower than the
rest of my year in leaving the old place
– co-directing the sixth form production
of Hamlet meant continuing to come in
most days after exams for rehearsals, and
I will be going on my last Navy CCF camp
in a few days’ time. Indeed, years of New
Forest walking camps and two Charlton
Chases haven’t helped with that sense
of direction, but the variety of PGS life
has. I might have applied to do Natural
Sciences at university, but this won’t be
at the expense of my interest in literature
– sixth form involved spending many a free
period at the top of number ten, where Mr
Thorn waited every week to dissect our
latest essays and encourage us on our way
through Anna Karenina or Tristram Shandy.
Through these conversations – which
regularly turned into debates – I learnt
the importance of reading and learning
for enjoyment, rather than as potential
CV-fodder.
I will certainly miss spending time in
number ten, along with many other
peculiarities of the PGS routine – sleeping
in the library, biscuits from Rippers,
“Chaucer Fridays”, cake days – and while
memories of Monday morning double
maths and prefect duties in John Pounds
may not be particularly dear to me, the
good humour of teachers and friends
sustained me through these longer hours.
The sense of humour at PGS was certainly unusual at times – arcane in-jokes remained funny for years, and year four nicknames lasted until the upper sixth – but it was always witty and affectionate.
My decade at PGS has been one of strong
friendships and much laughter. I leave
with just one regret – the measly score
of one hoop I managed in the Croquet
Club’s inaugural match against Winchester
College. Whether or not I end up gracing
the croquet lawns of Cambridge, with
the confidence that PGS has given me
I am sure that I’ll be where I want to
be – wherever that is – by the time I’m
twenty-five. More importantly, I’ll enjoy the
journey there.
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 20091� 1�Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
Class of 2009Placing my pen on the exam desk for the
final time, I raised my hands in triumph. It
was done, finished: not only the English
exam and the exams as a whole; but so
much more. That moment, walking out
into the sunshine in the main quad, gave
me a sense of freedom that is hard to
express in the written word; a freedom
from examinations and revision; from
classrooms and books; uniform, duties
and regime. It was a feeling of liberty that I
cannot deny was embraced and welcomed
with relief after my months of sleepless
nights and anxieties as my final exams
commenced. At this time I had longed
for nothing more than to be sat on a boat
in the sunshine, rather than at a desk
surrounded by mountains of revision.
Ironically however, it was on a boat the
week after my exams had finished, that
the true extent of my new found freedom
dawned upon me. It was fair to say that I
would not miss the exams, revision or the
books, which The Portsmouth Grammar
School had become associated with in my
mind over the last couple of months. But,
after this stressful facade had been washed
away, the true picture emerged from the
depths; a picture that showed freedom
and detachment from things that I had in
fact grown to love and enjoy. For five years
PGS had come to dominate my life and
its development; from the age of thirteen
when the hour long journey across the
Solent seemed like an insurmountable
undertaking, to the challenges of being
made Senior Prefect and the responsibility,
expectations and enjoyment that it
entailed; PGS had watched me and fuelled
me in an undeniable evolution.
That final day had signalled a detachment
from the PGS fire; and what seemed like a
loss of the support and security that it had
incorporated. However, I came to realise
that I was not an ember, cast out of the
grate or onto Portsmouth High Street.
My time at PGS had developed me into someone who could cope with and enjoy the challenges that the wider world could now throw at me.
Looking back on the alterations of my
academic life now, I realise how much has
changed since joining the school; from
bottom sets in year nine, to nine A*s at
GCSE; no one could deny that the change
was dramatically positive. However, PGS
had done more for me than just boosting
my grades; what was more significant to
me as a person was the enhancement
of character and self esteem that had
occurred over the five years. On joining
the school I admit that I was a quiet, shy
and largely unnoticed pupil; moving
from a small church school to one such
as “The Grammar” was a significant social
shock. Nevertheless, it was the belief of
the teachers, the growing expectations
of achievement and the development of
many treasured friendships that enabled
me to gain positions of leadership, respect
and the self-belief that I could now face
oncoming challenges.
It was this now growing self-belief and
desire to achieve greatness that PGS
had instilled in me, which prompted my
aspiration to continue in positions of
leadership on leaving school. In August I
embark on an exciting Gap Year; working
with IBM in their European management
sector in London for nine months, before
heading across the world to Vietnam and
Cambodia with two other PGS leavers,
to undertake two months of travelling,
exploring and charity work. On returning
from Indochina, I start my degree in
Economics and Economic History at
Warwick University; which I hope to build
upon by completing a Masters at an
American University. My ultimate ambition
however, is to work in global management
and consulting; allowing companies to
reach their full potential and enjoying the
evolution and success, just as PGS helped
me to do.
The 18th of June therefore was indeed a
release; a breakaway from some things
that I will miss and others that I will not.
However, it is not this breakaway that I will
think about when I look back on PGS; it is
the starting blocks that the school has built
for me; as I head out on the race of life.
cont.
Tim Wiggins: Years at PGS 2004-2009On June the 18th at four o’clock, what I can only describe as a symbolic moment occurred.
Following successful ‘A’ level results we are delighted to add that Tim will be heading off to Warwick University, Nick to Birmingham and Jemima to Cambridge to continue their studies with every good wish from all at PGS.
With me every step of the wayI’ve been thinking about inspirational teachers recently. At my PGCE interview I was asked what makes an inspirational teacher and it was names, rather than qualities, that were the first thing I thought of. ‘Pippa Foster, Martin Cawte, Julian Elphick-Smith, Paul Dean, Eimer Page and John Thorn’. A combination of the qualities possessed by so many of my teachers, particularly in the English Department, added up to my idea of inspirational.
I was getting towards the end of my
second year studying English Literature
and Theatre at the University of Glasgow
when I decided that I wanted to apply
to do a PGCE. I looked at the application
process and possible courses but the first
thing I needed to do was to get some work
experience. Where better to start than your
old school? Tim Hands was kind enough
to offer me four weeks work experience in
the English and Drama departments of the
Senior School and by the time I had arrived
in June 2008, James Priory had taken
up the mantle. Those four weeks were
invaluable, and with Bryony Hart and Mark
Smith guiding me through the English
and Drama departments respectively, I
saw a whole new school. During that time
I became more committed than ever to
becoming a teacher.
I also had to undertake five days work
experience in a state school which I did
in Glasgow. But five days was nothing in
comparison to the 20 I had spent at PGS,
I’m sure I would not have felt so prepared
or certain if I’d had any less time. With
Bryony as my referee, I was ready for the
application process.
Applications and interviews over and I had
a place. One of the requirements was that I
must spend five days in a local state school
observing years 5 and 6. Well, PGS was out
and I didn’t really know where to begin.
There are hundreds of primary schools in
the area, and I had no contacts. But then I
realised, whilst I couldn’t do the placement
at PGS, that didn’t mean they couldn’t help.
I contacted the Development Office who
put me in touch with OP Peter Sykes
(1960-1970), the Headmaster of Saxon
Shore Infant School and Westfield Junior
School. He was happy to help and invited
me up to the junior school to have a look
around.
A few months later and I’d had a brilliant time at a lovely school. With charming children and friendly staff, it was the perfect place to start my teacher training.
A week at Westfield made me reflect upon
my own happy memories of the Pre-
prep and Lower School. It only feels like
yesterday that I first put on that tiny red
kilt for my first day of school, or sang “Livin’
on a Prayer” at the top of my voice along
with the whole of the upper sixth on my
last day.
I left school four years ago now, and
whether it is a quick hello and catch up
with a teacher in Waitrose, drinks with OP
friends in a pub near school or helping me
with my career in teaching, I know PGS isn’t
far away.
Emma Merton OP (1992 – 2005)
Peter Sykes was delighted to host Emma’s work experience prior to her starting her PGCE and was very pleased that she got so much out of it. If any other students are thinking of a teaching career they are welcome to make contact with the school so that a placement could be arranged.
Contact [email protected] for further details.
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 20091� 19Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
Lab-Fab!The building of the new 21st century hub for science at PGS gets underway.
Two hundred years after the birth of Brunel, Portsmouth can proudly boast its achievement as a world-class centre for science and engineering with thriving aeronautical and shipbuilding traditions and a rapidly developing reputation as the nerve centre of the UK Space Industry.
PGS itself is regarded as one of the foremost schools for science in the South and a leading light for science, technology and engineering education. Examination Board Prizes have been routinely awarded to PGS pupils over the past few years for outstanding individual performances and each of the science subject departments has earned the accolade of ‘top school’ in the UK Science Olympiads as well as being the top performing school for the past three years in Electronics ‘A’ level. The list below of Old Portmuthians who have excelled in a whole range of scientific fields demonstrates the School’s commitment to science teaching But progress lies at the heart of all scientific endeavour and achievement and, though the existing Science Block has served PGS well for over half a century, the new building with its open atrium, exhibition space, science auditorium and additional laboratories will accommodate all the anticipated needs of science at PGS in one space at a time when more pupils than ever before are opting to study science subjects at ‘A’ level and for the International Baccalaureate.
As former pupil Mark Birkinshaw, who holds the William P Coldrick Professorship in Cosmology and Astrophysics at Bristol University explains, “Since the construction of the Science Block at School there have been vast changes in the methods of scientific research and the tools used for scientific investigation. An improvement in the science teaching facilities at school level is just as important as the improvements that are currently being made at university level and in industrial laboratories. No science building has a lifetime of fifty years without major modification, and the science block at the School is no exception.” Mark, along with a number of other eminent scientists, including the astronomer and broadcaster Patrick Moore, have provided written testimonials in support of the project.
Constructed in 1957 by the architect Lillian Stephenson, the old science block was,
when first built, something of a sensation.
It was the first public building in the country to use plastic drainpiping!
Mrs Stevenson approves of the new design which has excellent environmental features in the form of photo-voltaic cells and rainwater capture devices as well as a rooftop greenhouse which pupils studying architecture are helping to design.
The works commenced with demolition of the current science block on 27th July this year and the state of the art science block will be completed in Summer 2010.
All former pupils are friends of PGS are warmly encouraged to have themselves permanently associated with the fantastic new building as well as having the opportunity to join us for the launch event by sponsoring an ‘element’ from the Periodic Table of Elements installation to be housed within it. Please refer to the ‘In our Element’ feature for further details.
A selection of former pupils who have gone to achieve renown in
their chosen scientific fields:
Professor Mark Birkinshaw OP (1966 – 1972) is William P.
Coldrick Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at Bristol
University.
Ian Osterloh OP (1965 – 1971) is a clinical researcher for Pfizer,
Inc. who led the development of sildenafil citrate (Viagra), as well
as a number of drugs relating to cardiovascular disease.
Dr Ben Boyes OP (1992 – 1999) is a Senior Project Engineer for
EADS Astrium on the latest Mars rover project. The rover called
Bradley – the most sophisticated ever built – will explore Mars in
2015 as part of the European Space Agency’s ExoMars mission.
Ben was even seen on BBC TV’s Blue Peter earlier this year
demonstrating Bradley’s capabilities!
Professor Andrew G Lyne FRS OP (1950 – 1960) is Langworthy
Professor of Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Manchester, as well as an ex-director of the Jodrell
Bank Observatory.
Professor John Andre Lee OP (1953 -1961) is a consultant
histopathologist at Rotherham General Hospital and clinical
professor of pathology at Hull York Medical School. He is most
notable to the wider public as co-presenter (with Gunther von
Hagens) of Anatomy for Beginners, Autopsy: Life and Death and
Autopsy: Emergency Room for Channel 4 television.
Professor David A Warrell DM DSc FRCP OP (1948 -1958) is the
world’s leading clinical toxinologist, principally famous for his
work on prospective studies of snakebite in tropical developing
countries. He also holds an appointment as Professor Emeritus of
Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Oxford University.
The Appliance of Science
i) Linear Potentiometers: hardwood Constantan wire stretched along a calibrated metre scale and clamped to stout, plated brass end
plates. Makers mark on reverse. Made by Philip Harris Limited of Birmingham (45” x 3” approx) £25 each + postage
ii) Resistance Boxes: beautifully crafted dovetailed hardwood with brass fittings. Made by W.G Pye and Co of Cambridge
(Large size 8½” x 4”, small 6” x 3” approx) Small £15, Large £30 + postage
iii) Tangent Galvanometers: large 4” diameter horizontally orientated compass indicator located in the centre of a 7” vertically
orientated coil of wire all mounted on a metal stand with brass leveling screws and fixings. Made by Philip Harris Limited of Birmingham.
Individually numbered. £25 each + postage
iv) In addition, we are thrilled to be able to make available the original laboratory signage from the 1957 Science Block. Choose from
individual named laboratory door plaques on varnished wood or wall-mounted double-sided plastic laboratory name signs. Given that
each of these signs is a unique keepsake of PGS, we are inviting ‘sealed bid’ emails from interested parties. Those pledging the highest
donation for each sign will be contacted when bids close at 9am on Friday 27 November.
For all enquiries, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
or by telephoning 023 9236 4248.
You’re already a part of PGS. We’d like to invite you to be part of it forever.Over the years, PGS has been very fortunate to have the support and involvement of some very special people. People who share the values of the School and who have helped to shape the happy and successful place it is today.The building of the new Science Centre offers an exciting opportunity for you to make your personal mark on PGS for years to come and to, literally, become part of the fabric!
We are busy putting together a visual depiction of the Periodic Table of Elements, with each element being drawn, painted, sketched or sewn on 12” x 12” square panels by pupils, teachers and parents which will be installed in the new building (see completed examples left) From just £100, you can be permanently associated with the biggest building venture in the School’s 2�� year history and a flagship project for science education. Simply choose the element you wish to sponsor. You will even have a personal invitation to come and join us at the exclusive Science Centre launch event and get to see your personally-designed element in its new location. For more information or to reserve your chosen element, please get in touch with us at [email protected] or by telephoning 02� 92�� �2��.
IN OUR ELEMENT
Krypton
Iron
‘A Chip off the Old Block’Your unique opportunity to own a piece of PGS history!
The School’s new state of the art Science Centre is the biggest capital project in its history. In order to help offset
some of these costs and bolster the fundraising effort, Opus is offering readers the chance of acquiring items
salvaged from the old Science Block, dating from the 1950s, which make wonderful presents, conversation pieces
and unique mementoes of PGS schooldays! Quantities available are limited, so don’t delay and please remember that
all the proceeds from the sale of these items will help equip the new laboratories to the very highest specification:
i) ii) iv)iii)
Headmaster James Priory and OP Club President Max Lankester monitor progress on the building of the new Science Centre
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 200920 21Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
“Alan and I were quite friendly - and I am sure we shared some escapades - but we were not bosom pals. Apart from his war service, I really feel great admiration for Alan for his courage and expertise when he undertook his whaling flying in the Antarctic.”Bruce Wright OP 1932-1939
“In spite of our age difference I always considered Alan a friend. In 1939 as an eight year old at Northwood Park I double sprained an ankle and needed to have it bound up at the sanatorium. It was Alan, as a senior, who was given the job to transport me the quarter mile, on his back, twice a day for about a week.”Cameron Craig OP 1939 -1946
“Bristow’s adventures read like exotic fiction about a life which could not have been experienced by one man.... but they were!”Ron Holley OP 1947-1949
Aero-dynamicThe extraordinary life in the sky of Alan Bristow OP.
Alan Bristow (PGS 1933-1939) is a name that will be forever synonymous with aviation, particularly helicopters. Bristow died aged 85 in April this year, just a decade after licensing for production a patent “water bed” for cows (profitably licensed to Dunlop) which was developed on his 2,000-acre estate at Cranleigh, Surrey. The invention won him the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for Agricultural Innovation which was especially apt as he had been firm friends with Prince Philip for many years after they both represented Great Britain at four-in-hand carriage driving. Amongst his other notable associates were Aristotle Onassis, the Shah of Iran, Douglas Bader, Freddie Laker and the late novelist James Clavell, who he met at PGS.
He also held a little-know record for an aviation first: Lieutenant Bristow carried out the first landing by a helicopter on a naval escort vessel at sea when he landed a Sikorsky R4B Hoverfly on the deck of the frigate HMS Helmsdale, K253, in Weymouth Bay. Bristow survived countless helicopter crashes and flying stunts of his own devising that were, in his own words, “bloody insane”.
After the war he became Westland Helicopters’ first test pilot at a time when 25 per cent of the UK test pilot population was being killed every year, and survived many close calls. His record was six engine
failures in different helicopters in one day. But after only three years his employment ended abruptly when he punched the sales director on the nose.
Shortly after he married he moved to Paris to run an ad hoc helicopter operation where his duties included flying up and down the Seine with a pair of circus trapeze artists slung beneath his machine. He survived one crash when the ladder got wrapped around his tail boom and tore it off, and another when he was overcome by DDT fumes while spraying oranges in Algeria. He also decamped to Indochina to try to sell helicopters to the French air force. In 1949 he rescued four men, under mortar fire, from the Viet Minh, for which he later collected the Croix de Guerre for his bravery. He also sold eight aircraft, setting out on the entrepreneurial path that would make him a multimillionaire.
In 1951, on his return from Indochina, he formed Air Whaling, a company that used helicopters to spot whales in the Antarctic. From that he went on to develop a humane harpoon, the patents for which he managed to sell to the Netherlands Whaling Company. It was from this venture that his most successful enterprise, Bristow Helicopters, was spawned. He met up with the war hero Douglas Bader, who was responsible for Shell oil’s aviation needs, and Bristow Helicopters was soon
supporting the North Sea oil business. Despite once throwing Bader into a swimming pool and referring to him as a “tin-legged git”, Bristow and his business thrived, serving the oil industry worldwide.
By 1959 Bristow was a tax exile living in Bermuda. There he was tracked down by Freddie Laker, who wanted to buy Bristow Helicopters on behalf of Air Holdings. Bristow was happy to sell a stake in order to get access to friendly capital, but their valuations of the company were £67,000 apart. Both gambling men, they settled the issue by tossing a coin at a lunch after which Bristow’s accountant George Fry needed medical treatment.
Bristow Helicopters passed through several hands before being bought out by the American giant Offshore Logistics Inc. Bristow was gratified when the American multinational changed its own name to Bristow Group because, according to its president, the name was “solid gold” in the oil industry worldwide.
“The first time that I met him after schooldays was when we bumped
into each other at meetings of the British Friesian Society as we were
both in the milk business with the same breed of cattle. I visited his
farm on a few occasions and remember once when he had an open day for
a herd visit. It was characteristic of him that we were told by one of his
employees that he had been delayed - he then landed beside us in one of
his helicopters! He was always a great showman!”
Derek Worrall OP 1933-1939
The school archivistMention the word archives and, immediately, an image of dusty scrolls, pince nez and an air of other-worldliness is conjured up. But while there may be some truth in that stereotype, the immediacy, vitality and potential of digitisation makes archival material in the 21st century exciting.
I very much welcome the opportunity – in
this, the first edition of Opus magazine
- to introduce myself as the new School
Archivist. My initial impression of the
school is of a vibrant, thriving and friendly
community with educational excellence
at the heart of its mission, and I am very
pleased to be a part of it.
Caring for, developing and promoting the
archive presents a great new challenge.
As the oldest school in the City, it is a
tremendous honour and responsibility, and
I look forward to working with staff, pupils
and Old Portmuthians to build on all the
good work carried out by my predecessor.
It is great to see a thriving alumni
association and I look forward to putting
together displays of archival material for
reunions and special occasions.
As a chartered librarian, I have had
responsibility for local history collections in
public libraries across Southern Hampshire,
and the Hampshire Naval Collection at
Gosport Discovery Centre, but working
with a prestigious school archive brings
possibilities and opportunities that are
unique to a school community. I am also
a qualified teacher, and look forward to
working with my teaching colleagues
to enable the archive to be used as an
accessible and vital resource in helping to
bring history alive in the classroom.
Fascinating primary sources have the potential to engage and grip the imagination because they tell real and personal stories of those who came to PGS before us.
They inspire and help equip our pupils
to understand and appreciate issues of
identity, belonging and shared heritage.
Learning is at the very heart of what
archives are about and so, rather than just
being about the past, archives are also
about the present and future.
Bringing history alive has been at the heart
of my professional practice for many years,
but it also dominates my spare time. I have
written and compiled many local history
books on the history of Portsmouth and
Gosport, and look forward to restarting the
lunchtime local history club in the future.
My last book, Mudlark, (written under a
nom de plume) was a bit of a departure,
being a novel published by Puffin. It is a
mystery/thriller set during the First World
War and is based on the true-life mudlarks,
who, some older OPs may remember,
begged, scavenged and entertained a
few hundred yards from the school at
Portsmouth Harbour. They became a
colourful part of the City’s rich tradition
and folklore but their history exists, not in
an archive, but in the stories that are told
and passed down the generations.
The PGS archives are far from complete
– many records were lost during World
War II and there are other gaps from times
when the school’s records were not as
valued as they have been in recent years.
So if you have any photographs, films,
reports, diaries, letters, exercise books or
any other material that sheds light on what
life was like in your schooldays, they would
find a safe and valued place in the archives.
If you prefer, original material can easily
be copied and returned to you swiftly
and safely. Also, if you have memories of
your time at PGS (good or bad, unusual
or ordinary, detailed or impressionistic)
please get in touch. Your experiences are
unique and will contribute to our collective
understanding of the diverse and ever-
changing PGS experience.
Thankfully, the archive houses a complete
set of The Portmuthian, a rich source of
information about the cultural life and
sporting record of the school, and the
Old Portmuthian has kept us in touch, in
many cases, with lives after school. Many
of the enquiries I have received in the
brief time I have been in post have been
family history related, and considering
the hundreds of thousands of pupils that
have attended PGS – and the number
of descendents there must be – there is
potential for The Portmuthian to be made
accessible as a genealogical resource.
There is also the prospect of showcasing
other carefully selected archival material
on the PGS website for the wider world to
understand and appreciate the history and
achievements of the school.
I hope I’ve convinced you that archives
are exciting, I can at least assure you that
they are not dusty or covered in cobwebs.
They are used everyday to inform,
enrich and inspire through use in the
classroom, in assemblies, displays and in
communications with OPs, their families
and descendents. I am informed, enriched
and inspired every working day, and it is a
privilege to act as custodian and advocate
for the school’s three hundred year old
history.
I’m ending with a unusual request - if
anyone knows the whereabouts of an
old PGS lift-top desk (especially one old
enough to have a recess for an ink-well,
ideally with antique carved graffiti and
encrusted chewing gum), please get in
touch. I can be contacted in term-time at
the school on 02392 681391 or by email
John Sadden
James Clavell, who remained a lifelong friend from Bristow’s schooldays at PGS, wrote the book Whirlwind in 1986 which was a fictionalised account of one of Bristow’s adventures. This occurred in 1979 when he extracted all his staff from Iran in a dawn operation under the guns of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Revolutionary Guard.
“Bristow was probably three to four years younger than I
and the only specific thought that comes to mind is when
I was a prefect and he was called to E4, the prefects
‘court’ on some misdemeanour, possibly not a solo occasion!”
Tom Dethridge OP 1931-1939
“He was just “Bristow” to me because first names were not used in School. I was two years ahead of him; I had joined the OTC and, on passing Certificate 2A”, was put in charge of a batch of new recruits. In my section were three that gave me a hard time; their names were Besent, Bristow and Clarke, and Bristow was the ringleader. We sized each other up and after a few weeks I grew to respect him for the experience that I was gaining in man management. It brought us good marks at Annual Inspection and it certainly helped me in my later career.I left PGS in the summer of 1939 and was out of touch with the OP club until after the war, but I do remember hearing of a helicopter flight that Alan piloted to rescue a sick keeper from a lighthouse when the weather was too rough for a boat to get to him. In later years the name of Bristow Helicopters became well known in the aviation world, as I live near Kent Air Ambulance base at Marden I think of him when I hear them flying over.”John Pearson OP 1930-1939
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 200922 2�Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
He awoke to the sound of an aircraft. When he looked outside he saw a Zeppelin trapped in the glow of searchlights. High above the Zeppelin, another aircraft was in a battle against the German attacker. Soon the Zeppelin was hit and going down.
“The Zeppelin caught fire in the middle, which melted the aluminum framework and it gradually sank in the middle, but somehow after the aluminum frame survived, it went down in the V-shape and hit the ground,” said Bartle.
Bartle was born in 1910 and will celebrate his 100th birthday in February next year, making him the oldest surviving Old Portmuthian. He lives in British Colombia and, largely through the detective work of former PGS archivist Catherine Smith who put him in touch with many of his former students who now live in North America, frequently receives OP visitors to reminisce about school days. “His photographic memory is incredible”, remarks Alastair Stevens OP (1930-1937). “Being a World War Two veteran now living in Canada, I am a keen supporter of British Columbia’s Military Museum in Nanaimo and visit it often. About 2 years ago during a visit I noticed this elderly gentleman on volunteer duty wearing many pins on his jacket, one of which seemed familiar.
I remarked that it reminded me of my old school. ‘Where did you go to school ?’ he asked. I replied that I was a pupil of the Portsmouth Grammar School in the UK. ‘So you were!’, he exclaimed, ‘ What’s more you were one of my students!’ Upon hearing his name I recalled that Wally Bartle was one of our teachers!”
His razor-sharp memory and renowned straight-talking served Bartle well; amongst others things he held the position as Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery’s aide-de-camp. During a military planning conference, Montgomery proposed changes to military training. Bartle said everyone in the room agreed with Montgomery but him. “I got up and said it wouldn’t work and you could have heard a bomb drop as I said it at the time,” he said. Later Bartle was called over to talk to Montgomery to discuss the troop training and impressed Montgomery with his insights.
Now Bartle’s life and experiences are the focus of a documentary called Bloody Proud, being produced by Jib Entertainment, an independent film company based on Vancouver Island. Jim Dickinson, an associate producer with Jib, volunteers at the Vancouver Island Military Museum, where he met
Bartle. The film is a project by writer Ian Ferguson and director David Bercovici-Artieda, who worked on a documentary about Holocaust survivors with Steven Spielberg after Schindler’s List.
The three – Dickinson, Ferguson and Bercovici-Artieda – decided Bartle would be a great person for a documentary after meeting him last winter. “Ian’s initial comment when we got together was, ‘Do you realise what an incredible man we have here?’” said Dickinson. “He said what an incredible man with an incredible amount of experience.” Filming is already underway and there are even tentative plans to fly Wally back to the UK to once more walk the corridors of PGS and the streets of Portsmouth, where son John Bartle OP (1947 – 1957), has headed-up a highly successful architects’ practice for many years.
Wally Bartle’s extraordinary life is the focus of a new documentary by acclaimed director David Bercovici-Artieda.
Our new Lottery Draw is fun, easy to play and provides much-need project and bursary income directly to PGS.
For just £1 per week players have a very real chance of winning a monthly jackpot of £10,000 as well as other cash prizes. Winners are automatically notified and it’s easy to set-up – just follow the instructions provided on www.pgs.org.uk (in the ‘Development’ section select ‘The Weather Lottery’) or contact the Development Office. Thanks to all those OPs who have already signed up and many congratulations to
our recent lucky winners!
99 Not Out! Former Art Master Wally Bartle remembers the vivid details of watching the first German Zeppelin shot down over his home in England when he was young.
It could be you! Fly the flag with a PGS bag!2010 will see the first ever PGS pupil expedition depart for Africa. Pupils will spend a month trekking in the Rwenzori Mountain range in Uganda and have set themselves the task of rebuilding a class room at Kinyerere Primary School. This enterprising small group of Year 10, 11 & 12 pupils are paying all their own expenses but have to raise the money for building materials and classroom resources. They have specially designed these exclusive extra large jute shopping bags, priced at just £5, to raise money for the trip. OPs who wish to support the Uganda 2010 team by buying a bag should contact Karen Sparkes at [email protected]
Scaling the heightsNews of how a permanent memorial to the late Roger Harris OP, former pupil, teacher and President of the OP Club will help give opportunities to pupils of all ages and allow their talents to develop.
Following the very sad news last November
of the death of Roger Harris, reported in
The Old Portmuthian Magazine, in a letter
to all OPs and on the School website, we
have been deluged with condolence letters
and fond recollections of a man who gave
a life of service to PGS. Joining the School
as an 11 year old boy during the Second
World War in 1943, with a break of seven
years from 1951 for Oxford and then the
Royal Navy, then joining the teaching staff
in 1958 and concluding as President of the
OP Club up until last year, Roger spent a
staggering total of 58 years connected in
some way or another to PGS.
The School has worked very closely with
the Old Portmuthian Club, Common Room
colleagues and with Roger’s friends and
family to devise a fitting memorial to
someone who inspired many generations
of pupils throughout his 35 year teaching
career across the whole spectrum of school
life.
Arguably, it was Roger’s encouragement to pupils to develop their sense of adventure that was most legendary.
He thrived on the opportunity to spend
time with pupils in different environments,
introduce them to new experiences and
to set the highest standards. He launched
School Sailing in 1959, established the first
Newtown Camp in 1969, set up the first Fell
and Bottle trip to the Lake District in 1971,
oversaw the first of many successful PGS
Ten Tors teams in 1974 and in 1979, led a
group of boys up Mont Blanc to mark the
first expedition of the newly-formed PGS
Mountaineering Society.
It seems highly appropriate therefore
that agreement has been reached to
erect the School’s first-ever Rock Wall as
the memorial that will bear his name.
The construction is modular allowing it
to be extended according to the level of
donations. It is hoped that as many of
Roger’s former classmates and pupils as
possible will feel able to contribute to the
project so that installation can begin right
away.
Major Sue Sheldrick, Contingent
Commander of the CCF, who is
spearheading the campaign for a
permanent Rock Wall facility to be erected
in Roger’s memory said: “The Rock Wall
will be a fitting tribute to a well loved
member of the PGS staff who devoted his
teaching career to ensuring that cadets
were engaged and challenged in outward
bound pursuits. The installation of a Rock
Wall will not only be of benefit to cadets,
but will also foster a desire in younger
pupils from Year 2 upwards to climb and
enjoy a different physical activity.”
Temporary Climbing Wall brought in as part of the 60th Anniversary celebrations of the CCF at PGS in 2008. It is hoped that funds raised in Roger’s memory will help towards the construction costs of a permanent facility.
Please join us to celebrate Roger’s contribution to PGS by helping in the
following ways:
• Contribute to the Roger Harris Climbing Wall Appeal by visiting
www.justgiving.com/oldportmuthian. Alternatively please send your
donation, made payable to The Old Portmuthian Charity, to: Barry Easton,
8 Spindrift Mews, Bosham, West Sussex, PO18 8LW
• Pledge your offer of an object, opportunity or offer of service for the CCF
Climbing Wall Auction which the cadets are staging on Friday 6 November
at 7.30pm in order to raise funds for the Climbing Wall in memory of Roger.
Auction lots already generously donated by Old Portmuthians include a flight
for 5 people in the world’s oldest flying de Havilland Rapide bi-plane and a
signed England rugby shirt. To pledge your own special lot in memory of an
extraordinary man, or for details of the event, please contact Alasdair Akass
on 023 9236 4248 or at [email protected]
• Attend the Old Portmuthian Club Annual Dinner on 12 December at the School
which will be dedicated to the celebration of Roger’s life of service to PGS.
Please refer to the Forthcoming Events page within this magazine for further
details.
For OPs going ‘Down Under’Opus would like to draw the attention of OPs living near Sydney, or just passing through, to the existence of the Sydney Lunch Table. This is a group of OPs, who meet quarterly at the RAC Club, Macquarie Street, Sydney. Their next four meetings are on November 10th 2009, February 16th, May 11th and August 10th 2010. They assemble in the bar on the Macquarie Street level at 12.30, where guests will find a very warm welcome. Please contact Tony Walker-Powell ([email protected]) in advance for further details.
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 20092� 2�Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
In memoriamOpus is saddened to report the deaths of the following Old Portmuthians:
Sir Malcolm Rowland Bates (23.09.34 – 30.05.09)
Malcolm Rowland Bates was born
in Portsmouth in 1934. He attended
Portsmouth Grammar School from 1946
-1950 and then went on to the University
of Warwick. He served in the RAF from
1956 to 1958, and went to Harvard
Business School in 1963, halfway through
a ten-year career at Delta Metals, where
he was employed from 1959 to 1968. After
a spell at Wm Brandt, a merchant bank,
he joined GEC as commercial director
in 1976, becoming deputy-managing
director in 1985. Bates also served on the
board of Pearl Assurance, the pensions and
insurance firm, Enterprise Oil, and BICC, the
cable maker.
For twelve years Sir Malcolm Bates was
second-in-command at GEC, one of the
great postwar industrial enterprises. Bates
played a leading role negotiating takeover
deals and ensuring that newly acquired
companies were integrated effectively
into the parent. His connections with the
US — buying and managing companies
such as AB Dick, the printing and copying
machinery manufacturer, and Picker
International, the medical devices concern
— won him particular admiration.
In May 1997, only hours after the Tony
Blair-led new Labour election victory,
Geoffrey Robinson, Paymaster General at
the Treasury, asked Bates to look into the
Private Finance Initiative. Robinson said
he wanted Bates to look at obstacles in
the way PFI projects and how the process
could be streamlined. Later, in 1998, Bates
returned to lead a taskforce charged with
trying to improve the schemes. While
they have struggled to shed a slightly
unfortunate image, PFIs survive, at least in
part, thanks to the work of Bates.
He was knighted in 1998 and is survived by
his wife, Lynda, and their three daughters.
Courtenay Corner (16.11.14 – 04.08.09)
Courtenay was one of the oldest surviving
OPs having attended PGS from 1927-1933.
He passed the School Certificate with
honours in 1931 and the Higher School
Certificate two years later. He then went
to take up the occupation of ”municipal
clerkship” and a career in banking.
Mervyn Bennicke Lanyon (18.05.21 – 22.02.09)
We are indebted to Mervyn’s daughter, Susan Palmer (nee Lanyon), for this appreciation of Mervyn’s life.
Mervyn Bennicke Lanyon was born on the
18th May 1921, at Number 4 Ordnance
Row in Portsmouth. He was the younger
son of Maurice and Lilian and brother to
Trevor. His father was a Naval jeweller and
Mervyn’s connections with the Royal Navy
began in his earliest years.
In 1927, Mervyn followed his brother to
The Portsmouth Grammar School and
retained his connection with the school
all his life. His grandson William was later
a pupil at the School. Whilst at school, he
enjoyed the Scouts, the Officer Training
Corps, and learned seamanship. He was
selected to join the Royal Navy as a cadet
in 1938 and gained a place at RN College,
Keyham as an officer cadet.
Mervyn’s Naval
career was varied
and interesting.
He served in HMS
Birmingham for
most of the War. In one
incident, the ship was torpedoed
in the Mediterranean whilst bound for
Alexandria, carrying £3,000,000 of gold
bullion, unbeknown to the ship’s company.
This torpedo caused enormous structural
damage and the death of 28 sailors.
“Birmingham” limped across to Norfolk on
the East coast of America, where she was
cut in half and rebuilt with gangs of men
working day and night so she could rejoin
the fleet. She took part in the liberation of
Copenhagen.
After the War, Mervyn served in HMS
Surprise, the C-in-C Mediterranean’s
Despatch ship in Malta, known locally as
‘The Yacht’. Other appointments included
HMS Implacable, The RN Dockyard,
Singapore, HMS Duchess and Assistant
Naval Attaché in Bonn, Brussels and The
Hague. Later, he served in the Royal Corps
of Engineers and had the privilege of
escorting the Queen around the facilities in
Portsmouth Dockyard. He was awarded the
OBE by the Queen on 26th October 1965.
Mervyn combined his Naval career with a
happy family life. He married Joan Cruddas
in March 1947 and they had three children.
He was a devoted husband and a gentle,
loving father, grandfather and great
grandfather. He had great wisdom, but
wore it lightly and to his family he was a
rock. He was a liberal thinker who evolved
with the challenges of new ideas and
generations. He always retained a huge
sense of fun.
Mervyn was a dear, kind friend to many
people and all his life a true gentleman. He
was actively involved in the Hayling Island
community and with St Mary’s Church,
Hayling Island. He epitomised that quietly
brave and modest Wartime generation.
Ivor Graham Marsh (1923 - 2008)
Ivor died in October last year after a long struggle with Lewy Body Disease. He was 85. He was a keen teacher of medicine, a pilot and highly skilled with his hands.
On leaving PGS in 1941, Ivor joined the Royal Air Force and was posted to 299 Squadron 38 Group for the duration of the war. In 1946 he attended King’s College, London where he gained an MB and a BS. During this time he met and married Betty, who was a nurse there.
In 1953 Ivor went to New Zealand as a medical officer in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and this involved some flying duties. He left the Air Force in 1957 and began work and study at the National Women’s Hospital in Auckland before gaining his Diploma in Obstetrics. This was followed by a post as Registrar at Kawakawa Hospital in Northland, including obstetric and anaesthetic duties. At the same time he established himself as a General Practitioner in the town. His colleague recalls Ivor as a somewhat formidable but modest and highly compassionate person. He would think nothing of two-hour drives in the night to his mainly Maori practice who treasured him. Ivor’s next post involved flying to many of his patients. In 1967, in order to educate his five daughters, he moved back to Auckland. When the medical school opened there he became very involved in undergraduate medical training. Ivor was one of the few General Practitioners who began to teach medical students the art of General Practice. He was also active in postgraduate training. In 1982/3 he worked as Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health in King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia before retiring from full time practice in 1985. Ivor and Betty then moved to a small farm in Waimauku where they bred Angora goats. Ivor continued some locum work for a further ten years.
Ivor was humane. His meticulous approach led to his frustration with imperfection. Betty was an extremely caring nurse, a lifelong support and his partner in medical practice. In the last year of Ivor’s life they moved back North to the coastal paradise where he loved sailing and where he had been happiest. Ivor is survived by Betty and his five daughters to whom we send
our sincere condolences.
John Hedley Sterndale Packman (1934 - 2009)
John Packman died on 10 March 2009. He
attended PGS from 1945 to 1951 when
he won the McNicol Memorial Prize for
Art and Portsmouth Major Scholarship.
After completing studies at the Southern
College of Art, John pursued a successful
career as an artist. He was a wonderful
husband, father, grandfather and friend.
Ivor Robert Simpson B.A. T.D. (16.01.32 – 04.11.08)
We are indebted to H.T. (‘Johnnie’) Walker, OP, for this appreciation of Ivor’s life.
Ivor Simpson attended PGS from 1948-
1951 to study Modern Languages and
History in the Sixth Form. He read History
at Bristol University as did his lifelong
friend and fellow OP, Len Wilson. He spent
several years as a teacher before pursuing
a career in education administration
where he became Area Education Officer
for Guildford and its surrounds. He was a
lifelong member of the Territorial Army
and attained the rank of Major. He held
important committee posts within his
local NHS Trust and with the Prison Welfare
and Reform organisation and was also a
staunch Rotarian.
His friendship with Rosemary Walker
(whom he married) was one of those PGS-
PHS romances typical of the 1940s/early
1950s. He is survived by Rosemary, their
two children (Julian and Sarah) and six
grandchildren.
A.T.G. Svensson (1930 – 29.06.09)
We are indebted to John Roberts, OP, for this appreciation of Tony’s life.
A.T.G. (Tony) Svensson died on 29 June
2009 aged 78. From an early age Tony’s
interest in aircraft was evident. He
attended PGS from 1943-1949 and was a
keen member of the school’s Air Training
Corps. On leaving PGS Tony joined the
R.A.F. at Cranwell College as an officer
cadet.
His piloting skills were exceptional and he
soon became a test pilot and ultimately a
world record holder. Tony was seconded
to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1964
and was carrying out manoeuvres in a
Mirage III supersonic fighter at near the
speed of sound when the plane spun out
of control and went into a nose dive hitting
the ground with great force and creating
a hole 45 feet wide and 25 feet deep. Tony
triggered the ejector seat 90 seconds
before the impact and survived the crash
but sustained multiple breakages to his
legs and arms. After hospital treatment
lasting two and a half years, Tony was told
he could go back to flying. Not merely to
flying – but to test flying.
Tony retired from the R.A.F in 1969 and
moved to Devon. He is survived by his wife,
Pam, and his son, Mark, and family.
John Michael Walters (02.04.55 – 03.12.08)
We are indebted to Debbie Morgan, John’s sister, for this information in appreciation of John’s life.
John Walters died in December 2008 at the
age of 53 following a long and courageous
battle against Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
John attended Portsmouth Grammar
School from 1963–1973 and was a member
of the OP Club. At his last visit to the school
he thoroughly enjoyed a tour of the ‘new’
building– the former Cambridge Barracks.
He also enjoyed receiving publications
from the school, invariably looking out for
news of his nieces and nephews (Matthew,
Ben, Charlotte, Samantha and Christopher
Morgan) who all attended PGS.
From 1999 to 2003 Sir Malcolm Bates served as chairman of London Regional Transport
OPUS • Issue 1 • Autumn 20092� 2�Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
Forthcoming eventsFriday � November 2009 CCF Auction Evening, David Bawtree Building, PGS
Being staged by cadets in order to raise
funds for a Rock Wall in memory of Roger
Harris OP. To pledge your special lot in
memory of an extraordinary man, or to
attend the event, please contact Alasdair
Akass at [email protected] or telephone
023 9236 4248. (See also ‘Scaling the
Heights’ feature in this issue)
Sunday � November 2009 Annual Remembrance Day Concert, St Thomas’ Cathedral
Featuring the premiere of a new
commission to mark the 65th anniversary
of the D-Day landings for Remembrance
Sunday by composer Stephen Montague,
who will also give a pre-concert talk at
PGS. Tickets and information from PGS
Reception on 023 9236 0036.
Thursday 2� November – Saturday 2� November Fiddler on the Roof, King’s Theatre, Southsea
Come and be transported to pre-
revolutionary Russia with a rousing
soundtrack of unforgettable songs
including, ‘If I were a Rich Man’, ‘Tradition’
and ‘Sunrise, Sunset’. Please come and
show your support in this, the most
ambitious School production of the year.
Tickets from the King’s Theatre Box Office
on 023 9282 8282.
Thursday 2� November 2009 Annual OP Lunch at the Royal Beach Hotel, Southsea
The annual lunch for OPs who live in or
are visiting the Portsmouth area will take
place on 26 November at 12.30pm in
the Royal Beach Hotel, Southsea. If you
haven’t already booked a place and would
like to attend please contact Liz Preece at
[email protected] or telephone
023 9268 1392.
Saturday 12 December 2009 OP Club Annual Dinner
The OP Club Annual Dinner on the 12
December will act as a tribute to the late
Roger Harris and will be a fitting occasion
to celebrate his unparalleled contribution
to PGS. Please contact Gareth Perry, OP
Club Social Secretary on 023 9273 4606 or
[email protected] to secure a
place at this extremely popular event in the
OP calendar.
Saturday 12 December 2009 Annual OP vs PGS Rugby and Hockey Matches
We shall be hosting the OP vs PGS 1st
XV rugby match and OP vs PGS 1st XI
Hockey (men and women) matches on 12
December this year at Hilsea from 11.30am.
If you are interested in playing for the OP
teams (or spectating!) please contact Liz
Preece at [email protected] or telephone
023 9268 1392.
12� Years of Sport at Hilsea - 2010
A number of events will be held at the
School to celebrate 125 years of Sport at
Hilsea in 2010. Details will be provided in
the next issue of Opus and will be posted
on the school website www.pgs.org.uk
Saturday � February 2010 OP Scout Reunion
The 80th Anniversary of the 42nd
Portsmouth Grammar School Scout
Troop will be celebrated with a Reunion
for OPs who were Scouts or Cubs at PGS.
For further information please contact
Sue Merton at [email protected] or
telephone 023 9268 1385.
Friday 2� February 2010 OP Club Evening Lecture, David Bawtree Building, PGS
Guest Speaker, Ed Richards OP, Chief
Executive of Ofcom. For further details and
to reserve your place, please call Gareth
Perry, Social Secretary, OP Club on 023
9273 4606 or [email protected]
“BE PREPARED”Saturday � February 2010 OP Scout Reunion
This picture was sent to us by Alan
Scaife OP (1947 – 1953). Although we
can’t award a badge for correct entries,
Alan would dearly like to identify some
of his fellow scouts from the 42nd
Portsmouth Grammar School Troop!
If you were at this camp, or can help
to put names to the unknown faces,
please contact the Development Office.
(top row) Alan Scaife, Max ?, David
Parker, (bottom row) ? Wilson, Peter
Miles, ?
CALLING ALL Former PreFeCTS!
2010 marks the centenary year of School Prefects at PGS and plans are
underway to celebrate this important milestone with our first ever
Prefect Reunion. If you were a prefect and would like us to keep
you updated with proposals for next year, please email
your details to [email protected] or
telephone 023 9236 4248.
My relationship with Portsmouth
Grammar School started back in
1992 when I was persuaded by Julia
Oakley, then head of the Pre Prep and a
neighbour of mine that PGS was really
the right school to educate my children.
At the time I didn’t even realise PGS took
children from as far away as Emsworth!
There certainly weren’t the numbers
from outside the city that exist now but
the school has grown from strength to
strength since I’ve been involved, first
as a parent and later as a member of the
Development Board.
When my son Alex started in 1992,
reception classes and the nursery didn’t
exist so everyone started age five. Girls
had only been admitted at this age for
a few years. Later he was joined by my
other three children with the last one
leaving in 2008 having completed his A
Levels. During this time I’ve witnessed
a lot of changes and whilst my children
have moved on, my contact with the
school continues.
In 2003 I was approached by the then
Headmaster, Tim Hands, to sit on the
School’s new Development Board. PGS
was about to embark on a fundraising
campaign for a new library, all-weather
pitch at Hilsea and science laboratory. I
accepted the offer and joined the Board.
With my marketing background it was my
job to write and produce the Campaign
brochure and through the hard work
of the Development Office the school
successfully raised the £1.25m target in
just over a year. Since then I’ve remained
on the Board and helped with a number
of smaller projects including participating
in the board of judges for the school’s
own Dragon’s Den involving the Business
Studies Department and Year 9 pupils.
As an economist and coming from a
business background, this is exactly the
type of venture I like to see in a school.
It was really rewarding seeing how hard
the pupils had worked on money raising
projects learning to bring important
elements of business together. I was
really impressed with them all – I’m pretty
sure, along with the more traditional
careers, PGS will be turning out a future
Richard Branson!
My children have all left Portsmouth
Grammar now. It’s provided an excellent
all round education for them and they’ve
now gone on to university and various
careers. Already they look back and see
the value they’ve received from the
school. As for me, I’ve really enjoyed the
ongoing relationship!
Keeping her hand inFormer Parent Sally Gordon tells Opus how she has continued to maintain strong links with the School even after her children have left PGS.
Former Parent Sally Gordon puts a budding Year 9 entrepreneur through his paces as a panelist for PGS Dragon’s Den alongside the new Chairman of Governors Brian Larkman OP and Andy Law OP (1968 -1975), a fellow member of the School’s Development Board.
Portsmouth Grammar Schoolwww.pgs.org.uk