Issue No. 13 Autumn 1998
"THE
DORKINIAN” 
NEWSLETTER OF THE ASHCOMBE
DORKINIAN ASSOCIATION
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Contents
Membership Secretary, Rosemary Dale ‑ "a
year of discovery!"
Laura Timms ‑ our 1997 ADA Bursary winner and life
at Cambridge
Jill Corpes was terrified by Miss Rigby and Miss
Macaulay!
Erie Jeal ‑ left the washing‑up!
Nicholas Ridley names some younger faces
Michael Pearson ‑ "biggest skiver in the British Army!"
Shane Murray, 25 years since ......
Ron Thompson uses the internet from New Delhi
Janet Blackburn ‑ two sides to apologise for missing the Reunion/AGM!
Robert Miller reporting on Mole Valley today
Ashcombe Dorkinian Golf ‑ Harold Child
Old Dorkimian Cricket Club ‑ Dave Wilcockson
Old Dorkinian Football Club ‑ Peter Mills
EDITOR'S ODDS & ENDS
Regretfully I have to start by apologising for the delays,
mostly outside my control (!) in issuing this newsletter, which will mean that
you have less time than we would wish to reply to Sheila Sandford's letter.
Therefore please do not put her form on one side, but reply now!
This time, unlike the last, I feel sure that there will be a
list of members enclosed, but I should explain that we are in the process of
changing the format, so that at this stage we are not showing your years at
School ‑ perhaps next time? Please note Rosemary's request to tell her of
any errors and omissions you might spot in the list relating to others as well
as to yourself.
My thanks to all of you who have contributed, and I have been
very pleased to receive several emails. I don't think we are quite ready to
take up Ron Thompson's suggestion of
producing an email edition of the Newsletter, and the idea of adding email
addresses to Rosemary's database will probably not amuse her! If you send me
emails and prefer to keep your email address private please say so ‑
otherwise I am likely to give you away!
Our 1997 Bursary winner Laura
Timms was one of the first to send me an email,
and it is good to see how much our award has helped her. Congratulations to
Laura on her 2.1 in
Prelims.
Rosemary's sister, Hebe
Morgan, has just had a novel published ‑'Dutch Point", under her
pen‑name of Barbara Yates Rothwell, and you may
remember from No. 12 that Hebe and Doe celebrate their golden wedding in
December. Congratulations now on the book, and in advance for the December
event!
Welcome to our new members. Ralph Mann, who gave us his recollections of Dr. William Cole
published in No. 12, felt that he could hardly refuse to join us in the
circumstances! At the age of 70 he started afresh and received a very warm
welcome in his new parish last September. He has been licensed till 2002.
Peter Mills managed just
in time to send me his appreciation of the late Hugh "Willie" West, and then on checking the Chairman's Bit for spelling mistakes
(not really, Mr. Chairman!) I spotted a little chap in the front of a photo of
the DCS First Eleven of 1938 ‑ quite a coincidence!
I am sure that many members, especially OD cricketers of the 1950s and 1960s
will have been saddened to hear that Don
Cooper died recently. I well remember Don as a gentlemanly umpire who gave
generously of his time, and whose decisions were not disputed!
It was good to hear from
Valerie Bartlett (Cooper, 1945‑48) that she and Graham had
successfully moved to 21 Reyntiens View, Odiham (tel. still 01256 703501), to a smaller garden ‑ but at
the last count had retained 4 mowers!
Ian Taylor (1946‑50) regrets not
being able to attend the Reunion/AGM next month. He mentions that he was at a
Rotary Conference recently and found himself sitting next to Mrs. Peggy Gardner of Bargoed,
South Wales, who used to be Margaret Parfitt (1932‑37),
was married in Westcott Church
(where she was surprised to find that Mr. Bradshaw
was a church warden), and remembers Hebe
Blake as a little girl.
Perhaps one benefit of our unintended delays is the inclusion
of a late entry by Janet Blackburn
(Morris, 1949‑56). Janet found the up‑dates on Dorking
interesting ‑ any other views on these items?
Being of a certain age (!) I enjoy
reading many of the informative obituaries which appear in certain national
papers. One such concerned Philip
O'Connor who died in May at the age of 81, and was described as an eccentric
and author of one of the strangest autobiographies of modern times
"Memoirs of a Public Baby". At one time he lived on Box Hill and
attended the Dorking High School, and later wrote that "Schoolmasters" flesh looked like old pastry. You
could study it until you felt as sleepy as it". He was said to have had an
untidy private life ‑ married at least twice, enjoyed innumerable
liaisons, and had at least 10 children. Not for me to comment on DHS boys!
May I finish on a personal note and
explain that Harold Child's reference to my being indisposed for the golf in
May was his way of not saying that I had had a hip replacement two weeks
earlier ‑but I was able to play 18 holes of my usual coarse golf just 4
weeks later, such are the marvels of modern surgery!
David
Mountain September
1998
65
Broadhurst, Ashtead
Surrey KT2I 1
QD
Tel: 01372 273227 Email:
David. H. Mountain @BTInternet.com
DIARY
REUNION/AGM ‑ Saturday l0th
October 1998
COPY for
next Newsletter to the editor by 6th April 1999, please.
From the Membership
Secretary
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This has been a year of discovery for me ‑
trying to discover what a Membership Secretary does, or should do; discovering
where all the records are and how to get into them; and, most lately,
discovering that our esteemed Editor expects a Membership Secretary's Report ‑
like last week!
So, briefly, this is it: we have currently
315 members, living all over the world, but with a heavy concentration in
Surrey and Sussex. More than half of them have paid their 1997‑8
subscriptions. Those who have not paid suffer, I find, from terrible pangs of
conscience ‑ in one case so acute that the sufferer was impelled to fine
himself an extra 50p by way of penance ‑ so I do urge everybody who hasn't
yet done it to take the easy way out, sign a Bankers Order or Direct Debit
mandate, and forget the whole thing, like the rest of us.
This time last year, 6 school leavers joined
the Association. We hope you have enjoyed the Newsletter ‑ even more,
that you will contribute to it (it tends to be looking back about 50 years much
of the time). Can you get any of your friends to take the plunge? We look
forward to welcoming a new batch of leavers this summer. My statistics
(fortunately) don't include ages, but it would be nice to feel that the average
was going down rather than up.
At last year's AGM we had a little influx of
new members joining; I hope this may become a regular annual multiplication.
During the year, 4 more new members have joined us, and 3 have resigned.
Finally, PLEASE let me know of any errors or
omissions in your entry in the membership list.
Rosemary
THE DORKINIAN
The Newsletter of the Old Pupils'
Association of the Dorking High School for Boys,
Dorking High School for Girls,
Dorking County School, Dorking County Grammar
School, Mowbray School, Archbishop
Langton School and the Ashcombe School
The Chairman's Bit
We had no response when the above
description was put, tongue‑in‑cheek, into last year's Newsletter. I
have repeated it this time to emphasise the fact that we would welcome all ex‑pupils
of the above schools: they are all eligible to become members and I am sure
that any anecdotes and stories which they
have will be most interesting to all the rest of us.
As in the past I've put together a
few short pieces which I hope you'll find of interest without being too heavy.
Mowbray School
The building of Mowbray School was
completed in 1959 and all the girls from Sondes' Place School moved in ‑
much to the chagrin of the remaining boys, I seem to remember! The first
headmistress (I suppose to be politically correct I should refer to her as
'head teacher') was Miss French.
Also joining at the same time was a
Mrs Bradshaw who took charge of the English department. Mrs Bradshaw was none
other than the wife of our own venerable DCGS Maths master, Norman 'Brute'
Bradshaw. As they say in current parlance, 'not many people know that’. Mrs
Bradshaw continued to be head of English until 1968 when she, like her
illustrious husband, retired.
Boxhill ‑ Sunshine
and Snow
I used to live on Boxhill and
together with most other pupils up there used to catch a special school bus
which would drop us opposite the main entrance and then carry on to Sondes
Place School. On some winter's days there would be bright sunshine on top of
Boxhill while Dorking and the School would be shrouded in mist until almost
lunchtime. On other days the snow up there was so bad that the bus had
difficulty coming up the zigzag from Burford Bridge, and on one memorable day
we had to get to Dorking via Leatherhead, and didn't arrive at school till
after 11 o'clock.
Summers on Boxhill were always great
‑ if you didn't mind the tourists and sightseers. In those days, unlike
today, the sightseers out‑numbered the bikers! However, there was one
time every year that the local residents had to beware: as Boxhill was so high
up, when the swimming pool used to be filled (from mains tap water), it was
possible for the local water reservoir to become so low that, at times over the
two‑day filling period, only a trickle came out of the tap.
The Archives
The few school archives which had
hitherto been kept at the school have now been moved to the Surrey Record
Office and are held in the archive section at Woking Reference Library. We have
a list should anyone be interested.
In Memoriam
We
respectfully include a photograph of Miss Barbara Macaulay who died of cancer
last year on 13th September 1997 at St. Luke's Hospital, Guildford. Miss
Macaulay taught at the School from 1944 to 1975, when she retired Tributes were
paid to Miss Macaulay in Issue No. 12, and Ron Thompson and Jill Corpes recall fond memories in this issue.
In Memoriam
Miss Barbara Macaulay
Died 13th September 1997
Miss Norah Barter
On a more
happy note, a photograph of Miss Norah Barter who taught at the School from
1944 to 1974 when she retired.
The photograph was also taken
at the School Reunion in April 1992
The Ashcombe Dorkinian
Association Bursary: for academic excellence to augment other funds for tertiary education
This year of the candidates interviewed for the Ashcombe Dorkinian
Association Bursary, two were of such high quality and
ability that the selection committee felt that they were of equal merit and
awarded each a Bursary.
I am sure that all members will join
the Committee in congratulating the two recipients, Richard Mayers
and Louise Wootton. Richard impressed us with his vast array of extracurricular activities in the media field, having already
produced (and directed) an eighty five minute feature length drama with a cast
of eighteen, as well as several promotional videos including one for the sixth
form, another for the Ashcombe School and another for the Town of Leatherhead
for the Town Manager and Manager of the Leatherhead Swan Centre. And all this
without detracting from his academic ability: he has already gained a place at
Bournemouth University to read TV and Video Production.
Louise's curriculum vitae is equally
impressive especially on the academic front where she has always been in the
top of the class, getting virtually straight A's in her GCSE's (she got a
'B" in one subject!). More recently she was chosen to go to the Maths Masterclass at the University of Surrey, has received a
Gold NatWest Challenge Award, several Silver and
Bronze Awards, the Upper School Chairman of Governors' Award and a couple of
awards for outstanding academic achievement. Need I go on! Oh yes, she also
obtained the highest mark last year in the Geography mock 'A' Level exam and
received the Chris Good Geography Prize for Achievement in Geography and
Mathematics. She has achieved all this with a full charity commitment,
organising Senior Citizens' Christmas Parties, fund raising, doing voluntary
Hospital work as well as going to Romania twice with the School to help install
the Water Supply and other services to a Children's Home. Louise is going to
Durham University to read Geography.
Congratulations to both of you: I am
sure you will make excellent ambassadors for Dorking, for the School and for
The Ashcombe Dorkinian Association.
The Ashcombe Dorkinian
Association Prize: for services to the School Community
This year the Committee has decided
to split the ADA Prize to bring it into line with all the other awards to
pupils of the School. So, instead of the one £25.00 prize which we usually
award, from this year the Association will make three awards each of £10.00.
Selection of prize winners is made by the School in the Autumn Term.
School Talk
To publicise the Association to
(hopefully) new members, two Committee Members will give a short address to all
Sixth Formers early in November.
The New Sports Hall
Fund raising for the new £1 million Sports Hall is still progressing apace and those who wish to
contribute may contact the Chairman or the School direct.
Strawberry Tea
Unfortunately due to lack of support
we were unable to hold our annual Strawberry Tea. Commiserations
and apologies to the nine (yes, only nine!) stalwarts who expressed a desire to
participate.
The 1998 Reunion/AGM
This year, as last, we are
emphasising that it is a Reunion with the AGM rather than the other way about.
It will be held on Saturday 10th October and a timetable is included with this Newsletter. We
have negotiated a very good price for lunch at the White Horse Hotel in
Dorking, including a glass of wine, and I do hope we shall get a 'goodly
number' of you attending. However, numbers are limited so it is strictly on a
first come first served basis.
Where Are They Now?
For those of you who want to make up
a list of their year for a possible reunion, we have a list of most of the
pupils who came into the Dorking County (/Grammar) School from 1931. We also
have a similar, and I think complete, list for the Mowbray Girls' School.
Possibly the Best
Cricket Team...'
Notwithstanding
earlier comments, statements and allegations, nay even assertions,
testimony and even so‑called evidence, I have it on very good
authority that possibly
the best Cricket Team the school has ever produced was the DCS First
Eleven of 1937/38.
Overcoming
all odds, in one memorable away match they smashed the Reigate Grammar School First Eleven on their own ground, a not inconsiderable feat in its day, when the RGS team had
its own dedicated cricket master. The fast bowler in our team was Valentine
Sherman to whom I am indebted for the loan of the photograph below.
Val thinks that 'Wee Willie' West may have held wicket at some stage!
We have 'fantasy football' etc. on
the box, so why not our own 'fantasy cricket' team. I await your letters!
Possibly the Best Cricket Team The
School Has Ever Produced ! ?
Rear (L to
R): Donald S Broyd, Henry G Gill, John L Teede, R J
'Fishy' Whiting, Bonham,
Val D
Sherman, Ansell
Middle: Alan
N Pym. Antony J Lowman (Captain), Wilson L Smith
Front: Hugh
'Wee Willie' West
(My Apologies if I've got some of the first names wrong ‑ JPG)
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Collage of the Old Grammar School Chemistry Laboratory
The Commercial Bit
Ties and Badges of the Old Dorkinian
Association are still available at the very reasonable price of £5.00 each.
We also have colour montage photos
of the original Old Chemistry Laboratory (now refurbished and upgraded'). Price
£2.00 for the A4 size and £4.00 for the A3. (This was true in 1998 but no
longer holds- webmaster) To whet your appetites we have printed a copy in this
Newsletter. But it's only in black and white!
Membership
We are still low on numbers with
quite a few being behind with their subs. We have enclosed a Membership Renewal
form with this Newsletter, but ideally we would like you to pay by Direct Debit
or Standing Order. This would then avoid our having to use our memory cells
every year (quite a point as we all get older), as well as avoiding Rosemary,
our Membership Secretary having to spend time and money in sending out
reminders. It will also enable you to defer payment until 1st December instead
of 1st September which is the start of our financial year. The appropriate form
is printed below for both cases.
We have also included an updated
Membership List. Perhaps you could all check your entries and let Rosemary know
of any corrections.
What about getting
your contemporaries to join. Tell them about our Reunion and AGM
on the second weekend in October, about how we are the forum for all past
pupils of not only the Dorking County School, but also its earlier forerunners
at Dene Street and elsewhere in Dorking, as well as the subsequent Grammar
School and the Ashcombe School and its constituent schools. Tell them about our
support for the present School and the School's support for us. About the ADA Bursary and the ADA School Prize. But above
all tell them about similar, like members to themselves, able to swap anecdotes
and stories of their time at school, the so‑called 'happiest days of
their lives' (although they didn't know it at the time!)
And So Farewell ...
It seems hard to realise that this
is the last time I shall be writing this column as Chairman. The time has
passed so quickly. I should like to thank all of you for your support over the
past three years and particularly the members your Committee who have
unstintingly given their time and effort to continue to run the Association and
make it the popular and vibrant organisation it is.
However, it is not 'goodbye'
entirely as I still hope to be able to write those little snippets about the
past history of the School.
The Constitution also decrees that
the Secretary and Treasurer, to whom I give my particular thanks, shall also
not hold office for more than three consecutive years. So I would ask all of
you to attend the AGM in October to help elect worthy successors to continue
the excellent traditions of the Association.
John P Gent
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Laura Timms ‑ 1997 ADA Bursary Winner, at Cambridge
My first year at King's College
Cambridge has flown by and I can barely believe that I am already about to
start my second year. The Ashcombe Dorkinian Association Bursary has been
enormously helpful to me during my first year, and will continue to be so well
into my second, because money still remains in the account that I set up at Heffer's bookshop in the city. I decided to use the money
for books, not only because of the inevitable need that I have for them as a
student, but also because I saw the money as a wonderful opportunity to invest
in the beginning stages of my own collection of good quality editions of the
major works of English Literature. The Bursary has enabled me to consider the
quality of the edition of a text, rather than simply the price, and I have
certainly benefited from having access to better editions, rather than simply
having to buy remaindered 'English Classics' for a pound a copy. After all, it
seems that some '£1 classics' actually leave out significant chunks of the
original text, or make emendations without recording them; buying a better
quality book certainly reduces that concern! The Bursary has also enabled me to
purchase copies of useful critical or contextual studies, ordinarily far beyond
the budget of the average student. It. is enormously helpful to have these
books as a permanent resource because, despite the high standard of Cambridge
libraries, it can still be difficult to get your hands on the right book at the
right time, not to mention for vacation study.
Of course I didn't just spend my
first year at university studying! I have also devoted plenty of time to extra‑curricular
activity. I am a member of the university's Kickboxing group, and I helped
organise One World Week in February. I am also on the college's South African
Fund for Education committee, which determines which projects to fund with the
donations we receive from the college and its students. This year we have
donated money to a project to provide secondary education in healthcare to
girls who will then be able to treat and teach their own community in their
native language. I have also taken regular advantage of living next to the Arts
Cinema, although it seems that this is sadly to close over the summer.
Cambridge is a very beautiful and interesting place to live; there are always
plenty of new activities to try, and it is wonderful to be able to walk past
King's College Chapel on the way to pick up my post in the morning.
Jill Corpes
(Chatfield, 1951‑56) remembers Miss Rigby and Miss Macaulay
"The latest Newsletter was most interesting ‑ I especially
enjoyed reading the piece about Miss Rigby and Miss Macaulay. I was absolutely
terrified of both of them whilst at school, except for my last four months in
the Lower Sixth, when the fact that she approved of my art‑work made me
see Miss Rigby in a different light.
With regard to Miss Macaulay, she and my parents became very
friendly in the last few years and she used to give them jars of her home‑made
marmalade. I always meant to go over to Dorking to meet her again but
unfortunately never did so and now it is too late..."
Erie Jeal (1922‑27) ‑ left the washing‑up!
"Your letter prompted me to look back over the various
Newsletters, and like Virgil's hell, proved difficult to get out of, and an
hour of nostalgia ensued ‑ leaving the washingup
still on the bench! It seems that Jim Spencer and I are the only High School
boys left. I never knew the Ashcombe Road school,
although my younger brother did a couple of years there. A.J.Rivett
(Johnnie!) was the Head in my time. Norman Squier was
deputy, and together with E.Griffiths and C.Goffin, transferred to the new building ‑ but Mr. Squier shortly afterwards became Head of Chelmsford
Grammar, and during the war, I learnt, he committed suicide. Strangely enough
that news came to me when in the course of Air Force duties I met Ted Turner at
Gatwick while delivering radio equipment. The only other Dorking acquaintance I
met was Frank Snushall (I see Mrs. Snushall is a member) when we were on a
course at Cranwell. But all this is old history! I'm
not quite as old as Mr. Bradshaw ‑ I trail him by 4 years."
Nicholas Ridley (1952‑59) emails (ridley@pc.jaring.my)
some names!
The names of the players shown in the photo (click to view) on page 15 of
Issue No. 12 are:
Standing (l‑r) Alan Virgo John
Hayns Mike Hudson Nick
Ridley Martin Hawkins Geoff
Thomas Frank Woodcock Mike Owen John Lewer Bill
Day
Sitting (l‑r) Colin Craddock Jim Steadman (capt)
Headmaster
John Skilton Brian
Crack
Nick reports that he and Marianne have settled well in Penang,
and despite the economic downturn are prospering and able to explore Malaysia
and the neighbouring countries.
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Michael Pearson (1946‑51)
‑ "the biggest skiver in the British Army!" .??
Mention by Michael Dobson in a
recent newsletter of the success of the 1949‑50 1st' XI Football Team
prompts me to put pen to paper, if only because I was privileged to share the
captaincy of this side. My abiding memory is the unrestrained delight expressed
by Dr Trefor Jones (once no mean footballer himself) in assembly on the Monday
following our win at home over arch rivals Sutton Grammar School. We went on to
complete an unbeaten season, and the record speaks for itself.
Our success in those days was not
confined to the football field. We also had a more than useful cricket team.
Roy Tunstill will vouch for this if
those wonderfully detailed score books he kept in multicoloured ink are
still available. One true cricketing story concerns the annual match versus the
staff. We were steadily disposing of the staff’s batting ‑ including a
menacing 'Doc' Morgan, who brought to the wicket a massive weather‑beaten
bat, when in came Gilbert Woodman. The first ball from 'Piffle' Barsey went by unseen and the second flew to Gordon Fisher
at slip. Fisher let out an agonised scream, clutching the ball to his midriff.
"Alright Fisher, I know when I'm out," commented Mr Woodman as he
trundled off!
My academic progress did not keep
pace with my sporting exploits. I 'got by' as David Mountain would have it;
sufficiently, though, to make brief acquaintance with University College,
London, sadly curtailed by a serious football injury sustained playing for the
Old Dorkinians at Reigate Priory. My prolonged convalescence irritated my
father so much that he signed me up with a local Chartered Auctioneer and
Surveyor as an Articled Pupil. Study was by correspondence course and the final
exams taken in Dickensian conditions at an Examination Hall in Queen Square,
London. The gentleman's urinal comprised a huge glass bottle with funnel!
My call‑up for National
Service had been deferred whilst taking exams, but the Army caught up with me
in 1955. My preference for the Royal Artillery or Royal Engineers in order to
gain surveying experience was rewarded by a posting to the Royal Army Ordnance
Corps. Following basic training at Hilsea Barracks,
Portsmouth, I found myself at the Army School of Ammunition. Here, with my
fellow conscripts I was taught how to deal with safe and unsafe projectiles of
all shapes and sizes, hardly encouraged by the fact that regular soldiers
performing these tasks were paid danger money! Our instructors described us as
"a bunch of educated idiots" and my final accolade was from my
company Sergeant Major spoken in a thick Scottish burr to the effect that I was
the biggest skiver in the British Army!
On return to Civvy
Street in 1957 I completed my articles and then spent two years commuting from
Dorking to the City of London. I’m afraid the sight of a sea of bowler hats and
rolled umbrellas crossing and re‑crossing Waterloo Bridge each day proved
too much. The Crown Agents duly processed my application to join the Government
of Tanganyika 's Department of Lands and Surveys and
soon I was on my way (by sea) to Dar‑es‑Salaam.
A year on the coast followed by 18 months 'up country' under the shadow of
Mount Kilimanjaro during the time leading up to that country's independence as
Tanzania proved to be a fascinating experience; most rewarding perhaps being
the view at sunrise from the top of Kilimanjaro reached after a Heyday trek and
final assault in darkness. Also visits to game parks including Tsavo, Lake Manjara and Ngorongoro Crater ‑ all seen before serious tourism
threatened this part of the world.
My return to civilisation in 1962
armed only with a suntan, VW Beetle and a few travellers tales did not seem to
impress potential employers but impending marriage did concentrate my mind! I found
gainful employment with a respected firm of Chartered Surveyors in Sutton,
Surrey, but not before Kaija and I had briefly
flirted with the idea of starting married life in Kampala, Uganda ‑ which
would have been a far cry from her native Finland; in retrospect a good
decision, as Idi Amin was
soon to terrorise this part of East Africa.
Family responsibilities (Marcus,
Sophie and later Hannah) and the need for provision of a pension led to my next
career move. I joined
the Civil Service by way of an Open Competition and volunteered myself to
Yorkshire as a member of the Valuation Office. Various internal transfers
including a brief spell in the corridors of power, followed by a final posting
to Harrogate offered some compensation for more than 25 years service. I have
since retired and ironically Harrogate Office has since been threatened with
closure as part of a national downsizing (ugly word) initiative.
Retirement has brought increased
travel opportunities and we have recently visited Finland, Canada, Barbados and
Guyana, primarily as a result of family connections. We are also performing an
active role as grandparents, (twin granddaughters and one grandson to date).
Never a dull moment!
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H F G West
It is with much sadness that we have to report the recent
death of Hugh West, at the age of 76, after a short illness.
Hugh, affectionately known as "Willie" to his
friends in the OD Football Club, attended the School from 1937 to 1940. On
leaving, he joined the RAF to train as a Mosquito pilot, and after active
service became a pilot instructor. On demobilisation he gained a chemical
engineering degree at London University and spent most of his professional
career with ICI.
Hugh became a loyal member of
the ODFC, and was a member of the record‑making Senior
side who dropped only one point in the 1947‑48 league campaign*. On
retirement from football he was elected a club vice‑president in 1958.
Hugh is survived by his wife Pamela,
two sons and a daughter and nine grandchildren.
P.M.
* (see also under 'The Chairman's Bit' ‑
'Possibly the Best Cricket Team ….’
Shane Murray (1966‑73,
1974) ‑ it is now 25 years since ......
It is 25 years, almost to the day, since I left Dorking
Grammar School for the first time. First time? What do
you mean 'For the first time'? They say 'Don't go back!'.
I did and it was the best thing that I have ever done.
I took A‑levels in 1973 and got one, chemistry. I was
good at chemistry and managed to scrape an E grade. Before the examinations
started, I knew that I would not get the grades to go to University. There were
many reasons for this apparent calamity but it took many years to understand
how and why this happened.
I started at Dorking in 1966 and within a week we moved house
to a new area. Much nicer but I found it hard to adjust to all this change.
David Rowles, form master and French teacher, took me
'under his wing' and he seemed to understand but alas he left at the end of my
second year.
In the summer of 1969, my father fell very seriously ill and
was given the last rites. He survived but life for the whole family would never
be the same again. Episodes of illness have recurred at regular intervals
throughout his life, but particularly during my A‑levels years.
Naturally, my mother also chose this time to contract bowel disease too and
spent a month in hospital.
The upheavals of this time meant that I quickly fell behind
during A‑levels. No‑one was to blame and my subsequent lack of
success was not a reflection on the quality of the teaching. So
back at school for another year. I had learnt my lesson from 1966, don't
go to technical college and learn all those new rules when you can stay in
familiar surroundings. For the first time at Dorking, I thrived. I worked hard
and played hard. Success came and believe me, it was
wonderful. Three A‑levels, one S-level and subject prize in chemistry (of
course), and a place at University. Oh, I nearly forgot, a sports prize too.
Three years at London and a degree in pharmacy. A couple of
the teaching staff wanted me to go on to PhD. I was easily persuaded and
eventually obtained a grant. Serious graft for many years followed, complete
with teaching chemistry to undergraduates and postgraduates. I estimate that I worked
60 hours a week, either earning or researching, for 7 years to reach my goal.
For one reason or another, I have never made any headway in my
career through my research, but I rest happily in the thought that everyone has
heard of it, albeit indirectly. Few can claim to have made headlines in
newspapers and I made headlines in ALL the newspapers the world over. No‑one
knows it's me but everyone knows that Ben Johnson abused anabolic steroids and
got caught. All I did was notice something that others did not see. More
recently, I have been a medical information manager in the pharmaceutical
industry dispensing information, both spoken and written. Yes, I earn my living
through writing. Nora Barter would be surprised.
Ron Thompson (1959‑66) emails
from New Delhi, and remembers Auntie Mac.
Issue Number 12 of the
Dorkinian has just been deposited in my in‑tray in New Delhi, having
reached me via Tokyo and Bangladesh, where I've spent the last 6 years, looking
after various power projects for Sumitomo Corporation.
I moved here with my
second wife, Beo, in April this year, to take up a
new position, still with Sumitomo, as Technical Director Power Projects.
After Bangladesh's
capital, Dhaka, New Delhi is truly beautiful, with all the old Lutyens buildings, wide tree‑lined streets, and many,
many well tended gardens. True, we were a bit spoiled in Bangladesh in
comparison to other Brits working there, as we had a beautiful house in the
British High Commission Compound, near Srimongal, in
the middle of the tea estates.
Things are a little
chaotic and uncertain at the moment, due to the sanctions imposed because of
the nuclear tests, but I'm sure we'll pull through as usual.
I was extremely
saddened to learn of the death of Auntie Mac, even though she had lived a very
long, as well as a full and useful life. I remember well the times I was
scolded by her‑never with malice, and I'm sure with a twinkle in her eye.
Her remark, when I dared to wear a ring to school given to me by the then
current girlfriend, "Thompson, you pansy, take of that ring",
resulted in the nickname of "Pansy", which stuck with me throughout
my school career, to remain thankfully forgotten for 25 years until the Great
School Reunion (in 1991 ?).
Her end of term
readings from 1066 and all that, and the ghost stories ("Whisper and I'll
come to you"), remain firmly engraved in my now failing memory.
It has been said (was
often said), that I was not an easy pupil to teach, something of a rebel, and
with too many opinions to merge quietly with the background, but I feel that
the attitude of Auntie Mac, and of other favourites,
such as Miss Coney, Miss Keenor, helped me to benefit
much from an extremely enjoyable, and ultimately reasonably gainful time spent
at Dorking.
In addition, we all
felt it a great honour to be taught by someone who had personally been present
at the Battle of Waterloo, the Tennis Court Oath, and maybe even at Agincourt
(or so we believed at the time)!
So, my thanks to Auntie
Mac for her patience and understanding over the years.
Finally, if any of my
old friends are ever in Delhi, I hope they will contact me, at the address
below or by email: rst@nde.vsnl.net.in
PS Congratulations on
the use of the semicolon‑you don't see many of those nowadays!!!!!
PPS‑Current address:‑
RS Thompson
Technical Director Power Projects
Sumitomo Corporation
3rd Floor, Antriksh Bhawan
Kasturba Gandhi Marg
New Delhi 110001
India
Tel: (91) 11 331 4281
Fax: (91) 11 331 0756
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Janet Blackburn
(Morris, 1949‑56)
I received a nicely worded letter from Rosemary Dale earlier
this week, inviting me to pay my subscription for this year and next! I did so promptly as I and my husband are shortly leaving for or a
three‑month trip round the world, made possible by retirement, an
endowment policy maturing and the death of my mother last December, during my
pre‑Christmas visit to her in Dorking.
We had talked about making such a trip for or the past few years but
postponed doing anything about it when my mother's health deteriorated last
year. She was mentally still alert and was very concerned about the prospect of
becoming senile and languishing in a nursing home or hospital for months or
years. So when I came down to Dorking for the 1997 ADA AGM/Annual Dinner last
October, she used the opportunity to request that I take her to a local
solicitor so that she could grant me an Enduring Power of Attorney! Although
her death was sad for me and my family, I was so glad that I did not need to
use that Power. In fact, I think she willed her rather sudden death to avoid
such a situation and release us for our world trip!
The ADA Spring Newsletter with the appreciations of Miss Macaulay
reminded me that only two or so years ago, my mother showed me some U3A
literature. The bearer of this had rung her bell at the security door to her block of flats
and asked for admittance. Believing the U3A rep. to be a gentleman,
my mother went out onto the landing for a
"recce" and realized it was in fact Mac!
It's funny how we all remember the VOICE!
Oddly, I found, when clearing out some old school mementoes
some time ago, that I had kept a third‑year history exercise book, which
contained an essay written in a dreadful scrawl, not even on the lines. The
reason was that I had eye drops in for weeks both before and after an eye
operation and could not even see the lines! I am mystified as to why some of the staff were apparently
not aware of it .... (Our form‑master, Flash,
definitely was, as when I was actually in hospital, I received a mass of
letters from the class (which I couldn't read for myself), most of which
started, "I'm writing to you because we've been given a choice of that or some work.”)
At the end, Mac had written, "I will not mark work like this," yet I hear
her SAYING it!
All this is a long preface to apologies for not being able to
attend this year's AGM/Annual Dinner. At 1997's, I sat with Maureen Collins,
whose home is near Sydney but who usually comes over to her UK and French bases
every year. However, she has had to have some surgery this year ‑ from which
she is making a good recovery ‑ so will not be at the AGM either. For a
change we are going to visit her, in December!
Last year, it was good to see Mr. Bradshaw looking so spritely. If he attends the AGM/Dinner this October, would
you please give him a message from me, even though I doubt he will remember Janet
Morris who was in his Sixth Form class in 1954-56.
(The year 1955/56 was marked by the tragic death of one of the class, Shirley
Wootton, which had a profound effect on all of us. Either in 1954 or 55, there
was a disastrous Sixth‑form Christmas trip to see "Kismet". A London smog descended and the coach could only crawl
along. I seem to remember the lads took turns to walk in front of it with a torch! I think we arrived
half ‑way through the second half, along with many other groups; luckily, the theatre
gave us replacement tickets. It was some time before I discovered Borodin's
original composition but it's forever associated with that foggy night!)
The message is that, although I was
not allowed even to sit “O” level maths,
presumably for or fear of bringing DCGS’s League
Table position down a notch, I have just achieved a 'B' grade in GCSE maths! I decided
to enrol for a daytime one‑class a week course at a Sixth‑Form
College following my early retirement last year, much to the disbelief,
astonishment or horror of most of my family and friends. I did it because the
decision not to enter me for maths ''O"
level had always rankled (I would have failed, of course!) and for the last
40 years, I have had to explain to friends and colleagues that yes, I did get
to University to read French without maths and, no, I don't why I was accepted
without it when everyone else had to have it! Rather to my surprise, I enjoyed
the course, which was so much more interesting than the syllabus we had at
DCGS, and I had a superb tutor who was still enthusiastic about mathematics,
despite being near retirement and having a desperately difficult job in
teaching young people who were trying to improve their grades. It was a real
eye‑opener!
Finally, I would like to thank the Association for its
indirect help in putting me back in touch with a classmate, Pat Ruthven, nee Goodwin, who now lives
in Maine, following many years in Canada. A school friend Pat had kept in touch
with sent her a copy of ‘The Dorkinian’ with an article by me in it. We had a
reunion in April when Pat came over to visit her relatives, for which we
borrowed my daughter's flat in Reading. My husband disappeared with two books
and after reading them, said he didn't know how we could talk non‑stop
for or over 5 hours. We pointed out it was only 4 minutes each for each year
since we’d last met!
With best wishes to all
the Committee.
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WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE DORKING AREA
NOW? Robert Miller reports
A move to let in more light in the
Dorking caves
The
South Street caves, owned by Mole Valley District Council, are leased to the
Dorking & District Preservation Society. There have been organised visits
on special occasions, such as heritage open days, but now they may be opened on
a regular basis if moves to install electric lighting are successful. At
present it takes 30 minutes for volunteers to light candles, which have to be
replaced frequently, it is hoped that interest in the caves will be greatly
stimulated by the change.
Possible restoration of Deepdene House
Grounds
The
terrace at the back of the site of the demolished historic Deepdene House,
which was conveyed "to the free use and enjoyment of the people of
Dorking'' in 1943, may be restored to its former grandeur as the result of a
survey commissioned by the Dorking Preservation Society to assess what needs to
be done.
New bells for old at St. Martin's Church
A
set of 10 new bells has arrived at St. Martin's, after the old bells were sent
to the foundry at the beginning of the year for recasting. However the number 5
bell, which is a 1626 Wilson (and the only one in Surrey) will be hung 'dead'
as an Angelus bell to be chimed for mid‑week services. New shutters have
also been put in to reduce the noise(!) during practice sessions.
Arrival of one of the new
recast bells ‑ May 1998
Face of
missing girl appears on milk cartons
Sadly, Ruth Wilson, an Ashcombe School pupil from Betchworth,
has been missing since November 1995, two months short of her 17th birthday.
Two days after she disappeared a bouquet of flowers
was delivered to her parents. A local florist said they had been ordered by
Ruth on the day she disappeared. She was last seen by a taxi driver who dropped
her near to the Hand in Hand pub on Box Hill at 4.30 pm on that day.
Early this year her face appeared on milk cartons, a scheme
organised by the National Missing Persons Helpline,
and Iceland the frozen food retailer. To date there has been no news of Ruth.
Betchworth Castle site
named in 'shame list'
The Betchworth Castle ruins, situated in thick undergrowth at
the Dorking Golf Club, and owned by Mole Valley District Council, have been
cited in a 'name and shame' list compiled by English Heritage: "It is
slowly decaying with no solution in sight". The Council expressed some
surprise at the findings, being keen to preserve the ruins for historical
purposes. There were no plans to develop the site for tourism, nor to admit the public, but there should be some remedial
work maintaining and strengthening the remains.
Dream Machine comes to
Town
With so many shops empty at the east end of the High Street,
owing to loss of trade, it may come as a timely surprise that one of Dorking's
most successful businesses, 'Surrey Harley‑Davidson', status symbol
motorcycles, has moved from its current base on a trading estate in Station
Road to a larger location at the former showrooms of car dealer E J Baker.
Business seems to be very brisk all the time.
Burford Lodge at the
foot of Box Hill
Burford Lodge, a listed Grade II mansion, has been restored
and converted into luxury apartments. Built in 1786, it became the property of
George Barclay, a member of the famous Barclay family. In 1935 the land passed
to the National Trust.
The Antiques Roadshow comes to Dorking
A queue had already snaked its way around the Dorking Halls by
7am, on Thursday 30th July
when BBC Television arrived to record the 14th programme in the 21st series of
the Antiques Roadshow.
The doors opened at 10am, and more than 2000 people turned up, clutching their
items of interest. The edition is scheduled for broadcasting in January 1999.
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ASHCOMBE DORKINIAN GOLF Harold Child, calling all golfers
Our golfers took up the challenge issued by Dorking Golf Club
Elders for a return match at Chart Park, Dorking on Tuesday 12th May 1998. Two
teams of ten players took to the course to play an aggregate Stableford competition. The association team had high hopes
of turning the previous autumn's one point defeat into victory but alas, local
knowledge played its part. We did however give a good account of ourselves and
only lost by eleven points. Some players returned exceptionally good scores.
John Campbell, for the ADA team (also being a member of Dorking G.C) returned a
score of 42 points whilst playing with the Club's handicap secretary who
promptly reduced his handicap from 22 to 20 under Rule 19 ‑ general play.
He also took the same action with Steve Stevenson (D.G.C.) who captained their
side on the day, returned a score of 40 points and found his handicap reduced
from 21 to 20. So much for a friendly day's golf?
Match Result‑ Dorking Elders ‑ 3118
points Association 307 points
Association
Prizes: ‑
1st John
Campbell 42 points
2nd Michael
Scotcher 34
points (on countback)
Best front 9 Roger Griffiths
Best Back 9 Harold Child
David Mountain was indisposed for this match but was sufficiently
recovered to join us for the evening meal, together with his wife Valerie and
Pat Child.
Our next meeting is on Thursday 20th August at Reigate Heath
Golf Club when we shall be turning out another team of 10 against a team from
Dorking Elders.
We are pleased to have made contact with Peter Stimpson who has indicated his willingness to show his
"prowess (or lack of)" at a future meeting and we look forward to him
joining our light hearted days out.
John Campbell inspecting his prize Brenda
Oliver, our sole lady competitor.
Harold Child in the background
OLD DORKINIAN CRICKET CLUB - Dave Wilcockson, Hon. Secretary
With hard pitches in short supply this
summer OD batsmen have not reproduced the high scaring of 1997. Unbeaten
centuries by Andy Leopold (v Burgh Heath) and Gary Poulter
(v Holmbury St.Mary) have
been the highlights, other consistent performers have
been Dave Brook, Barry Woods and Paul Bradford. The slow pitches have not
helped the bowlers either but Dave Wilcockson has taken 50 wickets.
The club's results to date are played 28 won
7 tied 1 drawn 8 abandoned 3 lost 9. The most extraordinary game was the tied
game at Nutfield where ODs needing 187 to win had
reached 180‑4 but then lost their last 6 wickets for 6 runs.
The annual tour at the end of July was in
Nottinghamshire where games were played against Cuckney,
Newark, Orston and Winthorpe
with a draw at Newark being the best result. The standard of the opposition was
again high with two of the sides fielding overseas players. The six‑a‑side
tournament was played in hot weather with Warlingham Wednesday side winning and
ODs team as runners up. The best batting came from ODs Andy Leopold who hit 15
sixes in the day. David Culton organised the event as
well as playing six games.
Tony Winkworth and
David Boxall have visited England this season, David watched some of the North Holmwood game when
ODs suffered a narrow defeat. Tony was at the funeral of Don Cooper who died
recently, Don was a vice president, an umpire in the fifties and a supporter of
the cricket club.
With the completion by Mole Valley Council
of the storage shed at Meadowbank the club now have a heavier roller which has
been in use for six weeks and is already improving the wicket.
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OLD DORKINIAN FOOTBALL CLUB - Peter Mills,
Hon. Secretary.
The ODs are looking forward to the start of their 69th season,
and will again be fielding five sides in the Old Boys' League, and a sixth, a
Veterans' XI, in the Veterans' Cup Competition.
After their championship winning performances in Senior 2 and
Intermediate (South) last season, the Senior and Reserve XIs
have been promoted to divisions Senior 1 and Senior 3 respectively. It will
therefore be the first time in the Club's history that their two top sides will
be competing together in the senior divisions of the league.
The third team have also been promoted for the second season
in succession and will be competing in Division 2 (South).
At the Club's Annual Meeting in June, Alec Hodgson was re‑elected
Club Captain, and Richard Sharpe Club Chairman.
The David Houldridge< Cup for the
Club's top goalscorer was awarded to Josh Miller with
33 (3rd XI), followed by Simon Wickham, the holder of the
trophy for the previous two seasons, with 29 (2nd XI). Keiron
Morgan netted 21 (4th XI) and Tony Pankhurst hit 20 (4th/5th XI).
The Club welcomes supporters to their main Saturday fixtures
at Pixham, listed below, to enjoy the play and after‑match
hospitality:
19 September
1st v Isleworthians 14
November 2nd v Salvatorians
03 October 3rd v Clapham
OX III 21 November 1st
v Suttonians
10 October 5th v Mickleham
OB III 28 November 3rd v Suttonians IV
17 October 3rd v London
Welsh II* 05 December 2nd
v Uffingtonians
24 October 1st v Kingsburians* 12
December 1st v Latymer OB
31 October 1st v Easthamians* 19
December 1st v Reigatians
07 November 1st
v Wilsonians 09 January 1st v Kingsburians
* AFA Junior Cup ** LOB Senior Cup ***
AFA Senior Cup
Those who live in the South and wish to follow the fortunes of
the Senior and Reserve XIs are reminded that they can
see their results by tuning in to ITV Teletext on
Saturday evenings after 7.30 pm, or on the Sunday following.