Silhillian Magazine 101 x 131 portrait.indd 1 Contents Olympians News of Former Pupils Clubhouse Development The OSA Trust Headmaster’ Letter Main Committee Editorial The President Elect President’s Letter Audit •Bookkeepingand Accounting • BusinessStartup•PayrollSpecialist Tax Services www.jerroms.co.uk •[email protected] •01216935000

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4 2 1 1 1 8 6 4 2 0 3 8 6 0 anything ispossible Obituaries Golf Society 60 Coronation Gifts Girls’ Reunion Denis Tomlin Archive Dinners & Luncheons Acknowledgments Sports Sections

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19/9/12 10:00:12 6 8 6 6 6 5 4 7 8 4 2 0 6 9 4 “ T H E S I L H I L L I A N ” the magazine of the The Old Silhillians’ Association Limited (The Former Pupils of Solihull School) The Leonard Stevens Building Solihull School Warwick Road Solihull West Midlands B91 3DJ

Telephone: 01564 777680 Facsimile: 01564 775151 Email: [email protected] Website: www.silhillians.net ISSUE 63 NOVEMBER 2012

President 2012 Peter Davies 1 Dear Fellow Old Silhillian I am writing this report having just attended Speeches at the School. It was an excellent evening. The Headmaster – ably supported by a number of pupils – pro- vided an update on academic and other achievements and there was an inspira- tional speech from Professor Hugh Montgomery. Perhaps of most note, however, was that the evening marked the 60th anniversary, to the day, of when Denis Tomlin first joined the School, and a presentation was made to him to mark the occasion. This reminded me of the day, a few months ago, when I attended the opening of the Denis Tomlin Archive, which houses the School’s archive. Denis gave an interesting and amusing speech: he hasn’t really changed since I left the School 36 years ago! Letter from the President from Letter The School’s archive – which compliments our archive which can be accessed through the OSA’s website – is well worth a visit. Indeed, many attending the Over 60s Lunch in May visited it during a tour of the School in the morning. The same building (now known as the Leonard Stevens Building but what I re- member as the “new” Music School) is the home of the OSA’s office at the School. At the moment this is staffed just one afternoon a week (usually by Malcolm Lawrie). We need to look at ways in which we can increase our presence in the office and how the School can most benefit from that presence, but the fact that we have been given this office symbolises the extent to which our relationship with the School has developed in recent times. Our letterhead now includes the words “because you never really leave” and that is the theme that we and the School promote. The OSA is the next phase of the School community and the School has now put in place arrangements which en- sure that all leavers become life members of the OSA. That is a significant step forward. I wish to thank the Headmaster, David Lloyd, and the Chairman of the Governors, Mark Hopton, for their support of the OSA. I have enjoyed working with them. I have also attended many most enjoyable OSA events during the first eight months of my year as President. The Golf, Rugby and Hockey Dinners were all great evenings and thanks to those sports sections for inviting me. The Past Presi- dents’ Dinner was very different but an equally enjoyable evening. The Over 60s Lunch was attended by well over 100 Old Silhillians and I am looking forward to the second lunch in October. It will not be long before female former pupils will qualify to attend! We also held a Summer Ball in the marquee, which was not only an opportunity for members and their guests to have a good night out (I am too polite to recount some of the “events” of the evening) but we also raised funds for the OSA and the Old Silhillians’ Trust. I must place on record my thanks to my social secretary (wife), Heather, who spent many hours organising the Ball and has provided sup- port throughout the year. The other event which is being organised at the moment is the President’s Dinner 2 on 24th November. I hope that I will see many of you at the Clubhouse. This year Letter from the President there has been no London Dinner. It has been put back to 15th March 2013, so that it does not clash with other events. The other main areas of progress during the year so far have been in relation to the redevelopment of the changing rooms and Clubhouse and the restructuring of the OSA, and there are separate reports on those in The Silhillian. I had hoped that we would be further on with both of these projects. This is not through any lack of effort. Major changes need to be carefully thought out and patience is re- quired. There are good prospects that both projects will be brought to successful conclusions in the near future. Finally, I give my sincere thanks to everyone who has served on the Committee this year. Every member has devoted large amounts of time to the future of your OSA and I have no doubt that the Association is in far better shape than it was a few years ago. I hope that my successor, Joe Bates, has an equally enjoyable and fulfilling year.

Regards

Peter Davies THE OLD SILHILLIANS’ ASSOCIATION - PAST PRESIDENTS 1921/22 Dr AV Bernays 1955 JT Rolfe 1984 DW Edwards 1923 C Aldrin 1956 VO Hawley 1985 SC Mackay 1924 WR Ludlow 1957 FR Bishop 1986 JRD Orrett 1925 PE Martineau 1958 LG Highway 1987 G Stubbings 1926 PH Reading 1959 HA Steele 1988 MS Saunders 1927 HA Hughes 1960 CWD Cooper 1989 HJC Taylor 1928 HS Matthews 1961 HT Wilcox 1990 MJD Smith 1929 TA Furse 1962 WP Townsend 1991 RJC Graves 1930 CH Palmer 1963 DH Billing 1992 BW Allen 1932 LC Reading 1964 HB Callaghan 1993 GM Hughes 1933 LE Horton 1965 CT Coton 1994 HE Blow 1934 F Burnett 1966 MJ Wheelock 1995 AJ Richardson 1935 RH Whitehill 1967 PJ Hill 1996 P Callaghan 1936 CL Hughes 1968 BJW Swift 1997 MC Bettridge 1937 FJ Osborne 1969 FAR Moon 1998 PA Thomas 1938 HD James 1970 JEJ Baggs 1999 JM Batsford 1939/43 WRL Horton 1971 RG Toy 2000 J Woolman 1944 FL Nock 1972 TG Jones 2001 BJD Wilde 1945 AG Bragg 1973 JMB Urry 2002 MA Cutler 1946 JB Mayers 1974 DM Powell 2003 N Smith 1947 CW Bragg 1975 MJ Cusack 2004 R Jerrom 1948 EG Wilcox 1976 RC Young 2005 BW Allen 1949 AJD Mansell 1977 KJ Foster 2006 PA Thomas 1950 JM Urry 1978 T Jackson 2007 SD Allso 1951 KW Highway 1979 DA Gurnham 2008 JA Platt 1952 Dr. KD Waters 1980 PBL Instone 2009 RJ Young 1953 BE Hatton 1981 JLR Hare 2010 ME Levenger 1954 MAD Cooper 1982 RC Cupit 2011 JN Harrison 3 1983 DD Cox The President-elect

Dear Fellow Old Silhillians Those of you who knew me at school may recall that I joined aged 10 from Eversfield in form 2A, under the guidance of Mr Ingram. I’m still best of friends with two members of that form, Neil Archer and Simon Westwood. The following year I progressed to 3A1 and found myself sitting next to a member of the new intake by virtue of the alphabet and his name beginning with A, one Barry Allen, who immediately made his mark on all matters academic and sporting. I look back on my school days with great fondness and somehow managed to progress through what was then ‘O Levels’ and subsequently ‘A Levels’, as well as some minor sporting involvement, appearing in the middle school play, being a member of the ‘Light- ing Team’ for the big school stage and other activities. I am not the first Old Silhillian member of my family, as my father was a boarder at the school, despite the family home being in Homer Road. He used to relate the story of his father ‘blowing a fuse’ when the boarding fees went up from 4 to 5 guineas per term. I suppose as an accountant one must recognise the large percentage hike even if as an overall number it seems incredibly low. My first memories of Copt Heath were when it was used for sport by the school, very much as it is indeed today. Subsequently, as I progressed through my teens, my next memories were attending the Friday night Rugby Club discos, the least said about these probably the better! I think it is true to say that on the sporting front I am not the best qualified member the Association has ever had; I did for a while play some hockey for the OSA, very much at the lower end of the teams and also for a brief period I was a member of the squash section, again showing a distinct lack of prowess. After leaving school, I did a year’s Foundation Course, at what was then Birmingham 4 Polytechnic and then trained as a Chartered Accountant, qualifying in 1980. Since 1989 The President-elect I have been a partner in Clement Keys, a regional independent practice with over 100 people. I married my wife Denise, in 1981 and we have two daughters Danielle and Lara and I am pleased to say Danielle both qualified as a Chartered Accountant 18 months ago and got married this summer. Unfortunately, we were not able to take advantage of the coeducation that is now available and so sadly they never crossed the threshold. Following my minor early involvement with the Association, I continued to maintain links in that I was fortunate that my parents paid for me to be a life member when I left the school. However my ‘rehab’ as far as the Association is concerned is some- what unconventional. The avid readers of the magazine will note that for some years I have appeared as secretary of the Shenstonian Lodge, of which my grandfather was a founder member and my father one of the first sons to join. I joined not long before he died and it is one of the few ‘clubs’ that we were a member of together and so gave me immense pleasure. It also rekindled my affection for the School and Association and I have been involved with it ever since. Following that, somewhat late in life I felt it was time to start attacking golf courses and eventually became a member of Olton Golf Club. Having achieved membership, it was a natural progression to join the Golf Society and again this is another aspect of Old Silhillian life which I thoroughly enjoy and would recommend to anyone who plays the game, regardless at what level. Other astute readers of the magazine who have seen reports in previous years will be aware of my other passions which include mountains and how I climbed Mount Blanc, Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua with one or other of my daughters. My last escapade was to climb a mountain called Carstensz Pyramid in New Guinea but that was a bit of a dis- aster and the least said about that the better. Apart from climbing, I have also skied all my life and have enjoyed many happy family holidays on the slopes. My other passion in life is the sea (living in Solihull clearly is the ideal place for these pastimes) and I do a lot of scuba diving having trained and qualified as an instructor under the guidance of another Old Silhillian, Jeff Cordwell. My year at school seems to have been particularly blessed with enthusiastic old Silhil- lians, in 2007 I was approached by John Platt and Peter Thomas to become Honorary Treasurer and was delighted to find myself working once again with Malcolm Lawrie and Barry Allen. Following that, we have been joined by John Harrison so we must surely be the best represented year on the committee of all time! The Association is, hopefully, entering a very exciting period with the proposed develop- ment and also the restructuring and no doubt you will hear more about these as they progress. I cannot say how proud I was when Peter Davies asked me to become President Elect and I very much look forward to meeting as many as you during the year. I have already mentioned that my father was an Old Silhillian and his major contribution came later in his life when he was very much involved in organising the over 60s lunch and I know he too would have been very pleased that I had become President Elect. Consequently, I very much look forward to experiencing my first over 60s lunch during the year which I understand is one of the highlights of the Old Silhillian calendar. Needless to say, I did not have to think twice about accepting Peter’s invitation and I wish all Old Silhillians wherever they may be all the very best.

Joe Bates 5 Dear Friends

It’s a bumper issue this year. We have had the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and, not to be outdone, the Old Silhillians’ Golf Society’s too. London 2012, I am Editorial sure, took a large amount of many Old Silhillians’ time this year and there was also the opening of the Denis Tomlin Archive Room. Articles reflecting Old Silhillian involvement in all of these events appear later in this issue. I was extremely honoured to be invited as a guest to the Past Presidents’ Dinner - great company and a nice occasion. The same can be said about the Rugby Club Past Presidents’ and Captains’ Dinner. Last year’s was fantastic and at the time of writing I am looking forward to the next. It falls on my birthday and there are few other ways I would choose to celebrate it. I am ashamed to say that I have never made the London Dinner, but do intend to rectify this omission. Once that oversight has been put right I will have the ‘full set’ of OSA Dinners under my belt. It would be remiss of me not to mention the marvellous relationship that we enjoy with the School. In the Headmaster, the Association has a good friend. David is a man who understands what drives the OSA and what we want to achieve for the School and for our membership. With his support I am sure that those ambitions will flourish. 2013 sees forty years of girls at the School. In order to celebrate this mile- stone the OSA and the School are organ- ising a reunion on 22nd June. I have been working with Julia Skan and Karen Brown PAST EDITORS (née Cupit) to track down the 1200 girls 1. Bernard Owens (1950, 53-55) (I can think of worse jobs!!) that have 2. Brian Coglan (1951-52) been to Solihull School. To date we have 3. Arthur Upton (1956-60, 63) found about 800 postal addresses and 4. Robin Cooper (1961-62) just over 300 email addresses. If you 5. Mike Cusack & are in contact with any girls that went to Mike Callaghan (1964) school please get them to register on the 6. Mike Cusack (1965-67) OSA website - www.silhillians.net. 7. Brian Knight (1968-71) 8. Geoff Herne (1972-74) Whilst having a stroll around the School 9. Nick Atkinson (1975-76) one Thursday afternoon with my old 10. John Woolman (1977-79) boarding house mucker Arnie Thomas 11. Simon Wilcox (1980-82) we wandered into Phil Holt’s classroom 12. Martin Cotter (1983-85) between lessons. Much to our surprise, 13. David Gilbert (1986-87) or in my case shock, the pupils who were 14. Robert Chetland (1988-89) ‘relaxing’ between their classes all stood 15. Reg Instone (1990-91) up. Then I remembered.... that was what 16. Richard Graves (1992-94) we were taught to do. As schoolboys 17. Claude Coton (1995-99) neither of us would have envisaged being 6 18. Malcolm Lawrie (2000- ) Editorial the recipients of such courtesy some 45 years later! Whilst there Phil also told me that he had used a piece that I had written about school dinners in an Editorial a few years ago as an example for his pupils. Imagine that, me with grade 6 O level English Language being quoted next to Dickens and Shakespeare. I’m sure they’d turn in their graves. Phil Holt was one of my and my daughter, Alex’s, favourite teachers and we both wish him well for a happy and well-deserved retirement. I must thank my good friend and roving reporter, Pete ‘Percy’ Bragg. On his antipodean excursion he met up with several Old Sils and ‘encouraged’ them all to write, or more accurately email, in to me. An article about his trip and their contributions are to be found later in the magazine. Like me, Percy knows it is this news that Old Sils love to read and we both wish more of you would contribute. As ever I am indebted to our advertisers. Their support greatly helps the OSA Trust and is very much appreciated. I am also very grateful to those who have contributed to this issue. Without your help I could not produce The Silhillian. With kind regards

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7 462 Station Road, Dorridge, Solihull, B93 8HB Email: [email protected] • Order on-line at www.juel.co.uk O.S.A. Main Committee

Peter Davies Joe Bates Max Levenger President President Elect Imm. Past President

Barry Allen David Lloyd John Harrison Chairman Headmaster Hon. Secretary

Joe Bates Max Levenger Malcolm Lawrie 8 Hon. Treasurer Hon. Membership Sec. Silhillian Editor O.S.A. Main Committee

Andrew Clutterbuck Mark Lucas Johnny Dugdale Management Chairman London Representative General Member

Peter Thomas Julia Skan Alex Bright General Member General Member General Member

Please note that all enquiries concerning membership issues, subscriptions, change of address, etc., should be addressed to: The Old Silhillians’ Association, Solihull School, Warwick Road, Solihull, West Midlands B91 3DJ Simon Bright Rupert Young or emailed to General Member General Member 9 [email protected] The Headmaster’s Letter The Headmaster’s

David Lloyd with last year’s Head Girl and Head Boy, Helen-Cara Younan and Sam Weighall, on A level results day. Dear Old Silhillian It is hard to believe that another year has passed and we are now starting the academic year 2012-2013. Education at a national level has undergone considerable change in recent years, including the advent of university tuition fees, the addition of the A* at A Level, a swing away from modularity back to linear study and, most recently, threats of legal action against examination boards for allegedly shifting the goalposts on marking. As well as keeping our eye on the national ball, much has changed at Solihull School too. A number of staff left us at the end of last academic year in order to return to university study, for promotion, for retirement and in two cases to be closer to home. My math- ematics suggests that between them they have clocked up an incredible 147 years of service to the School, with Phil Holt notching up 41 years alone. If Phil gets Olympic gold, silver goes to Hugh Thomas with 31 years and bronze goes to Cath Davies with 26 years. Thank you and bon voyage to all! At the end of this term, the Christmas term 2012, and after 9 years of service to Solihull School, Christopher Warren retires from bursaring. He will be missed by all and I will certainly miss his friendship, support and meticulous eye for detail. I tried to persuade him to stay a little longer, but failed and must wish him the very best of good fortune as he explores pastures new with plans to do charitable work, both for his regiment and locally. Fortunately, we were successful in replacing Christopher with Richard Bate, who is married to Ali and father of Chrissy (Thirds) and Tom (J2). Richard comes to us from Cambridge University and then industry and has a successful track record leading a number of different businesses. I wish all of our new staff, and they are very talented bunch, a challenging and rewarding career at 10 this beacon of excellence! The Headmaster’s Letter

Against a backdrop of continued economic austerity and prolonged recession, numbers on roll have risen (again) to well over 1000 pupils. In particular, the Junior School has broken through the 200 barrier and entry at 11+, 13+ and 16+ is becoming increasingly competitive, with nearly 400 pupils sitting the 11+ last year. In addition, we enjoyed sustained success in the examination room, with 85% A* to B grades at A Level (equalling our best ever) and 70% A* to A grades at GCSE (our second best ever). Our pass rate at both levels was 100% and at A Level, 37 pupils achieved at least 3 A grades and at GCSE, 20 have started the Lower Sixth having achieved at least 8 * grades. One final statistic I can offer is that 88% of our Upper Sixth went to their chosen university; good luck to all of our leavers in the next stage of their education. In terms of reporting results, I think I am accurate in stating that we made history this year, with national coverage in “The Daily Mail”, “The Daily Star” and even “The Sun”, on the same day Prince Harry received rather unusual and unexpected press coverage! The School continues to evolve and a number of important changes have been recently made. We are seeking to professionalise some of our support services and started by recruiting Hayley Miles as our first ever Human Resources Manager. We plan to add to this very soon with the appointment of a Director of Alumni Relations and Development. On the topic of alumni, the Old Silhillians now have an office on site and the relationship David Lloyd with last year’s Head Girl and Head Boy, Helen-Cara Younan between the School and the OSA continues to go from strength to strength. The OSA and Sam Weighall, on A level results day. office is housed in the newly named Leonard Stevens Building (formerly the Old Music School) and we are very grateful to Leonard’s son, Fred, who continues to support the School in memory of his father who was a pupil here in the 1920s. Also in the Leonard Stevens building is the recently opened Denis Tomlin Archive, which is a permanent tribute to past pupils and their Phil Holt retires after notching up 41 years of teaching parents, staff and governors and is well worth a visit – I guarantee you will be impressed. I would like to thank the Parents’ Association for funding the Archive, the OSA for contributing vast quantities of memorabilia and artefacts and John Loynton, School Archivist, for cataloguing and presenting a truly fascinating collection. The School has embraced social networking as an increasingly im- portant communication channel and the numbers following us on Twitter and Facebook continue to increase. Both are accessible through our new website, which I hope you have visited; whilst it is still work in progress, I’m sure you 11 The Headmaster’s Letter The Headmaster’s

13 year old Abby Humphreys with Olympic swimming star Sharron Davies MBE. Abby achieved the British 12Championship qualifying time by 0.4 seconds in the 200m backstroke thereby qualifying for an Olympic trial The Headmaster’s Letter will agree that it is a big improvement on the last one which had successfully run its course. Very soon, we hope to add a VLE (virtual learning environment) enabling pupils to actively engage with learning through the internet, a virtual tour of the campus and a sports module which will communicate fixtures, team lists, match reports and cancel- lations. For our governors, a facility similar to the Parent Portal (iSAMS) will also go live very soon. So what else has changed? We have a new professional review system for all staff, we are systematically and annually canvassing pupil and parental opinion and a number of curriculum changes have been implemented. Drama and Classical Civilisation are now established as GCSEs, French is no longer compulsory to GCSE and A Level Politics came on stream this year. Pupils joining the Junior School in J1, J2 or J3 will normally have their places in the Senior School confirmed at the end of J3, one year in advance and before the 11+ examination and the entry threshold for the Sixth Form has increased from 6 B grades to 2 A and 4 B grades at GCSE. And let us not forget uniform; the Sixth Form look fabulous in their suits and the skirt length for all girls below the Sixth Form is now categorically “on the knee”. Last year, some parents did comment on the difficulty of buying suitable Sixth Form suits and Mr Morgan has since written to all parents with details of a Birmingham based retailer who has agreed to stock appropriate suits at a discounted rate, as well as making free alterations. Initial feedback suggests that this has proven to be very helpful. We have also added Sport Scholarships to our current Academic, Music, Art and Design Scholarships to further strengthen our national and international reputation for sporting excellence. In order to make “the school run” easier for our busy parents, and to extend our reach across the West Midlands, we have added to our school bus provision this year with two new routes, one coming from Wootton Wawen (via Henley in Arden) and another from Kenilworth (via Balsall Common). Of course, we still have the Sutton Coldfield bus, our minibus which meanders through the Charlotte Sasse played at Queen’s Diamond Warwickshire countryside and the 899 from Jubilee Lunch at Westminster Hall Edgbaston; we may add to these routes in the coming years. I will not duplicate the information about our co-curricular successes provided in the Grey- hound, Shenstonian and website, but would like to thank the staff for their commitment and energy and congratulate the pupils on their unrivalled success. This is a fantastic commu- nity to belong to and I feel immensely proud to be Headmaster. Whilst the media continues to report a gloomy economic outlook, I remain extremely optimistic about our future. In the past, you may have heard me refer to innova- tion meeting tradition and this strategic frame 13 year old Abby Humphreys with Olympic swimming star Sharron Davies MBE. Abby achieved the British of reference remains unchanged. The gover- Championship qualifying time by 0.4 seconds in the 200m backstroke thereby qualifying for an Olympic trial nors are committed to developing our facilities 13 The Headmaster’s Letter The Headmaster’s

The Upper Sixth celebrate their A level results and infrastructure, staff are working tirelessly to fulfil every ounce of pupil potential and the Old Silhillians are working with the School to communicate the important message that pupils never actually leave Solihull School. The bonds and friendships established here stretch far into adult life and the workplace and we are blessed with large numbers of past pupils coming back to offer university and careers guidance to current pupils. Our new programme of monthly Careers Lunches has been a great success and more innovative ideas are in the pipeline. Furthermore, and in addition to the School’s -ex tensive scholarship and assisted place provision, both the OSA and Parents’ Association generously fund a number of scholarships and/or bursaries to pupils each year. “Community”, “challenge”, “stretch” and “risk” should be our watchwords and shortly before his untimely death Steve Jobs asked Apple employees to “make a dent in our universe”. I remain concerned that learning has become too goal driven and that all pupils are too anxious about so called “soft subjects”, and that choosing what to learn is in danger of becoming a decision similar to those we make every day in the super- market and high street. Sadly, but understandably given university fees and the current economic crisis, pupils increasingly ask questions such as “Where will it get me Sir?” “What’s in it for me?” and “Is it on the syllabus Miss?” Learning need not have a point; it should be life-long, challenging and enriching. Moreover, we should encourage our pupils to take educated risks and view mistakes as valuable learning opportunities. The world is a richer place for having had 56 years of Steve Jobs and my message to Silhillians is “ready, aim, fire” and not “ready, aim, aim, aim....” The fence is not for sitting on and the universe is just waiting to be dented. Best wishes 14 David EJJ Lloyd Clement Keys Ad May 2012:Layout 1 25/9/12 13:39 Page 1

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15 Annual Report of the Chairman of the OSA Trust If one was to compare the past year with previous ones for the Trust then the verdict must be that it has been interesting, challenging and successful. Trustees’ Responsibilities - The Trustees are required to prepare Financial Statements for each financial year that give a true and fair view of the state of the Charity’s affairs and of its incoming resources

The OSA Trust The OSA and application of resources for that period. In preparing those Financial Statements, the Trustees are required to: • Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently. • Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. • Prepare the financial statements on an on going concern basis unless it is inappro- priate to presume that the Charity will continue its activities. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the Financial Statements comply with the Charities Act. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Trust’s finances are in good shape and I would therefore like to extend my grateful thanks to our Treasurer Joe Bates for his continuing best efforts in producing the figures. These accounts can be viewed on the Old Silhillians’ Website. Regular readers of this report will be aware that each year the Old Silhillians’ Trust pro- vides 25% scholarships for two pupils entering the sixth form, so I am particularly de- lighted to confirm that even given the tough economic environment, we have been able to continue this practice. Furthermore, we were able to provide financial assistance (£500.00) towards a visit for students from Solihull School to Wessex School, Concep- cion, Chile, where they were continuing to support victims of the earthquake disaster of 2010 and a further £500.00 has been given to support the School Choir. There have been no demands on the’ Lander Osbourne’ fund during the year. With the School putting in place a Development Office with a dedicated member of staff I look forward to the coming year with great expectation that we can continue to develop and forge even closer links with the Headmaster, Governors and the Parents’ Association. With the agreed changes to the way in which membership of the Old Sil- hillians’ Association becomes automatic for all school leavers I feel certain that a far broader and more varied OSA connection around the country and the world will come about. For those who are sceptical of the changes I would like to offer some reassurance, the School does not wish to run the OSA, so the Committee and the Trust will continue to have a vital role to play. However, with the advent of social networking and the website the time needed to keep administration running smoothly requires additional support. The School sees this change and the related costs as an investment as it will broaden its network of contacts at Universities and work places, thus being able to further promote the School and provide valuable support for pupils as they leave. In conclusion, I acknowledge and thank my fellow Trustees for their commitment and contribution throughout the year where they have all done an outstanding job meeting all the challenges that have arisen. Peter A Thomas 16 Chairman THE OLD SILHILLIANS’ ASSOCIATION TRUST

The Lander Osborne Award

The Old Silhillians’ Association is able to offer this award as a result of the generous bequest of John Lander Osborne. The Award is available to former pupils of the School who are in full-time education. The award can be to help research necessary for the completion of a full-time qualification, or to support work with a charity. The research or charitable work may be undertaken either at home or abroad. However, it must take place within one calendar year of the Award. The maximum Award is £750.00.

Applications are restricted to individuals and it is a condition of the Award that a full written report is presented to the OSA Trust Committee not more than three months after completion of the project. Reports should be approximately 1500 words in length and may be accompanied by any documents, illustrations and maps, as may be deemed appropriate. Applications will be reviewed twice each year, at 1st March and 1st September.

Awards will be made within one month of the deadline for applications.

Applications should be sent to:

Peter A Thomas Chairman of the Trustees The Old Silhillians’ Association The Memorial Clubhouse & Ground Warwick Road Copt Heath Solihull West Midlands B93 9LW 17 Over the last 9 months an OSA team comprising John Griffin, Andrew Clutterbuck and Rupert Young have worked to refine the proposals for the refurbishment of the exist- ing recreation and communal areas at the Memorial Clubhouse and Grounds and for the demolition and redevelopment of the existing sub-standard changing room facili- ties. This has culminated in the submission of two planning applications to Solihull Metropoli- tan Borough Council during the first week of October this year. The first application is for the works to the Clubhouse and the second for the provision of a nursing home to be developed by Gracewell Healthcare on the site currently occupied by the former steward’s house on the right hand side of the entrance to the grounds. Whilst the Clubhouse sits within the green belt, it is hoped that in December Solihull MBC’s Planning Committee will give approval to the two applications on the basis that the nursing home development is seen as “enabling” the works to the club house and Developments at Copt Heath Copt at Developments changing rooms. As you will see from the plans shown here, this is a very significant scheme and will ensure both the retention of all current sporting activities on site at Copt Heath, the expansion of some of the existing clubs and in the future the addition of further sports for all genders. Currently there are only five sub-standard changing rooms at Copt Heath. Under the proposals there will be fourteen changing rooms all with their own shower and W.C. facilities. The majority of the changing rooms will also have individual shower cubicles and a new bar area will also be provided. One of the problems that the facility at Copt Heath has faced since the M42 was com- pleted in 1976, is that the position of the entrance is difficult to find for those unfamiliar with the club layout and that it is also divorced from the access to the changing rooms. Under the new proposals there will be an easily identifiable point of arrival from the main car park with access to the bar areas either straight ahead or to the left, and the changing rooms to the right. The plans have been drawn up by ADP Architecture following a competitive process, and have been designed to reflect the exacting standards of Sport England, the Football -As sociation, England Hockey, and the Rugby Football Union. The preliminary cost budget for carrying out the works is approximately £1.6 million including full VAT. The detailed design is now being engineered to ensure maximum durability and sustainability but no gold taps! Once the detailed specification has been finalised the appointed Quantity Surveyor will then re-cost the proposals and at this point discussions will recommence with the sports’ National Governing Bodies and Sport England relating to grant support. At this stage it is hoped that grant support in the region of £250,000 will be available. In order to make the construction costs as economical as possible any support that can be offered by Old Silhillians who work within the construction or building supply arenas would be very welcome. The process going forward is that once planning consent has been granted and a revised 18 detailed costing has been put together negotiations regarding grant aid from the bodies identified above and others will be finalised. The granting of any planning consent is subject to a judicial review period, but once this has expired completion of the sale of the plot to Gracewell Healthcare will take place and a cash receipt of £1.2 million will be received by the OSA less professional fees already incurred which were offered as a non-returnable deposit. The aim is to commence construction in 2013 so that the works are ideally completed by the start of the Winter sports season, but if there are unavoidable delays to either the planning, grant aid or tendering process a view will be taken on whether to commence in 2013 or in early 2014 to avoid issues regarding a lack of changing facilities during the busy sports season. It is currently anticipated that the nursing home will start construction on site in June 2013. This is an extremely important development for the proposed Silhillians’ Sports Club at Developments at Copt Heath Copt at Developments Copt Heath, and is the next stage in the overall regeneration of the facility following the provision of the AstroTurf pitch in October 2009. The OSA team involved in the project hopes that the improved facilities will allow the Silhillians’ Sports Club to maximise the com- mercial revenue from the facility without ever having to close bar areas off to Silhillians Sports play- ers, as has unfortunately some- times happened in the past. The improved facilities should attract new players to all sports clubs which will both increase the Available from general usage of the facility and improve revenue streams flowing 1st December at through the club. Plans and sketches of the pro- posed development are on the two following pages and on page 22 Andrew Clutterbuck outlines changes to the management structure for the new develop- ment. Further updates will be posted as and when appropriate on the website. Rupert Young Main Committee 19 Developments at Copt Heath

20 Developments at Copt Heath Copt at Developments

21 The exciting re-development plans that we hope to achieve for the bricks and mortar of the Clubhouse are certainly the headline grabbing aspects of what is happening at Copt Heath, but in addition to this, we also felt that it was important to address the way the Club itself was structured moving forward. Since 1966, The Old Silhillians’ Association has always been responsible for the opera- tions of the Memorial Clubhouse and Grounds at Copt Heath, with the early users of the facility being predominantly if not exclusively former pupils. However, with the two main sporting clubs on the site, Rugby and Hockey, becoming open clubs in the 1980s, there has been a gradual but steady increase in the number of users that are not former pupils using Copt Heath for sport and recreation. Children and adults from all around the local community are now enjoying the facility, with the AstroTurf and introduction of a junior football team further increasing the move away

Developments at Copt Heath Copt at Developments from being a venue catering purely to Old Silhillians. In parallel with this change, and working closely with the School, the OSA has revisited its core objectives and, in addition to providing support with bursaries via the trust, has recognised the need to enhance its Alumni operations. In the light of these two paradigm shifts, and following lengthy consultation and deliber- ation, it would seem mutually beneficial to separate the sporting and clubhouse facility from the OSA by creating a new stand alone company, The Silhillian Sports Club, whose members would be formed from the existing and future sporting members, whether former pupils or not. Whilst the OSA will continue to own the Copt Heath site, it will be relieved of the encumbrance of its management. This new club will lease the facility from the OSA by way of an annual rental and be re- sponsible for the day-to-day running and the strategic development of the trading and sporting activities on the site. An additional advantage of the change in structure will be that the new Club can register with HMRC for Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) status. This brings considerable tax advantages, which will help the sustainability of the new Club’s business model. At the time of writing, we are finalising our new Constitution to ensure that we are fully CASC compliant and detailing the transfer of the business between OSA Ltd. and SSC Ltd. so that we can make a full presentation of the proposals to the OSA membership at the end of the year. This will represent a real change in the relationship between the clubhouse and its mem- bers, and combined with the opportunity to modernize and enhance the facility will en- sure the future of Copt Heath as a high quality, community amateur sporting venue. Be assured that former pupils will still receive a very warm welcome in the Clubhouse, and we hope that as many of you as possible will drop in to see our new facilities, hopefully in place this time next year. Andrew Clutterbuck 22 Chairman of the Management Committee News of Former Pupils

Congratulationsto Hannah Train and Daniel Chadwick

Hannah and Daniel met at Arden School but both went to Solihull School for sixth form. Daniel was in Pole and Hannah was in Windsor. Daniel left in 2006 and Hannah in 2007. Daniel went to York University to study music and then went to Trinity College of Music and now works in a primary school in Greenwich as a music teacher. Hannah went to Leeds to study medicine and is now working as a Doctor at Worthing Hospital. They got married on the 7th July at St Philip’s in Dorridge and went on honeymoon to Rome and Sicily and are now very much enjoying married life! 23 Antipodean Antics! PETER BRAGG (Jago 1955 - 64) For those who may not have been bored by my previous and somewhat lengthy submis- sions of recent past to The Silhillian, first may I record how lucky you are! Nothing worse than a boring old chap relaying fun times of yesteryear whilst at school and subsequently what was achieved or, more accurately in my case, not achieved on leaving for the adult world. For the record should you really want to know, I was at our great school from 1955 to 1964 in Jago where I enjoyed considerably more success on the sports field than in the classroom! Thankfully on leaving I managed to always stay gainfully employed pre-

News of Former Pupils of Former News dominately in mechanical services contracting before moving into brick manufacturing and specialist cladding installations. One notable interlude was a 3 year spell with that staunch Old Silhillian and very good friend of mine, Peter “Arnie” Thomas, in the world of security. That was a deal of fun and had we done things a bit differently, one day “we would have been millionaires”! Arnie and I remain very good friends though sadly do not see each other as much as in our rugby playing days together at the Old Sils. Today one can see my dear wife, Diane and me well into a third year of retirement where the past 12 months especially have been particularly memorable for me. Arnie organ- ised a very pleasant lunch early in December to which I was invited along with two other good Old Silhillian pals in Graham Creed and John Smith. Denis Tomlin and Gra- ham “Dan” Archer, two teachers from my days at Solihull, graced our table, the latter of whom I had not seen since leaving 48 years ago. What a real treat for me in that “Dan”, as he is affectionately and inevitably named, taught me so much to stand me in good stead for a professional life in the building industry. He was, of course, my woodwork master so to him and the many teachers who sadly are no longer with us, I would extend thanks for their efforts in giving my dear father something in return for his investment! The highlight of the year has to be our trip down-under and something I determined I would try and do at least once before sliding off this mortal coil. Diane and I have been fortunate to travel to many parts of the world but Australia was certainly not on her radar. No matter. When told it was an Old Silhillian pilgrimage I had to make before be- coming too old or broke, whichever came first, she got curious and ceded to my plan to look up some really good chums variously dotted around the “island”! And so it came to pass – a 5 week tour to Australia to include seeing four Old Sil chums who collec- tively have been living there for over 150 years! Whilst pleasing to note they emigrated through choice, as an aside, one wondered whether any of our Old Sil forebears might have made the trip for altogether different reasons a couple of centuries ago! We started with our annual 3 week winter visit to relatives in Michigan which decided us to keep travelling onwards due west via Denver and Los Angeles to Brisbane. Leaving LA just before midnight local time on 28 February for the 14 hour non-stop flight across the Pacific saw us land in Brisbane at 6.30am (local) on 1 March. What happened to 29 February? Lost completely! I’m not going that way again as Di and I lost a couple of re- tirement days which we can ill afford. No doubt someone, somewhere has time on their hands and doesn’t know where it came from! Brisbane is a lovely city and first up was Old Sil, Paul Hocking who, with his lovely wife, Lanore, met up with us for a most pleasant evening. Paul was part of a very successful Old Sils Colts Rugby team in 1975/76 which Nigel Duckett and I managed! The team 24 was so good that all we really managed was keeping the lads in beer on match days till News of Former Pupils the last man dropped! Needless to say, it is well over 30 years since we had last met and one has to say, Paul sure looked very different. Gone was the hair both on his head and under his nose so I would probably have missed him had we passed in the street. One thing very evident, however, was he remained pretty fit – a fine example of how Old Sils look after themselves physically as life goes by! Leaving Brisbane for a 15 day drive up the Sun- shine Coast to Cairns and then Port Douglas was memorable for many reasons, two of which are worth noting, albeit at my expense. The first night stopover was in Noosa which, on arrival, I misread as NO OSA! Perhaps they had had bad experiences in the past with Old Sils, I thought, so we nearly moved on before a closer inspec- Paul Hocking tion of the street sign reassured us. Some 5 days later and just short of Rockhampton, we were doing a steady 90mph along Bruce Highway only to be stopped by the most miserable Mr. Plod one could ever wish to meet. Speeding, he reckoned. I told him the sign showed 100 so what was the problem? “Don’t you realise we measure everything in metric in Australia?” I did but thought it was worth a try. I guess doing nearly 30mph above the limit was a bit excessive which, coupled with a Brit coming the smart ass routine, didn’t help so he lamped me with a ticket for 333AUSD, about £210 and 4 points (not transferable to UK). What a serious dent in the booze budget lined up for later Old Sil reunions, I thought! Even so, first ticket since 1991 so on that basis the fine only worked out roughly at just under 3p a day in the interim! Three World Heritage locations had beckoned so it was Fraser Island done, Barrier Reef, done and Daintree Forest, done before our next reunion – a double whammy after flying from Cairns into Melbourne. Many will remember Robert Devenport but more affection- ately known as “Bodge” and Brien Trippas. Both had left the UK over 40 years ago with Bodge being the only one of the four on our visitor list I had seen since their departures – it was his last trip here about 10 years ago during which time we enjoyed a very hefty session at the Old Sil bar on Boxing Day. Married to his delightful wife, Christine, and having lived in Melbourne for many years, Bodge is now retired and enjoys life with a good deal of golf and more latterly, bowls to keep him out of trouble. He met up with us on St. Patrick’s Day, a Saturday, and took us all round what is a very vibrant city. It was pretty warm so no excuse needed for a beer or two (I recall it was actually a few more than that!!!). With the first Formula 1 race of the season scheduled for the next day, the city was really buzzing so we had much fun. Brien joined us on that Sunday evening hav- ing flown in for business from Sydney where he lives. Neither of the lads had met each other in all their years in Oz so it was doubly pleasing to have a three-way reunion. I first met Bodge on joining Solihull in September 1955 and, to me, he really hadn’t changed a bit. I sure would have recognised him despite his hair having changed colour a tad!! Brien looked amazingly fit and another who had changed little over the years. Nicknames are not unusual, of course, with Bodge, I seem to recall, coming from a news- paper cartoon character that Jock Smerdon, a not particularly pleasant maths teacher, 25 News of Former Pupils of Former News

Pete with Brien Trippas and ‘Bodge’ Devenport in downtown Melbourne had decided to use and it stuck. Bodge himself coined my nickname, Percy which, con- trary to what some say, has no suggestive origin but simply a twist on my two initials, P.C. – so now you have it! Next up was a fantastic trip 5 day drive along the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide. It has to be one of the most scenic highways one can drive anywhere in the world. Two days in and we stopped along with many others in the middle of nowhere to look at some koalas An Old Sil quartet on the Gribble balcony overlooking Sydney with sleeping in eucalyptus trees. Idle conversation ensued with an English couple which was Roger, Brien, Pete and Roger’s son, James, in the foreground quite a surprise. It transpired the lady’s husband 30 years or so ago had met Ian Gold through business and the two chaps and their wives became good friends. Ian and I were contemporaries at school and still enjoy each other’s company from time to time. Ian’s father and mine were also contemporaries at school throughout the ‘20s and the lady we met even mentioned her father had been there at about that time. Makes one think you can’t get away from Solihull School even on the other side of the world! I believe Adelaide is Australia’s third largest city and is all well laid out with parks and gar- dens aside the modest height of buildings. Not far north of the city is the famous Barossa Valley where a little wine tasting was compulsory! We were having a real ball which got even better after flying on to Sydney where we were met by our fourth Old Sil, one Roger Gribble. Larger than life, Roger and his super wife, Denise (or Dee whom Roger more af- fectionately calls Diesel) hosted us for the last leg of our trip. Many Old Sils have enjoyed the Gribble household’s hospitality whilst on Lions, England Rugby or World Cup trips in- cluding barbecues on their balcony overlooking the Parramatta River as it flows into the main Sydney harbour basin. Needless to say, it was barbecue time for us to which were invited Brien and his lovely wife, Sue along with my Sydney based former sister-in-law, Joanna (sister of Old Sil Ian Partridge) and Aussie husband, Graham and their son Eliot. Two of Roger and Dee’s family also attended – elder son, James and fun loving daughter, Penny although it was disappointing to have missed second son, Martin who was out of 26 the country. James’ fiancée, Sarah completed the party. News of Former Pupils Whilst refusing a drink from Roger is not an option, we still never seemed to reduce the fridge stock which he had stacked to the gunnels with cold beers. Must have been out of practice! Roger’s cooking was top drawer and the whole evening was truly memorable. Roger and Dee were, of course, perfect hosts throughout our time based in Sydney and organised much of our local enjoyment whilst in the city. They even let us use their holi- day home for a couple of nights in Broulee, a superb coastal spot with a 5 mile beach about an hour’s drive from Canberra and some 3 hours from Sydney. How did we get there? Another generous gesture and this one from Brien who not only lent us a Land Rover Discovery for the time we were nominally based in Sydney, he also let us stay at his vineyard in Hunter Valley. Yes, you did read that correctly – an Old Sil with his own vineyard!! Dangerous! In Australia, of course, they’re called wineries but do I care? The quality was excellent so it is just a pity not enough is produced to import a few container loads into the UK where Old Silhillians would probably buy up the entire consignment! As it is, I think Brien sells the production exclusively through his many restaurants. James is actually an Old Sil having had a short time over in the UK when in his teens. Indeed, he returned to work in the UK as a merchant banker for about 8 years only to sustain a major injury in a freak accident about 4 years ago whilst on holiday in Zambia. You will read more of this in Roger’s own article elsewhere here to which I would add the professional support James receives in his quest to recover much of his mobility is simply mind blowing. The drive and commitment from James himself along with Roger and Dee especially is relentless and if anybody deserves to succeed here, it is Team Gribble! That James has a delightful, dedicated and very able fiancée in Sarah can only help so we wish them both well in their future lives together. And then it was all over! Our last treat was a visit to the “360 Bar and Restaurant” revolving at the top of the Sydney Tower, the pre-eminent location in town and one in An Old Sil quartet on the Gribble balcony overlooking Sydney with Roger, Brien, Pete and Roger’s son, James, in the foreground

27 Brien’s extensive portfolio of restaurants. What a view! Sadly we couldn’t accept his kind offer of lunch as we had a plane to catch but it was still worth the climb – by lift, to take in the stunning views right across the city. An A380 Airbus (how do they even get off the ground?) gave us a pleasant journey home from a truly memorable trip made so much better by reunions with such great pals from all those years ago. Despite much to catch up on, it had only seemed like yesterday we’d been together in the UK and all because we went to Solihull School. What more can one add? The banter, the sense of humour – just the same as ever it was and something to cherish as we save for another trip! Back home, the summer rain came but no matter. Plans were laid for some light cara- vanning around the UK which Diane and I really enjoy. I was hoping to meet up with News of Former Pupils of Former News another Old Sil who has been away from Solihull for over 40 years, one Mike Oakley but his Olympic and Paralympic commitments as a Field Judge thwarted our plans. He lives with his wife, Sue in Ipswich and is clearly, as a National Technical Officer, heavily into athletics. A man after my own heart, of course, being the natural athlete I have always been! Hopefully we will hook up before too long. Mike along with all the guys In Australia have submitted short articles of their respec- tive life and times and these appear elsewhere here. No doubt you will find them most interesting. Australia itself is amazing and for a few moments I did ponder whether it would have done for me all those years ago. In the event, I stayed put to have, by any measure, a great life. Long may that continue so I can bore Silhillian readers with more lengthy reports in the future. [email protected]

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28 News of Former Pupils Life – ‘The Magical Mystery Tour’ ANTHONY BELCHER (Pole, 1963 – 70) I was thrown into the big wide World when I left school in 1970. Not knowing what on earth I wanted to do for a living I had the summer off and that autumn I went to Solihull Technical College and signed on for a Pre diploma Art Course. This course was good fun for a year but I soon realised that most artist’s work is not worth much until they’re dead so a career as an artist was not for me. Accountancy appeared to be a well paid job and the other good thing was that at this time there was no limit to the number of times you could take the exams. Something that appealed to me after my chequered examination history at school. I scraped just enough O and A level results together to get 5 year Both holding on tight at the start of our articles at a small firm of Chartered Ac- elephant trek through the Mekong River countants in Solihull. Just as I thought I in Northern Thailand. did struggle with the examinations and seven years later with I don’t know how many attempts I managed to qualify as a Chartered Accountant. I left the small firm and joined one of the top international firms of auditors and hated every minute of it. So twenty months later within a period of two weeks I got a job as Management Accountant at an Austin Rover Dealership, got married to the lovely Ros and moved house. I found all this quite life changing but settled down well into my new life. I enjoyed the work in the Motor Trade and a few years later I progressed my career by moving to a larger Birmingham based Motor Group as Divisional Accountant. I thor- oughly enjoyed this job but our two boys Ashley and Hayden appeared from somewhere and Ros decided she did not want to work anymore. It was pure and simple I needed a job with more money. At this time it was 1988 and mobile phones were in their infancy so I took a gamble and joined a small Mobile Phone Service Provider as Financial Controller. I again thoroughly enjoyed this job especially in the early days as it was real seat of the pants stuff and what could be better the money was good too. I worked at this company for the next 22 years and spent the last 8 years there as General Manager. With the rapid onset of the recent recession it became apparent that I would have to work twice as hard for half as much, so it was time for early retirement. Two years ago I retired and, wow, life is now better than ever. Ros and I have taken to travelling, not particularly in style but as backpackers. All our friends think we are barking mad but hey we really enjoy the adventure. In January 2011 we spent nine weeks backpacking firstly to Dubai to see our eldest son 29 News of Former Pupils of Former News

Enjoying the early evening sunshine whilst preparing our evening meal on the last night of our Grand European Tour in Wimereux, France Ashley who was working there as a lawyer and then on to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. This was a fantastic experience and certainly gave us the taste for further adventure. In the summer we spent six weeks touring in my trusty 1925 3 litre Bentley and camped our way through France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Italy. 3,007 miles of absolute fun. In the autumn we had a proper holiday in Cuba just lazing in the sun. In January 2012 we had a further eight weeks backpacking in South America a completely different culture and experience to that of South East Asia. And where to this summer? Well, again camping with the Bentley but this time to Croatia. Our youngest son, Hayden, drove there last year and even he said it was a beau- tiful place. Retirement, or giving up work as I prefer to call it, (retirement makes you sound too old) gives complete freedom to do exactly what you want. Fantastic, as I feel that I have spent my whole working life enclosed in a grey box of an office and I am now certainly making up for lost time. I am still living in Warwickshire so if anyone out there remem- bers me, and would like to meet up for a drink or two, my email address is thetravelmonkeys@ A Close encounter with a tiger at the Tiger Temple in hotmail.co.uk 30 Kanchanaburi which is run by the Buddhist Monks News of Former Pupils Old School Ties Really Last The three Old Boys in the photo proved that friendships built at school do last regardless of time spans between contacts. The three met for the very first time in more that 50 years since they left school.

Enjoying the early evening sunshine whilst preparing our evening meal on the last night of our Grand European Tour in Wimereux, France

A chance meeting was set up through emails etc. and a most enjoyable evening was spent together at the home of one of the group in Southern France. Despite their living worlds apart the friendship was just as if they had been regular visitors over the many many years since school. The guys in the photo L to R are John Rayner (Fetherston, left 1957) resident of France, Bill Taylor (School House, 1951 - 58) living in Australia and John Millard (Shenstone, left 1958) from Thailand. Nigel Holmes’ 70th Birthday 2nd June 2012 Nigel celebrated his birthday at home in Hampton-in-Arden, amongst the guests were 11 of his school pals with whom he is in regular contact. Shown in the photo overleaf are Nigel’s pals who also attend the OSA Over 60s luncheons and members of his family who are Old Silhillians or presently at Solihull School. 31 News of Former Pupils of Former News

From left to right back row Andrew Webb (School House / Windsor, 1951-61), Tony McClelland ( Shenstone, 1956-60), David (Sam) Bixby (Pole, 1949-58), Nigel Holmes (Pole, 1951-60), Neil Jennens (Fetherston, 1951-59), James Fell (School House, 1951-60), Geoff Cox (School House, 1952-62) From left to right front row John Cattell - Nigel’s son in law (Shenstone, 1978-85), Adrian Holmes - Nigel’s son (Pole, 1980- 85), Derek Gasson (Pole, 1951-60), James Cattell - Nigel’s grandson (Shenstone, 2009- ), Mick Walker (Shenstone/Windsor, 1951-60), Roger Varley (School House, 1954-62), Heath Pratt (Pole, 1950-59) MICHAEL P J OAKLEY (Jago, 1953 - 60) After leaving School in 1960 Michael Oakley played Rugby and Cricket for the Old Sils until leaving the area for West Wales to pursue a career in Insurance Sales in 1971. It was here that Michael became known as Mike Oakley though many may remember him as Mick Oakley or other less polite terms. Mike had married Sue Short in 1966 and in 1976 Rachel was born. Rachel grew into a talented Sprint Hurdler until at the age of 15 she snapped her anterior cruciate ligaments thus ending a promising career. Mike on the other hand had become a Field Judge whilst supporting his daughter. This has since developed into his main hobby. Mike’s career moved and changed direction several times until retiring at 55 from the role of Human resources management in Ipswich. Here Mike had developed counsel- ling skills and for a while after retirement worked for Relate as a relationship counsellor. 32 When Relate changed its working format Mike retired again and has spent the last 15 News of Former Pupils years working voluntarily to develop Athletics for people with disabilities whilst continuing to progress as a Field Judge. He has been appoint- ed as a National Technical official by LOCOG and officiated in Field Events in the stadium at the 2012 Olympic and Paralymic Games. Mike was never destined for the highest level as a player (other than being in the winning Sils side against Cambridge University) but acknowl- edges that the grounding in sport and the way it should be played that he received at Solihull School has given him the knowledge to have had a life filled with sport and the comradeship and sense of achievement that this has brought. The University Championship was used as the Test Event for the Olympic Games and it was quite an experience to officiate in front of 46,000 people but pleasing knowing that Mike Oakley daughter Rachel and eldest grandchild Jamie were amongst the crowd. At the test for the Paralympic games they also tested the Medal Ceremonies and the huge feeling of honour and pride that was experienced when God Save the Queen was played was sen- sational. 2012 should be a great year for Mike and Sue, now married for 46 years and with three beautiful Grandchildren. Living in Suffolk near to Woodbridge life is good but the roots in Solihull and the many friends and colleagues that are read about in The Silhillian are never forgotten. ROBERT “BODGE” DEVENPORT (Fetherston, 1954 – 62) At School my favorite teacher was Mckenzie and my only claim to fame from school was playing tennis at junior Wimbledon with Peter Vaughan. I played for the seconds at rugby at the Old Sils and eventually made the first team. There are many funny stories but I will not put them into print although, after one away game, I ended up in hospital with Ian Thorpe, Spud Taylor, Phil Johnston and Roger Folder. After Ian couldn’t reconise a bend in blinding snow with ice on the road after a good night out in a very small Morris 1100. I spent three years working on Chandris Line’s Queen Frederica and did twenty six trips around the Mediterranean. After that I worked at the Rover Company for three years where I met my Aussie wife Christine. I have been married to Christine for forty years and have two Children, Leigh and Ebony. Leigh is thirty-three with one daughter Anastasia and Ebony is twenty-eight and has one little boy named Riley. Next June we are all off to Bali for a family holiday together. This will be my tenth visit there. BRIEN TRIPPAS (Jago, 1955 - 65) I had cause to dine with Peter Bragg, Bodge Davenport and Roger Gribble the other day, in Australia, and we undertook to write a small article for the Silhillian to let our peers know where we are and what we are doing. 33 Steve’s Industries Ltd

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All work is Fully Insured and carried out to ISO 9001 Quality Standard and 34 BS 3998 recommendations for tree work News of Former Pupils I live in Sydney and have been in Australia for about 40 years having driven here overland in the mid 70s. My plan was to drive around the world but stayed in Australia as I found I liked the lifestyle, the climate and the rugby. My CV has developed whilst here and now I list amongst my skill set: • cook on a coastal boat delivering vital supplies to Aboriginal Missions out of Darwin, • fork lift driver in the port of Darwin, • the caretaker of an island on the Barrier Reef, • a boiler maker’s mate in Melbourne • and then into the industry for which I had studied at the Birmingham College of Food and Domestic Arts, catering. I now run the Trippas White Group, a gallimaufry of hospitality businesses that I estab- lished 22 years ago. We serve over 2.5m people per year in a variety of restaurants, bars, cafes and airline lounges throughout the country and employ about 700 committed and talented team members. I am the National President of the Industry Group, Restaurant and Catering Australia, representing some 5,000 businesses to help gain a better operat- ing environment from State and Federal Governments. My oldest daughter, Gemma, lives in London and my oldest son, Will, is about to. My youngest son, Edward, is in the top ten under 14 3000m runners in the country. (For those of you who don’t know I too ran long distance at Solihull but not to Edward’s standard). He also plays rugby as a non-stop breakaway. My youngest child Amelia is gifted and attends a selective school. Those that schooled with me will know she obvi- ously gets this from her mother. An interest in wines has led us to own a vineyard in the Hunter Valley, two hours north of Sydney, where we make a Chianti style wine; although this year we have made a rose for a change. When you are in Sydney next look me up (email address below) and try one of our res- taurants or come and help pick the grapes at vintage. I have on my bucket list attending an Old Sils Over 60s Luncheon that I understand are held twice per year, so keep an ear out and I’ll see you there. [email protected] ROGER GRIBBLE (School House, 1957 – 67) Roger left School 1968 and joined Dexion in the UK. He retired from Dexion after 35 years, having been based in several Asian countries as well as at their Asian Regional headquarters in Sydney, Australia. Sydney has been the family home following his arrival in 1972. Dexion builds sophisti- cated storage and retrieval storage and handling systems. Manufacturing plants and dis- tributors were developed all over Asia, The Middle East and The Pacific. Roger covered more than 30 countries in the region, from Japan to India, Tahiti to China. At the time of his retirement, the company was very successfully floated on the Australian stock exchange. Roger married Denise in 1976 and they have three children now 30, 31 and 32 years old. Martin the youngest has been a adventurer with a Sydney Uni Degree, with visits to the Antarctic, Borneo and Asia Pacific in the adventure guide business, as well as time as a pearl diver and professional lobster fisherman in Western Australia, has plied the Atlantic delivering cruise boats to the Mediterranean and Caribbean ports, following a lengthy period based in Tel Aviv. He recently returned to Australia. 35 Penny, the second child, has run holiday resorts in Vanuatu, and Langkawi Malaysia, sold, run and operated her own stencil business and has now also returned to Sydney as an operations manager in the educational catering business.

James the eldest was at Solihull School for a short period in 1994. He also went to Syd- ney Uni and shortly after was a merchant banker in London for nearly 8 years. He re- signed and started a planned long holiday in Africa, but sadly had a freak accident whilst in Zambia, whilst chasing tiger fish and in November 2008 became a quadriplegic. His website address is www.puffinmagic.org.au Denise, her family and the Gribble friends from around the world have pulled together the Puffin Magic Foundation, and there are many wonderful stories to tell as James continues to fight for his repair. The global support, including a major input from many Old Sils has been inspirational. He recently News of Former Pupils of Former News announced his engagement to Sarah Macdonald, a wonderful English lass, who is now a private banker in Sydney following a very successful career in London. The Gribble family came together early in 2008 as Roger was diagnosed with Non Hodgkinson Lymphoma. He has recovered well and today is involved in Rehabilitation with James. All the Gribbles are delighted to have had many Olds Sils contact them whilst Down Un- der and look forward to hosting many more. PAUL HOCKING (Fetherston, 1964 - 73) I attended Solihull School from the age of 8 to 16. I would say I would be remembered more for my sporting prowess then academia. In fact I can guarantee that. Represented the school in many sports such as rugby and basketball. Left school in 1972, carried on playing rugby for the Old Silhillians captaining the colts in a very successful couple of seasons under the guidance of Peter “Percy” Bragg. When I think back to my youth there is no doubt that the time spent at the old Sils was without doubt memorable. The ca- maraderie you get for being a member of the Sils is something to treasure even though there were the occasional mornings when I was very unsure of what had happened the previous evening! In October 1979 I left the UK and went on a holiday to Australia. On my arrival in Perth, Australia I fell in love with the place and enjoyed the next few years travelling around Australia and south-east Asia. Finally in 1983 settling in Mackay, North Queensland. Geo- graphically this is in the tropics in Australia and not far from the Whitsunday Islands which, in my opinion, are in one of the most picturesque places in the world. I spent much of my time SCUBA diving, swimming and enjoying the fruits of what Australia has to offer. In 1988 I married my now wife Lanore and we have four children. Their ages are from 25 to 18. My eldest daughter Taryn has just arrived home from living in London for two years as an accountant, my second daughter Kaycee just qualified as a doctor and living in Newcastle which is just north of Sydney. My two boys the eldest Benjamin 21 is in the Navy and the youngest 18 Samuel is presently at home considering his options. We left Mackay in 2003 and started afresh in Brisbane where we now live. We have been in finance for the past 30 years and have our own business. We often travel back to the UK and would love to catch up with any old friends and col- leagues from the old Sils or school. Although I am very passionate about Australia and love living over here it’s great to come home and spend time with family and friends. We try to go back home every 18 months to 2 years. I wish everyone of the old Sils and former friends all the best and happy to keep in touch. If ever coming to Brisbane please 36 make sure you look us up. working Proud to support The Silhillian magazine. Gateley is a top 50 national law firm with its headquarters in the Midlands. Voted Corporate with you Law Firm of the Year for the last two years at the Midlands Insider Dealmakers Awards, we are here for you whatever your commercial legal needs.

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Silhilian ad.indd 1 27/09/2012 17:39 DAVID TULLOCH (Windsor (1973 – 81) I left the UK in 1998 and have worked in Ireland, Netherlands and UAE for Heineken. Since 2010 I have been working and living in Asia’s world city, Hong Kong running the Heineken business here... If anyone who remembers me is in town I know a few places for a cold Heineken! I still follow ‘The Villa’ from afar and also still sailing competitively. [email protected] Colonel GLYNN EVANS MA MB BChir FRCA FRGS FInstLM FCMI L/RAMC (Shenstone 1977 – 84) Glynn was awarded an entry scholarship to study Medicine at Cambridge in 1984; initial- ly at Girton College before graduating with Distinction in Medicine from Selwyn College. News of Former Pupils of Former News Whilst at Cambridge, Col Evans joined the Officer Training Corps as a private soldier. However, a desire to learn to fly meant he soon transferred to the RAF and served at 614 Volunteer Gliding School until gradua- tion. In 1993 he gained a commission in the TA and joined 254 Fd Amb(V) (City of Cam- bridge) as a Medical Officer until a civilian career move resulted in a posting to 224 Fd Amb. In 1995, Col Evans then joined the Regular Army and saw service in Northern Ireland and Bosnia until the drawdown of military hospitals forced a return to the TA. During his Regular service, he was awarded the Ranald Martin Medal in Military Medi- cine, the Montefiore Medal in Military Sur- gery, the Sidney Herbert Medal for Military Medical Officers and the Tulloch Medal in Military Pathology. TA service resumed with postings to 365 Burns Surgical Team and 306 Fd Hosp although most of his time was spent teaching BATLS around the world. In 2006 appointment as OC Clinical at 204 Fd Hosp resulted in promotion to Lt Col, which was followed by appoint- ment as 2IC of 202 Fd Hosp in 2009. During these years, Col Evans saw service in Kosovo, Oman, Iraq and Afghanistan. In civilian life, Glynn trained in both Emergency Medicine and Anaesthesia before quali- fying as a Consultant Anaesthetist in 1998. Since 1999 he has worked as a Consultant at Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry and its successor Trusts with declared subspecialty inter- ests of Pre-Hospital Care, Trauma Anaesthesia and regional Ophthalmic Anaesthesia. He has thrice been awarded the Pask Certificate of Honour by the Association of Anaesthet- ists of Great Britain and Ireland for his work as a military anaesthetist. Glynn devotes much of his spare time to medical charity work: in 1998 he was the first volunteer fast response doctor in Warwickshire, a service he continues to provide today. He has also been active in St John Ambulance, setting up the county-wide provision of automated defibrillators throughout Warwickshire. He received the Order of St John in 38 2005. Glynn would like to list his hobbies but claims that he has too little spare time. He shoots News of Former Pupils clay pigeons badly, cooks particularly well, enjoys good wine and fine whisky, is an arm- chair follower of international rugby and a devotee of the works of Sir Terry Pratchett. He is a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Society of Apoth- ecaries and holds Fellowships of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, Royal Geographical Society, the Institute of Leadership and Management and the Chartered Management Institute as well as being a founder member of the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He has served as a Magistrate on the Atherstone and Nuneaton Bench. Col Evans is married to Deborah and they live with three Newfoundlands and a Friesian horse; the children have flown the nest. CHARLIE BRIGGS (Fetherston, left 1994) Charlie is currently residing in Edinburgh and working in Glasgow. He changed career in 2010 to Offshore Wind Energy, having completed a MSc in Renewable Energy Engineer- ing, at Heriot-Watt University, in August 2010. He continues to play cricket and hockey, albeit primarily at a social level, when the Scottish weather allows (!) and has recently taken up cycling and sailing. If you live in the local area Charlie would love to hear from you. [email protected] ANDREW LEVENGER (Fetherston (1983 – 94) Kylie and I have recently moved from Dubai to Christchurch, New Zealand to take up a teaching post at Christ’s College. It is a little strange being part of an institution in a city struggling to start the rebuild after 3 catastrophic earthquakes in the past 2 years, but it is also a very exciting time, with the plans for the new city being produced and the build- ers beginning to move in. It is also good to see rain again, for the first time in 18 months! It would be great to meet up with any other old boys in New Zealand, especially if they are in the Christchurch area. [email protected] JONATHAN MAYES (Jago, 1994 - 98) I’m happy to say that I was married this year, on April 9th in Clifton, Bristol to my now wife, Anna Wetherell - an old Badmintonian.

Please note that all enquiries concerning membership issues, subscriptions, change of address, etc., should be addressed to: The Old Silhillians’ Association Solihull School Warwick Road Solihull, West Midlands B91 3DJ or emailed to [email protected] 39 In this home Olympic year we have another Old Silhillian who has rep- resented GB at the Games. Jake Vincent, who plays water polo for GB joins two athletes, a hockey player, a figure skater and a rower, on the

Olympics roll of honour of Olympians who went to the School. Michael Arthur Rawson (Pole, 1945 – 1952) Mike Rawson was born on 26th May 1934 in Hall Green. Mike represented the School at athletics, hockey and cricket and got House colours for athlet- ics, hockey, cricket, rugby and basketball. He represented Great Britain in the men’s 800 me- tres at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. His Olympic results were – Round 1 Heat 1 - Qualified 2nd with a time of 1:52:1 Semifinal 2 - Very narrowly came 5th with a time 1:50:4 and was eliminated Mike won the gold medal in that event, two years later at the 1958 European Championships in Stock- holm, Sweden. Later that year he won a bronze medal in the 880 yards at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. He ran for Birchfield Harriers and on his retirement Mike with former Headmaster, from the sport spent many years coaching at Birch- Brig. H B Hitchens field and working as an athletics reporter for the BBC and local newspapers. Mike also worked for the British Olympic Association at a number of Olympic games. He died in Birmingham from leukemia after a short illness on 26th October 2000. Mike played in goal for the School 1st XI hockey team which nicely introduces our next Olympian - Roger Newton Flood (Shenstone 1950 – 1958) Roger was born on 15th August 1939 in Bristol. He rep- resented Great Britain as goalkeeper for the men’s hockey team at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. The GB team’s results in Group B were – 17th October 1968 – GB 0, France 1 19th October 1968 – GB 1, Pakistan 1 20th October 1968 – GB 0, Kenya 3 GB were ranked 12th and the eventual winners were Paki- stan. Roger earned 49 international caps for GB and Eng- land. At school Roger gained his hockey cap and 2nd XI cricket colours and House colours for hockey, rugby, cricket and chess. After studying at Birmingham University and a 40 brief teaching spell in Moseley, Roger returned to his alma Olympics mater in 1965 and taught mathematics at Solihull until his retirement in 2001. Also a talented squash player and a County bridge player Roger played all of his club hockey for the Old Silhillians and can still be found in the bar there on most Saturdays at 5.30pm! Roger was teaching at school when our next two Olympians were pupils - John Anthony Curry OBE (Fetherston, 1963 – 1965) John was born on 9 September 1949 in Birmingham and studied at Solihull between Sep- tember 1963 and April 1965. Apparently he was excused rugby in order to protect his ankles, preferring table tennis instead. John’s father died when he was 16 and he then moved to London to study with Arnold Gerschwiler, who coached him to his first British figure skating title in 1971. John was British Champion in 1971 and 1973 – 76. In 1972 he competed in the 1972 Olym- pics in Sapporo and came 10th. Eleven years after walking out of the School Curry struck figure skating gold at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck where he was the flag-bearer for the GB team. That same year he won the European and World titles, was voted BBC Sports Person- ality of the Year, was awarded an OBE and became one of the world’s most famous men. Curry turned professional and went to the USA after the 1976 World Championships at Gothenburg. As the holder of the European, World and Olym- pic titles he was able to negoti- ate a highly lucrative contract. He brought a magnificent ice show to London but never forsook his ambition to be an actor. Although he appeared regularly in provincial productions, he never made it to Broadway or the West End. He died of an AIDS-related heart attack on 15 April 1994 at his mother’s home in Binton near Stratford-upon-Avon. Adrian Charles Ellison (Pole, 1968 – 1977) Adrian was born on 11th September 1958 and is the son of the former Solihull School teacher Ken ‘Tadders’ Ellison. He attended Reading University and studied zoology. He coxed the women’s crews during his time there in the late 1970s. He went on to be a radiographer in London. A member of the Tyrian and Leander Clubs, he was Britain’s leading cox in the years lead- ing up to the 1984 Olympic Games. In 1981 he won a bronze medal at the World Cham- pionships in the coxed pairs and he also took part in the next two World Championships, competing in the coxed fours in 1982 and the eights in 1983. 41 Olympics

At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles he coxed the men’s four which brought Steve Red- grave his first Olympic gold and GB their first rowing gold for 36 years. Adrian went on to cox the men’s eights to 6th place at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Daniel Stephen Caines (Fetherston, 1991 – 1997) Daniel Caines was born on 15th May 1979 in Solihull. His mother, Blondel Thompson, is a former UK 100 metres Hurdles record holder and he was coached through- out most of his career by his father, Joe, who himself was a Great Britain Junior International over the one lap distance. At the age of 21, he was crowned the 2001 World Indoor Champion in Lis- bon. During his career Daniel finished a creditable 5th and 8th at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and won 6 major medals - 400m Gold medallist – 2001 World Indoor Championships - Lisbon 400m Bronze medallist – 2002 European Championships - Munich 4x400m Gold medallist – 2002 European Championships - Munich 4x400m Gold medallist – 2002 Commonwealth Games – Manchester 400m Silver medallist – 2003 World Indoor Championships - Birmingham 4x400m Silver medallist – 2003 World Indoor Championships - Birmingham Daniel’s Personal Bests are - 200 metres - 20.84 s (2003) 42 400 metres - 44.98 s (2002) Olympics Daniel visited the School on 29th June 2012 when he gave out medals for the School’s own Olympics. Jake Vincent (Shenstone, left 2007) Jake was born on 24th June 1989 in Solihull and is the son of John Vincent (OS). He played a lot of rugby as well as water polo when he was at school but made the choice to prioritise water polo when he was 13. Playing at centre back, Jake made his senior international debut at the President’s Cup in 2008 and went on to help the British team to secure a best-ever fourth place at the LEN European B Nations Trophy in Swit- zerland. At the 2012 London Olympics the GB team per- formed as follows in Group B - 29th July Romania vs GB Lost 13 - 4 31st July Serbia vs GB Lost 21 - 7 2nd Aug GB vs USA Lost 7 - 13 4th Aug Hungary vs GB Lost 17 - 6 6th Aug GB vs Montenegro Lost 4 - 13 This was a very young team and in his Olympic mes- sage Jake said, “The standard of water polo in our group stage is very high. In countries such as Hunga- ry, Olympic Champions from the past three Games, it is a national sport. We have worked very hard in the past few years to bridge the gap and we go into the Games looking to be as competitive as possible. We have been making great progress and are getting much closer to the top teams in the world. This Olympics experience will help us to improve even more”. Domestically, Jake has played professionally for Brisbane Barracudas in Australia, Rapid Bucharest in Romania and most recently last season for SV Bayer Uerdingen in Germany. London 2012 brought it home to all of us that the Olympics is not all about the athletes, it is also about the spectators, the officials and the gamesmakers. Whilst most of us will have either have watched the Games live or on television two Old Sils ‘got the polo shirts’. The Official How could I have known back in 1960 when I had the pleasure of breaking the school high Jump record with a modest 5’ 6” in the presence of my Olympic hero the late Mike Rawson (Pole) or even later in 1985 when my daughter was long jumping and her coach asked me to rake the sand pit level, that in 2012 I would be officiating in front of crowds of 80,000 and millions more on TV, in the Stadium for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Surely at 70 it would have been right to think that the largest crowds I would have per- formed in front of would have been either when The Sils beat Cambridge University or in the South West on Easter tour at Wellington or Brixham. From July to September 2012 I had to keep pinching myself to believe that I was really there. Yes, I had qualified by experience and examination to be a member of the Inter- 43 national Officials Group for UK Athletics as, when rugby days were over and golf never really happened for me, athletics judging became my hobby and so 27 years after the first pit raking there I was judging the validity of landing of the javelins in the Women’s Olympic Final. Olympics On “Super Saturday” I had been the judge who marked the landing of Jessica Ennis in her long jump. Do you remember her lying in the sand knowing she had jumped a good distance? She was grinning at me waiting for me to jump in the pit and mark her best jump. The crowd had gone wild. Little was I to know then how wild the crowd could go just a few hours later. I was lucky to have finished my day’s judging and sneaked into the athlete’s seating to witness the most amazing 45 minutes of British athletics. First Jessica completed her Heptathlon, then Greg Rutherford surprised everyone with gold in the long jump and then Mo Farrah wins the 10k with me, surrounded by Ethiopian athletes, jumping and hollering for all I was worth. The noise was indescribable but the photo-finish camera mount that had been laboratory tested never to vibrate was almost shaken to destruction by sheer sound waves. Then one week later I was out in the mid- dle officiating on the Men’s Javelin Final when Mo won the 5K. Once more the noise was unbelievable. It literally took one’s breath away and the Japanese thrower was pleading for more time to throw as he couldn’t get his balance as his ears hurt so much. Noise was never like that at St Andrew’s or Villa Park or the Arms Park when Gareth Edwards scored ‘that try’ for the Baa Baas. SILHILLIANSo two weeks A6 Advertlater to the13/9/12 Paralympics. 17:49 Surely Page a 1big anti-climax? Not on your life. The crowds were just as large and just as vociferous and maybe even more patriotic. Who

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www.wallacerobinson.co.uk SOLIHULL [email protected] 4 Drury Lane, Solihull, West Midlands B91 3BD Tel: 0121 705 7571 DORRIDGE legal services for your 17-19 Station Approach, Dorridge, 44 West Midlands B93 8JA life&business... Tel: 01564 779393 Olympics will forget the 80,000 voices chanting “Pea- cock, Peacock, Peacock” before the 100m race? The main difference between the crowds was, I believe, that the voices were more soprano than had been the case for the Olympic Games. So many young families were there, with such experiences to take forward in their lives. For me life was much busier as I have specialised in disability sport over the past 10 years and I had some specifi- cally focused jobs to do. I have some wonder- ful memories of the Paralympic Games as we had been billeted in a nearby Premier Inn for the Olympic Games but now we were in the Paralympic Village with the athletes. So many Mike sending a retrieved javelin back celebrations and parties! via the remote controlled mini On the field of play my lasting memory was of the Final of the F40 Javelin Competition. Athletes with short stature compete in this class. At the start of the competition the World record stood at just over 40 metres. It was to be broken five times with the Chi-

Mike (with clipboard) being approached by a cartwheeling Iraqi F40 athlete nese athlete taking it to over 47 metres to win the Gold medal with the final throw. The competition was fierce and yet all the athletes were smiling and having “fun”. The Iraqi athlete who had held the record before the day and recaptured it in the 5th round even performed cartwheels back along the runway towards your correspondent. To me this epitomised why I enjoy disability athletics so much. Yes it is important to win but participation and achievement means so much more when you are less advantaged. Well done guys and again well done to the crowds who supported these games. So there we are, a mediocre wing three-quarter who once had a photographic memory for all the rugby songs but now can hardly remember what he did yesterday, went to London in 2012 and had the time of his life. Michael Oakley (Jago, 1953 - 60) 45 The Gamesmaker I was one of those 75,000 people that spent the Summer dressed in Cherry and Red (ap- parently that was the official description of the colours) – initially worrying about being mocked for the outfit, but ultimately, being part of a team who received an ovation at Olympics the closing ceremonies and individual and personal thanks from some of the world’s elite athletes. My journey started in late 2010, when the England Hockey Board (EHB) contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in being one of their chosen volunteers, to work at The Games. Each major service provider and NGB got to nominate the people they wanted to be involved, and due to my previous volunteering work at other major hockey events within England, I was lucky enough to be put forward as a nominee. This meant that whilst I had to go through the standard Gamesmaker selection process, I was actu- ally guaranteed to get one of the jobs I wanted! The selection process was long and drawn out, and the pre-Games training was,at times, quite tedious but it was tailored to standardise the delivery of 75,000 people from all walks of life, so I can see why it had to be that way. The reality kicked in after all this “mass” training was done (including a train ride to London on one of the very snowy days in late 2011), and I attended the hockey Test Event (London Prepares) in April. During London Prepares, I got to see the park for the first time (and believe me, whilst the stadiums themselves were finished at the time, the rest of the park definitely was not), and really understand my role within the games. I was Pitch Manager for the hock- ey, held at the Riverbank Arena. What this meant was that I was in charge of ensuring the pitch and surrounds were pristine, and that the match management ran smoothly in- cluding handling Press, Medi- cal, Security, and the Athletes themselves, making sure they were in the right place at the right time to make sure the matches went ahead on time, and to plan. the claim recovery specialists The unglamorous side was Harris Balcombe LLD many hours spent cleaning and tidying dugouts (FYI, the 2a Bath Court Indians were wonderfully Bath Row tidy, the Spanish were not), Birmingham B15 1NE watering pitches, fetching T: 0121 622 6555 and carrying ice and sports drinks and removing/covering F: 0121 622 5494 up non-approved advertising and branding on kit and cloth- Contact Steve Allso ing. However, the benefits E: [email protected] M: 07860 544855 were immense. I was one of the lucky people who when 46 www.harrisbalcombe.com

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Steve on the ‘Smurf-turf’ you picture what volunteering at an Olympic Games is about, got to do that exact role. I watched every match for free, spent time with the players and got to know many by name (as they did with me), and then at the end of it all, got to party with all the play- ers! For those that are interested, the Belgians were generally the most fun side in the hockey! All too soon, it was over – 4 weeks of volunteering (2 weeks of training before the Games also needed volunteers to manage the pitch), some hefty accommodation bills to pay, many hours of sleep to catch up on and a HUGE amount of brownie points to make up with my wife. Ultimately, was it the experience of a lifetime? Yes it was, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. To share the euphoria and experience of all the players, to know that you contributed to such a successful games, to learn so much more about the game from every angle, and to make so many new friends with a shared love, is something I will not forget. Oh, and of course, I have not even mentioned that I got on TV several times (cleaning blood off pitches), sent the entire Australian team home with my photos from the Games (as they were too busy training/playing to take any), and sat with all of the GB women watching the Men’s 3rd/4th play-off match chatting with them as good friends. If anyone ever finds me at the club and wants to hear about stories from the Games – I would be more than happy to share my memories with you! Steve Tabb (Windsor, 1986 - 96) 47 Would you like to wake up to this view when on holiday,from a luxury Penthouse Apartment in Looe, Cornwall? En suite master bedroom with two further twin bedrooms. The penthouse sleeps 6 and is available 52 weeks a year

If so contact Brian Knight for details/brochure:- Tel No: 01789 488288 Mob: 07909 961757 Email: [email protected] 48 Luncheons & Dinners

John & Michael Bettridge and Peter & John Levenger at the October meeting Over Sixties Luncheons The luncheon in October 2011 was attended by 96 members including 14 new- comers. The function was attended by David Lloyd the Head Master who gave an update on the School’s activities and John Harrison President of the OSA who spoke about many of the forthcoming changes in the OSA structure and the de- velopment of the clubhouse. The May 2012 luncheon was of a different format with many of the attendees before lunch visiting the Richard Strickland and Wilf Harrison school for a tour conducted at School before the May Luncheon by senior pupils. This event proved to be very popular and David Lloyd proposes to have a repeat in May 2013. At lunch there were 104 members (nearly a record) and this included 8 new comers. As usual David Lloyd the Headmaster gave a detailed account of the impressive performance of the school both from an academic, sports and travel aspect. Peter Davies, President of 49 Luncheons & Dinners

In Bushell Hall - did they listen to the Headmaster so attentively when they were schoolboys? the OSA, reported on structural changes to the Association and the proposed sale of the former steward’s house / land plot which would generate substantial funds for the re-development of the Clubhouse. It was especially nice to have present Denis Tomlin and John Jammes. The luncheon dates for 2013 are Thursday 16th May and Wednesday 16th October. Nigel Holmes Past Presidents’ Dinner Memorial Clubhouse on Friday, 25th May 2012 Twenty five members of the Association attended theth 55 Annual Dinner of the Past Presidents. After a moment of reflection for all those who had departed, Bob Toy welcomed Headmaster David Lloyd, current President Peter Davies, special guest Malcolm Lawrie and Tom Jackson who won the prize for travel- ling the furthest from Australia. We were very happy to see Mike Cusack who came to see us before the dinner with Isabel. He was very seriously ill but was clearly as delighted to meet his many friends as much as we enjoyed seeing him. Sadly, Mike passed away shortly afterwards and we extend our sympathy and condolences to Isabel and the family. Max Levenger introduced Immediate Past President John Harrison as the newest member of the Society. On behalf of the Past Presidents, Peter Callaghan paid tribute to Malcolm Lawrie as the eighteenth Editor of the Silhillian. We were delighted that he accepted 50 our invitation to be a special guest. In all of his twelve issues he has managed to ,

(1979),

(1976), Luncheons & Dinners

, Mike Cusack (1975), (2012), Mike

(1978)

(1996), David Gurnham

In Bushell Hall - did they listen to the Headmaster so attentively when they were schoolboys?

, Bob Young (1983)(2011), Bob ,Young David Cox

(2008), John Batsford (1999), Barry Allen (1992 & 2005)

& Tom Jackson Jackson (1980) & Tom

, Peter Callaghan (2003), Peter

, Neil Smith

(1981), John Platt

& John Taylor (1989) Smith (1990) & John(2010) Taylor , Mike

, Paul Instone Instone (1972), Paul

PAST PRESIDENTS’ DINNER PRESIDENTS’ 2012 PAST

(1998 & 2006)

Max Levenger

Trevor Jones Trevor

, John (Guest) Hare

, Peter Davies (1971), Peter , (1993)Bob Toy , David (Headmaster) Lloyd

, Mike Bettridge (1997), John Harrison (2000) , Mike John Woolman

Peter Thomas - Peter Row Front

Graham Hughes

Malcolm Lawrie- Malcolm Back Row 51

52 Luncheons & Dinners meet the tremendous challenge of sustaining this outstanding publication which continues to bring together Old Silhillians of all ages and from all over the world with their interesting news and pictures. Editors usually last about two to three years and Malcolm has voluntarily endured the post for twelve years. “Endur- ance is the crowning quality and patience all the passion of great hearts” as a philosopher once wrote. He also manages all communication with the mem- bers, coordinates mailshots and the marketing for the OSA. He has returned to school where, in the OSA office he, like his predecessors, continues a great tradition which has allowed us to witness Old Silhillian history being made for well over a decade. We thank him most warmly for this. We are grateful to President Peter Davies who presented news of the proposed development of the clubhouse and other events in the calendar and Headmas- ter David Lloyd who brought up-to-date news of the school and spoke of indi- vidual pupils’ outstanding achievements during the past year. The next Annual Dinner of the Society will be held in the Memorial Clubhouse on Friday, 8th March 2013 London Events The 62nd London dinner was a terrific evening. As ever, thanks to the kindness of John Haddleton, it was held at the Royal Air Force Club in Piccadilly on Friday 11th November 2011. We were delighted to see so many current members of staff, particularly Chris- topher Warren, the Bursar, in his last year with the School. The class of ‘88 excelled by providing a terrific turn out (Stephen Ollerenshaw, Matthew Pay, Claudine Pearson, Ruth Hammerson, David Plummer, Amit Ras- togi, Phil Smith and Jonathan Smith). The Headmaster described further the success of the School and distributed copies of the latest school newsletter The Greyhound. John Harrison spoke elo- quently in his role as president of the OSA as to the exciting times that the As- sociation is going through. John Jammes gave a terrific grace in French. John Haddleton gave the loyal toast, which, from an Air Force man on Armistice Day, had more than the usual meaning. The next dinner will be at the RAF Club on Friday 15th March 2013. Invitations will be sent to those on my list will be sent in November 2012. Please email me or call me if you would like to receive an invitation to future London dinners or lunches. Mark Lucas (Fetherston 1978 - 88) 01483 748512 [email protected] 53 The OSA Dinner The 2011 Annual Dinner was held at the Clubhouse on Saturday 19th Novem- ber and over 100 member, a quarter of whom were ladies, enjoyed a convivial evening catching up with friends old and new. A feature of the evening was the wide range of ages of those attending, with a considerable number being under 25 and the eldest being in his eighties. The Guests included the Headmaster David Lloyd who gave an entertaining and enlightening speech about his impressions of Solihull after his first year at the Luncheons & Dinners helm, the Head of School Sam Weighall and his Deputy Usama Rahman, and Chairman of the Governors Mark Hopton. David Chambers also spoke amus- ingly about his days at Solihull School and as a sporting Old Silhillian. It is always great to be able to meet up with current and former members of the School staff at the Dinner, and our thanks also go to Martyn Garner (‘our man in the Common Room’) who organised a group of teachers past and present. John Harrison The OSA Ball The Summer Ball was held on 30th June and over 130 members and their guests were in attendance. The evening started with drinks in the Clubhouse and on the terrace. Guests then moved into the marquee for an excellent meal, which was provided by Rupert Davies. This was followed by dancing to a live band, Fatman Alley. There were seven 1975 leavers at the Ball. Below are Joe Bates, Neil Archer, John Harrison, Malcolm Lawrie, Barry Allen and Richard Cole (Roger Lates was not in the photo)

54 Luncheons & Dinners

OSA Trust Chairman Peter Thomas carries on his charitable work by inviting a couple of Old Edwardians for a slap-up meal at the Silhillians! It’s alway nice to see Trevor Pickard and Roger Parsons at the Clubhouse The evening was a big success. Everyone enjoyed themselves (some possibly too much!) and valuable funds were raised for the OSA and the OSA Trust. The dancing award went to our Chairman, Barry Allen, for his ‘pogo’ and the ‘dirty stop out’ award went to Reg Instone, for ‘hiding’ in the ladies’ toilet when the Clubhouse was locked up for the night. Peter Davies School Leavers’ Barbecue Just under 100 leavers attended the leavers’ barbecue held on 15th August.

55 The Denis Tomlin Archive Room Opening Room Archive The Denis Tomlin

The following is the speech given by Denis Tomlin at the opening of The Denis Tomlin Archive Room on 4th May 2012. Thank you for the honour you have done me in allowing the Archive Room to carry my name. I just hope that visitors will be mindful of the decision of the Governors, Head- master and the Parents’ Association to find the resources necessary to fund the project, the Bursar for superintending its construction and our present Archivist, John Loynton, who, in addition to writing his much-needed History of the School, has taken the some- what tatty collection of documents, photographs, etc., which I had handed over to him five years ago, added much to it and transformed it into the splendidly presented library of material, a small part of which is on show today. Having been given a preview of the room, I recalled a line from a poem written by an obscure 18/19th Century poet David Everett: “Tall oaks from little acorns grow” The archive did, indeed begin as a little acorn. No one, it seems, including myself, for the best part of 450 years had seen the desirability of providing a tangible record of past events and people, apart from what appears in the Shenstonian. I can’t help thinking that, if he had been appointed Headmaster in 1735, Dr. Johnson would have spotted this deficiency and done something about it. At Winchester College, I read recently, the founders decreed that a detailed account of each day’s events should be recorded from the first decade of the 15th Century onwards. Then that dear, good man, Alan Lee, shortly before he retired, with the help of Roger Beavis, began to sort into decades 56 material he had found in his office, and sometimes he would call me in from retirement to identify faces in photographs and amplify bare reports. When I was asked by Patrick The Denis Tomlin Archive Room Opening Derham to become Hon. Archivist, my “office” consisted of those shallow cupboards which lined the landing on the approach to the Headmaster’s Study before the wing was reconstructed in 1989. Unfortunately the landing itself was not wide enough to accommodate a desk and most of the time I was obliged to work on the floor. And very uncomfortable it was. Later, when the Thompson Building was transformed, Phil Grif- fiths, then 2nd Master, arranged for an office to be created for me out of the old Props Room under the roof of what had been Big School – a great improvement! My annual expenditure was limited to £200 and I remember blowing the lot in one fell swoop at a warehouse in Birmingham to provide the bare necessities. Fortunately Tim Adkin took pity on me and we set forth on a tour of the environs of Coventry, visiting the premises of sympathetic businessmen, who generously handed over all sorts of useful items that they said were surplus to requirements! From this I was able to fashion, with the help of a straight edge, a Stanley knife and yards of ribbon, hundreds of files to con- tain the amorphous piles of paper and photographs. Some time later my allowance was doubled and my problems in that respect began to diminish. Unearthing new material was a pleasure, particularly contacting Old Silhillians far and wide, either personally or by letter, who passed on to me all manner of documents and their own recollections, spoken or written of their time at the School. Within the School my ambition was to persuade members of staff in the Upper School to provide me with a detailed annual account of the activities for which they were respon- sible, accompanied by photographs and names of each and every participant. I even offered to take the photographs myself. Alas, few could find the time to oblige. One dear chap apologetically pointed out to me that since my day a teacher’s workload had increased enormously, but had the good grace to modify this statement when I told him that early in my time the week’s teaching ended at 1.00pm on Saturdays, followed by games and activities for all forms above Shells, which demanded a staff presence, and that half-term holidays consisted of a free Saturday, followed by a free Monday. I didn’t, of course, tell him that our summer holidays only lasted 8 weeks! I still feel, though, that my idea was right. Everyone who contributes, even in the least spectacular activities, deserves his meed of honour. I remember soon after I had inher- ited what is generally considered as the School’s premier House, Pole (!) from that prince of schoolmasters, John Way, being asked by Keith Berridge to nominate a water-polo team to participate in the first round of the inter-house competition. At the Saturday morning House meeting I called for seven volunteers and immediately six hands shot up. I launched an impassioned appeal for someone to save the honour of the House but answer came there none. Then the shortest member of the House, Burton by name, standing quietly at the side of the room, as he always did, slowly raised his hand. A round of applause greeted this gesture. As I left the room I expressed my relief to the Head of House, Keith Vaughton, I think, and he replied, “You know he can’t swim don’t you?” I was left in a quandary, should we face the ignominy of appearing one man short or should I risk possible prosecution for neglect of one of my pupils? Foolishly, I sup- pose, I chose the latter course. The evening of the competition arrived and Pole found themselves defending the shallow end of the pool, much to my relief. The second half 57 was a different matter when we moved to the deep end and immediately Keith Berridge, who was refereeing, began penalizing poor old Burton. I quietly remonstrated with him and he, quite rightly, I suppose, pointed out that he was hanging onto the side. “He can’t swim.” I said. “If he lets go he’ll drown.” Keith smiled and thenceforth ignored the infringement. No mention of Burton’s heroic gesture appears in the archives. But now in 2012 I am pleased to see that the fine new newsletter, the Grey- Denis with the current Archivist, John Loynton hound, largely remedies this defect with pictures of smiling faces in glorious Technicolor of members of teams and clubs and choirs etc. Five years ago Phil Griffiths, by then Headmaster, agreed that the time had come for me, like Cincinnatus, to retire to my estate in Knowle and resume my duties as gardener, The Denis Tomlin Archive Room Opening Room Archive The Denis Tomlin painter and decorator, plumber and electrician – not for nothing did the Oxford Board examiners award me a credit in School Certificate Physics in 1943! Immediately John Loynton stepped into the breach and since then has generously permitted me to poke my nose in from time to time. Not that I really need to travel into School to consult the archive, for, praise be, thanks to the inspired decision of the OSA and the ceaseless ac- tivity of their live-wire webmaster, Malcolm Lawrie, and his daughter, Alex (OS), we are now able to call up information on our computers at the press of a button – or, in my case, at the press of several buttons and a flow of bad language! There is, sadly, a downside to all this. A year or two ago a good friend said to me, “The trouble with you, Denis, is that you live in the past.” This bothered me. If I had the time and you had the patience, I could mount a defence of myself, which would silence my critics! Instead I will read you some words written by another of my heroes, the Chief Rabbi, Lord Sachs: “In today’s fast moving culture, we undervalue acts of remembering. Computer memo- ries have grown, while ours have become foreshortened. Our sense of space has ex- panded; our sense of time has shrunk. That cannot be right. One of the greatest gifts that we can give our children is the knowledge of where they came from, the things we have fought for and why. A journey without a memory is like a journey without a map. It is all too easy to get lost.…. things remembered do not die. That is as close as we can get to immortality on earth.” Thank you all for coming to share this occasion with me, especially those, like Giles and Gillian (Slaughter), who have travelled considerable distances. Your friendship has 58 meant much to me over the years. Sears Retail Park, Oakenshaw Road, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands B90 4QY Monday - Friday 09.30 - 5.30, Saturday 09.00 - 6.00, Sunday 10.00 - 4.00 Call 0121 744 8546 or visit us at www.multiyork.co.uk 59 GIRLS’ REUNION SATURDAY 22ND JUNE 2013 Girls’ Reunion

Headmaster Giles Slaughter and Girls’ Tutor Ann Gooding meet the first 10 girls in September 1973 To celebrate 40 years of co-education at Solihull School we are inviting all girls back for a reunion. However, we do need your help to contact them. If you are in touch with any of the girls who went to Solihull School please let them know about this event and ask them either to register at - www.silhillians.net or email Julia Skan at -

60 [email protected] Tom Harrison Jago, left 2007 Tom has had a busy year, graduating with a 2i from Oxford Brookes University in Business Management and starting his career in marketing with a Solihull based company. He also coaches the Old Silhillians’ Under-14s Hockey and is playing for Olton & WW. In April, Tom and his fiancée Charlotte were joint lead- ers of a voluntary mission to Kampala Children’s Cen- tre in Uganda. On their re- turn they found time to get married on June 23rd 2012 and spent their honeymoon in Mauritius. They are now settling down to married life in Acocks Green.

JOHN CURRY - THE BOOK He became one of the world’s most famous men, but did you know John Curry when he studied at Solihull between September 1963 and April 1965? Eleven years after walking out of the school (aged 16, and with no qualifications!!) Curry struck ice dancing gold at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. He was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and awarded the OBE before fleeing to the States where artistic fulfilment and sadly the AIDS virus awaited him. He died at his mother’s home near Stratford in 1994.

If you recall him during his Solihull days, award-winning biographer Bill Jones would love to hear from you. “John was a very focussed and idiosyncratic personality”, says Bill, “And to understand him properly it would be wonderful to get insights from his contemporaries at this critical time”. According to his school records he was in Fetherston House, but showed little propensity for academia. His best class position was 9th. More typically it was 20th. As he was already a precocious skating talent at this time, he was apparently excused rugby in order to protect his ankles, preferring table tennis instead.

Bill’s current book, The Ghost Runner, has just netted him the “best new writer” tag at the British Sports Book Awards, a label he is under pressure to live up to with his Curry project. “John was a fascinating and complex man”, explains Bill, “But I badly need to feel what he was like as a child”. If you can help - even if it’s just with a form photograph - contact Bill Jones at 07767 654218 or [email protected] - Bill 61 promises to share his findings with us, and says the School will get a specially signed copy when published. Coronation Gifts Coronation

The old garage can just be seen to the left of the CCF Hut

Coronation Avenue

62 Coronation Gifts One evening in the bar at the Clubhouse my old chum, Phil Green, said he had found a piece (left) in The Silhillian (number 5, 1954, page 19) about gifts given to the School to commemorate the Queen’s Coronation. Given that H.M. Queen Elizabeth II celebrated Her Diamond Jubilee this year I thought it ap- The Tuck Shop c1959 propriate to see if I could find out what had happened to those gifts. Panelling in the VIth Form Room - still present in the VIth Form Room. The Tuck Shop - is still standing but, alas, is now an estate store, so no more cream slices! Bechstein Grand Piano - after a few telephone calls, the mystery of its whereabouts was resolved - it is in the Chapel. Furniture for the Sixth Form Room - has not survived 60 years of use by VIth The old garage can just be seen to the left of the CCF Hut formers. Coronation Avenue - Only the cherry trees that are adjacent to the entrance and exit drives to the Main Gates are still in existence. The ones that flanked the straight section of the drive up to the Headmasters‘ wing have been re- moved to make space for cars. Twin Magnolia Trees - as I wondered across the Quad to where the Geogra- phy Building to be I could see no sign of the magnolias. However, as I got closer I could see that, in the left hand bed, where a magnificent magnolia Coronation Avenue used to stand there was just an 8 inch diameter stump and in the right hand bed the same. A closer inspection of the right hand stump revealed a cou- ple of spindly shoots. It reminded me of the Lawrie family motto, Repullulat - It buds afresh. Who knows, in 5 years one of the magnolia bushes, given the chance, may flower again? Portrait of W.F. Bushell - still present th in the VI Form Room. 63 Coronation Gifts Coronation

The VIth Form with its panelling, the painting of W.F. Bushell to the left of the pillar and the Headmasters’ Panel to the left of the portrait of H.B. Hitchens Seed for the Masters’ Lawn - clearly it was good stuff as the Masters’ Lawn still flour- ishes today. Sight Screens for Bigside Cricket - These have been replaced by a set donated by the Parents’ Association. Encyclopaedia Britannica - I spoke to the School Librarian Alison Vaughan and she said that the original encyclopaedias had gone by the time she arrived in 1998, but had been replaced with a new set donated by the Parents’ Association. Garden Seats - having had a long walk around the School I could find no sign of any of The Headmasters’ Panel the old seats. I remem- ber some of them as be- ing there when I left in 1975, but suspect they are long since perished. Panel of Headmasters - still present in the VIth Form Room. Garage for the School Bus - I believe this went when the new Outdoor Pursuits Centre was built in 2004. 64 Malcolm Lawrie Golf Society 60 Years On The Old Silhillian Golfing Society was formed in 1952, hence in 2012, like Her Majesty, has celebrated its Diamond Anniversary. W R L Horton Esq was elected the first President & J.M Urry Esq the first Captain. There were 49 members, including 15 Vice-Presidents. What system did they use so that 15 members became Vice-Presidents at the inception? J M Urry, D M Sutherland & R E Priestley had been included in the Warwickshire County First Team during the 1952 sea- son and Jack Urry had played in The Open in 1947. The objective of the Society was to hold meetings and social functions, to playgolf matches and compete in tournaments, including the Halford Hewitt Public Schools meeting, generally to further the interest of the game and assist and encourage mem- bers of the Old Silhillian Association in respect of golf.

The fixture card for the first season in 1952 Apart from the Commemoration Day and Old Boys’ Day meetings there were five other meetings, including four matches against other Clubs and Societies. Two highly success- ful snooker matches were also held at Olton Golf Club that year. Mr C W Gold was the first winner of the Old Boys’ Cup, a Medal Competition. The Olton Golf Club Ltd accepted the society on an Annual Membership basis, since when the Society has been privileged to play all home matches on this course. Under the British Golf Foundation Scheme tuition was provided during the Spring and Summer vacations by Mr T Collinge, the professional at Olton, and a total of ten lessons were given to a class varying between six and twelve boys of the School. Jack Urry, Cyril Gold, 65 Rolly Parsons, John Hudson & now in the 60th year John Duncombe, have all been Presi- dents of Olton Golf Club and of the OSGS. Barrie Hudson was a founder member and has been so throughout all 60 years of the Society’s existence. The accounts of 1953 show income of: 45 members at £1 1s 0d 3 half year members at 10s 6d 2 juniors at 10s 6d and fines of 17s 6d (One only imagine what might have determined the need for a fine) Total income £50 15s 0d And there was a surplus of £21 16s 0d How many of our current sports sections or indeed businesses are making nearly 43% Golf Socitey - 60 Years On - 60 Years Golf Socitey profit? A hugely important activity over the last 50 years has been the School’s participation (run by the Society) in the Grafton Morrish trophy event played every year at Hunstan- ton and Brancaster in Norfolk. This is a team six a side scratch event open to the previous pupils of all public schools in the UK, the current participation involving 140 schools. This year it enjoys its Jubilee. The standard is high and the competition fierce. A difficult regional qualifying process first has to be surmounted where only about 40% of the competing schools qualify for Brian Urry, Captain in 1978/79 & President in 1995/96 in the finals in Norfolk. Solihull accustomed position, probably after the soup course and have failed only twice to while clutching his pipe. qualify which is an achieve- ment in itself. There is no school that has a closer association with the event than Solihull which was a founder member in 1963 presenting in the first year the Solihull Salver awarded to the Plate win- ners. The School has proudly competed in 6 finals winning 2 of them. It has also won the Solihull Salver twice and the Committee Cup four times which is an additional plate competition. The school has a deserved reputation of being difficult to beat, maintaining a high standard over the years against com- petition that has become in- 66 creasingly talented. Golf Society 60 Years On A unique aspect of the School’s involvement has been its unrivalled support at the quali- fying and the finals. In Norfolk the team invariably enjoys support from at least 15 sup- porters which is about four times the support enjoyed by any other team. The team and supporters take over the local Lifeboat Inn which makes the occasion a serious social event! Furthermore the supporters now play for their own trophy played locally the day before the start of the national event.

The 1976 Grafton Morrish team John Duncombe, Bob Barnett, John Stubbings, Duncan Waters David Gibson, Barrie Hudson (Captain), Victor Young The immediate challenge for the Society is to see that the emerging golfing talent from the School (of which there is a heartening amount) gets involved with the Grafton Mor- rish resulting in more silver coming our way. Throughout the sixty years the Golf Society has remained as the only sports section of the OSA exclusive to past pupils of the School. The Society continues to flourish with over 150 members. There are 5 Society matches, plus four A Team fixtures and 5 B Team fixtures played against local clubs and Old Boys’ Societies. The most important fixture in the calendar remains the match versus the School. The Captain organises an Away Day that attracts 40+ members each year and an over-subscribed Annual Dinner for members & guests. Golfing ability ranges from the scratch golfer to the enthusiastic with an official handicap, in other words all are welcome, both male and female past pupils of the School. Further details and an application form can be found atwww.silhillians.net/Sports-Clubs/Golf 67

ARTHUR JOHN WASDELL (School House 1927 – 1933) John Wasdell passed away peacefully in Cape Town South Africa on 9 September 2012 aged 95. His schooling began in Mr Kinch’s Form 1. He progressed through Mr Evans (Form 2) and Mr Pecks (Form 3) and in 1930 he reached Senior School and long trousers at last! In

Obituaries 1931 he was fly half in the Under 15 Rugby Team and his cohabitants in Aston’s Dormitory were De Limas, Vickerstaffe, Jack Wiseman, Cox, Barry Peck, Taylor, Tom Gray….. School Certificate in 1932. ‘Footer’ Davis, the Senior Maths Master and a great sportsman was remembered with affection. John became a Chartered Accountant in 1940 and was called up by RAF. In May 1941 he married Masie who predeceased him. Postings during WW II included USA, Air Construc- tion Squadron Cambridge and RAF Yundum, Gambia. Ranked as Flying Officer. He was demobbed in 1946. Only son Roger was born in Sutton Coldfield in 1945. John joined the family firm Wasdell Limited after demob and emigrated to South Africa in 1948. He used his accountancy skills at a number of companies as a Cost Accountant, Company Secretary etc. including Anglo American in Johannesburg. He retired to Sidmouth but returned to South Africa in 2002 and settled in Cape Town. Became a member of the Exmouth Writers’ Circle. John wrote four books, historical and science fiction and murder mysteries, the last of which was finished and published weeks before he died. John Sperring (School House 1946–54) GEOFFREY SMITH (Pole, 1931-35) Passed away in July aged 92 years. Geoff and the late Claude Coton attended Mill Lane School and sat the entrance exam for Solihull School against their headmaster’s wishes. They won scholarships much to their and his amazement and remained good friends for the rest of their lives. He played rugby for the School 1st fifteen and continued playing after leaving the School for the Old Silhillians. He made many friends who he continued to see at the Old Sils Over 60s lunches which he enjoyed immensely. One friend, John Currall, lent his car to the Smith family in 1957 for their holiday in Aberyst- wyth. One morning Geoff’s children, Helen and John, released the handbrake and the car trundled slowly down the drive crossing the main road and came to rest against an earth embankment on the opposite side of the road. Neither the car nor the children suffered damage and the holiday continued without further event! Geoffrey Smith (circled) with Claude Coton (5th from the left in the front row). This photo of the Old Silhillians’ Rugby Club was probably taken in the late 40s or early 50s at Broomfields (now Bushell Fields).

68 Obituaries During the war he was commissioned and served in the Royal Artillery with the 43rd Wessex Division seeing action in Europe. After the war he joined the Incandescent Heat Company Ltd and qualified as a furnace en- gineer. In the early 1960s he moved with his family to South Africa to work for a subsidiary company. He remained with the company until his retirement. He enjoyed family life and spent much time with his children and grandchildren. John Smith WILLIAM WALLACE WALLIS (School House, 1936 – 40) His first years were spent in Quinton – his father was a bank manager in the Black Country. He spent one year as a boarder at Solihull School, then as a day boy on his father’s retire- ment when his parents moved to Solihull. On leaving Solihull he went into Lloyds Bank until joining the army, going to Budbrooke in the RASC. He landed in France on D-Day +1 which he said was so very fortunate as he would most likely not have survived. Returning to the UK for OCTU he was commissioned in the Royal Warwicks. He was then posted to Egypt where his job was advising demob troops how best to set about getting a job in civvy street. He did not return to the bank and after a short time in the motor trade he joined Arden Knitwear of Birmingham for 2-3 years. He then set up his own business as a manufacturer’s agent which he maintained until he retired in 1982. His main hobby had always been cars from a very small boy and on his return to Solihull after his army service he bought an MG VA open 4-seater tourer and his dedication to MGs began. He joined the MG Car Club at that time and became a member of the Midland Centre Committee and subsequently became its Chairman. He participated in auto tests and rallies, winning many awards. He was an RAC scrutineer for 10 years and an RAC rally marshal for 22 years. He was Chairman of the main club from 1980-85 and became the Club President in 1996 and remained so until his death in August 2010. A second interest was traditional jazz of the time of Louis Armstrong, Nat Gonella, Benny Goodman, etc. and of course watching ‘Dad’s Army’. He married June in 1952 and his daughter Louise was born in 1960. She has two daughters Samantha and Abby and they have remained a very united and supportive family. The many condolences that June received spoke of his kindness, his sense of humour and his ability to see the best of everybody. His thanksgiving service at Knowle Parish Church Geoffrey Smith (circled) with Claude Coton (5th from the left in the front row). on 22 September 2010 was attended by over 400 people and a display of MGs was parked This photo of the Old Silhillians’ Rugby Club was probably taken in the late 40s or early 50s in front of the Church. He was a most respected and admired man for his contribution to at Broomfields (now Bushell Fields). life and to his many friends. June Wallis GORDON HARPER (Jago, 1935 – 41) Gordon was a most likable and capable Old Sil. He lived locally for all of his life and was a hard-working family man. He was kind, caring and always ready to help any needy person. Gordon managed the Bull Ring Centre for John Laing for many years. He was a J.P. in Bir- mingham and with Claude Coton efficiently ran the Over 60s Luncheons. He died in August this year aged 87. Roy Davies (Fetherston, left 1940) IVOR HITCHINGS (Fetherston, left 1940) Ivor left Solihull School in 1940 and moved to Bloxham where he was a boarder. However, he joined OSA and played with distinction for the Old Boys’ Hockey Club where he and I were full back partners, both of us playing County Hockey, Ivor for Worcestershire and me for Warwickshire. He was a very close friend of John Pritchard. Ivor went to live in Nottingham and apart from John Pritchard I am not aware of any other Silhillian contacts he maintained. Stan Lea (Shenstone, 1937 - 45) 69 STUART N SANDERS (Fetherston, 1941-44) Stuart was a man of whom Solihull can be proud. From an early age he combined those two English traits of scholarship and sportsmanship. He was playing cricket with Blossom- field at the age of 12. On leaving school he served with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Af-

Obituaries ter the Army he joined the Old Silhillians and was Rugby Captain from 1950 to ‘52. A first- class three-quarter, he played for Coventry from 1952 to ’58 and also turned out for War- wickshire and the Midlands. In one occasion, expecting to play for the Midlands against a London XV, they turned up a man short and Stuart volunteered to play for the Midlands. Interestingly, the Midlands failed to score in that Match. From 1957 to ’57 he was the Coventry Vice-Captain, playing against senior teams including Gloucester, Moseley, Rugby, Northampton, Oxford, Sale, Llanelli, Swansea, Neath, Guy’s Hospital, the RAF, Harlequins and Cardiff – marking Cliff Morgan in one match! A letter from Twickenham invited Stuart to play in an England trial at Gosforth but, to his regret, an injury precluded his appearance. To Stuart pulling on the white jersey with the red rose was the highest honour in rugby and he was unhappy when the game changed on becoming professional. After Coventry Stuart returned to the Old Silhillians. He was on the OSA Committee and organized the Over 60s Annual Dinner. Stuart also played cricket for Moseley (in the Bir- mingham League) and for the Old Silhillians. A party man, he once took part in a levitation with fingers experiment and we still have the photo to prove it works! For more than 40 years, with a group of neighbours, in a differ- ent house for each match, we watched every 5-Nation and latterly 6-Nation Championship match - sometimes noisy viewing! On one Boxing Day we went to Coventry where it was noticeable that Stuart still received a warm greeting from old spectators, former players, and especially from Mike Smith, the England rugby and cricket captain. An exemplar to the young he met. He was a man of integrity. A man amongst men. A man about whom none had a bad word to say. BJN JOHN BREALEY (Fetherston, 1943-50) John attended Solihull School between 1944 and 1951. His professional life was largely based in Birmingham, working in advertising for a number of the large agencies there. He managed to mix work and pleasure by working on numer- ous campaigns for Ansell’s Brewery. Outside of work John had a passion for real ale, traditional jazz and supporting Aston Villa. His voice was significant in helping shape the destiny of the club through turbulent times in the seventies. In 1973 he moved to Henley in Arden where he made an important contribution to local life through the Sports and Social Club and latterly the Court Leet. He was elected as Ale Taster, an office which he filled very well and further served as Low Bailiff to the Court but unfortunately due to his illness was unable to become High Bailiff. John died after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease on 4th February aged 78, leaving his loving wife Marion and three grown-up children. He will be missed by many for his kindness and good-natured humour. MICHAEL JAMES CUSACK KSG (Jago, 1948-56) This is a tribute to Michael Cusack, Past President of the OSA who died peacefully at home in the early hours of Sunday morning, 1st July 2012. A spinal injury in April 2010 left Michael completely paralysed and unable to breathe without the aid of a ventilator. After 18 months in various intensive care units Michael was allowed to come home to their 70 Obituaries apartment in Dorridge which had been specially adapted to meet his needs. A team of live-in 24 hour carers was put in place as part of the medical package and ensured Michael received excel- lent care during the last 10 months of his life. Never once during this period did he complain, and he was an inspiration to all who came in contact with him. Despite all the difficulties of getting around, with his carers in tow he would attend Mass most Sun- days and was able to spend time with his family. In the immediate period prior to Michael’s death, his grand- daughter Sofia (Jago 2008-present, IIIJ) was given a school project to write a biography on anyone interesting of her choice. She chose her Grandfather and as she had never had the chance to read it to him, she read it out as a tribute at his funeral. In the words of a 10 year old it provides a beautiful summary of a man who was well liked and well respected by all that knew him. A Biography of my Grandad – By Sofia Cusack age 10. Written shortly before Grandad died. My Grandad’s name is Michael James Cusack and here is his life story so far. On the 8th of May, 1937, my Grandad was born in London, Richmond along with his two sisters: Elizabeth and Jenny. Due to the war, at the age of three his family all moved to Tid- bury Green to be safe. Before very long, whilst Coventry was having its Blitz, a plane was on its way back to Germany when it dropped a bomb in the field next to where he lived. As a result of this, all of the windows shattered and fell out which would have been a terrifying event. After the war had finally ended, my Grandad decided to cycle to Scotland and back, because he enjoyed cycling as a hobby and he also liked the fresh air. At the age of eleven, my Grandad won a scholarship at Solihull School. He is brilliant at maths and was always at the top of the class. By the end of his school years, he became extremely clever which therefore allowed him to go to St Andrew’s University. By complete coincidence, this happens to be the same University that Prince William and Kate went to! After University, my Grandad worked for Albert E Sharp which was a stockbroking firm. -Af ter a while he became very successful and was soon appointed a partner in 1965. He retired in 1999, but five years later he decided to join my Dad’s business called BRI and help him. He joined the Catenian Association which is a global organisation for Catholic businessmen, and enjoyed going to lots of meetings and dinners. He helped them look after their money and even became the Grand President for a year which he was very proud of. During this time he travelled all over the world visiting different people with my Granny. In 1969, my Grandad got married to Isabel May Dean and was immensely happy. He had six children called Paul, Jonathan, Mary, Samantha, Dominic and Richard. I am the daugh- ter of his first child, Paul, along with nine other grandchildren! My Grandad also used to breed Golden Retrievers and entered lots of shows and won them. Before very long, he even entered one of them for Crufts!! My Grandad had many achievements with sport. Whilst he was still at school, he was head of squash and also Captain of cricket. Meanwhile, outside school he played squash for Warwickshire and Worcestershire, and lots of cricket for the Old Silhillians, even becoming President of the club! Also, he became a JP which is a Justice of Peace – he was a magistrate for about thirty years and was head of the Bench which meant he was in charge. My Grandad was trustee of St Mary’s Hospice, so he helped run it and was particularly happy as he was a caring person. Yet another achievement was becoming Chairman of the Governors at St Peter’s school in Solihull. In addition to this, he was a Director of the Maryvale Institute which is a Catholic College of Education. 71 In 2007 my Grandad was made a Knight of St Gregory by the Pope which is one of the high- est awards that the Pope can give you. This was for all the good work, time and effort that my Grandad did for the church. Unfortunately, just over two years ago, my grandad broke his neck and is now paralysed. After one and a half years in hospital, he was able to come home with 24 hour carers. Now Obituaries he is delighted to be able to get around in a special wheelchair. To this moment, he is living in an apartment in Dorridge and is currently aged 75. In conclusion, my Grandad loves sports, is caring, remarkably clever and always has a smile on his face, and I love him very much. Paul and Sofia Cusack STEPHEN H DAVIES (Shenstone, 1951-56) We regret to inform you that Stephen died in January at his home at Trowbridge after a considerably long period of illness. TIM C MAY (Jago, 1951-59) We regret to inform you that Tim has passed away. MICHAEL NEVILLE (Jago, 1955-62) We regret to inform you that Michael has passed away. JOHN A ORAM (Windsor, 1955-63) John passed away in February 2011 in Vancouver B.C. For someone who was, in his youth, so fit and healthy, his final illness was a cruel reminder of our mortality. John came to Hitchens’s Solihull via Ruckleigh and the Carr-Smith’s, two formidable insti- tutions in their day. He transferred to Windsor upon its founding and was an active con- tributor to the sporting success of the house and the School, gaining colours in rugby and athletics. He took a three-year diploma course at Birmingham College of Food and having gained fur- ther experience in Switzerland returned to the UK and took a number of senior hotel man- agement positions in London and Liverpool. With his wife Pamela he emigrated in the early 70s to Canada’s West coast where he continued to enjoy a long and successful career as an hotelier and in property. John never lost his love and enthusiasm for sport, particularly rugby and football which he coached in Canada into his fifties. In May a memorial service was held in Vancouver for John attended by former colleagues, friends and team members. He returned to England periodically to visit family and school friends, and apart from ac- quiring a mid-Atlantic accent remained as we knew him from the outset, charming, unaf- fected and always good company. Rob Dixon (Shenstone, 1955 - 63) MARTIN R G PARKER (Pole, left 1972) Martin died on 6 January 2011 aged 56. Martin went up to Cambridge with an Exhibition to read Geography. He gained a 2:1 in both parts of the Tripos, then took the PGCE, doing his teaching practice at Eton College. His first teaching post was at The King’s School, Canterbury. He harboured an adventurous spirit that delighted in travel and exploration, nurtured by childhood experiences of Africa and California, school trips to the hills of north Wales and an expedition to Iceland. A member of the CU OTC, he was commissioned 2nd Lieuten- ant while at Cambridge. He travelled widely throughout his life, and was an accomplished leader of climbing, caving, and all manner of field expeditions. Eschewing predictable ca- reer progression, Martin went from Canterbury to Dubai as senior teacher at the Rashid School for Boys, established by Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid al Maktoum to combine the best of Arab and English education. In Dubai, then only on the cusp of development, he gained a deep appreciation of Arab culture, the austerity of nomadic life having a natural 72 appeal. The desert still offered possibilities for true exploration, and Martin became one of Obituaries the few people to have driven across the Liwa Crescent and hiked across the Musandam Mountains. He was once held at gunpoint in a remote tribal area. In 1997, Martin was appointed Head of Senior School at The British International School, Cairo. He left in 2006 to travel to places he had not yet visited, but became increasingly unwell and settled in Cyprus, working on an archaeological project. Eventually, cancer was diagnosed and he returned to Britain for treatment and to be near his brother and sister and their families. Widely read and with an insatiable curiosity, Martin was an inspirational teacher – a pupil travelled from Egypt to speak at his funeral - who took an inquiring interest in people and their different experiences of life and always looked beyond the obvious. In his last months he was making notes on Islamic art and the natural history of Cyprus, exploring the church- es of Devon, and reading the copy of Pepys’ diary he inherited from his father. He will be remembered as a selfless, steadfast and truly noble friend.

An appreciation of Kate Keeling The name of Kate Keeling has to evoke many memories of school meals in the forties and fifties. Her manner was always calm and courteous and she always seemed to be in control. She had to provide lunches during that period of food rationing, and that she did. Who can remember lunch of bread and cheese with beetroot to liven it up? But as food supplies became easier so the menu was extended with roast beef, fish pies, toad in the hole, shepherd’s pie, all very wholesome. But what seemed to be her piece de resistance were sweets. Her treacle pudding and spotted dick were as light as a feather and the custard was never lumpy. But I specially remember her break- fasts after we all trooped down from the Parish Church for the best hot breakfast I have ever had, before or since. The full works with golden deep fried bread. On a sunny day morale seemed sky high after Communion and that breakfast. I used to serve in the dining hall with Leslie MacKenzie and became the Hall Warden’s Bencher. We were given an honorarium of two shillings and sixpence per term - work that one out for an hourly rate. Carrying four plates of said spotted dick and custard I tripped over the raised dais at the end of the hall and the plates and pudding went everywhere. 200 boys and masters stopped talking at once - quite an impressive feat. H.B.H rose immediately to ask whether I was alright and slowly conversation was re- sumed. I still got paid at the term end. Barry Richards, who also helped in the meal service, sat down one day to a whole golden pudding and custard and demolished the lot - I was impressed. Other helpers I remember include Acker Boardman, John Cooper and Peter Hooker who spent their time plate scraping - how brave. Joe Tailor and Ken David brought in the food from the servery to the kitchen. A special treat was the super sweets prepared for the Head and Mrs. Martin. There was always competition for a slice of these. There were many others who helped and our lunch times seemed a pleasant inter- lude even if one missed cricket with one’s classmates during the three sittings re- quired in those days. Robert Greenwood (Shenstone, 1946-53)

To place an announcement of births, marriages or deaths on the OSA website and in The Silhillians please contact 73 [email protected] 73 Tomas Shanahan Alex Henderson The Old Enemy - OSXV vs OWXV Standing - Joe Brawn Rohan Thompson Aki Davis (Windsor. left 2006) , Stuart Clarke (Shenstone, left 2009) , Dan Super Kneeling - (Windsor, left 2004) , Nick Elliott (Windsor, left 2007) , Brandon Cooney (Jago, left 2007) (Pole, left 2003) , James Wintle (Fetherston, left 2009) , David Hartley (Pole, left 2003) , Matt Bacon (Fetherston, left 2011) Quentin Tchakhotine (Jago, left 2010) James Trueman , Matt Sheppard (Fetherston, left 2010) , Sam Fletcher (Pole, left 2010) , Jack Read (Pole, left 2008) , (Shenstone, left 2004) , Matt Lee (Shenstone, left 2009) , Olly Beech (Jago, left 2009) (Windsor, left 2009) , William Pilkington (Windsor, left 2006) , Ben Trenchard (Shenstone, left 2010) The Old Silhillians’ XV , Simon Bright (Windsor, left 2006) , Charley (Shenstone, Thomas left 2007) , , David Ellis (Windsor, left 2007) (Windsor, left 2009) , Giles Ellison (Shenstone, left 2011) , (Pole, left 2008) , ,

74 The Old Enemy - OSXV vs OWXV Old Silhillians v Old Warwickians Rugby Match for the Coton Cup

Two of the Midlands’ greatest rivals, the Old Silhillians and Old Warwickians, played for the new Claude Coton Cup, named after one of the founders of the Old Silhillians’ As- sociation. Dora Coton, widow of the late Claude Coton, presented the trophy to Simon Bright, the Old Silhillians’ captain, after his team’s 34-10 victory at Solihull School in the presence of the Headmaster David Lloyd who once taught at ‘the other place’. Claude, a pupil at Solihull School from 1931 to 1938, was a member of the Old Silhillians’ Rugby Committee for more than 50 years and played the game well into his 50s. Now in its third year, the annual fixture was attended by more than 150 past pupils. It was followed by a pig roast organised by Solihull School’s Director of Sport, Steve Thomp- son, and supplied by Berryfields Farm in Meriden, run by the Barber Family whose three sons all went to Solihull School. Simon Bright, who organised the event, said: “We were delighted that Dora was able to present the new trophy in Claude’s memory for what has become one of the most ea- gerly awaited events in the sporting calendar - and we are grateful for the tremendous support of Solihull School.” David Lloyd commented: “Events such as these are helping to strengthen links between Solihull School’s past and current pupils which I very much welcome. I hope that this es- tablished fixture will encourage the development of an even wider school community.” The Old Silhillians have won their annual fixture against Old Warwickians for the past two years, after Old Warwickians won the inaugural contest in 2010. Winning Captain Simon Bright accepts the Coton Cup from Dora Coton

75 Old Silhillians Golf Society www.silhillians.net/Sports-Clubs/Golf At the time of writing, I’m roughly half way through my year as Captain of the Old Sils Golfing Society. As Vice Captain to John Platt last year, many people told me that being Captain of OSGS was the best job in the Old Sils. Certainly, there can’t be many better.

Sports Sections This year, as you might imagine, our waterproofs and brollies have become even more worn than usual. Before one match, I asked Tim Platt whether he had seen the weather forecast. He replied that he hadn’t, but that it would certainly rain as the Old Sils were playing golf! Despite the wet gloves and slippery shafts, we’ve enjoyed some great matches against local clubs and other Societies. My captaincy skills clearly owed more to Nick Faldo than Jose Marie Olazabal as the A Team played 4, won 1 and lost 3, including an 8-4 reverse in the annual match against Olton Golf Club. Whilst they could have treated us more gently on the course, Olton’s hospitality off it has been characteristically superb. We are so lucky to have Olton as our host club and are very grateful to them for their continued support. Back on the course, Paul Gilbert led the B Team to a thumping 5-1 victory over Olton. He had sufficient tact and diplomacy to ensure the match against the School was halved. There were two losses, but the B Team certainly won more games than the “A’s” this summer. I wonder what Paul’s secret is? Our various internal matches and competitions saw some fine winning performances. The President’s side beat my own by 13-8. Again, more Nick than Jose. Nigel Thomas and Duncan Waters won the Wiseman Foursomes Cup. John Parrot and Tom Shiels tri- umphed in the OSA Challenge Cup and the Charles Hill Salver respectively, with impres- sive scores of net 65 and gross 73. Tom was making a relatively rare appearance in the University holidays and we hope he will continue his involvement with the Society once his studies end. We need more members boasting both his youth and his ability! Tim Platt rolled back the years to secure the Senior Salver. And last but by no means least, the President, John Duncombe, kept it in the family by taking the Invitation Four- somes with son Charles. Stooping a little, Charles complained afterwards that his back was sore from carrying his Dad around all afternoon. We think he was joking. At my Away Day at Enville Golf Club in September, 26 members and 14 guests enjoyed 27 holes on the fabulous Highgate course on one of the sunniest days of the summer. The pairs competition in the afternoon was won by my Dad, Mike - yes, I know - with a little assistance from his partner, David Fleet. Fleety was later heard claiming this as another “Major” for his trophy cabinet. Surprisingly, for an Everton fan, his glass is always half full! Malcolm Swain’s lone vigil in the car park at Olton Golf Club reminded us all that his considerable talents were never deployed in the School’s Geography Department. Enville Golf Club looked after us tremendously well and I only hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did. The highlight of the year has surely been the Grafton Morrish Tournament - and I write this having returned only 2 days ago from a fantastic weekend at Hunstanton. Once again, our team did us proud, progressing to the quarter finals before losing by the nar- rowest of margins to beaten finalists Haileybury. Some of the golf on display was truly 76 inspiring on an extremely tough track. Did anyone else feel like getting out and practising Sports Sections

The Grafton Morrish Team 2012 Back row - Damian Kelly (Captain), Will Westall (Vice-captain), Middle row - James Hetherington, Louis Meryon, Ben Harrison Front row - Barny Dowding, David Fleet and Richard Turner when they got home? My thanks go to all the players - David Fleet, Louis Meryon, James Hetherington, Ben Harrison, Richard Turner and Barney Dowding - the caddies and all our supporters, who once again turned Thornham’s Lifeboat Inn into “Solihull By the Sea”. Solihull are the envy of so many teams at the Grafton with our travelling entourage and long may this continue. It was great to see some new faces in Norfolk this year and I hope that some stalwarts from previous years will be able to return in future, starting in 2013. Earlier in the year, Mike Wiseman hosted a party of officers and former officers of the Society at a magnificent lunch at the College of Food in Birmingham. I use the word “lunch” euphemistically. I should love to report on this in greater detail, but the truth of the matter is that I - and I suspect most of us present - can’t remember a great deal about it. That’s probably a fitting testimonial to the event. Thanks, Mike. This year has seen an influx of new members into the Society’s ranks. This is important and must attract our continued focus. With the assistance of our Recruitment Officer, John Loynton, the Society is currently considering how best to develop closer links with the School and its promising young golfers. The world is an ever smaller place and we can no longer rely on today’s School leavers willingly returning to play Old Sils golf once they embark on their careers. We must ensure they know what the Society is all about so they want to return. My thanks go to President John, Past Captains John and Tim Platt, Miami (Vice) Will Westall and everyone for their support during my half year so far. This might just be the best job in the Old Sils. Damian Kelly 77 Old Silhillians Hockey Club www.silshockey.co.uk For any of you that watched hockey during the Olympics, you will have seen that the sport is no longer what it used to be. These changes on the pitch are also reflected in the evolutions off the pitch.

Sports Sections OSHC is still proudly a club serving the former pupils of the school, with around 50% of the senior membership being alumni, but is also moving forward with the times, and is embracing the modern-day era of amateur sport in a very effective manner. On-field success has been evident, with the club seeing its best overall results in over 10 years; congratulations must go to the Ladies 2nds who gained promotion, and com- miserations to the Men’s 1sts who missed out on promotion due to a league restructure. All other teams then either finished in the top 3 of their respective divisions or had their best seasons in recent memory. The club has seen significant growth in its junior membership – with the move to using the fantastic facilities at The Silhillians, our Sunday morning junior sessions have become so popular, we have had to split them into two time-slots, with over 100 U14s now play- ing regular hockey at the club (compared to around 30 only 3 years ago). Thanks must be given to the dedication and hard work of Lucy Steele (Windsor 2003-2005) who after 4 years of running the Junior Section is stepping aside for new blood to take over. So, what does the future hold? Hopefully, a large influx of players, and support, due to the very positive profile that the Olympics provided for hockey. What we do know is that the club is in a great position to make the most of the increased profile of the sport. Over the past year, the club has been working extremely hard with the National Governing Body, the England Hockey Board John Cloke gives a masterclass in arriving (EHB) and is now one of its main spotlight clubs, in the tackle late and making it look like which it often uses to showcase how best to run a complete accident! a hockey club. In the past year alone, the club has achieved the following: • EHB Club of the Year – Runner-up • European Hockey Federation Club of the Year Finalist (Top 10) • Chairman Steve Tabb (Windsor 1987-1996) won the EHB Champion Volunteer of the Year • Warwickshire U12s Girls Runners-Up • 15 Academy Centre Players (the new terminology for County teams), of which 3 went on to play for the Regional Performance Centres This current season is starting brightly as well. We have formed 3 new teams (a Ladies 3rds, a Ladies Veterans and a Badgers (Development) side), and our Club Day was a huge success. It was attended by the Mayor of Solihull (Coun- 78 cillor Ken Hawkins), the EHB Roadshow - with Sports Sections National Clubs and Facili- ties Manager Alex Teasdale and Commercial Director Jonathan Cockcroft along with inflatable pitches and target goals, and perhaps the most important draw for all, an Olympic Torch, and 2 of the GB Women’s side from the Olympics who brought their Bronze Med- als with them – Sally Wal- ton, and Laura Unsworth. The day was a superb intro- duction to the season, and Olympic stars Sally Walton and Laura Unsworth drew many plaudits, and is sign autographs at the Club Day already suggesting a further increase in playing numbers and standards. The club has put in place a much-strength- ened coaching set-up with more opportunities to play on offer, and work is going on all the time to improve club infra-structure, increasing commercial opportunities and improving facilities. With the new clubhouse developments, the future is looking really positive – so please remember you can keep up with all the club news by moving with the modern times of social media and the internet – our club website is www.silshockey.co.uk, we have TWO very active Twitter accounts @silshockeynews and @silshockeyclub, and a facebook page www.facebook.com/Solihull.Hockey.Club, where you can keep up with everything that is going on. Steve Tabb Old Silhillians Rifle Club www.oldsilhilliansrifleclub.org.uk So the Olympics have come and gone but prompted by the legacy urge to take part, are you looking for something new to get involved in? If so, what about shooting – it could just be the sport for you and at OSRC we can offer you that opportunity. It’s not hard to grasp the basics of shooting. You have a gun and you point, aim and fire it at a target. At OSRC, we specialise in the disciplines of .22 calibre rimfire rifle, single shot (prone rifle) and magazine fed (light weight sports rifle); both airguns and air pistols and depending on the discipline, you are required to shoot from standing or lying down. And discipline is what shooting is all about - the rifles we use are definitely not toys and our prime concern at the club at all times is safety, safety and yet more safety. Let’s face it, you’re not going to gain too much muscle tone from shooting but co-ordina- tion, stamina and the ability to lower your heartbeat is essential if you are to consistently hit the target. That said shooting can be enjoyed by people of all types regardless of social background, age, shape, size and gender - young and old can compete side by side and regularly do at OSRC. Shooting teaches self-control and depending on the discipline can be enjoyed summer and winter, indoors and out. 79 We regularly hold Guest Nights, a useful insight where alongside existing members you can see if shooting is for you by going through the basics and the safety aspects. This year we have hosted Shirley Ladies Circle, St Alphege Rotary Club and Shirley Round Table (it was from one such night that yours truly ended up a club member!) - a good evening of shooting, fellowship, fun and followed by a meal in the Clubhouse. Our club thrives on letting as many shoot as often as possible and I would like to wel- come new membership enquiries from young and old, complete novices or those with

Sports Sections previous experience. At the annual Warwickshire Open meeting at Wedgnock Rifle and Pistol Club, OSRC was represented by shooters in both the prone and LSR disciplines and many of our members have recently won medals in National, Midland, Kent and Worces- ter competitions. So perhaps thoughts of a County team place could be the standard you aim for? Then again, go on think bigger – after all Rio is but 4 years away and if you fancy stepping into the shoes of Peter Wilson and taking Olympic gold for Team GB, then come and take your first steps at OSRC. The impending plans for redevelopment of the site are prevalent and like our fellow sports sections we are faced with increasing financial pressures. However, the OSRC Committee continues to work hard and members regularly contribute time to help run the club nights and maintain a safe and healthy environment. With safety always in our minds we have just completed a major range clean down, introduced additional linatex cladding and more operating improvements whilst also adding to our stock of club rifles. We have a large number of members qualified as NSRA Range Conducting Officers and Martin Clay continues to hold responsibility of Child Protection Officer working to the guidelines of the NSRA. That said OSRC costs for shooting remain very reasonable. Our range fees are £1.50 per session with ammunition starting at £2.50 for 50 rounds. That’s it… you can start with just you and some comfortable clothing - rifles, ear defenders, safety glasses are pro- vided from club stock free of charge and once a fully-fledged member, you are able to bring your own kit of course. Interested in holding a Guest Night? Or simply making a membership enquiry? Please make contact the Chairman via our website www.oldsilhilliansrifleclub.org.uk Steven Graham Silhillians Rugby Club www.silhillians.com Last season was one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history; playing in Mid- land 2 West (South) we entered the final game of the season with the chance of promo- tion in our own hands. We finished third equal, our highest ever finish, having played arguably our best rugby ever. We had set out our stall for 2011/12 with a change in our coaching team, appointing Eugene Martin (now the Bees Head Coach) as an assistant coach to both the seniors and the colts. Eugene has turned out to be not only a highly experienced Coach but an inspiration to fire our ambition for the future of the Club. Eugene assisted the hugely respected Ed Orgee, (our ‘Clubman of the Year’ in this season’s awards), and their tie-in with the Bees has seen our squads train with the professional outfit. 80 Midlands 2 is level 7 in English Club Rugby and with most level 6 teams paying their Sports Sections

Laurence White puts in a crunching tackle as Sils keep a clean sheet against Leek and win 43 - 0 players is the highest amateur level. It is very competitive, skilful and enjoyable how- ever with the ever-increasing physicality demanded, players such as ‘Players’ Player of the Year’, Steven Hawkins, ‘Most Improved Player’, Cameron Law, and the ever present Laurence White will need to maintain these standards and encourage their team mates to achieve the same for the new season. Jim Roper is standing down as Captain, having stamped his style of flair and enjoyment on the Club’s play during his Captaincy and we are pleased that the baton had now been passed on to one of the most popular players at the Sils for the last decade, Peter ‘Shelf’ Nichols who will provide the experience and skill needed to lead the side. Some outstanding moments of this season have been: • Beating Old Laurentians, a team we have never previously beaten in competition, home and away, with the last move of the game try by Tom Waters in the away game • Beating a highly fancied Newbold, (but now shell-shocked) home and away, the performance to retain possession to close out the away game was awesome • The pushover scrum away at Cheltenham North to get us on our way to a convincing victory Our Development Team (a fancy name for the second team), skippered by Rich McK- enna, has continued to build on previous seasons and in terms of results, they also re- corded their best season ever. This strength in depth has seen most of this team suc- cessfully step up to the First Team. Rich is also to step down, with the very popular Andy ‘Von Schmall’ Cunnington taking the reins for next season. Our Colts, the Solihull Barbarians, continued to have yet another great season for this age group. They are a combination of Silhillians RUFC and Solihull RFC and have shown a successful blueprint for future age groups who otherwise struggle for numbers and hence survival once they reach Colts age. 81 When not playing Colts rugby they have played and impressed in the senior teams, this has made a very visible and successful impact on the senior sides, adding to the overall strength of the Club and its ‘feel good factor’ that would not have been achieved without them. This feeling is very much reciprocal with one Colt confiding in the Club Captain that the team spirit and the style of play is something that he loves to be part of. Some outstanding moments from them this season have been: • Ollie Blundell, Jack Kalewski and Tim Trace making their debuts in a fine win over Leamington • Rafa Guimaraes’ awesome finish on his debut, his try in our historic away win against Old Laurentians and then his late double to earn victory at Kidderminster • Jack Hobbs’ debut hat-trick against Cheltenham North Thanks must go to Jonathon Trace, Blundell and Richard Crane who have guided this age group through the Mini & Juniors at both Sils and Solihull, along with sup- porting the School side and keeping an eye on the university boys to give them an opportunity to play whenever they are back. On Boxing day we had 60, yes 60! Colts who returned and turned up for the traditional post Christmas game! The Mini & Junior section continues to grow from strength to strength with 375 registered children winning a record number of festivals and cups. The section continues to be the bedrock of the Club’s supply of players and this season all but 3 of the first team came through these ranks. The Club continues to set its stall out to provide rugby for former pupils and for the wider community, be it off-season touch, 7s, social rugby with the Vets/3rds captained this year by Ian White or the best level of rugby that the amateur game can provide, with top coaches and probably the best playing facilities in the re- gion. Importantly the Club has a common mandate with the OSA in providing a focal point for the many former mini, junior, colts and former senior players who go off to university or to pursue careers further afield. Whatever direction their

Farewell Drew, may you rest in peace. may you rest Drew, Farewell rugby career takes them, the Club door is always open for their return. Of course the Rugby Club still provides the old traditional camaraderie. We toured this year and we played in the Magaluf Beach Rugby competition and also continued with the traditional ‘boys’ nights out’ such as the Christmas German Market (Santa outfits obligatory) and the odd round of Pub Golf in Moseley, but we also strive to provide more family centric and inclusive entertainment such as Santa’s Christmas party for the little ones, Quiz nights for the big ones and a high- ly successful Snail Racing fund raiser which took place at the end of last season. Thanks must go to those who have given outstanding contributions to the cause of the Rugby Club and the Clubhouse & Ground. Many thanks to Andrew Clut- terbuck for his continued stewardship of the Management Committee as well as being the assistant coach to the first team and, of course, to John Griffin who continues his huge contribution to the management of the Clubhouse & Ground. The Club were saddened to hear that former 2nd Team Captain Drew Wheddon had lost his long struggle with cancer in October this year. Our deepest condo- lences go to his wife and family. Jim Roper & Ian White 82 Captain & Chairman Sports Sections Squash Club www.silhillians.net/Sports-Clubs/Squash The on line booking system continues to operate well and has transformed our cash flow as members have to pay up front and it also mainly eliminates courts being booked but not used. Any one wishing to view the new booking system or join the squash section can visit the website on www.squashbooking.co.uk/silhillians The squash club also has a specialist individual web site which is in the process of con- tinual improvement and can be found through the squash booking system and clicking on the club web site and then squash. We have once again participated in Division 5 of the Warwickshire League. The team performed well and finished a very credible fifth out of a total of ten. Many thanks to Phil Davies for all his efforts in organising the team with only a small number of available players to choose from. Players involved in team squash were Phil Guest, Phil Nash, Arthur Adair, Phil Davies, Steve Chant, Ray Mills and Teale Withers Results in the Warwickshire League for last season were as follows: Played 18 Won 9 Lost 9 For 184 Against 180 Points 228 Unfortunately due to match congestion both the open and handicap tournaments did not take place this year. It is hoped that both tournaments will be completed in 2013. The proposed refurbishment of the clubhouse and changing areas is something that the squash section is eager to see happen as quickly as possible. Part of the club’s problem has been the spatial relationship between the changing areas, the courts and the bar. The proposed plans include new changing rooms with proper access into both the courts and the bar – something we have wanted for many years. We have continued to maintain both the courts and changing areas in a clean and sound condition. This year we have replaced all the fluorescent tubes. We have postponed any major improvements to the changing areas subject to a decision on the proposed refurbishment. Membership levels have continued to remain fairly buoyant in times when squash is in a small decline. Numbers were almost identical to the previous year. However we still have the capacity for new members. Our subscription rates remain very competitive and anyone interested in joining the squash section should contact John Milne on 0121 733 6250 / 07736 110843. We have updated the sign at the main entrance at the junction with the Warwick Road and also we have provided a new one which is positioned on the squash court exter- nal wall adjacent to the entrance of the changing rooms. Both signs not only advertise squash but also racketball – something we are very keen to promote. Finally I am very sad to report that Mike Cusack passed away earlier this year. Mike was a founder member of the squash club and was instrumental in the building of the courts at Barston Lane in the mid sixties. Mike, who played squash for many years at a very high level, played for the team and also represented Warwickshire on numerous occasions. He will be sorely missed. Roger Taylor 83 We acknowledge with thanks, the support and interest of the following:

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