President's Letter 2 "THE SILHILLIAN" President-Elect 4 the magazine of the Editorial 6 The Old Silhillians' Association Limited (The Former Pupils of School) 0.S.A. Main Committee 8 Memorial Clubhouse and Ground Warwick Road School Report 10 Copt Heath New Clubhouse Manager 14 Solihull B93 9LW Old Silhillians' News 16 Dinners & Luncheons 36 Telephone: 01564 777680 Facsimile: 01564 775151 Email: admingsilhilliansclubhouse.co.uk Website: www.silhillians.net 41 Lodge & Chapter Jez Bragg 42 ISSUE 58 NOVEMBER 2007 OSA Grants & Awards 46 New Members' Lounge 48 Obituaries 50 Sports Sections 59 Acknowledgments 67

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The Exchange :: Haslucks Green Road :: Shirley :: Solihull :: B90 2EL President 2007 - Steve Aliso these ongoinglosses. the issuesandproblemsthatwehaveatOSAreasonsbehind that Ihaveattendedwhereverpossibletakentimeouttoexplain the fabricofbuildingtheseworksweredonewithaviewthatnomoney a numberofareasthatcanbeworkedontoproduce amoreprofitable wealth ofexperiencefromwithintheindustryandhas alreadyhighlighted and mannertotherunningofclubhouse.Keith bringswithhima We haverecentlyhadachangeofmanagersandthe arrivalofKeithWater- where suchrepairsareinadequateandsubstantial repairsandreplace- should reallybespent-cheapandcheerful.Well,the timehasnowcome tion forover20 yearsandthisfacilityis consideredamajorpart ofhislife and to do whathehas doneatno costismore thangenerous. all theirefforts inproducingamagnificent roomataveryrespectable cost. etc. Mypersonalthankshave togoJohnGriffinandDuncanStanleyfor only beforeandaftersporting facilitiesbutasameetingplaceforfriends and dulyreplaced.Itreally isaroomthatcanbeusedbymembersnot eas withintheclubhousehave tobeupgraded.Themembers'loungehas ments arenowrequired.Unfortunatelythisisata time whenrevenueis bottom line. house (a1976schoolleaver)hasalreadybroughta new-found confidence not asgooditcouldbe. Basically forfartoomanyyearsinthepastwhereworkswererequiredto Duncan isnot anOldSilhillianbuthehas beenamemberoftherugby sec- been fullyrefurbishedwith allthesmoke-cloggedfurniturebeingremoved Following thesmokingban decisionshavebeenmadethatanumberofar- The tradingaccountsthataresent time whenIstillhavethreeorfour Although Istillwritetoyouata that yetagaintherearesignificant of thankingyourmaincommittee our tobeyourPresident. and atasmanyofthefunctions continue. Throughouttheyear out withthemagazinewillshow OSA backonanevenkeelandprof- and vibrancyinworkingtogetthe and inparticularyourChairman, I dohavetotaketheopportunity itable. has beenanabsolutejoyandhon- President Ihavetoreportthatit months leftofmytenureasyour Dear FellowOldSilhillians, losses whichwecanillaffordto Barry Allen,fortheircommitment Before goingontotherealissues that hewillenjoytheexperience asmuchI. They haveallshownsupporttotheAssociationand maythoserelation- With bestwishes, I hopetoseemanyofyou inthenewmembers'bar. ships groweverstronger. Finally IwishJohn(JP)Platt alltheverybestasmysuccessorIamsure Governors togetherwithIanRalph,Chairmanofthe Parents'Association. Griffiths, HeadmasteroftheSchool,GrahamHughes, Chairmanofthe at thetimeofhisaccidentandhewillbemissedby a lotofpeople. driving towatchSolihullSchoolUnder15sintheirDaily MailCupsemi-final was indeedseenbyafewofusthefollowingweekin DublinfortheIreland- My thanksalsogotoallthestaffatMemorialClubhouse andtoPhilip mittees fortheirongoingsupportandcommitmentto theOSA. My thanksgotoallthemembersofbothMainand ManagementCom- of peopleandhewasasurpriseguestattheOSAdinnerinFebruary when Iwasinattendance.Philhadalargerthanlifeimpactonnumber Smith whowasaformerchemistrymasterandrugbycoachattheSchool I havetopassonmycondolencesthefriendsandfamilyofMrPhilip We alsoreceivedanextremelygenerouslegacyfromMrJohnLander-Os- International.Theironyofhispassingis that Philwasactually you read,andsubscribeifcan. All yourthanksneedtogoVikkiBlasdaleforallherextremelyhardwork You shouldbynowallbeawarethatwehaveaneverimprovingwebsite. has alsodoneareviewonthis,whichcanbeseenpage46. bourne thatyourcommitteehavemadeprovisionfor,againMalcolmLawrie Congratulations havetogotheHockeyClubforfinallyobtaining wick. MalcolmLawriehasdoneareviewonpage46whichIwouldurge awarded theopportunityofattendingArtsEducationalSchoolatChis- that shehasdonetodateandiscontinuingdo! Hockey ClubbutalsotheOSAitself. morial grounds.Thisisgoingtohaveasignificantimpactfornotonlythe planning approvalforanAstroturfpitch,whichistobelaidattheOSAme- see oneoftheperformanceswouldhavebeenmesmerisedbyentire duction of"TheSoundMusic".Thoseyouwhowereluckyenoughto One ofmanythehighlightsmyyearwastoattendSchool'spro- production butinparticular,thetalentofEmmaHubble.hasbeen advise thatBarryChacksfield,whohasbeenourOSAAdministratoratthe School, hashadtostanddowndueotherpressures.ToBarryIpasson have putintotheworkofliaisingbetweenSchoolandAssociation. Our liaisonwiththeSchoolcontinuestoflourishbutunfortunatelyIhave my andallthemembership'sthanksfortimeenergythatyou Steven DAliso President

1 - - Ad Oln 1110I J9449 4 HIM: = and sisterDeb(MalvernHall).Myfather,'VJ',decidedthatIshouldsittheSolihull him. School entranceexamat11.HewasaDentalSurgeonand Ithinkhetookasmuch pleasure tellinghispatientsthatIhadpassedasdid! long blackgownsandMrHitchensstridingmajesticallyaround thequadrangleintotal My earlymemoriesofSolihullSchoolaredominatedbythe vision ofmasterswearing 'Digger' Grantandhetheboyswereincrediblysupportive, somethingwhichI've silence. Ithinksettledinwellbutthingsweretestedseverely whenmyfatherwas I attendedYorkHousePrepSchoolinHallGreenwithmyyoungerbrotherTim(OS) killed inacaraccidentwhenIwastheLowerIVth.Myform masteratthetimewas Your President-Elect,JohnPlatt,introduceshimselftothosethatdonotknow and Ijoined3iplc,theventurecapitalists.waswiththem for16yearsandenjoyed never forgotten. the money;somebodyelselooks afterthecones! and London.Imovedonhave beeninseniorfinancialpositionsindustrysince. now KPMGandstayedfor9years.Thefinancingofbusinesses alwaysintriguedme Following schoolIwentintoaccountancyandjoinedPeat MarwickMitchell&Co, wonderful day, even theweatherwasgood! it immensely,occasionallycrossing pathswithfellowOldBoysbothinBirmingham daughters, Lisa andJulie.On10thAugust Julie gotmarriedandweall had atruly and hasstarted manyanOldSilontheireducational journey!Wehave twolovely Birmingham dealingwiththefinancing oftheMidlandsMotorwaynetwork.Ilookafter I amcurrentlyMidlandRegion FinanceManagerfortheHighwaysAgencybasedin I amhappilymarriedtoTrish (Old Ed!)whoisHeadofNurseryatRuckleighSchool These sportingconnectionshaveledmetobeinginvolvedinthemanagementof These activitieshavecreatedlifelongfriendshipswithcharacterssuchas'Bete' fixtures includingtheWarwickiansFestivalwherewelostinfinaltoOldLearns! from 5thsto1stXV.In1991/2IorganisedaVeteransteamfor2yearsplayingfew with theso-calledPhantomsledbyPeterStyles.SincethenI'veplayedforeveryside year. WehavesomechallengesaheadandIwillendeavourtomakeastrongcontri- great game!IgoontheannualOSGSpilgrimagestoHunstantonforGraftonMor- rish Trophycompetitionandthesealsohaveledtosomememorabletrips! connection withtheOldBoyswasthroughRugbyClub.Myfirstgamein1967 predecessors. bution toensurethattheAssociationprospersintofuturejustasithasundermy Committee hastowrestlewith. OSA andtherugbysectioninpastIhavebeenbothTreasurerof days whenIwishI'dneverpickedupaclubbutthereareothersthinkit's home andawayinthe6Nations.Therehavebeensomememorabletrips! Management CommitteeandRugbyClubsoIknowsomethingoftheissuesthat Now IamamemberoftheGolfingSocietyandatCoptHeath.Thereare Parkes, 'Arnie'Thomas,and`Nige'DuckittwehavefollowedEnglandRugby I amdelightedandhonouredtorepresenttheAssociationasPresidentforcoming I've alwayslivedintheareaevenwhenmycareertookmetoLondonandmain 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1939/43 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 DrAVBernays 1921/22 THE OLDSILHILLIANS'ASSOCIATION-PASTPRESIDENTS JM Urry AJD Mansell JB Mayers AG Bragg WRL Horton TA Furse CW Bragg CL Hughes WR Ludlow CH Palmer C Aldrin BE Hatton Dr. KDWaters KW Highway EG Wilcox FL Nock HD James FJ Osborne RH Whitehill LE Horton LC Reading F Burnett HS Matthews HA Hughes PH Reading PE Martineau 1979 1978 RCYoung 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1954 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 T Jackson JMB Urry TG Jones JEJ Baggs WP Townsend JT Rolfe CT Coton CWD Cooper VO Hawley AGrhm 2005 DA Gurnham KJ Foster MJ Cusack BJW Swift MJ Wheelock MAD Cooper DM Powell RG Toy FAR Moon PJ Hill HB Callaghan DH Billing HT Wilcox HA Steele LG Highway FR Bishop 2006 2004 MACutler 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 J Woolman JM Batsford JRD Orrett AJ Richardson JLR Hare BJD Wilde GM Hughes G Stubbings SC Mackay PA Thomas BW Allen R Jerrom N Smith MC Bettridge HE Blow BW Allen MJD Smith HJC Taylor MS Saunders DD Cox PA Thomas P Callaghan RJC Graves DW Edwards RC Cupit PBL Instone

Dear Old Silhillian, tion of allocating the children of Old Silhillians to the House of their parent(s). That must be Fetherston's gain and Pole's loss! Certainly, to This is the eighth edition for me as Ed- rn many Old SiIs, the House that we were in still means a great deal to us. itor and I hope you find it interesting. I know that, some 40+ years on, there are regular Saturday golfers who 171: Up until August I was struggling for still treat their games as if they were Cock House vendettas! 0 copy. However, your response to my plea in the July OSA mail shot was su- It is nice to have some fresh blood on the Main Committee as we have perb and there is now plenty of content. co-opted young Johnny Dugdale onto the team. Johnny is studying at Many have taken the opportunity not SeIly Oak College for the Educationally Challenged - sorry, Birmingham only to update us, but also to reminisce, University - and it is good to have a younger viewpoint expressed at which is fantastic. If these memories committee meetings. Thanks are also due to Joe Bates for taking on and anecdotes were not recorded they the mantle of Treasurer. Along with Barry Allen and myself, Joe is the would be lost forever. Some have sent third 1975 leaver to join the current Main Committee. in old photos that I have scanned and passed on for retention in the School Once again my sincere thanks to those who wrote articles, provided pho- archives. They are an important part tos, placed advertisements or acknowledgements. Your support is in- of the School's history. Please keep valuable and, as always, very much appreciated. them coming. Lastly, another plea - if you wish to inform the Association of a change Jeremy Bragg has done it again and news of his fantastic success can of personal details or have any other membership query please send it be read on pages 42-44. Pictures of the newly re-furbished Members' to the Membership Secretary care of the Clubhouse and not to me as I Lounge can be seen on page 49 and we hope to see many more of you in do not maintain the records. there in the future. Scott Douglas left us as Clubhouse Manager earlier With best wishes. this the year and has been replaced by Keith Waterhouse. Keith is an Malcolm L.awrie Old Silhillian and, for those who do not know him, there is an introduc- PAST EDITORS tion on page 14. I would draw your OFFICE SUPPLIES attention to the piece on Grants 1. Bernard Owens (1950, 53-55) FREE SAME DAY DELIVERY and Awards on page 46. To my mind 2. Brian CogIan (1951-52) these, alongside the OSA scholar- 3. Arthur Upton (1956-60, 63) ships, are precisely the areas that Why choose Juel? 4. Robin Cooper (1961-62) Friendly and knowledgeable sales and the 05A should be supporting and customer services staff I feel immensely proud to be part 5. Mike Cusack & Mike Callaghan (1964) Customers are our number one priority of an organisation that sees fit to Personalised contracts and order forms 6. Mike Cusack (1965-67) help current and former pupils in On-site visits if required 7. Brian Knight (1968-71) this manner. One-stop shopping - saves 8. Geoff Herne (1972-74) BUSINESS SERVICES you money Not only does the poor Headmaster 9. Nick Atkinson (1975-76) Office and computer supplies have to deal with me as Silhillian 10. John Woolman (1977-79) Contact Neil Jones, Windsor, left 1987 Print and stationery Editor he now has the extra burden 11. Simon Wilcox (1980-82) Office furniture and machines of dealing with me as a parent too. 12. Martin Cotter (1983-85) I was delighted that my daughter, 13. David Gilbert (1986-87) Alex, managed to achieve the GCSE 14. Robert Chetland (1988-89) TO 01564 772934 grades necessary to secure a place 15. Reg Instone (1990-91) at the School. It was however, with 16. Richard Graves (1992-94) Juel Business Services Limited, 462 Station Road, surprise and a little disappointment 17. Claude Coton (1995-99) Dorridge, Solihull, West Midlands B93 8HB that I learnt that the School no 18. Malcolm Lawrie (2000- ) Email: [email protected] • order on-line at www.juel.co.uk longer carries on the age-old tradi- - - mmi • in

• I M • 1LULL A 410

• Mike Waters Steve Aliso John Platt Peter Thomas Mark Lucas Vikki Blasdale 911. Management Chairman - President President-Elect 1mm. Past President London Representative General Member

3

II II Fr

Barry Allen Phil Griffiths Peter Davies Johnny Dugdale Craig Holden Brian Wilde Chairman Headmaster Hon. Secretary General Member General Member General Member

Please note that all enquiries concerning membership issues, subscriptions, change of address etc., should be addressed to: The Membership Secretary The Old Silhillians' Association, Memorial Clubhouse and Ground Warwick Road, Copt Heath Solihull, West Midlands B93 9LW or emailed to 8 9 Joe Bates Rupert Young Malcolm Lawrie [email protected] Hon. Treasurer Hon. Membership Sec. Silhillian Editor Only a year ago I began my article for The Silhillian speculation about standards in national examinations but, whatever the debate, these thankful that there had not been a building firm at are excellent results at both A and GCSE and reflect the commitment of the teachers School for a year. Four months later I was announc- and the hard work of the pupils. They deserve congratulation. (i) ing to the School in the end of Christmas Term as- sembly that a new Music School would be our next Headline rates in national exams only reflect part of the achievements and activities at project. Since then architects have been appoint- Solihull School and involvement of pupils in so many other activities is a major part of 0 0 ed, the School site surveyed and the first drawings what the School has to offer. Academic success was matched by the stunning produc- produced. There is a great deal to be done before tion of The Sound of Music and, in a totally different sphere, the appearance of the Un- the building work begins, as previous projects have der 15 rugby team in the fD taught us that the planning stage is crucial if we are final of the Daily Mail Vase 0 Competition at Twicken- • to have the facilities within the building that we want. . p„ .....as .. i imo imam' r, I arrived at School in 1972 when the Music School ham. Mr Jackson's team all was being completed, but since then the Music De- did not have an auspi- • 4 partment has developed so much that the present cious start to the season, building cannot house all that is offered. The new but the momentum de- building will have many more practice rooms, an ICT suite, rehearsal rooms to ac- veloped and there were commodate both orchestras and ensembles, and a recording studio as well as class some close results. The teaching rooms. The building will be completed for 2010 and will celebrate the 450th semi-final against Bishop anniversary of the School's foundation, just as the building of the Chapel celebrated Wordsworth School at the quatercentenary. I am sure there are many Silhillians who will remember the fund Castlecroft was won by 13 a I raising for the Chapel and the visit of the Queen two years later. points to 12, after a sev- 1.3 /I A yr, -0 enty-minute stoppage for The Under 15 Rugby Team at Twickenham The Chapel has a central role in the life of the School and the Chapel Choir is one of injury, and then it was off the glories of Solihull School. Many of you will have participated in those wonderful to Twickenham. To play on that pitch must be every rugby player's dream and six Nine Lessons and Carols services at the end of the Christmas Term, or listened to coaches full of supporters left the School at 7.00 am to be in the stand for the 11.00 am the beautiful singing on Sunday evenings. For several years there has been growing kick-off. The dream of victory was not to be and the final score was 27 — 3 to Wood- concern about the Chapel organ and last year the Governors decided that it would house Grove, but the score does not reflect the excellent rugby produced, with some have a major refurbishment at a cost of £250,000. The firm employed to install the marvellous running of the ball in the backs. Although the success of the Under 15s organ was contacted and in this summer's holiday Nicholson of Malvern removed has been in the limelight, the other rugby sides have had good seasons, the 1st XV the organ to their workshops. The complete refit will take some six months and to having had a very successful first half of the term with a series of victories. There are celebrate its completion there will be a series of organ concerts. We have been regularly ten sides playing for the School on a Saturday, with all pitches being used. fortunate that Paul Hale, Old Silhillian (1963-71) and Southwell Minster's organist Hockey goes from strength to strength and there are often five senior sides playing on and choirmaster, has been our consultant on this major project and he will be one a Wednesday. The 1st Xl were undefeated in the Christmas Term and the run of 17 of several past pupils who will return in the summer and autumn of 2008 for a series matches in a row ended in the spring with the defeat by in the county of concerts. David Briggs (Old Silhillian 1974-81) has been commissioned to write final. The girls' 1st Xl won 21 of their 24 games in their most successful season ever an anthem for the Chapel Choir and will come over from New York to play. John and were County Champions, as were the Under 14 and the Under 11 boys' hockey Butt (Old Silhillian 1974-81), Professor of Music at Glasgow University, will also give teams. The Under 13 girls were second in the West Midlands Tournament. a recital. Meanwhile Nicholson have installed a temporary organ so that music in the Chapel will continue, the services will still have organ accompaniment and Nine Whilst the winter sports were played in relatively mild weather conditions, the summer Lessons and Carols will still take place this December. You are most welcome and games were nearly washed away. Great holes were left in the fixture list as match tickets will be available from Reception in my Wing. after match was cancelled. was abandoned on three consecutive Saturdays and weather prevented the annual fixture with a recent ' team from taking The academic success of last year's Upper Sixth has been replicated this year. 53 place. Just as for the 1st XV, the 1st Xl had a very successful first half term and pupils (out of a year group of 149) gained 3 grade As at A Level or better and 80% will scored some notable victories. In the 20/20 competition Shrewsbury was defeated go to their first choice university. In the A Level examinations 82.3% of all subjects and the team progressed well, but were eventually defeated by Repton. The Under were passed at grades A or B and 14 won places at Oxford and Cambridge this year. 15 Xl won the 20/20 and the Under 12 and Under 14 teams got to the I calculate that there are 42 past pupils now at these two universities as undergradu- quarter-finals and the Under 13s to the semi-final. New all-weather practice nets, ates. It was great news in the summer holidays to hear that Jessica Banham has replacing some of the nets by the Pavilion, have proved very popular and are a great been awarded a Senior Exhibition at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and Tom Law training aid. has won an Open Scholarship at Jesus College, Oxford. The Upper Fifth improved on last year's record by more than 5%. Over 67% of all subjects taken gained A" or A Athletics remains strong, with victories against Dean Close, Uppingham, Malvern, 11 grades and 28 pupils gained A grades in all their subjects. Every year there is media Warwick and King Henry VIII, whilst is beginning to re-emerge as a school sport, with an increasing number of fixtures and success in the Borough Swimming Achille is the World Harmonica Champion and left School this year. In the summer Sports for the boys at Under 12, Under 15 and Under 18, and at Under 13 level for the he gave a solo concert on saxophone and harmonica and in the Leavers' Assembly girls. The team at Under 13 level are Borough Champions. played the Ashokan Farewell. I am sure we will hear a lot more of Philip in the years (/) to come. There have been individual successes, too. James Mansfield captained the Great Britain team in trap shooting and was selected to represent Great Britain in the Junior The musicians went off to Prague in the summer holiday to deliver a series of concerts. 0 0 Olympics in Sydney, . Jathan Malik is No 1 in the country for Under 13 ten- This is the second time that the orchestra has gone abroad recently, visiting Salzburg nis. Jonathan Proud has been training with the England Under 18 hockey squad; Tom in the previous year. The major expedition this year was to with 28 boys and girls Harrison has represented the West Midlands in the Under 17 hockey team. Richard visiting the Atacama Desert and climbing an 18,000-foot volcano. At the same time Johnson made his debut for Warwickshire CCC against Leeds and Bradford universi- 22 cricketers went to Barbados to participate in the Sir Garfield Sobers International 0 ties. Although it is not a sport, Joe Bitter became the World Irish Dance Champion. Schools Tournament. These major trips and visits have become a standard feature His performance for the whole school in the Bushell Hall was amazing and earned of life at Solihull School. Last year the rugby players went to and hockey rt rapturous applause. teams (both boys' and girls') went to Australia. Next year the rugby tour is to Fiji and and a major expedition is already being planned for 2009 to Ecua- dor. Our link with Wessex School in Chile continues with their second visit in May and a member of the Lower Sixth going to work there in the sum- mer holiday. As a result of charity fund raising at the Parents' Association Summer Ball, the support to Nihiluwa School in Sri Lanka was maintained with a donation of £5,000. With the voluntary CCF Chile, May 2007 (nearly 200 strong) going regularly away to camps and courses and the Duke of Edin- burgh's Award (over 150 participants) taking expeditions to the mountain cottage, the Lake District and Dartmoor, as well as trips to Iceland, , and Spain, there The Sound of Music is a massive choice on offer to our pupils. I have already mentioned The Sound of Music, the musical performed in the Bushell Hall over five nights. It justifiably received a standing ovation on the last night and As with any academic year it ends with not only pupils leaving and moving on, but played to packed houses. The reputation of the School's musical productions has also members of the Common Room. Some colleagues have been at School only a grown in the last two years with Les Misérables and Barnum, but The Sound of Music few years and are moving to new posts: Miss Katy White (Junior School), Mrs Mary surpassed all expectations. There were so many superb voices that each song was O'Connor (Maths) and Miss Leanne Hogg (Girls' Games). Leanne married Richard a joy to hear. The letter to the Solihull Times said it all: "the singing was out of this Farmer, Old Silhillian and Director of Studies, in the summer and they both leave for world, and the orchestra marvellous". Jack Halsey was Captain von Trapp and played posts at Dulwich College Shanghai, where he will become Head of the Senior School. opposite Emma Hubble as Maria. Emma wants to be an actress and has a place at Ian Swift had been at School for 18 years, first as SSI in the CCF and latterly as ICT Drama School, and she will be partly supported by the Old Silhillians' Trust. This is Support Technician. He has retired to his native Yorkshire. Solihull has a tradition an excellent example of the support that the Association gives to individual members of long-serving teachers and John Loynton is an excellent example of the traditional of the School. schoolmaster. He retired this year after 25 years at Solihull School. He has taught from J1 in the Junior School to the Upper Sixth and has made History come alive for Although the musical dominates the Easter Term, it is only one aspect of Music at many generations of schoolboys. His love of transcends even History and he School. Stephen Perrins pushes the boundaries of pupils' ability and expectation. (with Malcolm Swain) took many golf tours to Ireland and Scotland. He has been a The performance by the Choral Society of The Mass for Peace on the evening before member of the CCF for all his time at School and latterly commanded the RAF Sec- Remembrance was amazing and more than a little emotional as the poppies fell on tion. John has not quite left, however, as he has agreed to take over the archives from the audience during the Benedictus. Music is now so varied at School, with concerts Denis Tomlin. John follows in a long tradition of schoolmasters who have served So- 12 having music from Glenn Miller, Freddie Mercury, as well as classical composers. lihull School and given all or most of their life to the School. They have helped make 3 The St Cecilia Concert ended with a piece called Xylomania, with Andrew Turner and it the successful school it is today. Michael Delaney playing the xylophone bought by the Parents' Association. Philip Phil Griffiths We are delighted to welcome Keith Waterhouse as our new Clubhouse Manager following Scott Douglas' move to pastures new.

Keith is one of our own and after leaving Solihull School in 1976 he went on to the College of Food and Domestic Arts in Birmingham where he obtained an H.N.D. in Hotel, Ca- tering and Institutional Manage- ment.

Keith has been in the hospitality in- dustry for 30 years and has lived in various parts of the U.K. Most of his career has been spent in 4 and 5 star hotels. During this time he has been Deputy General Manager of the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne (5 star)

pfitlirr and General Manager of the Shake- for speare Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon (4 Star). Keith also ran Jago Restaurant in Henley-in-Arden with his wife, Our marquee is a great venue in brother Andrew (also an Old Silhillian) and his wife. Jago Restaurant was, a fantastic setting. It's ideal for of course, named after the School wedding receptions, birthday cel- House that Andrew and he were ebrations, team-building days, in. staff summer parties and corpo- He has been married to Jeanette rate hospitality. It will be avail- for 17 years. Jeanette is also in able again in 2008 from June 16th hospitality as a Hotel Conference to July 6th. Sales Manager. As a member, if you book an event Keith commented, "I enjoy the The Gaming & Amusement in the marquee on any day from industry because it gives a great Equipment Specialists to the Sunday to Wednesday inclusive deal of satisfaction to me to commercial market... we'll offer very special rates. An please people and to see them event and a price tailor-made for happy as a result of my team's ... also supplying Wurlitzer you. efforts". Further, he is particu- Just call Keith Waterhouse on larly delighted to be on board at Jukeboxes and a range of 01564 777680 or email - the Silhillians' Clubhouse and very table games to the domestic manager@silhilliansclubhouse. much wants to increase the levels market. co.uk of business at the Clubhouse and raise the standards of the service Recaf Equipment Limited and of the product. Wainwright Road, Shire Business Park, Worcester WR4 9FA UK These objectives are in line with Tel: 01905 456 666 - Fax: 01905 754 568 those of the OSA committees and E-mail: [email protected] 1 the wishes of the regulars in the clubhouse. We wish Keith every www.recaf.co.uk success in his new appointment. RON (SMOKEY) EADES (School House, left 1937) .IIIIIIIIIIII•1••• RAYMOND HARRISON (left 1928) Although verse may not fit the image of the modern, hard-nosed Solihull it was at In reply to Roger Flood's invitation to the Over 60's Luncheon, Raymond Harrison school that I became a lover of it — enthused by a master, Harnby, assisted by my 0 wrote, "I am aged 96 and although still mobile, I am not sufficiently mobile to attend Housemaster, Hutchings. CL the Over 60s Lunch. Recalling my life at School, if the Boxing Championship board is (11 still up in the Old Gym, my name will be on it. The training I received in the School OTC This verse was written when I was 85 and confronted, in my local, by a charmingly ■ I ,,me in desirable barmaid! Maybe it will warn your younger OBs of the disappointments yet Krlral (as it was in his day, not the CCF as it is now) where I gained my Cert A, stood —.7 good stead during the 1939 — 45 war. I now live in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. to come! Emma

If I were young it's you I'd woo, 17171 JACK WISEMAN (School House, left 1932) Ardently, like youngsters do. O ■ Jack celebrated his 90th I'd bring you roses, buy you pearls , ue Birthday on the 23rd March A ring for every finger. I NMI this year. Despite suffering I'd dine you at the Waterside and afterwards we linger a severe stroke in November Through hazy blue and wanton days V 2003 which has impaired his With life as sweet as cheery. But I am too old, oh far too old 0 speech, he is still very active For we two to make merry. and remains Vice Chairman of Birmingham City FC. To TOM CAULCOTT (Shenstone, left 1945) the left is a photo of him at the In June 2007 I reached my 80th birthday. It seems a time for a few reminiscences, Blues Training Ground when for sadly my Solihull contemporaries with whom I had kept in touch have mostly died. he paid a visit to congratulate There is only Bob Rae, a distinguished Housemaster at Christ's Hospital, with whom I the coaching staff on the team now correspond and see very occasionally. winning promotion back to the So what strikes me of those years at Solihull — essentially the war years for I left in Premier League in April. He is 1945 having been there since 1937? pictured with, from left to right, Keith Bertschin (Reserve Team Manager), Steve Bruce (Manager) & Eric Black (Assistant Manager) & still gets to most of the home games As I worked my way up the School it is some of the senior boys who keep in my mem- at St Andrew's. ory as much as the masters. What great men some of them were. John Butterfield who went on to be one of the outstanding medical men of his generation, a Life Peer, Jack also remains President of the Golf Club Stewards' Association & tries to attend Master of Downing College, Cambridge. Oliver Wright, Master of another Cambridge College (Christ's) who was called back from retirement by Margaret Thatcher to be our the evening functions of any events they hold Ambassador to the U.S.A. Ronald Arculus, who was Ambassador to Italy. in the Midlands - despite not now playing he also enjoys his visits to Olton Golf Club where But my own contemporaries were equally memorable. Frank Rhodes who, after an he has been a member for many years. academic career in England, went on to America and became President of Cornell University. Have any other Englishmen ever been Presidents of Ivy League Colleges C. DOUGLAS KEEN (Jago, left 1935) in the U.S.A.? Bob Cawley, Professor of Psychiatry at King's College Hospital and the With the approach of Armistice Day, and coin- Maudesley, was perhaps the outstanding psychiatrist of his time. cidentally my 89th birthday, I thought that with the demise of the 42nd of Foot, "the gallant I was with some of these in London in my days at the Treasury but came back to the forty-twa", you might be interested to know Midlands as Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council during the 1980s. that Old Sils were represented in The Black So what did Solihull School do for us? A good education for some, some inspiring Watch (The Royal Highland Regiment) and teachers — Raymond Ansell above all, but A.L. Mackenzie (Mac) too and the inspira- the 51st Highland Division. tion of Margaret Isaacs when, for the first time, a woman teacher came to Solihull.

To bring a hint of 'our former glory' to your pag- However if I had one thing above all to point to, it would be the great administrative es, may I submit this 'touch of tartan and red experience of running an organisation which wartime schooling brought. So many hackle' to our colourful magazine? Perhaps masters had gone into the Forces that much of the running of the school fell to the only Claude Coton will recognise me, since all prefects. I remember a major task was how to heat the school. The physical supply of my mates have gone before. of coke for the boilers had to be organised and physically handled by gangs of boys. . I learned more about organisation, general administration and staff management run- 17 I was in Jago and left in 1935: but 'nemo me ning aspects of the school's administration like this than I ever did from later experi- ences — or at least such school days provided a wonderful first learning of such arts. I impune lacessit. 16 0

EMn I IUMn forty-twa", youmightbeinterestedtoknow To bringahintof'ourformerglory' toyourpag- the 51stHighlandDivision. Watch (TheRoyalHighlandRegiment)and that OldSilswererepresentedinTheBlack the demiseof42ndFoot,"thegallant With theapproachofArmisticeDay,andcoin- the eveningfunctionsofanyeventstheyhold impune lacessit. of mymateshavegonebefore. only ClaudeCotonwillrecognise me,sinceall es, mayIsubmitthis'touchof tartanandred C. DOUGLASKEEN(Jago,left1935) also enjoyshisvisitstoOltonGolfClubwhere Jack alsoremainsPresidentoftheGolfClubStewards'Association&triestoattend JACK WISEMAN(SchoolHouse,left1932) cidentally my89thbirthday,Ithoughtthatwith hackle' toourcolourfulmagazine? Perhaps at StAndrew's. the Over60sLunch.RecallingmylifeatSchool,ifBoxingChampionshipboardis wrote, "Iamaged96andalthoughstillmobile,Inotsufficientlymobiletoattend he hasbeenamemberformanyyears. in theMidlands-despitenotnowplayinghe (Manager) &EricBlack(AssistantManager)stillgetstomostofthehomegames pictured with,fromlefttoright,KeithBertschin(ReserveTeamManager),SteveBruce still upintheOldGym,mynamewillbeonit.ThetrainingIreceivedSchoolOTC good steadduringthe1939—45war.InowliveinCowesonIsleofWight." I wasinJagoand leftin1935:but (as itwasinhisday,nottheCCFasisnow)whereIgainedmyCertA,stoodme RAYMOND HARRISON(left1928) In replytoRogerFlood'sinvitationtheOver60'sLuncheon,RaymondHarrison 'nemo me winning promotionbacktothe the coachingstaffonteam the leftisaphotoofhimat 2003 whichhasimpairedhis this year.Despitesuffering Jack celebratedhis90th of BirminghamCityFC.To and remainsViceChairman speech, heisstillveryactive a severestrokeinNovember he paidavisittocongratulate Blues TrainingGroundwhen Premier LeagueinApril.Heis Birthday onthe23rdMarch This versewaswrittenwhenI85andconfronted,inmylocal,byacharmingly Although versemaynotfittheimageofmodern,hard-nosedSolihullitwasat TOM CAULCOTT(Shenstone,left1945) As IworkedmywayuptheSchoolitissomeofseniorboyswhokeepinmem- to come! desirable barmaid!MaybeitwillwarnyouryoungerOBsofthedisappointmentsyet school thatIbecamealoverofit—enthusedbymaster,Harnby,assistedmy Ambassador totheU.S.A.RonaldArculus,whowas toItaly. who wentontobeoneoftheoutstandingmedicalmenhisgeneration,aLifePeer, There isonlyBobRae,adistinguishedHousemasteratChrist'sHospital,withwhomI for sadlymySolihullcontemporarieswithwhomIhadkeptintouchhavemostlydied. RON (SMOKEY)EADES(SchoolHouse,left1937) tion ofMargaretIsaacswhen, forthefirsttime,awomanteachercametoSolihull. teachers —RaymondAnsellaboveall,butA.L.Mackenzie (Mac)tooandtheinspira- ory asmuchthemasters.Whatgreatmensomeofthemwere.JohnButterfield now correspondandseeveryoccasionally. Housemaster, Hutchings. ences —oratleast suchschooldaysprovided awonderfulfirstlearningof sucharts. of cokefortheboilershadto be organisedandphysicallyhandledbygangsofboys. experience ofrunninganorganisation whichwartimeschoolingbrought.Somany So whatdidSolihullSchooldoforus?Agoodeducation for some,someinspiring College (Christ's)whowascalledbackfromretirementbyMargaretThatchertobeour So whatstrikesmeofthoseyearsatSolihull—essentiallythewarforIleftin academic careerinEngland,wentontoAmericaandbecame PresidentofCornell masters hadgoneintotheForces thatmuchoftherunningschoolfellto prefects. Irememberamajor taskwashowtoheattheschool.Thephysicalsupply Midlands asChiefExecutiveofBirminghamCityCouncilduring the1980s. Maudesley, wasperhapstheoutstandingpsychiatristofhis time. in theU.S.A.?BobCawley,ProfessorofPsychiatryatKing's CollegeHospitalandthe But myowncontemporarieswereequallymemorable.Frank Rhodeswho,afteran Master ofDowningCollege,Cambridge.OliverWright,anotherCambridge ning aspectsof theschool'sadministrationlike thisthanIeverdidfromlater experi- However ifIhadonethingabove alltopointto,itwouldbethegreatadministrative I waswithsomeoftheseinLondonmydaysattheTreasury butcamebacktothe University. HaveanyotherEnglishmeneverbeenPresidents ofIvyLeagueColleges In June2007Ireachedmy80thbirthday.Itseemsatimeforfewreminiscences, I learnedmore about organisation,generaladministration andstaffmanagement run- 1945 havingbeentheresince1937? I'd dineyouattheWatersideandafterwardswelinger Through hazyblueandwantondays I'd bringyouroses,buypearls If Iwereyoungit'syouI'dwoo, But Iamtooold,ohfarold Ardently, likeyoungstersdo. With lifeassweetcheery. For wetwotomakemerry. A ringforeveryfinger. Emma 17 CL 0 ..„, till So it is with many happy memories and much gratitude that I look back on wartime JOHN BASSETT (Pole, left 1949) school days, a much broader preparation for the years ahead than just a good aca- I'm still alive in West Yorkshire after a 5 year sojourn and doing a House of Duty Priest

, demic education. job in the Parish of Pool in Wharfedale. In June 2007 I celebrated 40 years as a 0 Priest in the Church of God and that expression of it known as the C. of E. There -w GORDON CAMPBELL (Jago, left 1948) was a special service, a Bishop preaching, many friends, relations, current and ex- I left school in 1948 whilst the Second World War was still in progress, with the at- (1) parishioners to share it with — splendid day. I■1111 tendant bombing and destruction of familiar buildings (our general grocers and local N church hall in Hall Green, for example). `Stosh' Thompson was Headmaster. I shall soon have to contemplate absolute retirement — that will not be so bad but the

an prospect of down-sizing, after living in fairly decent sized Parsonages over the years, In those days in Hall Green, Geoff Joburns; Max Taylor; Terry Horne; John Holland; is looming large. Ones hope that the housing available from the Church Commis- MI■1 John Goddard; Barry Hall; John Meek; David Powell and of course, my older brother, sioners and Pensions Board is 'reasonable' even if the rent is relatively high. Retire- Bob Campbell, all lived locally and most of us cycled to school whatever the weather. ment seems to be an expensive business all round after life in tied houses.

Along the Streetsbrook Road there was a barrage balloon on Jack Mould's athletic BRIAN WALLACE (Shenstone, left 1949) field (now forming part of Robin hood Cemetery). Also, there was the old Streets- Brian's year of leaving was given as 1940 in last year's addition whereas he actually 0 brook Road with a well-frequented 'pop' shop with the Urban District Dump alongside. left in 1949. He would still like to be contacted by his contemporaries - snail-mail Opposite was marshy ground, which is now open grassland with Woodlea Drive, which address from the OSA Office at the School or email via Neil — [email protected] was cut through the woods known as Brown's Coppice, nearby. RICHARD J. ADAMS (School House, left 1951) Of course, Solihull was still just 'the village' and there were always Solihull School I am writing this from the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Northfield, Birmingham, where boys and Malvern Hall girls meeting at Rotherham's Milk Bar and the White Cat; the I have just had an above knee amputation for a mixoid liposarcoma in the right calf. little school in Drury Lane used as a British restaurant; Manly Clothes (the school out- I had the first operation in 1985. 19 later years later, almost a record according to fitters); Twiggs the bookshop and Owens Ironmongers (still serving Old Silhillians). Roger Grimer, the surgeon, it reappeared. The operation gives me better chance of a longer survival. I leave here in a few days and am excited about having a prosthesis Within the grounds, we had trenches and 'the Mound' (the excavation from the swim- fitted towards the end of October. ming baths) — the scenes for unofficial inter-house warfare where slings were used to hurl missiles at one another! The Cold Dinner Hut; pears growing against the wall I am sorry to say this is the first occasion I have written to the Silhillian Magazine since leading down to the Warwick Road; the walnut tree by Big School (now the Library) leaving School House in July 1951 where I was one of the few dayboys taken in so where we dared scrump the sought-after walnuts; the open .22 rifle range where I that the boarders could have their own house. I must add that the boarders were a spent many happy hours in the N.R.S.A. competitions: woodwork with 'Timber' John- splendid bunch of lads. son (one of the most useful subjects I was taught); 'Yako' Easterling and the School Song (sadly no longer sung by the School); 'Jaffa' Foster and the Art Room with the In 1962 I married Sheila Mary Pentecost of Woking, Surrey. Some members of the glass roof which aspiring cricketers from the 1st Xl table tried to hit with a six (Rev. rugby club such as David Powell, Claude Coton and John Cooper (deceased) never Goodfield was rumoured to reward any team member sixpence if they achieved this cease to wonder how Sheila has put up with me for so many years! feat); the agony of the open air swimming bath with Mr. Shepherd in attendance to Our four children are widely spread. Susan, a Health Visitor, lives in Romsey; Pe- supervise the annual cleaning thereof and subsequent lessons; Bertie Peak and his ter lives in Philadelphia and is a research biochemist into cell growth and regularly obsession with astronomy and dislike of wearing socks. Geography with `Ma' Allen publishes papers in journals like Nature and Cell; Roger, a Chartered Civil/Structural who was popular for more than just the subject she taught; the brilliant mind of 'Swotty' Engineer, lives in Dublin: Penny, (Roger's twin), lectures in psychology and lives near Ansell; History taught by 'the Bun' Havinden (who had some choice expressions which Mold, North Wales. these days would have the pc brigade up in arms). Then, does anyone remember 'Inky' Ingram walking the length of the gym on his hands and 'pirates' as a special treat I ran my own Building Surveying practice in Coventry from 1972-1999. Most of my at the end of term? retirement time has been spent in bookshops and coffee houses, I have a library of some 8,000 books, and with my new leg I look forward to spending more time in I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the privilege of an education at So- bookshops. lihull School. Pride in our school, the Junior Training Corps and the thrill of competi- tion and achievement were all engendered and some of the lessons learned. Codes STUART CRAWFORD (School House, left 1951) of behaviour and self-discipline went down deep. Friendships have lasted all my life When Trevor Jones and I went to Brancaster to support the Grafton Morrish golf team, (76 now) and it is good to see so many of my peers at the 'over 60s' luncheons and to we sang the School song after the evening meal at The Lifeboat. To our amaze- meet Old Boys both before and after my time at the School This provides a wide and ment nobody else joined in as they never heard it before and we were asked to sing interesting spectrum of both age and occupation/achievement. It is always a great it again. It would appear that nobody under the age of seventy is familiar with the 18 'pleasure when the present Headmaster joins us at these meetings. School song. 19 I hope this brings back happy memories and encourages other Old Sils to write in. I have managed to obtain a copy of it from Jill Godsall via Denis Tomlin and this is set 20 MMI= - when myintention ofmakingacareerinthe Armywascutshortbyamedical misdi- the agnosis, which keptmeinhospitalLondon, whereIhadgoneintending topartici- an earlyintroduction tococktailsandwine!I leftschoolsomewhatabruptly in1951, also sunattheOver60sLunches? In August1949Iwentonthe firstpost-warschoolforeignexchangetoFranceand I DEREK out below.MayIsuggestthatthisisre-introducedinmusiclessonsattheSchooland have neglectedtosendanything intothemagazinebefore,butIhopethiswillput matter torights! MORGAN(Fetherston,left1951) But thoughnamelesshelivesintheheartsofusall, Arose agreatfounderwhobuiltsmallschool, When RichardtheSecondwasrulingourland, Was heprelateornobleknight,oftheshire, To theschoolatwhichShenstonewastaught, The nameofourfounderno-onecanrelate, Our thanksanddevotionwe'lldailyoutpour, SOLIHULL SCHOOLSONG Music by.1.A.Easterling,M.A.,Mus.B.(Cantab) We allwillbetruetoourancientdescent, Whatever thefutureorfortunemaybring Which hasgrownandisfamoustoday. In dayswhichhavelongpassedaway, In studies,ingamesandthought. It waslostasfivecenturiespassed; With alovethatforalltimewilllast. In prideandrespectjustthesame. Or humbleinrankorfame? Woirls byS.G.Everitt Chorus Chorus just returnedfromaschoolexpeditionwhen,amongstother adventures,heclimbed formers, notto mentionthenewJuniorSchool. InmytimeIwasproudto beinthe team thatplayed itspartinmakingtheSchool whatitistoday. the Schoolhasmade,from oldMusicRoomandsoloPianoefforts,toBushell 40 yearssincewelastmet!butwhatawelcomeand whatanextraordinarily Among thoseOldSilswemetupwithinNewZealand2000wereJohnWall,for- for 30yearsandprovidedthefloorsatOldSils'Clubhousewhenitwasfirstbuilt. wife Cherrie(néeGurney)andI,developedthebusinessintoafairlylargeconcern, without myservices. cricket pavilionandall-weather sportspitches;towonderfulnewfacilitiesforsixth enjoyed twoyearsinthe6thform,gainingherAlevelsand is currentlyatNottingham Through John,wealsometupwithMacHanley,anotherOld Sil,whosadlypassed developed hisgirthsomewhat!Unfortunately,hehadlost wifethepreviousyear. to ChristchurchstudyAgricultureimmediatelyhestoppedplayingthetenordrum 40 differentcountriesoftheworldwherewemetupwithmanyfriendsfromRotary thriving enterprisewhichitistoday. decided thathefanciedhishandwithourorientalcontacts.Thissoonbecamethe Oh, andbythe way,Fetherstonisstillthebest. Myprogenywillvouchfor that! So itis63yearssinceIfirst startedinthePrepSchoolwithMissEnglish!From Chile's highestvolcanicpeak,the18,000fthighLicancaur. away inAugustthisyear. successful andfabulouslifehehasledstilllooks the same,evenifhehas shirt spreadacrosshiscar!WecalledonPeterthenextdayfollowinganearlymorn- and schooldays.AlsoIhadtimetovigorouslypursuemyloveofpaintingam grandchildren lovedasmuchwedid.DuringthisperiodourdaughterZoemar- adding carpeting,curtainsandupholsteryaswell.WecarriedoutworkattheSchool but thenIlaunchedmyownbusiness,MorganFloors&Finishes.We,thatis subsequently spendingtimeatBirminghamCollegeofArtasHisMajestychosetodo Hall whereincredibleperformances arenowenjoyedbymany;toamagnificentnew University whilemygrandson,Will,isjustgoingintohisfinal Alevelyear,having Now IamenjoyingSolihullSchoollifealloveragain.Mygrand-daughter, Gemma, ing birdingtriponLakeTaupo.Hewasn'texactlyexpecting usoutofthebluesome merly aHeadmasterandcroquetplayerofnote,PeterSperry,whodisappeared Birmingham SocietyofArtists)tohisname. proud tosaythatIbelieveamtheonlyOldSilwithARBSA(AssociateofRoyal lifetime weexpandedourinterestinbirdwatchingwhiletravelledthroughsome home hasrelocatedtoHalkidikiwherewespendthreemonthsayear.Duringour ried andproducedtwohalfGreekgrandsonswhonowtoweroverus!Soourholiday at SolihullSchoolin1976,wentuptoUniversityLondon,andfouryearslaterhe ness, DemipaSales.ThiswasablytakenupbymysonRichard.Hehadfinished in theCorpsband.JohnmetusoutsidePalmerstonNorthwithhisoldschoolrugby Later, byaccident,mycontactsledmeoverseasandtostartinganimportingbusi- My workinglifebecameContractFlooring,startinginthedecorativeendofthings, pate inthePublicSchoolsSquashChampionship.Itookayearofftorecuperate, For tenyearswehadasecondhomeqitheLakeDistrict,whichourchildrenand 1943, whenIfirstwentthere, tillnow,Ifeelfortunatetohaveseenthehugestrides 21 0 (1) r MON sue 0 iiji d the Universityof Astonandworkedforthecompany inBirminghamandAycliffe, Co was verylittleroombehindtheset,andforproductionswithmanychanges for quickrelease.Asmoneywasalwaysshortthesewerereusedthenext feet by3coveredwithcanvasuponwhichthesceneswerepaintedusing was byahomemadeintercomsystemtothebackofstage.Scenery and laterinPersonnel &AdministrationManagement. Igraduatedinthe latterat possible, written56years later,in2007.BackRow-fromlefttoright of sceneweoftenusedthesidewindowonstagetotakestuffinandout. audience. enjoyed itasmuchtheactorsalthoughweremainedanonymousto and eyesfastenedtothefloorby3-inchanglebracketsusingcuphooks about 3weeksbeforetheproductionandoccupiedallsparetimewehad The stagecrew,underMauriceElwell,wasmanagedbyPatMoore.Har- ferent fromTheBushellHall! auditorium sotheoperatorcouldseewhatwasgoingon.Communication made onrelativelyflimsy'flats'consistingofawoodenframeworkabout8 electrics, waslefttothestagemanagerandhiscrew.Workusuallystarted (We alwayshopeditwouldn'train!).ItwasgreatfunandIamsureweall production bypaintingoverfirstwithmushroomcolouredemulsion.There poster paint.Theywereheldtogethertoformacontinuousscenebyhooks heard of.Theswitchboardwaslocatedinthefirst'box'BigSchool Solihull SchoolDramaticSocietyproductionof'TheImportancebeingEar- HENRY PINCHIN*leftin1952 stagehands. Apartfromtheproducers,GuyKing-ReynoldsandDerekBur- I joinedBakelite LimitedinTyseley,Birmingham, initiallyinResearch&Development liquid dimmersforthelightingcontroltorheostats,butelectronicswereun- (and somethatwasn'treallyspare!).Inthosedayswehadprogressedfrom rell, whooutlinedwhatwaswanted,thewholeofstaging-sceneryand ry WardellandEricLaceydidelectrics-theothersinphotographwere nest' inDecember1951-BackStagearrangementsBigSchoolalittledif- This photographshowssome ofthestagecrewwithpersonalnotes,where and,with'Taffy'Williams'guidance ascareersmaster, with ICTtoform ICLatStevenage.Wedesigned moreandcomplicated and smaller computers. Iwasthenlenttoasmall researchestablishmentfarfrom home the UKforAustinMotorCo atLongbridge various departmentsatHayes. Wedesignedoneofthefirstcommercialcomputers We havetwochildrenandfourgrandchildren. designing variouspartsofcomputer devicesfortheministry;Iwasthusexemptfrom ated inElectricalEngineering. IjoinedEMIinthedefencedepartmentatFeltham sign layoutsofmechanicalservicesfordefence.Mycareer out RAFNationalServicein1959andspent18monthsairfield constructiononde- Alkali Inspectorate. room. Wethen movedontotransistorisedand smallermodels.Thedivision merged and write.IcontinuetobehappilymarriedSuzannewho isagreatsupportforme. national service.EMIthenformed acommercialcomputerdivisionwithstafffrom My interestsincludephilately,genealogy,industrialarchaeology, readingandwalking. maintenance beforefinallyretiringin2005.IliveHalesowen. Manufacturing Company, ing spannedformorethanfiftyyearsandasTechnicalDirector ofEdwardWilliams GWYNNE THOMAS am thecurrentchairmanofTheOldSilhillians'Over60'sLuncheonClub. We livenearInkberrowinacottageIhaverestoredfromderelictionandextended. the lettingssideofanEstateAgencyinLondon. Trains' ofTyseleywhere and ticketinspectoronthesteamtrainsoperatingmainrailwaylinesby'Vintage amateur radioand HARRY WARDELL*leftin1952 September 2006.Unfortunately,thishastemporarilyrobbed meoftheabilitytoread DAVID VAUGHANleftin1953 and IndustrialArchaeology.IamwritingabookonthehistoryofAirPollution Air PollutionControlintheMidlandsfornext27years.IbecameaMagistrate works, makinggasfromoil,inBicester.AsNorthSeatookoverandallworkswere followed bySeniorProcessEngineerandDeputyStationManageronamoderngas- the RAFbeforegoingtostudyChemicalEngineeringatBirminghamUniversity.A and Iretiredin1991asapensionerofBPChemicalsLtd.Myhobbieshaveincluded in theChurchofEngland,takingmostSundayservicesbefore sufferingastrokein Middle Row-fromlefttoright ERIC LACEY Chairman oftheCheltenhamAmateurRadioClub Squash (whichwasmybestandfavouritesportuntil shut down,intheearly1970s, succession ofpostsinResearch,PlantCommissioning,SalesandContractingwas Radio SocietyofGreatBritain.Currently I usually notverysuccessfully.OtherinterestsincludeAmateurRadio Durham. Thecompanyexperiencedseveralownershipchangesduringmycareer I Redditch andeventuallyChairmanoftheBromsgroveBench. PAT MOORE*leftin1952 havebeeninvolvedinfreemasonryformanyyears.I also beenaLayMinister playedHockeyandCricketfortheOldSilsin1950s60s.PlayedTennisan - Whereaboutsunknown I I wasatonetimetheMidlandsrepresentativeoncouncilof - gotmarriedwhen Whereaboutsunknown I I ammembershipsecretary.IliveinBirmingham. wasinvolvedindesign,costingsales,qualitycontroland anddid2yearsNationalServiceonwirelessservicingin I andplayedrugbyforthe'OldSils'until1959. joinedtheAlkaliInspectorate,dealingwithIndustrial andwenttoNottinghamUniversity where - I anyinformationwelcome was42andIhaveonesonwhomanages I spendmuchtimeasavoluntarysteward — - allvalvesofcourseandfilling alarge anyinformationwelcome -, I was60).InowplayabitofGolf, VintageCars,Bridge,Snooker in MechanicalEngineer- - I amcurrently I I carried gradu- in I 23 (I) D. 0

maN su e and with no time limit. I therefore resigned after a few months and joined Smith Indus- MICHAEL CUSACK (Jago, left 1956) tries to work on a new traffic control system based on a German system in Cologne. Michael is a Past Grand President of the Catenian Association, a worldwide associa- tion of Catholic business and professional men who are dedicated to the support of 0 I left after 14 months following opposition from GEC and Plessey. I rejoined ICL, MI■ the family. On Saturday 14th July 2007 he and his wife, Isabel, were invested with the at Kidsgrove, designing peripherals for the DHSS computer system at Newcastle on Papal Honours of Knight and Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. The Papal Tyne. At the end of that project I was made redundant and joined Hytec Electronics at (i) Reading. They specialised in control and monitoring for high energy projects world- Honour is worldwide and is equivalent to the Queen awarding a Knighthood. Bishop wide. When I retired in 1998, I had designs in a lot of high energy establishments Phillip Pargeter of the Archdiocese of Birmingham invested Michael and Isabel at a including CERN. I also had designs in JET at Culham, Harwell, AWE and various Mass held at St. Chad's Cathedral. Over 250 people were present including Michael Power Stations country wide. and Isabel's sons, Paul, Jonathan and Richard, who are all Old Silhillians (Dominic was unable to attend through work commitments). Their sponsors, Brian Hargreaves I was married in 1960 and had two sons. My wife died in 1992 and I now live at Chilton K.S.G., Marie Flanagan D.S.G. and their Parish Priest, Mgr. Daniel McHugh, sup- near Oxford. ported Michael and Isabel at the ceremony.

Front Row - from left to right Aside from his involvement with was possibly better known as the middle (hence "difficult") one of BOB JOWETT* the Catenians, Michael has been three Solihull School brothers, between 1944 and 1957, (Major, Minor and Minimus); ai:itROE= 0 very busy elsewhere. He has just never forgave the Headmaster for such titles! I retired as a J.P. after 26 years I failed to blow myself up, with bombs, during National Service (1955-7), and went on and is currently, among other to study Business Courses, at Night School, whilst working for Newey Goodman Ltd., voluntary posts, a Trustee for the Metal Small-wares Company, of Birmingham (Founders, Wire Drawers and Manufac- Birmingham St. Mary's Hospice turers, to Retail and Factories, world-wide). I covered almost every role from creating Association and Chairman of new Companies, sweeping up and closing others, to Company Secretary and Manag- Governors at St. Peter's Catholic ing Director, with tours to Australia, Malacca, USA and . Having used comput- School in Solihull. Both he and ers for Business Control since a 1967 'MRP' implementation, I moved into Business Isabel are very actively involved Consultancy for a further 25 years, specialising in large business systems and the in their Parish with Michael being automotive industry, which took me round the world and to most Continents. I have Chairman of the Finance Com- always been a keen sports enthusiast, as a qualified, professional Tennis coach, for mittee, a reader and a Eucharistic 25 years, 'Old SiIs' Hockey and league and Squash player. Minister. Isabel is also a Eucharistic Minister and does all the major catering for the Parish. Married, retired, with three children and four grandchildren, I have come full circle, back to Solihull School, as a 'Young Enterprise Business Advisor, and to Alderbrook MICHAEL JOHN HILL (School House, left 1956) School, as a Governor. I live in Dorridge. On leaving school I spent the next 4 years as a cadet and third officer with the Brit- BOB KELLER - Whereabouts unknown - any information welcome. ish and Burmese Steam Navigation Company. We ran passenger / cargo ships to Rangoon via the Suez Canal and Red Sea, calling at Aden which was then a British The photograph was taken by - Military Base and Colombo in what was then Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. We also had DAVID WARDEN* left in 1952 My academic and sporting careers were entirely undis- cargo ships that traded regularly to West Africa and the East Coast of the USA and finguished. An abiding interest in natural history led to the award of the Peter Keyte Europe and a large passenger ship called the Captain Hobson that took 600 Brits to Memorial Prize four times and the Whitehouse Prize for Biology once. On leaving the land of the Kiwis for a mere £10.00 each. We sailed across the Atlantic through spent the next 5 years very happily at the Veterinary School of Glasgow Uni- school I the Panama Canal and on to Wellington, stopping at the Pitcairn Islands, as we were versity, after which the award of a degree which entitled me to write MRCVS after my one of their official Mail Boats. name (but only after paying a not inconsiderable annual fee). In 1961 I joined Caltex Tankers and spent the next two years sailing around the world Thus began a life of unremitting toil! After qualifying I returned to Solihull and spent delivering Petrol and Aviation Spirit to many and various ports around the world. I the next 6 years just down the road from the School, at 608 Warwick Road, as an as- sistant in the practice of A.V.B.Foster. Eventually, living over the shop lost its appeal then joined Cunard Steamship Company where I rose to the rank of Chief Officer. and (having married Janet, one of the veterinary nurses) we moved to the south-west Unfortunately after they had sold the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth and replaced and I took a partnership in a rural practice in the Chew Valley, south of Bristol. There them with the QE2, they had a surplus of Officers although Cunard very kindly offered I remained until retirement and live there still. Since retirement, I have qualified as to sponsor me to University, where I spent the next three years. I spent the next 10 a bird ringer for the British Trust for Ornithology. Long-term participation in the Nest years after that lecturing at the Sir William Reardon Smith Nautical College in Cardiff Records scheme of the B.T.O resulted in the Bernard Tucker medal for services to and the Plymouth School of Navigation, which was, needless to say, in Plymouth. ornithology in 2004. 25 24 In 1980 I was invited to go to Saudi Arabia and set up a Port and Maritime Training

" Regular attendee at The Old Silhillians' Over 60's Luncheon Club Centre in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. I only accepted because they offered me an obscene amount of money to do it. (In those days College Lecturers were not the MICHAEL ROSE (Fetherston, left 1966) best-paid people in the world.) I then spent the next four years doing very little ex- 2007, being the centenary of the Scout movement, has brought back some of my cept scuba Diving in the Red Sea, which was excellent, checking my Bank balance happiest school memories — in the school scout troop. I was in the troop, and sub- 0

and learning the art of making my own beer and wine. sequently the senior scout troop, from 1959 — 1966. In those days the scout hut was ' at the far end of the school playing fields, there were two separate troops (meeting on

I left Saudi for good in 1987 and went to live in Guernsey, supposedly in retirement, s Tuesday and Friday evenings) with over 100 boys. I became patrol leader of Falcon but in reality, and because I found retirement boring, I ended up driving a ferry from

patrol, and went on to lead the Senior Scout section that was about 15 strong. I Weymouth to Jersey and Guernsey. A great job as I worked two weeks on and two

weeks off. This really suited my bone-idle outlook on life. In 1989 I was asked by In the early days the Group was led by a middle school master, "Plod" Partridge, and I

Crown Agents to come out to Malaysia and set up a Management Consultancy in the annual highlight was a sailing camp on Norfolk Broads, which, over the years, el Port Klang. (Port Swettenham for those of my generation). I have been here ever introduced hundreds of boys to sailing. Notable scouts who I remember include Neil SU since although the Port job ended many years ago. Hobday, the Boyce brothers, Chris Holt, John Butcher, John Sammons, Anthony

Hale, Mike Rollason and Simon Maxwell. The main reason I am still here could have something to do with a gorgeous Dusky Maiden, but I will leave that to the readers' imagination. Malaysia, for those of you In 1960 Plod Partridge left the school staff and was replaced by "Dolp" Hopson who AADN 0 who have never visited here, is one of the loveliest countries I have ever been to in continued this admirable leadership. The Senior Scouts were led by Steve Phillipson, all my travels. The people are very friendly. The local food is superb with a mixture still in the first flush of enthusiastic young school mastering, and he spearheaded of Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisines, in addition to many European, Japanese many memorable expeditions and camps — in those days still a novelty, and consid- and Australasian restaurants. It is no wonder that my waistline has increased just a ered to be very adventurous — including scaling the 14 peaks of Snowdonia (over little. The winters are the same as the summers...hot! 3000ft) in under 13 hours.

I have managed to contact and am now in touch with the following ex Solihull Lads: In contrast to today, as young teenagers neither we (nor our parents) thought anything Lionel Varnish, who served in Malaya during the emergency and is now living in of cycling to Packington Park for a patrol camp, overnight hikes to Aston Cantlow Toronto; Malcolm 'Sexton' Blake who is now living in sunny California; Mike Judge — sleeping in an old hay barn, building and racing canoes, and generally growing up who lives in Cape Town and his brother Peter Judge who now lives in Marrakesh. as young lads with loads of freedom and time to use our imagination and initiative.

I would like to hear from anyone of my era but especially people like Ken Hearn, Bill 40 odd years on, I can still say a big thank-you to Solihull School Scout Troop for Blackman and Bill Taylor. My email address is: - [email protected] - You will teaching me more than I dare think! notice that I dropped the second 'H' of my name in my email address in spite of all DAVID DEAN (Shenstone, left 1969) I was taught at Solihull about pronouncing my aitches. Since leaving the great seat of learning in December 1969 ROGER FLOOD (Shenstone, left 1958) (Oxford — no, Bristol — yes) I have had a particularly eventful I retired from teaching at Solihull School in life, travelling widely with many thrills and spills. 2001 after 36 years. My love of mountains I left Bristol University in 1973 with a law degree, which was took me from Snowdonia and the Mountain supposed to culminate in being called to the Bar, but real Cottage to other parts of the world whilst life beckoned. Great adventures ensued, including driving I was teaching and has continued now I across the Northern Sahara in a Land Rover and having to have more time. I have been on some of leave Libya under Colonel Gaddafi; nearly dying of dysentery the Great Walks in New Zealand and have at the borders of Turkey and Iran, but travelling extensively in been trekking in in each of the last these countries before the Shah was deposed; working as a Junior Purser on board three years with Martin Ayers. I continue to the cruise ships 'Uganda' and 'Nevasa'; working in a variety of other situations includ- be involved in hockey, umpiring most Sat- ing early computers, the motor trade, estate agency, banking, property maintenance, urdays and acting as a Technical Official etc. for a National League match on Sundays. I re-located to Bristol after episodes in Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow and London, Having been given a set of golf clubs by my where I joined the Inland Revenue as a fraud and criminal cases inspector (a truly wife and daughter for my sixtieth birthday, I appalling calling!). Eventually I realised that a higher destiny was inevitable and I felt after two years I couldn't leave them in became an occupational therapist working with physically disabled adults in Bristol. Martin Ayers and Roger Flood the loft for ever. So I joined Henley Golf Club crossing Laurebina La (4650m), (John Lloyd, Leslie Garrett and John Barrett This led to an increased interest in those with special needs. I retrained as a teacher Nepal are members there) and, having caught the in this field and moved to Gloucestershire where I taught in a residential and day school for boys with emotional and behavioural difficulties. I remained there until I golfing bug, I can be found there on many weekdays. I still live in Solihull and am 2 26 happily married to Merrill and my daughter, Caroline (now 31), who got married last took retirement at Christmas 2006, a total of 28 1/2 years, obviously taking my exam- April, is a Specialist Registrar in Psychiatry at Nottingham. ple from the Ellisons, Tomlins and Rickmans of this auspicious and noble profession! year at school I was in the same year as My wife, Jules, and I were married on the Isles of Scilly in 1995. She is a retired mid- SYDNEY MITCHELL wife tutor having been in very remote areas of South Africa for most of her life running Steve Allso. We were both in Lower 5C2 hospitals and mobile clinics. We are extensively involved in religious situations as with Colin Wharton as our class tutor. If SOLICITORS Christian counsellors and prayer ministers. In 2005 we re-located to Lynton where I recall rightly Colin went on to teach at ESTATE AGENTS we are restoring a mid-nineteenth century coach house, but our principal calling is Tudor Grange School round about the at Lee Abbey where we are on the pastoral ministry team. We are also involved at same time that I left. I was in Jago and Nicholaston House, on the Gower, and the Harnhill Centre for Christian Healing near our housemaster was Mr Hopson. I can Cirencester, where we also teach on marriage renewal weekends. very well remember joining the School as Providing it was a bit of a shock to the system having We walk, go birding on the Islands of Skomer and Skokholm, write, draw, paint and come from a much smaller environment Legal Solutions enjoy opera, theatre and concerts with the Bristol Bach Choir as patrons. It was at Cedarhurst Prep School run by Mike through this that we renewed our friendship with Bridget McGowan, now Simpson Callaghan. It was also very unusual to (daughter of the great parents who contributed so much to Solihull School), who now have to go to school on a Saturday having • Divorce & Family Law sings with the choir. been used to five days per week but the • Conveyancing We would love to be kept in touch with the Old SiIs and fully intend to come up to the odd "free day" in the school diary and the old place next year. We are not on new technology of any kind, by choice, so the longer holidays made up for that. • Wills and Probate magazine is all we have. It would be great to hear from any in the 1968/69 crowd who I started off in 4C2 and ended up in Mid- care to put pen to paper; we have a delightful guest room for delightful guests. My dle 5J the classroom of which was situat- • Accident Claims address is: The Old Coach House, The Valley of Rocks, Hume Avenue, Lynton, ed upstairs near the old Gym and always N. Devon EX35 6DJ smelled of stale towels! It is always in- • Estate Agency teresting to read about fellow pupils who GRAHAM HOLLOWAY (Jago, kicked out 1969!) have maintained a connection via the Old • Company & Commercial I'd love to know what some of you old chaps are up to! Here is some information on Sils. I have only recently made contact some people I've heard about. with the OSA. It has brought back many • Property memories and It is nice to see that an old The last I heard, Patrick Diggins was boss of a huge USA law firm in London with am- classmate has made it to the dizzy heights • Litigation bitions of being in Harper's Bazaar Magazine before he retires! Miles Hooker wanted of being President of the Association. to 'do' hairdressing. I understand his wishes have come true. John Thorne wanted to • Employment marry a deaf and dumb nymphomaniac who lived over a pub — well at least he now One very good memory I have is of go- runs The White Lion at Hampton in Arden. You had better ask him about the rest but ing to RAF Wittering with the Air Force • Insolvency don't if the wife is near by!! Of course Tim Platt spent more time in his early years in Section for the annual CCF camp. We rather than out of a pub so it's fitting he too is at The White Lion with John. travelled there via train and coach from Solihull, which was a real pain of a jour- Andrew Waterhouse, who I met on holiday three years ago, is still on holiday! He man- ney, and I think I am right in saying that it ages to fit a few hours a month in at work but the 'bronzed god' finds Portugal more was Tim Adkin and Jack Beavis who were appealing than Witton! Richard Bouverat still runs Blackwells in Hampton. He always the members of staff accompanying us. TELEPHONE: was good in woodwork. Clive Duckett walks past my Prontaprint Centre to the pub Those on the trip that I can remember are and back every lunchtime. He is still at the family firm in Great Charles Street. Dave John (Polly) Parrott, JMC Smith, Frank Broad never got a proper job. He and Bob Barnett are surveyors of some description! Tew, Indrajit Mitra plus many others who -0121 746 3300 Alan Jackson runs one of the most successful companies in Birmingham. You'll see unfortunately I am unable to now name al- him every month sponsoring the Birmingham Post. though I can still picture the faces. I think one of the other schools there was Sand- • shirley Did I hear that Nigel Titmus was a grandfather? Chris Curtis now does photography bach School in Cheshire. There was quite and John Lyons rides around Knowle on his bike, doing what, who knows? Phillip a bit of rivalry between us and them, to the • sheldon near Birmingham airport More is retired in Hereford and is very happy as he's divorced and his kids have left point that we ended up having a session home. pelting each other with hardboiled eggs • birmingham which had been provided for a packed Editor's note — Graham asked me to add his email address so that any of the lunch. The locally based NCO made it above could "put him right' — [email protected] quite clear that he was not amused by BOB KEMP (Jago, left 1971) this and we were advised in no uncertain 28 I was at School between 1968 and 1970/1 (or thereabouts as time and tide have terms that we would not be going home 29 dulled the brain cells a bit!). One thing I recall for certain is that during my second until the mess was cleared up! 30 13 0 a tn ■ a n s 4 7e_P whence theAdnamsAletravelsverywell! the police"outofhours"aswellprosecutinginLocal CrownCourtonaregular and Ihopesome ofthemwillappreciatethe information. the activitiesof theOSA,Iknowhekeptintouch withafewOldSiIsfromtime totime year. Ihaveattachedashort obituary forinclusioninthe2007edition,togetherwith the Silhillian,andthattrigger wasthedeathofmybrother,BenReeve,earlierthis the world.Myemailaddress is - a photograph(see obituaries)ofBentaken in 2006.AlthoughBenwasnot closeto the sharpenddealingwithadultandyouthcourtcriminalwork aswellspecialising finally startedwithmycurrentcareerintheMagistrates'CourtsService.Ispenteight- ting edge"stuffandtoanimpressionableteenager,quiteaweinspiringexperience. Wittering atthetimewasoperationconversionunitwhichresponsiblefor full route! Suffolk, whichisapleasantmarkettownaboutelevenmiles inlandfromSouthwold all ofwhomarenowgrownup.Theeldesttwo,Jonny(27)and Russ(25)bothmarried and finallytosunnyLowestoftinSuffolksince1988asaSenior LegalAdviseradvis- een monthsinSolihullbeforemovingtoBedfordshirefor12yearswhereIqualified orienteering tripandhavingtowalkthefulllengthofairfieldgetback able towatchtheHarriersandotheraircraftgoingroundcircuitfromfairlyclose basis. Wehavebeentogetherforsome16yearsnow. liveinHalesworth My partnerKateisaSeniorCrownProsecutorwhoworksmainly fromhomeadvising last yearandtheyoungestNaomi23isplanningtotieknot in2009. in familycourtworkImarriedPat1977andhavethreekids fromthatrelationship, quarters. Tim AdkinarrangedforusalltohaveaflightinWessexchopper.Soondulland ended upplayingsnookerintheNAAFIallafternoon.Quitearesultfromourpoint from ringingearsIhadanimpressivebruiseonmyshoulderthebrassbuttof It wasalwaysgoingtobesomething importanttopromptmeputpenpaperfor NICK REEVE(Fetherston,left 1972) I wouldbeveryhappytohear from anymemberswhohappentobevisitingourpartof ing theNorthEastSuffolkbenchoflayJustices.Ispendmost ofmytimeincourtat up the0levelsthatIfailedatschool!).Fromthereendeddoingvariousjobsbut barrack blockwhichtookquitesometime.Thedrudgeryofthiswasoffsetbybeing bringing theHarrierjumpjetonlineforRAFsoattimeitwasprettymuch"cut- door andwegotaverygoodviewofthegroundseveralhundredfeetbelow. seemed tocompriseentirelyofgravelpits.Irecallitwasverynoisy,youcouldnot drizzly daywewereloadedupinbatchesandflownroundtheuninspiringarea,which of and madeourwaystraightbacktothecampviaquickestrouteusingmap ganised thisforgottogiveusthequestionsheetsowejusttookacompassbearing dropped offquitesomedistanceawayfromtheairfield.Unfortunatelywhoeveror- the rifle.Wewerealsotakenorienteering,loadedintobackofabusand We hadagoontheriflerangewithLeeEnfield303sandusedvery'HeathRobinson' I wasonlyatschoolforthreeyearsandthenwentontotheTechnicalCollege(tomop it was15minutesofpureexcitement,especiallywhentheaircraftbankedtowards hear yourselfspeak,verywindy(thedoorwasopen)anddampbutatthesametime ear muffswhichtooktheformoffoldedupwaddingshovedinlug'ole'.Apart It wasandstillisabigbase.Iremembercomingbackfromtheabove-mentioned view, especiallywhenwesawtheotherpoorsodsreturningafterhavingdone [email protected]

joined thefamilybusinessinTamworth,whereweranahigh qualitycountyjeweller's fell inlovewithalovelygirlfromDarleyDaleDerbyshire. Ithenfoundanewjobin there whentheyquietlyletmeknowonlyreallywanted metocoverstaffholi- trouble intryingtostaythejewelleryindustry,despitehaving studiedmytradefor5 few monthsintheservicestationatChadwickEnd.Nowclosed,theyusedtosell After takingmyAlevels,andwhilewonderingwhattodowithlife,Iworkedfora Although Easterhockeyfestivalsarelonggone,IstillkeepincontactwithafewOld for 12+seasonsatSolihullCC.AlthoughIstopped and ismarriedwithchildren. for thelast18yearshavebeenaninternalauditor.I tinuously forLloydsTSB[previouslyBank],and As forme,youmaywishtoincludethefactthatin or supervisorintheiroperations andfacilitiesdivision. days! InbetweenIworkedforM&SinSolihull,whichleft theNottinghamjob,and and challengingpositioninNottinghamwasontheverge ofpurchasingproperty years atwhatisnowtheUniversityofCentralEngland.Ithought Ihadfoundanew Tony Smith,GrahamEssex,RickHigsonandMarkWallwork. was notimprovedbyplayingwithincompetentteammates!I'mstillmarried(31years what Iwantedtodo,mylegshadotherideas!-notmentionthefactthattemper finally retiredat50,whenIrealised,asmostsportsmendo,thatwhilstknewexactly the OSHCforthreeyearsinearly'80sandplayed this continuedwhenIleft.Inparticularwascaptainof the last8yearsinHarrogate,NorthYorkshire. siderable timeatschooltobothcricketandhockey (eat yourheart outSavileRow);Housemaster BobBeach'sunassuming intellect; lives inDorridgeandSimonPenn (Pole),aBApilotwholivesinCrawleybyGatwick, SiIs andatleastonceayearjetofftoSpainforfewroundsofgolfwithNickSmith, off ourhandssoon!). and metupannuallywiththe`SiIs'ontouratWeymouthEasterHockeyFestival.I and counting)toCarol,ourthreechildrenregardusgenerallyashotelproprietors of thecompany,includingEssex,Hertfordshire,andfor playing cricketwhenImovedawayfromSolihullin 35 yearssinceleavingtheSchool,Ihaveworkedcon- Memories ofSolihull School:myfirst(andlast) three-piecesuitfromManly Clothes PAUL LOWE (Jago, Left1977) Leamington SpaatM&S,and haverecentlybeenpromotedto'SectionCoordinator' Having toomuchexperienceandbeingofadvancedyears (Iam51),Ihadgreat ing myelderlymother. until thesecondleaseexpired.Thebusinesscloseddown in September2005,retir- ROD (Boris)MOORE(Fetherston,left1975) (they promisemethattheyarestudyinghardatuniversity,sixthformetc.andwillbe Colchester, StAlbansandHarrogateHockeyClubs) My contemporariesmayrememberthatIdevotedcon- have livedinvariouspartsofthecountry,atbehest I amstillinregularcontactwith AndrewHulme(Shenstone)whoisanopticianand Reliant motorcarsincludingtheiconicScimitarGTE(Ieven cycledtheretoo!).Ithen 1984, Icontinuedwithhockeyuntil2003(playingat 31 (1) CL 0 ■ 7

Mv.=M12a Il sago pudding; John Lloyd's infectious enthusiasm for physics and I lasted 6 weeks at Birmingham Polytechnic on an accountancy foundation course, rugby; Rick Farmer's double appearance on the school photo- before deciding a gap year would have been a better option. (Mother said I dropped graph (why did he look exhausted at one end?); Peter Arculus's out). Then I took a year out and ended up in London working in various pubs and 0 voice reverberating around the science block (where he was un- offices. I joined the Navy as a Seaman Officer in Jan '79, but missed the action in doubtedly in his element); Giles Slaughter supporting junior rugby the Falklands - shame! After 5 years I transferred to the Fleet Air Arm and trained (1 on a cold windswept Saturday morning; lunchtimes sitting by the as a helicopter observer (navigator). After 4 years of flying (licensed hooliganism) I 1 MeII Square fountain forming pastoral links with the girls from St went back to train as a warfare officer. Along the way I did the junior staff course and

Martin's (where are they now? Why did WH Smith change sides?); decided that I was not a career Navy man and applied for voluntary retirement. In all, Park Avenue lido and the glorious summer of '76; 99 points on the I served for a total of 12 and a bit years. Not bad for the schoolboy who pooh-poohed IMMff=

.1•1=1 board against King's School Worcester; Doc Oversby, pipettes, the CCF. titration and being evacuated from the chemistry lab under a cloud of hydrogen sul- I married Jenny in July 1986. Jenny is now a Consultant Anaesthetist and is a won- phide (again); Sir Ranulph Fiennes climbing dizzy heights to address Big School; derful woman for putting up with me. We have 2 children, Victoria (Tor) aged 15 and lonely hours spent revising in a cubby hole in the Sixth Form Centre under the watch- George (Eddi) aged 13. Tor loves horses even better than boys (is this the poacher ful gaze of generations of headmasters; M.B.V. Robert's tome - biology bible and lat-

turned game keeper I hear many people ask!) and Eddi loves all things boyish, golf, aciwzBuiu 0 ter day doorstop; A-level results being telexed to the school cruise on the Canberra aeroplanes, rugby, sailing, etc. Tor and George are both at the same co-ed day and nobody jumping overboard (due to the heady combination of overwhelming suc- school in Bath. They still have Saturday morning lessons. I was at Solihull when that cess and the sedative properties of banana daiquiri). was given up as a bad idea! Tor sings in the Chapel Choir on Sundays, so it's 7 days To quote an iconic TV programme of the time, "Happy Days!" a week of action-filled fun. See above for reason for not attending the open day in September. PAUL NEWBY (Shenstone, left 1977) Paul Newby is still living in Knowle close to I left the Navy to train as a commercial pilot and after 4 more gap years post-licence OSA headquarters, Copt Heath Golf Club, got my first job with Brymon Airways flying a 50 seat turbo prop aircraft. Brymon has Knowle and Dorridge Cricket Club, and re- now morphed via various other companies, mergers etc. and is called BA Connect. I tains keen sporting interests, if of average am a Captain on an Embraer 145 (Regional Jet) based in Bristol, living in Bath and ability! He is still working as a Chartered very happy with my lot. Surveyor, a Director of Fleurets specialis- For those of you who haven't seen me in 29 years I am a bit heavier than I was as an ing in the pub, restaurant and hotel mar- 18 year old and less hairy, but still young at heart. If you are ever passing through ket. Bath please look me up, there is only one Tuckey in the phone book. He is still married to Fiona (20th Anniversa- DAVID MEEK (Pole, left 1978) ry this year), who continues to cope with his I have been thinking of writing for many years, but it was the 1976-80 leavers reunion errant ways, most of the time with a smile, last September that proved the real impetus. and three children all growing up rapidly. Rebecca (Becky), 16 this year, achieved After leaving school I obtained a degree from Birmingham University and went on to excellent GCSE results and has now joined qualify as a Chartered Accountant in Birmingham. My career took me around the the sixth form at Solihull School to study world including four years in Boston, USA. I married Janet and have two children, English, History, French and Psychology at Jonathan (19), who has just completed his first year at Birmingham University and NS level. The Newby tradition continues Katie (17), who is just doing her A Levels. We have been living in Reading for the last - well almost as Becky has joined Fether- 12 years and I am currently working for the Department of Health in Whitehall. ston. This break with long standing tradition means that the old house rivalries will I enjoyed the reunion and catching up with a number of people I hadn't seen for 28 continue in the Newby household! Hannah (13) is currently at , a bud- years! The reunion was fascinating and it was interesting to see how much the ding musician, who has already enquired about following her sister to Solihull School. School estate had changed over the period, especially the Boarding House where I The youngest of the pack,Joshua (7), is just about to enter Dorridge Junior School but lived for eight of my ten years at school. also has an eye on Solihull. Look likes Paul will be working for a bit longer yet. My father, John Meek (Pole, left 1945) also lives in Reading with my mum and regu- TIM TUCKEY (Windsor, left 1977) larly attends the Over 60s luncheons. I am planning to attend the London Dinner this I was really hoping to come back to Solihull for the reunion in September, but pressure year having not been for over ten years. 32 of work (probably not true) and family commitments (true) prevented it. For those I 33 have lost touch with (no, I haven't looked up friends reunited yet; it's on the to do list) I still travel up to Birmingham regularly and further afield to watch Aston Villa and

here is a brief summary of what I have been doing for the last 29 years! would very much like to hear from any old friends on [email protected]

ANDREW FRANCK-STEIER mended) in the UK and US. It was during my time in the States at UCLA that I took some extra classes in SE Asian studies and became interested in pursuing a career (Fetherston, left 1991) Andrew studied for a degree in Land in international development. So when I completed my studies I set about looking for 0 11 FSP Management and the University of Port- work in SE Asia and managed to get a job in the Philippines as a Human Rights Officer smouth. After he left Portsmouth he for a children's foundation. It was there that I also met my future wife, a health worker. rick-Steier Pricl Over the next two years I worked with a team of social workers and therapists rescu- ti) Tar: Oat worked in London for 7 years before re- Lit turning to the Midlands in 2001. In Au- ing children from brothels and prisons, where children are kept illegally in subhuman Commercial Prope rty gust 2007 he left his position as Head of conditions. Investment Consultants Property Investment at Colliers CRE to In my second year in the Philippines set up in partnership with Andrew Price Specialists in acquisitions and disposals my wife's sister fell prey to traffick- of commercial investments throt ghout (see below). Andrew is happily married ers and was forced into prostitu- the Midlands. to Nicola and has two daughters all living tion. As a direct result of this my

tilimliM in Little Alne, Warwickshire Established range of private and wife and I became acutely aware -1=0Mla ri of the needs of adult women who '1 pr vput ty ANDREW PRICE

have been sex trafficked and the ;-fi Institutional and property company (Shenstone, left 1991) advice on commercial portfolio strategy. lack of social service provisions to After Solihull School Andrew went on to meet their needs. Consequently, my Newly established and based in central study for a degree in Urban Estate Man- wife and I started to plan our own Birmingham we have a combined experi- agement at Oxford Brookes University. ence of 25 years in the Midlands commercial foundation for prostituted and traf- property market. After working in Nottingham for three ficked women, and with the support years he moved to King Sturge's Birming- of individuals from the UK, Sweden, For further information or to discuss any ham office. He left his position as Partner USA and the Philippines our dream Paulo (second on the right) with some property matters please contact Andrew of the staff outside RENEW's office Franck-Steier or Andrew Price. in the investment team in August 2007 to came true two years ago when we establish Franck-Steier Price LLP. He is founded RENEW Foundation in Angeles City, the sex capital and human trafficking 43 Temple Row, Birmingham, B2 5LS centre of the Philippines. Two years on we now have a team of 12 full-time staff and 15 T: 0121 237 6070 happily married to wife Rachel, has two volunteers. We provide education, health services, and free legal support for prostitut- F: 0121 237 6100 young children and they live in Hatton, Warwick. ed women, we have an emergency trafficking response team for victims of trafficking, and rehabilitation services and shelter for abused women. We also conduct seminars CHARLIE BRIGGS (Fetherston, left 1994) and training on HIV/AIDS prevention, Women's Rights, and we travel throughout the I recently changed jobs and joined Accenture, working region conducting anti-trafficking seminars in high schools and in 'at risk' communi- in the Supply Chain Management Team. This has also ties. RENEW now works with the United Nations and the British Government to imple- enabled me to move to London, and I am now living in ment legislation, policies and programs to assist victims of trafficking and prostitution Baron's Court. Still playing cricket, now for Richmond, and to prosecute foreign and domestic abusers. RENEW's work is difficult and often and I have been fortunate enough to play for the MCC dangerous as we are regularly confronted by immense dangers from organized crimi- these last three years at the School. The new pavil- nal groups and even local police authorities, many of whom own brothels themselves. ion is fantastic and a fitting memorial to Alan Lee, a For me, as a British citizen, one of the most sickening things has been seeing the great man and one who helped shape the lives of so thousands of British male Expats who travel to the Philippines to exploit women and many. Multiple ankle injuries have curtailed my hockey children and the vast numbers of Brits who own and run illegal brothels, sex bars and appearances over the past two years, but hopefully I cyber sex dens throughout the Philippines! can get fit this autumn and start playing at Wayfarers If you are interested in finding out more about RENEW Foundation and how you can soon. Travelling wise, I am keen to climb Mount Ac- support us or if you are interested in coming out to the Philippines to volunteer with us oncagua in the next few years, and have earmarked please do visit our website www.renew-foundation.org Mount Elbrus next summer for a 'training run'- if you fancy it, feel free to get in touch I have just finished working for the United Nations Development Fund for Women as — charles.r.briggs©accenture.com . Oh, and if anyone needs a deck hand for a bit an Anti-trafficking Program Officer and will be spending a lot of time travelling between of sailing, I am the keenest man alive - Day Skipper you know... the Philippines and the UK as I am now doing a D.Phil at the University of Oxford. I PAUL FULLER (Jago, left 1999) would also love to hear news from others in my year at Solihull, I have not been very During my VIth studies at Solihull I spent a substantial amount of time seeking ad- good at keeping in touch! My email is [email protected] 34 vice from my A level teachers as to what I should do after leaving. I am immensely grateful for this advice and support as it opened up many opportunities for me. I left Many thanks to thug who ontrilmted to this section Solihull in 1999 and I spent the next 3 years training as a social worker (as recom- I 36

nc he o ns & Di nne r the presentarrangementofMayandOctoberwasestablished.DinkSteeleran those onlyRaymondAkersandHarrison(botharenow95)alivetoday The 1985Silhillianhasacentrespreadphotographof34the38whoattended.Of The firstwrittenreferencetoClaudeCotonbeinginthechairis1994buthemay and stillonourbooks.DinkSteelediedin1986JoeWoodthefollowingyear it wasagreedthatwouldbeagoodideatoholdlunchtwiceyearandsoin1985 By 1984only7oftheoriginal26werepresentamong41whowent.Atthislunch to reach60byabout2017. were firstadmittedtothe6thformin1973.Theofthese ladiescouldbeexpected What ofthefuture?WellIamsurethattheseluncheonswill continue inperpetuityand ance hadreachedover90.May1992recordedthefirst100membersattending. May oneandDesCooperagreedtoorganisetheinOctober. At theMay2007 meeting,therewere79members present,8ofwhomwere new.We the formofabottlewhisky for allhisinputintothelunchmany,manyyears. At ourmeetinginOctober2006, PatMoorewelcomedthe95memberspresent.This Stuart Sandersin2000.Hetoodidanexcellentjobcontrolling thesituationbefore in 2006hewasunabletocontinuethatpositionandItook over. hot seatrunningtheluncheoninhisowninimitableway.Following aninjuryandstroke have beenthereearlier.Howeverwhatiscertainthatfor many yearshewasinthe been changedtotheover60sluncheon. by 1988theorganisationwasinhandsofDesandMelCooper.By1989ithad one ofmyfunctionsistotakecarethatitdoes.Onefactwe must notforgetisthatgirls Gordon didsterlingworkascoordinatorfor10yearsfinally handingoverthereinsto In 1990wefindthatGordonHarperandRoyDavieshavetakenover,theattend- handing overtoRogerFloodin2003whonowhasusallcomputerised. included 5newmembers.Claude Coton(1931—1938)wasgivensomemedicinein had hopedtocelebrate nately hecould notattendashewasunwell. Taken 1936 Joe Wood THE LAST12MONTHS OFOVER60sLUNCHEONS THE HISTORYOFOVER60sLUNCHEON wide, includingoccasionallysomefromabroad,startedcoming. After thattherearenoknownrecordsexceptthenextyearit that firstlunchtherewasnoagequalification. The luncheonwasfirstheldin1972byJoeWood.AsfarasIcan recall itwasforfriendsofJoe'svintageplusanumberformer but astimeprogressedandinterestgrew,membersfromfar became anover65sluncheonandwasheldonceayearinMay. be invitedasanexcommitteememberoftheHockeyClub.For in thisclubhouse.IknewJoequitewellandwasluckyenoughto Hockey Clubplayerswhohadretiredfromthegame.Itwasheld Initially contactwasmadeonlywithOldSiIslivinginthevicinity, RaymondAkers' (1924—1931) 95thbirthday but unfortu- Pat Moore John Bassett(1943—1949) tion waswaitingforthebottomboyinclass. School wereAlbany,GreswoldeandSi!hillintheJuniortheyArden, Blythe andMalvern.AreyouoldenoughtohavebeeninoneofthoseHouses? answered correctlyyouweremovedupaplace,andifwrongdownplace.Adeten- on tobecomebursar).Mostofthetimeitwasquestions,questions.Ifyou to theboys,ofcourse!)read,"Thissubjecthasnotgrippedhimasmuchitmight" There wastalkofsquashandtheonlyknownWOODENsidedcourtsatSo- Some OldBoysrecallbeinginBunHavinden'sclass(seniorhistoryteacherwhowent worked behindthebar. fact that,intheearlydaysofOldSilhillians'clubhousebeingatCoptHeath,he fields. Theshelterswereoriginallystartedtobedugbytheboysbutlateroncontrac- Wilf Harrison(1939—1945) (True ofothersubjectsaswell?) cap on!Howtimeshavechanged! goal-mouths whentheywereoutofbounds.Ifyouthinkthatisharsh,(Ido!),healso lihull School.BillDanter'sfirstreportforReligiousStudiesfromA.L.Gladstone(Algy tors werebroughtin. which Iheardatourlastmeeting? recalls caningBumsteadforhavingbeenseenintheHighStreetwithouthisSchool Bill Danter(1946—1953) Harry Bryan(1933—1936), air-raid sheltershadnotbeencompleted.TheseweresituatedonHamptonLane ecdotes ofthepastcanbepickeduproundroom.Doyourememberanythese Our meetingsinvariablycentrearoundtheSchoolanditsteachers,variousan- acknowledgedthefacthewhackedmeforplayingin aregularattendeeattheOver60slunches,recalled didn'tstartSchoolontimeinSeptemberbecausethe remindedusthat,inhisday,theHousesPrep 3

r - II - uum Is su oa Du n 3

n heo ns & Di nne r that therewereplentyofvolunteers!Also,Mrs.Goughdidnotappreciatewhatthe time RalphMeek'sstationerystorewentaswell. and dumplingsfollowedbyspotteddick! cricketers wantedonaveryhotsummer'sdayasatlunch-timesheservedupstew Perhaps thesewereusefulbeforemeetingthegirlsofMalvernHall! refectory untilsheemployedaveryyoung,beautifulcookcalledMissBeacroft.After Mrs. Gough,theHeadCook,haddifficultygettinghelpfromboystoworkin Do yourememberBradfordHousewheretheUpperandMiddlebenchersmet?Yes, ing TreasureIslandandToadofHall. In theearly1950sMarianSwindlertookdancingclassesatcornerofNewRoad. and Iwillyougladlygivedetails.Ournextlunchison1stMay2008. are over60andwishtojoinuspleasecontactmeviatheOldSilhillians'Association bers attend,sometravellingfromScotland,Norfolk,FranceandevenCanada.Ifyou Lunches areheldtwiceayear,inMayandOctoberbetween75105mem- I knowparthasbeenknockeddownandmadeintotheMusicSchool.Atsame Laurie C.Bailey(Elsie)producedsomeexcellentplaysfortheLowerSchool,includ- the Londondinnersince1996.Underhiscarefulstewardship theeventhassteadily A hugevoteofthankswasexpressed,andisrepeatedhere, to BernardHales(Fether- the firstLondondinner,Ihave beenlookingatthoserecords.Thefirstdinnerwas As 2007is,asfarcanbe worked outfromtherecords,60thanniversaryof ston, 1957to1966).BernardhasactedastheLondonrepresentative andorganised out whosesponsorshipwewould notbeabletousetheRAFClub. have thoughtsuchloyaltytoone'shouseransodeep? houses wereexchangedtothepoint,somemightthink,of competition.Whowould Club andisnowafirmfixture inmanymembers'calendars.Wethankhimforallhis attendance was 58in1970.Thiswasatthe Public Schools'Club.Itwasgraced with a recordsince the samenumberattended EastIndiaClubin1991.The largest hard work.Avoteofthanksalso goestoJohnHaddleton(Pole,19441948)with- increased inpopularity,hasmoved fromtheEastIndiaClubtomagnificentRAF held in1947at theStErmin'sHotelinWestminster. Thisyear'sattendance of48is The oldestofthose(nonames!)joined fare andafuneveningattheRAFClub. The 57thLondonDinnerwasanother where weremuchenjoyed.Toaststothe The Headmasterwaswarmlygreetedand the schoolin1942andyoungestleft current andpaststaffenjoyedexcellent great success.48oldboysandgirls the firstoldboysandgirlsfromcur- and itspupilsonthesportsfieldelse- in 1999.Welookforwardtowelcoming his reportsofthesuccessschool rent centuryatfuturedinners. THE LONDONDINNER Roger Flood joining usasamembernext year.ThankstoJohnHare - who organised superbrefreshments. was paidtoImmediatePastPresident PeterThomaswho welcomed PresidentSteveAllso whowehopeisenjoying For detailsofnext year'sAnnualDinneremailPeter Callaghan entertained usashespokeof his secondyearofoffice.We his timeasthecurrentPresident andlookforwardtohim orabilia triggeringmanymemories andanecdotes.Tribute of archivematerialwhichincludedeverycopytheSilhil- We areverygratefultoDenisTomlin,unableattendasa lian andShenstonian,schoolphotographsothermem- guest, whoneverthelesskindlysetupasuperbexhibition cent illness.ClaudewasborninthesameyearasAssociation wasfoundedand man oftheGoverningBoardalsotalkedaboutexcitingplans forthefuture. has presidedovermanySocietyevents.GrahamHughes,Past PresidentandChair- — thatmostpublic-spiritedofhousesafinetraditionstretchesbackto1970from you haveanyqueries. John Orrett(F,1932to1939)NeilHobday19541963)Lockyer the presenceofsomeoldboyswhohadjoinedschoolbeforeFirstWorldWar, up to150.Pleasefeelfreeorganiseapartyofyouattendandcontactmeif provisionally bookedtheRAFClub'sBallRoomfor2008sowecouldaccommodate ner. The2008dinnerwillbeattheRAFClubonFriday14November2008.Wehave Please e-mailorcallmeifyouwouldliketoreceiveaninvitationfutureLondondin- nian shouldrunwiththebatonforafewyears. Bernard wasthefourthsuccessiveLondonRepresentativetohailfromFetherston including AnthonyJackson(1908to1915,whocontinuedattendthedinneruntil 1957 to1966)Bernard.ItisthereforewhollyappropriatethatanotherFethersto- 1991) andJoeWood. [email protected] OSA PASTPRESIDENTS'SOCIETYFIFTIETHANNUALDINNER Vic HawleyFounder President (1956) Tel: 01483861860Email:

school successesanddevelopments.Itwasarealpleas- ure toseeClaudeCotonbackincirculationafterhisre- we wereindebtedtoourmainguest,theHeadmasterMr evening wouldbesoenjoyable.Hespokeofoutstanding to schoolandpersonallyassistedinensuringthatthe school cresttobeusedonfutureoccasions.Onceagain We wereveryprivilegedtoenjoyhisshorthistoryand who wasinstrumentalinfoundingtheSociety1957. was presidedoverbySeniorPastPresidentVicHawley individual andteamperformancesaswellthemany the schoolon4thMay2007.Thisspecialevening The FiftiethAnnualDinnerofthePastPresidents'So- Phil GriffithswhosogenerouslyinvitedtheSocietyback reminiscences oftheSocietyandhepresentedhisown ciety DinnerwascelebratedintheAlanLeePavilionat Mark Lucas(Fetherston1978to1988) [email protected] Claude Coton (1965)

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OSA Past Presidents' Golden Anniversary Quiz Do you know which Past Presidents said the following? Can you name the year?. (Answers on SHENSTONIAN LODGE No. 5544 page 67 ) Worshipful Master (2006/07) W.Bro. David Walter (2005/06/07) W.Bro. Barry 1 "Please be patient, we can't please everyone, but we will do our very best to please some o of you" Chacksfield, (2004/05). Secretary: W.Bro. Joe Bates (01675 442586) • "Your generosity has helped raise nearly £3000 to endow a scholarship in Mr Ansell's mem- 2. The Lodge is open to Old Boys, Members of Staff both present and past, Governors, a6 ory"

"I send you my greetings and best wishes wherever you may be in this our sixty-fifth year". Parents and Grandparents of present and past pupils. It continues to enjoy the unique 12

3. combination of freemasonry and meeting at the Old Silhillians which provides a won- 4. "The meal service — mixed grill without option - on Saturday nights is quite popular. Although 3 occasionally it is only just possible to recognise the unpaid cooks through the dense fumes of hot derful opportunity for Masonic and Old Silhillians' fellowship. We continue to welcome fat or the scorching of Mrs Beeton's cookery book". both initiates and joining members and also enjoy some excellent social occasions. s eq 5. "This year Dora Coton has taken over responsibility, it is not an easy task to feed 110 mouths During the last year the Lodge has again attracted new members of varying ages and r all at once, it says much for the tact and charm of our hostesses that major disasters do not oc- now has several members in their twenties which is excellent for keeping a balance of ai cur, i.e. "winkling out" dirty cups from the rugger changing rooms so that they can be washed and age groups. We are always pleased to hear from anyone interested as either new or used again for the teas that follow". joining members — please contact Joe Bates. 6. "I know that most of us, or a large majority in any case, do like an occasional "flutter", so at the end of June or early July I intend to send you 8 football cards at 216d." Meetings second Monday in October (Installation), November, February and March. 7. "The Association is fifty years old...I am pleased to announce the gift is a silver cross for the altar table in the chapel". SHENSTONIAN CHAPTER No. 5544 8. "Developers of various shapes and sizes and conditions continue to beat a path to our door" Principals: E.Comps, Edward Baker, Derek Howie and Andrew Lee. Scribe 9. "The introduction of girls into their schools...had provided more advantages than the reverse, both academically and in the attitude of the boys towards the opposite sex". E.:E.Comp. John Salisbury (01564 772842) 10. "The headmaster is not only human but helps you in every way he can" The Chapter continues to welcome suitably qualified Master Masons whether mem- bers of the Shenstonian Lodge or not. Meetings will take place on the second Monday THE OSA DINNER of December 2007, January and September 2008. Please contact John Salisbury. On Saturday 17th February a dinner was held at the Memorial Clubhouse at Copt Heath. Approximately 70 Old Silhillians attended. Following pre-dinner drinks at 7.30 pm, an ex- cellent dinner and an address by the President at the time, Peter Thomas, Clement Keys the main speaker stood up. 1941 CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS PEARL HAR,,u, 1945 Ian Robertson is a well known rugby HI ROSHIMA commentator and journalist and a 2003 11111111111111111L GosFORD former Scottish International. He re-

THE DECIOER galed the audience with an hilarious repertoire of sports related memo- We offer a comprehensive range of auditing, ries and jokes for 40 minutes. Fol- business planning and taxation services lowing this he auctioned off several items of sports memorabilia includ- to both new and expanding businesses. Rupert Young, Ian Robertson and Steve ing a superb signed print of the 1973 Aliso with the winning supporter's t-shirt British Lions "Invincibles" touring Why not find out how we can help you? from the 2003 Rugby World Cup party which Chairman Barry Allen paid through the nose for, having been bid up by organiser Rupert Young. Contact Joe Bates without obligation on:

The auction raised oveer £3,000 for both the Silhillians Trust and for the Wooden Tel: 0121 456 4456 Spoon Society. E-mail: [email protected] www.clementkeys.co.0 39/40 Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1TS 41 Following completion of the formalities the bar remained open until 1 pm. Several new k friendships were made and many others renewed - none were damaged!! -A Anglo-Celtic Plate and UK 100km Championships Race Now working under the guidance of the national coach for the first time in my running career, I was training to a clear structure and with a great deal of focus. I needed no

Edinburgh — 20th May 2007 more motivation than the thought of racing for England in the athletics equivalent of - You may have gathered from re- rugby's Triple Crown! ports in the last couple of Silhillian

Ste Race day quickly came around. With warm-up races and a tough training plan suc- magazines that things have been

cessfully completed it was now time to put in a big performance. The race was held at progressing well with my 'hobby the Heriott Watt University Campus in Edinburgh on a 4km (2.5mile) loop around the o career' of ultra running. I have been n university campus, to be run 25 times. working hard to progress through za the ranks in the ultra distance (typi- At 7am on a sunny but breezy Sunday morning in Edinburgh, the race got underway. - Ma cally races of 30 miles+) running In many ways it was a relief to be running after a long build up to the event both ew - world with my long term objectives mentally and physically. The first key aim was to find a sustainable rhythm and pace u .. being to win races, maintain con- to help settle down into the race. My race plan was carefully planned jointly with the sistency and to gain international coach, with target lap times and 50km splits memorised to ensure I ran to my running

strengths, rather than risk getting carried away with the excitement of the race as can s o Bra representative honours. Having r been reasonably successful with so easily happen on the day. Typically a 100km runner will run the first half (50km) -ai ez the first two objectives I decided of the race quicker than the second with differences in split times of 30 minutes not that in 2007 I would specifically tar- being uncommon. However, from my previous race experience and performances get the third. I was sure that this strategy wouldn't suit me. My best performances have always been through racing at an even pace, aiming to run the second half at the same Over the last few years I have been pace as the first, if not a touch faster (negative splits). Whilst this is a successfully most successful in racing distanc- proven strategy for me, in many ways it is a brave and bold approach to a race of this 23 laps complete after just over six es of around 50 miles, primarily off and a half hours of running length as it means trusting your ability to push through the field in the latter stages of road, however the closest interna- the race. It also means watching athletes, who you know will be challenging you for tionally recognised discipline is the 100km (62.2miles) road race, therefore, in order to medals later in the race, pull away at the start. And that is exactly what happened. achieve my goal, it was clear a transition would be required. Whilst I successfully settled down into a comfortable rhythm over first the five or six There are two key annual fixtures in the 100km race calendar. Firstly the Anglo-Celtic Plate, a home nations international race between teams from England, Wales, Scot- SELF - TRANSCENDENCE tI land, Ireland and Northern Ireland held in late spring, also doubling as the UK 100km * championships and secondly the annual IAAF 100km World Championships, held in 100 KM RACE early autumn, being attended by a Great Britain team where strict qualifying standards -11k are a prerequisite. EDINBURGH The selection process is slightly different for each race. The England team for the An- glo-Celtic Plate race is selected by the team managers based on performance in the qualifying races, alongside the long term track record of the athlete. On the other hand, the Great Britain team for the World Championships is based upon a much stricter qualifying standard set by UK Athletics requiring a performance of 7hours 02minutes for individual selection and 7hours 18mins for team selection. This is very much in line with the track and field qualification protocol whereby if the standard is not met, ath- letes will not be sent to the Championships to compete. From a personal viewpoint the process was very clear; gain selection for the England Anglo-Celtic Plate Race team, then work hard to put in a big performance to gain selection for the GB team. My England team qualifying race was the local Draycote Water 35 mile ultra marathon held on the perimeter road of the reservoir near Rugby, Warwickshire in early spring. Despite my unusually high pre-race nerves caused by memories of a DNF (did not fin- ish) in the 2005 race (the only one in my running career I should add!), I put in a solid performance to finish second behind well established GB and Royal Marines athlete 4 Brian Cole. A few weeks later a phone call brought the news that I desperately hoped 43 for, I had been selected for the England team. Crossing the finish line laps, many of my rivals were soon away into the distance. By lap 8 the leader board told a

z. story that was difficult to swallow, I was way back in 7th place. Lap by lap I stuck at it, working hard to main-

Ste tain a smooth even pace, one which I felt BRI

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endurance race like this. The half way point z split times also provided a welcome boost to • Unit Trusts e morale as I went through right on target pace The England men's team, winners of in 3hrs 30mins. Over the course of the next • PEPs and ISAs the 2007 Anglo Celtic Plate couple of laps, right on cue, I jumped from • Personal Pensions 7th place right up to 2nd. It was race drama like I've never experienced before. Noth- ing can give you a better boost than overtaking runners to move up the field. We also provide advice upon planning for Inheritance Tax It was all going perfectly to plan but the real surprise was the speed at which it hap- and Capital Gains Tax. pened. Over the third quarter of the race I consciously pushed on, to great effect, eventually taking the lead on lap 19 by overtaking England teammate Paul Harwood. Please call us for a free review of your existing investments. It was a dream coming true but I had to keep a level head. It was not the to time get carried away, with six laps remaining there was still plenty of hard work to do even to finish the race, let alone win. The last few laps seemed to last an eternity. It was a "Local Professional Investment Management" painful count down to the finish, but I was still running well and executing my race plan precisely, recording some of my quickest laps in the last hour of the race. As I went through the bell to start my final lap the emotion really started to build. Now I knew it was my race, I just had to run in the couple of miles and savour the moment.

So my dream really did come true, after seven hours and four minutes of running I had won my debut 100km race. Not only was I a gold medallist and UK Champion, but I had set the fastest time in the UK for several years. To round it all off the win had been supported by my England teammates who took second and third places for a men's team clean sweep. Both the men's and ladies' teams successfully retained the Anglo- Celtic Plate trophies for 2007 and it was a true honour to be part of the team effort.

Just a couple of days after returning home from Edinburgh with the team, even before Many Old Silhillians are already using our services... the result of the race properly had a chance to sink in, the phone rang again. This time the message brought news that was almost beyond belief, I had been selected to ...to find out why, please contact Paul or Michael Cusack: represent Great Britain in the World Championships taking place in September 2007. BRI Asset Management plc Not very much time to savour the victory, but it was more exciting news on the back BRI House, Meriden Business Park, Meriden, CV5 9RL of which I knew I had a responsibility to get back down to some serious training to at- Tel: 01676 523550 Fax: 01676 522799 tempt the step up to the next level, on the biggest stage there is. Email: [email protected] By the time the Silhillian magazine goes to print the race will have been run, taking place in Winschoten, Holland on Saturday 8th September. Whilst, realistically, the top BRI Asset Management plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority spot may be out of reach in this race, it will undoubtedly be an incredible experience to compete against the best in the world. L r an ts a n d Aw ar a - Anyone whosawEmmaasMariainTheSoundofMusicatSchool last termwilltestifythatsheisanoutstandingactress. tin's shestarredin very high(E9,600).Ontopofthisshewillhave tomeetthecost talent. TheBristolOldVicgaveherafinalinterview, too. The OSAwith theHeadmasterwant hertohaveeveryopportunity of livinginLondon.Itisextremelyunusualfor aDramaSchoolto cepted fortheArtsEducationalSchoolinChiswick butthefeesare always wantedtojointheactingprofession. Shehasbeenac- enstein andin to helpingSchoolpupils andleaversinfull-timeeducationtofulfil audition andonlyafewgetanoffer.Thisismeasure ofEmma's get experienceoflifebeforetheyapply.Many donotevengetan offer aplacetoan18yearold.Normallythey aretoldtogoand production of Emma firsttrodtheboardsatageof2playingablueberryin to fulfil it. exceptional talent.There areagreatmanydemandsonresources Emma hastakenherALevels(3Asandonly needed2Es)and parents andastudent loantherehasbeenashortfall.She However thetotalcostsare - weknowthat, butEmmahasahuge talentthatmeritsour help. by agreeingtofundany shortfall.Thisispartofourcommitment lighted tohelp,through the OSATrust,whichhascharitablestatus, been raisingmoneythrough sponsorshipandtheOSAhasbeende- Emma Hubble-AProdigiousTalent Charlie andtheChocolateFactory. The WindintheWillows The RockyMonsterShow very high. played thebargewoman. After supportfromher as thebrideofFrank- Whilst atSt.Mar- and 1stSeptember. should beapproximately1500wordsinlengthand maybeaccompa- Applications arerestrictedtoindividualsandit is aconditionofthe time qualification,ortosupportworkwithacharity.Theresearch award thatafullwrittenreportispresentedtothe OSACommittee ever, itmusttakeplacewithinonecalendaryearoftheAward.The charitable workmaybeundertakeneitherathomeorabroad.How- propriate. Applicationswillbereviewedtwiceeach year,at1stMarch nied byanydocuments,illustrationsandmaps,as maybedeemedap- As aresultofgenerousbequestbyJohnLanderOsbornetheOld The JohnLanderOsborneAward not morethanthreemonthsaftercompletionof the project.Reports award canbetohelpresearchnecessaryforthecompletionofafull- able toformerpupilsoftheSchoolwhoareinfull-timeeducation.The maximum awardis£750. Silhillians' Associationisabletoofferthisaward.Theawardavail- wick Road,Solihull,B913HA,or at hishomeaddress,818War- talent ofthefuturepleasecontact through ourtrusttohelpfundthe tion orprovideannualsponsor- to say,"IhopethatonedayI the lasttwoyears"andwenton ship (eitherpersonalorcompany) can makeyouandSolihullSchool that hastrulyfeltlikehomefor by emailto If youareabletomakeadona- Barry Allen,OSATrustee,either In herverygraciousthankyou proud ofme". am soproudthatIhavethesup- port ofSolihullSchool,aplace letter totheOSAEmmawrote,"I ballen(asavills.com Application formsshould bereturnedto: www.silhillians.net Awards willbemadewithinonemonthofthe are availablefromtheOSA website deadline forapplicationsandapplicationforms The OldSilhillians'Association Ltd Memorial Clubhouse andGround

West Midlands B93 9LW Copt Heath, Solihull The Secretary Warwick Road

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7 , • .1 • MV • u e sl u e.' , 48

e m be rs ' Lou n .e Re fu rbis m e n Out vviththeold.... Thanks gotoJohnGriffin forsourcingthematerialsandfurnitureat There isalargerecentaerial photographoftheSchoolthatshowsall the newbuildings,andsome olderonestoo,incomparison. the photosshowithashadlighterwoodenpanelling installed andhasalso and PaulGriffin wasalsomuchappreciated. would havecertainlybeen farmorecostly.TheassistanceofPhilGreen come infora drinkorjusttosay"Hello". We verymuch hopethattheimprovements willattractmoremembers to carpentry expertiseofthe RugbyClub'sDuncanStanleytheexercise best pricespossibleand also forhisprojectmanagement.Withoutthe ment bartopandnewfloorcoveringsare'onorder' at thetimeofwriting. benefited fromanewceiling,furnitureand lighting.Areplace- still inthewrongplaceondoorsign!)wasgiven aface-lift.As The Members'Lounge(althoughtheapostropheis house refurbishmentwascompleted. .... andinWith first phaseoftheClub- In Augustthe the new 9 uatu s i • in au a . u noi sae. m a 50 a lle nll q e ton-in-Arden inabout1920.Atthattime,whenRaywas8,hesufferedfromTBand joined thePerakflyingclubwherehecompletedhis40hoursforan'A'licence. tion ledtohissuccessfulsportingachievements.HewasHouseCaptainofJagoand RAYMOND LANGFORDAKERS.MBE,BSc,FICE.(Jago,left1931) XV, wasintheswimmingteamandcaptainedBoxingteam.Healsocamefirst out ofthewindow!Heusedtocycle'OldSchool'andeventuallythisdetermina- ing membersoftheAssociation,diedon10thAugust2007. Raymond Akers,whowasattheSchoolfrom1924-1931andoneofoldestsurviv- although hisbedroomwasonthegroundfloorhediscoveredonedayclimbing His fatherwasasilversmithatElkington'sinBloxwichandtheycametoliveHamp- rickets resultinginhislegsbeingcalipers.Howeverhewasadeterminedladand was appointedDrainageandIrrigationEngineertoMalayasohesoldtheFlea obtained adegreeinCivilEngineering. had SchoolHockeyColours.HeplayedCricketforthe1stXlandRugby2nd He wasSecretaryoftheScientificSocietyandgavealectureonThePrinciples in throwingtheCricketballand2ndSteeplechase,Mile,880yards. When theJapaneseinvadedMalayaallclubplanesandPilotswereco-optedinto ing FleaaeroplanesandwasthefirsttoflyintoBagintonAirportin1936.In1936he Practice ofElectroplating".FromSolihullhewenttoBirminghamUniversitywhere these boatstoleapfrogdowntheeastcoast.Byplottingpositionsof duties werereconnaissance.HisflightwasstationedatKluanginJohorandeach the fishingboatsateveryvillagealongcoast.TheJapanesehadcommandeered would godowntotreetoplevelandcouldturnroundapalm tree,whereastheZero The onlyJapaneseplanesatKotaBharuthetimewereZeroscarryingsmallperson- on adailybasistheywereabletogetfairideaofwheretheJapaneseunitshad In about1935hejoinedtheColonialOffice.sameyearbuiltoneofFly- They onlyhitaTigerMothonce,becauseoncetheenemy wasseentheTigerMoth took 3milestoturn.OncetheJapanesegotKualaTerengganu theyabandoned morning theywouldflyuptoKotaBharu,wheretheJapanesehadlanded,andcount Malayan AirForce,whichlaterbecameaunitoftheRAF.Duringthattimetheirmain reached intheirmaindrivetoKualaLumpurandSingapore. there hewassentaspartofasmallteamtodemolishall military installationsfrom a SergeantPilot,butdidhoweverretainhisgovernmentpay throughoutthewar. nel bombs.TheybombedKluangairfieldeverymorningbut onlyhitdummyplanes. Shortly afterChristmas1941someoneatSouthEastAsiaCommand realisedhewas a CivilEngineerandrapidlystationedhimbackatSingapore withtheAMWD.From Kluang andhereturnedtoSingaporethenflewout Batavia(nowJakarta). their installationshewaspromoted overnighttoWingCommanderwhichrankhekept for 4hours,reachedJakarta with morethan2000menandnursingstaff.Raymond Air Forcepersonnelwerecollected atChangiBarracks(latertobecomeanotorious children. Inorderthathecould havetheauthoritytothrowoutmilitarypersonnelfrom never gotdone.RaymondthereforeaRAFnumber andwassimplylistedas Because theMalayancampaignwasonly3monthslong paperworkforenlistment the SundaStraits, endedupinAustralia.Following theIndependenceofMalaya and Japanese POWcamp)andembarked ontheEmpireStarwhich,afterbeingbombed Kluang toEndauandevacuatethecivilpopulationofabout 500,mainlywomenand eventually slipped awayonasmallboatand, havingjustescapedbeingtorpedoed in until hewenttoPerthin1942. Singapore in1973 hewasawardedtheMBE inrecognitionofthiswork. 2nd Xlhockey colours, Bobwasemployedby theBeaconInsuranceCompany, now further commentsonhisparticipation asaschoolboycricketer"anawaymatch school withhisSchoolCertificate, schoolcricketcolours,2ndXVrugbycoloursand opening batandscored21of their157runs,highestscorewas25)".Onleaving fast wickets".Extractsfromthe resultsofacoupleschoolfirstXlmatchesprovide Royal Artillery, serving inBurmaandIndia risingtotherankofCaptain. part ofSunAlliance, untilwarbrokeoutin1939. Hewasthencommissioned intothe est scorewas19)andahome matchagainstKingHenryVIII,drawn(Ainsworthwas against Warwick,lost(Ainsworth wasopeningbatandscored12ofthe92runs,high- too muchinclinedtoplayforward toeverythingandconsequentlyismuchbetteron a lifelongpassionforcricketandthe1934Shenstonianobserved thathe..."has at theageofnine,followedbyhisbrotherPatacoupleyears later.Bobdeveloped improved verymuchduringtheseasonandisnowagood opening batsman.Rather trying topersuadethefamilydonatethesediarieshis Alma Mater,Birmingham Gas Company.Thethirdoffourchildren,hebecameaday pupilatSolihullSchool available asarecordoftrulyremarkableman. Bob wasborninMay1916Solihullwherehisfatherthe manageroftheSolihull ROBERT (BOB)AINSWORTH(Pole,left1934) of hislifeinalargenumberquartopagediaries,whichsurvive. AnthonyBiddleis spent muchtimebothbeforeandafterthewarservingCommunitiesinMalaya. The funeraltookplaceon16thAugust,whichwasaveryfittingday,beingthe60th University, orsomeothersuitablelibrary,andsoperhapsone daytheymaybecome anniversary oftheendwarinFarEast,where,aswehaveheard,Rayhad dogs. and otherweatherconditionsaswellwhathecaught!HealsobredJackRussell ticulous recordofhisfishingexploits,includingsuchitemsaswatertemperature,wind From 1935,whenhejoinedtheColonialOffice,maintainedavoluminousrecord cia, BrianandEileentheirgrandchildren,buthealsotookupflyfishingatwhich the researchunitofTubeInvestmentsinWalsallwherehemetupwithAnthonyBid- with fewornogroundnavigationalaids. he becamequiteanexpert.Hedevotedsevenofhismanydiariestokeepingame- dle. HemarriedanIrishgirl,Peggy,fromCountyClareandintheirlatteryearshe The emergencyof1950onwardsmadedeliverylabourers'wagesbyroadveryhaz- trade inpaydrops;althoughitwasdifficulttofindexperiencedpilotsfly The SultanofPerakbecameveryinterestedandboughtthema2-seaterSlingsby21 bought somelandoverthereandtheydevotedtheirlivestothreechildren,Patri- drop zonesinthemiddleofthousandsacresrubberestatesandisolatedmines, ardous andexpensivefortheinsurancecompaniesflyingclubdidaroaring torpedo bomberstripstoattacktheJapaneseshouldtheyeverlandonAustralian from DarwintoMelbournebringbackdamagedaircraftBorneoandprovide Raymond carriedonwiththisworkuntilhereturnedtotheUKin1961.Herejoined B toenablethemtrainMalayanATCCadets. off bytheColonialOfficetoSierraLeoneandin1943hewasGoldCoast(now help ofothers,restartedtheflyingclubatPerakandstartedtrainingpeopleongliders. Malaya asaCivilAffairsOfficer.FindingsomeglidersleftbytheJapanesehe,with Ghana). EventuallyheenlistedasaCaptainintheRoyalEngineersforreturnto mainland, whichthey,ofcourse,neverdid.Afterahappyyeartherehewasdragged branch oftheArmyEngineers.Heretheywereurgentlyconstructinglandingstrips In AustraliahejoinedtheAmericanArmyServiceofSupply,whichiscivilian Anthony BiddleandPatMoore 51

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A itu a n e Although hedidplayafewgamesofRugbyfortheOldBoysbeforewarhisreal the sideoftencontained6or7Schoolboys.HewasChairmaninearly1960s. and hespentmuchtimeduringthesecondseasonwithBarrieSwithenbankoth- at DingleLanetobefinished.HecaptainedtheSundayelevenforseveralyearswhen ers preparingthepitchonDamsonLanefields,whilewewerewaitingfor love wasstillCricket.HeafoundermemberoftheOldSilhillians'CricketClub for anumberofyearsbeforemovingtoKingswearinDevonwithPaulandhiswife Veronica, AngelaandSteven).Afterhisretirement,Bobcontinuedtoworkasaninsur- Jean settledinBuryfieldRoad,Solihullthemid-50'sandraisedfourchildren(Paul, an umpire,andmaintainedhismembershipofthe'OldBoys'untildeath.Bob an activememberoftheOldSilhilliansformanyyears,firstasacricketerandlater ance brokeruntilhewas70.Jeandiedin1988andBoblivedalonethefamilyhome lihull andtohisjobatBeacon/SunAlliancewhereheworkeduntilwas65.He Following thewar,duringwhichhemarriedJean(August1943),BobreturnedtoSo- family andfriends. ALF ORE(Shenstone,left1937) his movetoDevon,whereenergeticpruningonceincludedthephonecable.Regu- rose gardenbeinghisparticulardelight.Hisenthusiasmforgardeningcontinuedafter Bob lovedgardeningandcreatedabeautifulimmaculategardeninSolihull,the Bobby, wherehespentthelastsixyearsofhislife. Alfred ChristopherOrewasbornon22ndNovember1920weighingjust4lbs.Hesur- boats ontheRiverDartandlocalsteamtrain. pace oflifeinKingswearandDartmouthobservingthecomingsgoings larly visitedbyhischildren,grand-childrenandgreat-grand-children,Bobenjoyedthe fore gainingascholarshiptoSolihullSchool,andfinishedhiseducationatBirmingham vived againstalloddsandgrewupinEarlswood.HeattendedSalterStreetSchoolbe- Bob diedpeacefullyaged90onthe10thJanuary2007andisgreatlymissedbyhis Alf's otherpassionwasalwayssport,andwhileheat SolihullSchoolhebegan and hand-madegreetingscards. continued hisartworkafterretirementintheformofpaper sculpturedecorations College ofFurtherEducationandremainedthereuntilheretired attheageof63.He College ofArt.HeobtainedapositionaslecturerinartandsilversmithingatBilston whilst playingforKingsHeath.Manywillrememberhim his coachingskills. when hewasabouteighty-three.Helovedbowlstooand reached Countystandard the NorthSeaonacoupleofoccasions.Onfirstoccasion hewasshotdown.On at Olton,whichincludedthreegenerationsofthefamily!!!!He finallyhunguphisboots a countystandardinvitationside.Hecelebratedhis80thbirthday withahockeymatch and finallyforOltonWestWarwicks.Healsoplayedthe 'Layabouts',whichwas playing hockey.HefirstjoinedKingsHeathforafewyears, laterplayingforPickwick them. Inadditiontothesefive grandchildren,MavisandAlfhavetwogreat-grand- ton andtheyhadtwodaughters, CarolandSue,whoproducedfivechildrenbetween the secondoccasionhisplane overshottherunway!In1943hemarriedMavisStrat- fully inhissleep on16thMay2007andleaves manyfondmemories. During thewaryearshewasanavigatorinFleetAirArm andliterallyendedupin When you attendSolihull School,asI didin1931,you probablydo not realiseyou are children andanotherisonthe way. GEOFF SANDERS DFC(Jago,left1937). He wasacolourfulcharacterwho lovedhiswhiskyandlifetothefull.Hediedpeace- Sue Armstrong (daughter) Although hismovetoFormby meantthatsomedistancepartedhimfromhisold Colin leavesa wife, Jean,threechildrenand fivegrandchildren. school friendshecontinuedto attendtheover60slunchesregularlyandwillbesadly a ConservativeCouncillorand wasamemberofthelocalRotaryandLionsClubs. to managetheGeneralInsuranceCo.(latertakenoverby Accident)officein continued inthiscapacityuntil retirement. missed. Cricket Clubandasanactive memberofFreshfieldsBowlingClub.Heservedas which hadcausedhimsomuchembarrassment. wicks hewastakenprisonerbythe'enemy'anddeprived of histrouserstoprevent was anenthusiasticN.C.O.Inanightexerciseagainstcompany oftheRoyalWar- In FormbyColincontinuedhis sportinginterestsasanon-playingmemberofFormby Liverpool andmovedtoFormby.In1980hebranchedouton hisownasabrokerand him fromescaping.Hestilltried!ColinlaterdidhisNational Serviceintheregiment good tennisplayer. good youngrugbyplayer.ColinalsoplayedfortheOSHC 1st XlHockeyandwasa We regrettoinformyouthatMichaelhaspassedaway. will besadlymissed. Returning tocivilianlifeheenteredtheinsuranceworld.In 1966hewaspromoted School hockey1stXlandP.T.teamcolours.Heplayed 2nd Xlcricketandwasa Colin wasatSchoolfrom1936to1945.Academicallyagoodaverageheobtained Through allthishekeptcontactwithhisoldfriends,holdinga60thweddingan- When heretiredmovedtoStourton,nearPershore,where,sadly,wasthevictim through hisson,Ian,whoattendedBromsgroveSchool. for twoyearsand,whenhestoppedplaying,retainedhisinterestinrugbyandcricket When warendedGeoffmarriedMaryGriffinandtheyhadtwosonsdaugh- During thewaryearsCorpshadmuchtoofferbyway ofexcitementandColin Higher SchoolCertificateinFrenchandEnglish.Akeensportsmanhewasawarded COLIN MAYBURY(Pole,left1945) of aroadaccidentthatledtotenyearsprolongedandunsuccessfultreatmenton that earlystart,wewereplaying,in1950,threefullteams.GeoffbecameCaptain ters. Attheendofhisservicehejoinedfamilybusinessandsuccessfullyranit MICHAEL RIDOUT(left1942) the AirForcewhereheservedwithgreatdistinction.Helostfourofhisclosestfriends niversary celebrationin2006.Geoffwasregardedwithadmirationandrespect his legs,whichhadbeenbadlybroken.Thiswassufferedwithcharacteristicfortitude. enough tosurvivehis25thbombingflightandwasawardedtheD.F.C. Geoff wasonofthefew,suchasMelvilleCooper,tostartRugbyCluband,after until hisretirement. in thatconflict---BillJarrett,JohnStanley,GeoffGriffinandAmbrose,butwaslucky Old Silhilliansforrugbyandcricket. sports —rugby,hockey,boxing,swimming,tennisandcricket.In1937wejoinedthe Needless tosay,in1939,alleligiblepeoplewerecalledintoserviceandGeoffchose became averygoodfriendindeed.Inthoseearlydays,Geoffwasinvolvedinallthe lucky enoughtobemakinggoodfriendsforlife.GeoffSanderswasoneofthoseand Claude Coton Wilf Harrison 53 • 54

LS b itu ari e was twodayslateandwhenBetePeek,theForm-Mastersaid"Whoareyou why areyousolate?"Davidreplied"HawkesSir,andI'vebeenonholiday."With these fewwordsDavidmadehispresencefeltbecausetheyweredeliveredwithunu- We firstmetDavidinSeptember1944whenhearrivedPrep4.Unfortunately the worldatlarge. was commissionedasapilot.OneofhismissionstoflytheatombombChrist- acteristics thatmarkedoutDavid'sdealingsinlifewithfamily,friends,colleaguesand sual confidence,enthusiasmandcheerfulness.Thesewerebecameenduringchar- DAVID HAWKES(Jago,left1951) went toWinfrithHeath,wherehehelpedplantheprovisionofnuclearpowersafely After leavingtheAirForcehejoinedAtomicEnergyAuthorityatHarwellandthen and Jago.HeplayedRugbyCricketfortheSchool,wasamemberofShoot- exam, obtainingaStateScholarship.Heleftin1951asmemberoftheUpperBench ing VIIIandHouseCaptainofRugbyCricket. Again withthedecliningsteelindustryheleftandsetupaconsultancyinScotlandto On leavingSchoolhewenttoBirminghamUniversitywhereobtainedadegreein David progressedthroughSchooltakingCertificateandthenew"A"level ton tobenearerhissonandonedaughter.Allalongsporttheoutsidewere With retirementageloomingheeasedhimselfoutandmovedfromGlasgowtoTaun- clear programme,hejoinedBritishIronandSteelasTechnicalDirectorforScotland. and effectively.Aftersomeyearsinthisindustry,withthewindingdownofnu- mas Island.HehadgoodpracticalskillsaswellsuchbuildingMirrorDinghies. Mechanical Engineering.Hethendidtwoyears'NationalServiceintheAirForceand was helpingtosailtookdowntheoverheadpowerlinesatTewkesbury,fishingand a keeninterest.Particularlysailing,whereononeoccasionthemastofboathe commitment tojusticeandwithanenduringkindnessconcernforothers.While help smallindustries,manyofwhichwerejuststartingup. JOSEPH A.GEORGE(SchoolHouseLeft1952) church. during theeastcoastflooding.Whereverhewentdida lotofcharityworkforthe mountain walking. he wasatUniversityansweredthecall"Skegnessanyone" togoandfillsandbags He wasalsodeeplyinterestedinChristianity,alwaysthoughtfulandfirmlytiedtoa started atSolihullin1948fromRuckleigh.Althoughhewas notparticularlyacademi- He issurvivedbyhiswife,Judy,asonandtwodaughters fourgrand-children. short illnessinFebruaryofthisyear.Myfatherspentmost theWarinAustraliawith At schoolhewas akeensportsman,although heparticularlyexcelledathockey and cally giftednoramajorsportsman,Ibelieveheenjoyedhis time atSolihullSchool(at my lategrandmotherandbeganhisschoolingthere.They returnedin1945andhe including MrHitchens. least sufficientlytosendmethere too!).Hespokefondlyofseveralthemasters, I regrettoinformyouofthedeathmyfather,JosephAllen George,aged70,aftera awarded ascholarshiptoSolihull Schoolandattendedthroughoutmostofthe1950s. encouragement fromKeith Berridge?). cricket, andbecame anenthusiasticScout.He alsodevelopedanambition tojointhe BEN REEVE(Fetherston,left 1959) Like hisfather(Eric)anduncles (JackandOwen)beforehim,Ben(photoright)was Royal Navy,fostered nodoubtbyhisexperiences inthenavalsectionof CCF(and David George(Windsor,left 1985) J EAnderson&PMoore This couldeasily besaidofPhil.Itwasalmost impossibletoembarrass him.Ifhe came thestentorianreply.While oneoftenhearsofpupilsplayingtricksonteachers, When IrangupPhilGriffiths, now HeadmasterofSolihullSchool,togivehimthesad of humourand,forpeoplewho didn'tknowhim,hecouldseemalittleintimidating. time againwas"Ican'tbelievehe'sgone—helarger than life."Philwasindeed vine, Ireceivedagreatnumberofcalls,andoneexpression whichIheardtimeand When theterriblenewsofPhil'suntimelydeathbegantospread throughthegrape- We regrettoinformyouthatRichardhaspassedaway. After theNavy,hewasBursartoPestalozziChildren'sVillageinSedlescombe, the latterpartofhiscareer,livinginHampshire, with RoyaltyandHeadsofState,partook was heldatknifepointduringaboarding,met the RoyalNavalCollegeatDartmouth,thus To realisethisambitionBenleftschooltoattend and aChurchWarden,reflectingthecontinuingenthusiasmwithwhichhefreelygave to therankofLieutenantCommanderand,in volcanic islandrisefromthesea(offIceland), years, hesawboththeNorthernandSouthern children, asonandtwodaughters. quently, themarriagewasblessedwiththree spite ofpostingsthattookhimawaytoseafre- starting outona30yearcareerintheRoyal have discipline problems!ThecharacterofSir JohnFalstaffinShakespeare's Henry in Phil'sclassroom itwasdefinitelytheother wayround.Needlesstosay, hedidn't ing intherubbishbin."Whyis thatboyinthebin?"heasked."Becausehe'srubbish!" Phil's chemistrylabwithamessage. Tohissurprise,hefoundoneoftheboysstand- news, herecountedhow,as arecentlyappointedteacherthere,hehadgoneinto physically large,andwithavoicepersonalitytomatch. Hehadawickedsense PHIL (P.H.)SMITH(Master,Left1974) and persistentinresearchingdocumentingtheReevefamilytree,ataskforwhich SE Region.BenwasalsoalocalMagistrate,sittingonthedrugrehabilitationboard, cer ReliefinLondon,andthisledtohimbecomingtheMacmillan'sFundraiserfor Sussex, workedfortheInstituteofMotorEngineersand,latterly,withMacmillanCan- many friendsandfamily. included bothpeacekeepingdutiesandconflict. IV saysofhimself: "Iamnotonlywittyinmyself, butthecausethatwitis inothers." RICHARD HUSLER(left1968?) his wife,Mary,children,Nicola(Nicky),AnthonyandSarah, fivegrand-childrenand home inCripp'sCorner,EastSussexon6thMarch2007,his 67thbirthday.Heleaves Ben wasdiagnosedwithanaggressivecancertowardsthe endof2006anddiedat his passionfordetail,accuracyandendeavourmadehimideallysuitable. membership ofTheHampshireGardensTrust.Inrecentyears,hewasalsoresolute he spentsomehappyyearsattheshorebase in many'crossingtheequator'parties.Herose Lights, interceptedgoldsmugglers,witnesseda his timeandenergies.Previousactivitiesincludedaschoolgovernorship,founder He becameaspecialistnavigatorand,overthe His travels,onanumberofHerMajesty'sShips, Navy. Hemarried,in1963,MaryClarkand HMS Dryadwhere,amongstotherduties,hemanagedtheparklandestates. Nick Reeve 55 rajz n Leirk , • rel:M IM= first fifteen,theDukeofEdinburghschemeandsixthformlectures.Outsideschool, tion. Inthiscapacityheorganisedtheannualschoolscrystalgrowingcompetitionand found boardersormembersofhisU15rugbyteaminthere havingachat.Heknew far moreaboutwhatwentoninthepupils'worldthananyother memberofstaff,be- time heusedtohelpwiththeNewburyWeeklyNewsOver-80'sparcelfund. activities oftheRoyalSocietyChemistry,beingchairmanThamesValleysec- and coachedtheunder-15rugbyteam.AtDouai,hewasheadofchemistry,ran visits toschoolsunderthetitleof"ChemistryatWork".Healsoarrangedlight-hearted their favouriteamusingstoryofPhil,anequallygreatnumber willhavestoriestotell who hadbeenwrittenoffbyothercolleagues.Justasthose whoknewhimwillhave to me,Phil'sfriendshipwasunconditional—youdidn'thave todeservehisfriendship doesn't dojusticetoPhil,becausewhatwasuniqueabouthimthequalityof sessions byGuyBoursot,whousedtocomeoverfromFrancespecially.AtChristmas events withperhapsalessobviousconnectionchemistry,suchaswine-tasting member andlaterPresidentofhislocalRotaryClub,wasdeeplyinvolvedin mittee forEnglandSchoolsandpresidentofBerkshireRugby.Hewasalsoafounder he wasinvolvedinrugbyatbothaseniorandjuniorlevel,beingontheselectioncom- to him.Philsaidthatheought tomarkthismomentousoccasionsomeextent,and When oneofhisformerDouai studentswasabouttoturn21,Philaskedhimifhe was alwaysputtinghimselfout forpeopleinordertogivethempleasantsurprises. of hisinnumerableactskindness.Hewouldquiteoften lendhiscartoothers,in cause theytrustedhim,andwouldconfideinhim.Asoneof hisformerstudentssaid at SolihullSchool,hisroomwasopenhouse.Whenonevisitedhim,frequently going tocelebrateit.Hesaid no ashefeltthatbecomingeighteenhadmeantmore could havemadealotofmoney,butthiswasentirelyforeign tohisnature.Heused strapped forcash,hewouldwithoutquestionlendhimsome money,orevengiveitto some casestopeoplewhomIwouldn'thavetrustedwith abicycle!Ifmatewas in ordertohaveit—wasfreelygiven.Heoftenasource ofstrengthtopupils his commitmenttoeachandeveryoneofthem.Whenhewasseniorboardingtutor Merely recountingthisimpressivelistleavesonefairlybreathless,buteven his considerableorganisationalandnetworkingskillsinthe service ofhisfriends.He him. Ihaveoftensaidtopeoplethat,ifPhilhadbeendriven bytheprofitmotive,he arrived attherestaurant,his former pupil'sfriendswerethereinstrength.Youcan arranged thatthreeofthemwould gooutforaquietmealinrestaurant.Whenthey remember the Solihull U15'stourtoBirkenhead intheearly70's,wherewe notonly imagine howmuch timePhilmusthavespent onthephoneorganisingthat. He wasalways arrangingtripsforhisrugbyteams andIwentonanumber ofthem.I was lackofconsiderationforothers. tions inthebarwouldstop,anderrantpupil you don'tservehimalcoholinfuture."Allconversa- "Landlord —thatboythere;he'sonlyfifteen.Isuggest caught apupilhavinganunderagealcoholicdrinkin tor intheboardinghouse;heranVentureScouts vial chap.Hewasawhirlwindofactivity.AtSolihull youth, andtheonlythingthatwouldmakehimangry ant oftheminormisdemeanoursoftencommittedby pub, hewouldsimplyshoutacrossthecrowdedroom: School, besidesteachingchemistry,hewasseniortu- uncomfortable forthemiscreant.Philwasverytoler- Phil thoroughlyenjoyed,butwhichwasnodoubtmost Phil wouldbethecentreofattention,asituationwhich But therewasfarmoretoPhilthanjustbeingajo- the wholeofRachmaninov'spiano concertowiththeSchoolorchestrainhisfinalyear. were takeninhisUpperSixthyear.Hegainedaplacetoread Engineering,Econom- was alwayscheerfulandfullyinvolvedhimselfinthelifeof theSchool.Adelightto gained hisDuke ofEdinburghGoldAward. cians inassemblies,recitals, concertsorexams.HeswamfortheSchoolandalso on piano,oboeandbassoon wasaprolificcontributortoMusicatSchool,attain- Tsz cametoSolihullSchool,having wonaMusicScholarship.Hewasaccomplished Year withTurnerPowerTraininWolverhampton. teach, hewasadmiredandrespectedbybothstaffpeers. Tsz wasanexceptionalpupil,academicallygiftedyetmodest abouthistalents.He TSZ FOK(Pole,left2003) that therewasalsoamemorialserviceinDouaiAbbeynearThatcham,wherehehad tion, butthosewhowereunabletocomethatsokeenpaytheirrespects friendship, onthegroundsthatIwouldleadhimastray,encouragingtodosuch for twenty,eventhirtyyears.Unlikemostofus,Phildidn'tstopthinkingpeoplejust was notoneofhisstrengths,asthosewhoevervisitedroominSchoolHouseor the upperroomofapubinTwickenham,sothatwewereabletohaverefreshments the autumnfixturesagainstAustralia,NewZealandandSouthAfrica,heusedtohire grade A.ThesewereinMaths,FurtherMaths Additional,Statistics, generous peopleIhaveevermet.HisfuneralinBirkenheaddrewalargecongrega- some, oflegendaryproportions!)Asfarasourbusinesspartnershipisconcerned,I We madeagoodteam,becauseourrespectivestrengthsandweaknessescomple- things asgoingtopubs!Forthepasteightyears,wewerealsobusinesspartners, a seniormemberofstafftookhimononesideandwarnedagainstcultivatingmy the staffofSolihullSchool,soourfriendshipgoesbacknearlyfortyyears.Thosewho especially atTwickenham,andheusedtosharetheseoutamonghismanyfriends. able, becausetheybroughttogetherpeoplewhomightnothaveseenoneanother aged, formerheadmasterofbothSolihullandBirkenheadSchools—W.F.Bushell. He wasawonderful, talented,self-effacingperson whoselosswillbeimmeasurable. He wasunstintinglygenerous withhistime,beingwillingtoaccompanyothermusi- ing Grade8onoboeandpiano andadiplomaforpianowhilststillatschool.Heplayed ics andManagementatWorcesterCollegeOxfordwent upin2004afteraGap Chemistry, Physics,MusicandSpanishaswellGeneral StudiesandMandarin.In shall greatlymisshisfarsightednessandstrategicthinking.Asfarasourfriendship as weboughtfirstone,theneventuallyfourhousestoletstudentsinManchester. know bothhimandmewillbeamusedtolearnthat,shortlyaftermyarrivalatSolihull, in comfortbothbeforeandafterthematch.Theseeventswereparticularlyenjoy- On thoseoccasionswhenhewasabletoobtainalargenumberoftickets,forexample many levels,hewasabletogethishandsonanumberofticketsforinternationals, (Phil hadbeenapupilatBirkenhead).Becauseofhisinvolvementinrugbyso played rugby,butvisitedChesterZooandthehouseoflegendary,bythen Mathematics hesetarecordbytaking24outofthe25possible papers,17ofwhich lived foroverthirtyyears. is concerned,thelossirreparable.Hewasoneofkindest,mostgenuineand his homeinThatchamwillappreciate.(Allwouldagreethattheiruntidinesswasawe- hoops thatwehadtojumpthrough,somethingwhichboredmesilly,butpaperwork mented oneanotherverywell.Philwasgoodatmasteringthecomplexlegal because theylivedalongwayaway. By theendofhisSchoolcareerTszhadattainedaphenomenal 10Alevelswith8at I shouldliketofinishonapersonalnote.firstgotknowPhilin1968,whenjoining Richard Batstone Phil Griffiths 57

aue nv I • Chairman Andy Matun 07956 915217 0•

Secretary Geoff Garwood 0121 745 1437 11 Treasurer Bugsy Morton 0121 706 3966 51. West Midlands League 2006/2007 It was a disappointing season for both the 'A' and 'B' teams with a number of

long term injuries to key players in both squads. The 'A' team struggled for 39S most of the season despite winning the first 3 games of the campaign. Two wins 011,

in the final 2 games of the season pulled Sils out of the bottom 2 league posi- 11 tions. The 'B' team made good progress but could not hold on to the League 1. 2 title they won in the previous season missing out by just 4 points. The jun- ior players in the squad made excellent progress and they should be taking a prominent part in the new season when the 'B' team will again be among the favourites for the Div 2 title. Division 1 Played Won Lost P.F. P.A. P.D'duct. Pts Aston Uni 18 13 5 1065 974 1 43 Pro Guard Pistons 18 12 6 1328 1084 0 42 Warley 'B' 18 12 6 1115 1007 0 42 Weston Hoops 18 12 6 1130 993 0 42 Balkan Express 18 11 7 1113 1023 0 40 Churchbridge 18 10 8 1142 1013 0 38 Smiths Wood 18 10 8 1219 1065 0 38 Old Sils 'A' 18 5 13 1084 1251 0 28 Orillo 18 5 13 935 1086 0 28 Featherstone 18 0 18 591 1226 0 18 Would you like to wake up to this view Division 2 Played Won Lost P.F. P.A. P.D'duct. Pts. Pro Guard Pacers 18 13 5 1353 1047 0 44 when on hohday,from a luxury Penthouse Chase Panthers 'B' 18 12 6 1226 1104 0 42 Hawks 18 12 6 1365 1084 0 42 Apartment in Looe, Cornwall? Willenhall 18 12 6 1199 1131 0 42 Old Sils 18 11 7 1116 983 40 Barton 18 11 7 1058 915 40 En suite master bedroom Old Edwardians 18 9 9 1153 1153 35 Swinfen Hall 18 5 13 992 1200 28 with two further twin Warley 'C' 18 4 14 884 1064 26 David Lloyds 18 1 17 677 1342 20 bedrooms. The penthouse Summer League 2007 The Summer League saw a mixed team of 'A' and 'B' players perform extremely sleeps 6 and is available well winning a number of close games against West Mids Police, Warley, Hawks, Redditch and David Lloyds. There were 3 teams behind the League winners all 52 weeks a year tied on 17 points but Sils came 4th on the head to head basket difference. P W L Diff Pts Chase Panthers 7 7 o 21 Balkan Express 7 5 2 8 17 Warley 7 5 2 4 17 Sils 7 5 2 -12 17 If so contact Brian Knight for Redditch Regents 7 2 5 8 11 details/brochure:- WM Police 7 2 5 2 11 Hawks 7 2 5 -10 11 Tel No: 01789 488288 David Lloyds 7 o 7 7 Mob: 07909 961757 Anyone interested in playing basketball please contact Geoff Garwood on 07956 59 915 217. Email: [email protected] Geoff Garwood Pil 6 • , . or ts Sec ti o n As aSocietyweareveryfortunatetobeableuseOltonGolfClubasour The coursethisyearhasbeeninexceptionalconditionandallwhohaveplayed The 'A'teamrecordedwinsoverLadbrookParkandRobinHoodbutlosttoCopt Jean, havejustretired.TheylookedaftertheSocietyoffcoursefor there havecommentedfavourably.TheStewardandStewardess,David strength toin2007.Membershipnowstandsatover150andthere It iswithgreatpleasurethatIcanreporttheGolfSocietyhasgonefrom The Captain'scocktailpartywasagainheldattheO.S.A.clubhousein team winningalloftheirfivematchestogothroughtheseasonundefeated. very conviviallunch.The'B'teamhadanewcaptainthisyearwithMaxLev- a numberofyearsandourbestwishesgotothemintheirretirement. has beengreatsupportbothonandoffthecourse. enger takingoverfromhisunclePeter.Thechangeseemedtoworkwiththe tain's awaydaywasheldatTadmartonHeathGolfClubnearBanbury,when home baseandourthanksgototheCommitteemembershipofO.G.C. with afingerbuffetcoupledfewglassesofPimms.ThisyeartheCap- summer andmemberstheirpartnersenjoyedaverypleasantlunchtime Heath awayandOltonintheannual24-a-sidematchwhichwasfollowedbya Kevin Parkes (Captain), LouisMeryon,Barney Dowding,HarryWestall, Sec/Treasurer Captain President Peter Levenger (Vice-captain),BenHarrison, RichardTurner, David Fleetand PhilJohnson(President) The Grafton Morrish Team Kevin Parkes Phil Johnson Bob Young 01564 772556 This isthefirst, vitalsteptowardsachieving thegoalofbringinghockey back to theclubafter morethanadecadeofplaying matchesawayfromCopt Heath. After manyyears oftryingtheclubhassuccessfully obtainedplanning permis- sion forafloodlit Astroturftobelocatedat theMemorialClubhouse& Ground. Turner andBarneyDowdingexcelledthemselvesfinishedfirstoutof12 It wasafairlymixedseason onthepitchbutahighlysignificantoneoffit! dinner onthe1stFebruarynextyear. continue tosupporttheDecemberVaseon8th andtheannual A greatfewdayswerehadwith20supporterstravellingandbringinghome the Salverwherewewonoursemi-finalbutlostinafternoon2-1toSt the sideofDavidFleet,BenHarrison,LouisMeryon,ChrisEdwards,Richard It hasbeenaprivilegetobecaptainofthisgreatsociety andIhopeyouwill and courtesyduringmyyearofcaptaincy.SpecialthanksgotothePresident at Schoolandhewillbesorelymissed. some silverwarewasagreatcredittotheteam. to somemarvellousgolf,wecameoutwinnersoftheSalverbeating24other the finalsinNorfolk. tour Pro.GraemebeingfromtheEmeraldIslejoinedinday'sfestivities My verybestwishesgotoPeterLevengerforasuccessful yearin2008. men dosterlingworkonourbehalfanddeserveheartfelt thanks. man, ourMatchSecretary,andBobYoung,Secretary; boththesegentle- I wouldliketoclosebythankingallmembersoftheSocietyfortheirsupport It iswithregretthatIhavetoreporttheuntimelydeathofRichardHusler,a George's Weybridgeinthefinalwithlastmatchagaingoingdown19th. schools. WethenenteredtheCommitteeBowlforfourbestschoolsin with thelastmatchgoingdown19th.Thismeantthatwewereentered wards intheteamforfinals.Havingnegotiatedourfirstround3-0against We travelledtoNorfolkingoodspiritswithHarryWestallreplacingChrisEd- schools competingthusensuringthatwewouldbeoneoftheseededteamsat In MaythequalifyingcompetitionforGraftonMorrishwasheldatOltonand with greatgusto,somuchthatheonlymanaged7holesintheafternoon, Newby fortheirhelpandadvice.ThecommitteeiscompletedbyMikeWise- Phil Johnson,myvice-captainPeterLevenger,andimmediatepastcaptainPaul member oftheSociety,atage56.Richardwasacontemporarymine in theSolihullSalverforalllosersondayoneofcompetitionand,thanks into the'GrabaGranny'night-enoughsaid! and exceptionalhospitalitythroughouttheday.BenHarrisonaskedifhecould Hurstpierpoint wecameacrossastrongEtonsidewhoeventuallybeatus2-1 but managedtocarryonuntilwereturnedtheClubwherehedisappeared bring aspecialguestandhedulyarrivedwithGraemeMcDowell,theEuropean 32 membersandguestswereblessedwithfineweather,asplendidcourse Secretary: Chairman: Ladies ClubCaptain:Heather Linley Men's ClubCaptain: President Peter Dawes Mike Waters Richard Fell Steve Tabb 01527 585241 07791 145690 07977 229541 07900 884100 Kevin Parkes 61 uoip as sp o I A number of members played a significant part F in obtaining planning per- (I) President Peter Upton 01564 770743 ti n mission but thanks, in 0 particular, must go to Alan Chairman Clive Hollings 0121 706 1212 -1

tio Cave and Teale Withers. Secretary David Neal 0121 744 8751 Cnr Club Captains Liz Asquith (Rifle) 0121 704 0314 Attention has now switched VI Gordon Bragg (Pistol) 0121 704 2500

Sec to the task of raising the fD considerable sum of mon- n ts This report gives the rp—. ey needed for construction Rifle Club its opportu- 0

or to take place. However, s nity to record the pass- = once completed, the pitch ing in Summer 2006 tn will add enormous value of its founder member to the already consider- Arthur Upton. Arthur's able range of sporting fa- John Cloke, Ian Robertson and Max Levenger contribution to the club cilities on site and will only share a joke at the Hockey Club Annual Dinner can be measured by improve the club's reputa- the fact that he was tion as one of the best amateur sports clubs in the West Midlands. our first Honorary Life Member. As Chairman On the pitch the club's sides produced something of a mixed bag. Top perform- he steered the club ers were the Men's Fourth XI who secured promotion to West Midlands Premier. through its first 13 Meanwhile the Men's and Ladies' First XI's both enjoyed solid seasons finish- years and subsequently ing mid-table. The Men's First XI, in particular, was transformed from previous held the posts of Presi- seasons with a significantly younger side under new captain Paul Lawrence. The dent, Club Captain, and Peter Upton supporting club members youth policy certainly paid dividends with a significant improvement in terms of Committee Member. He Mike Doble and Keith Westwood at the athleticism and thus competitiveness and a good season is forecast for 2008. was actively involved in 2007 British Championships, Bisley shooting, both full-bore and small-bore, at Borough, County and National level. The club continues to operate one of the most highly respected junior train- He was the very essence of shooter, clubman and gentleman. ing set-ups in the Midlands with a number of players gaining selection to the County squads. The club is the only one in the area to have secured the Sport Life at the club continues at its home in the range at Copt Heath. Prone Rifle England Clubmark Accreditation for its quality of coaching. For those Old Sil- shooting occurs on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings and Lightweight hillians with children keen to give hockey a go training sessions take place at Sport Rifle (LSR) on Monday and Wednesday evenings. The competition dis- Solihull School on Sunday mornings between 10.30am and 12 noon. tances are 25 yards for prone events and 20 yards for LSR. Prone shooting outdoors at the longer distances of 50 metres and 100 yards is available to As ever I would like to end by thanking members via the club's links with Wedgnock Rifle Club. Solihull School, and Chris Mayer in par- ticular, for their backing over the past Shooters of both disciplines compete regularly in leagues with local, regional twelve months. Given the lack of suit- and national opponents and a series on internal cup competitions are organised able facilities in the area, the willingness annually. We are pleased to report that the Miller Plaque, originally assigned to of the School to make their pitch avail- pistol competition has, with the consent of the donor, been reallocated to the able for the club to use has truly been LSR discipline. This year's winner being our top LSR shot Adrian Murphy. a lifesaver over the years as the club Club members are currently representing Warwickshire County in both Prone would have struggled to find sufficient and LSR disciplines, and encouragingly, 4 of our junior members have achieved pitch space to survive without it. County selection. The Club is always looking for new play- In May of 2007 as part of the first 'National Shooting Week', an event sponsored ers. Anyone interested should contact by the three main shooting organisations, the LSR group was able to hold an the relevant officer listed on the previous open evening. This enabled individuals who had previously indicated an interest page. Men's First XI squad and Ladies' in trying the sport to have an evening's shooting. This event was well supported training takes place at Solihull School and a great success for both shooters and socialisers alike. on Thursday's starting at 7.30pm with 6 club training on Tuesdays also starting We continue to work to keep 'up to date'. A new membership card system has 6 Richard Fell receives the at 7.30pm. been introduced, the butts refurbished by way of members' working parties, Willetts Trophy Mike Waters new rifles, telescopic sights and ancillary equipment purchased. We have an

upgraded web site available via the main Association's site or direct at - www. most of the starting line-up and many of the replacements having played with members.lycos.co.uk/oldsilsrifleclub him last season.

The coming season holds much hope for our new combination of Club Captain

n The club welcomes contact from anyone harbouring thoughts about giving shooting a try; remember age and gender are no bar at the firing line. Our and Coach with Lee Jones taking on the mantle of Captain ably assisted by his 'N o

tio members are drawn from both sexes and range in age from 13 to 80 years. Vice-captain Jim Roper - familiar faces to those who frequent the SiIs having Clive Hollings come through the mini and junior sections - and the appointment of the very experienced Mark Pearson as Coach. It is the 75th anniversary of the club this sp

Sec year and we hope to mark the occasion with various functions, and of course as

ts by staying true to our primary aim of being a fantastic place to play high qual- ity amateur rugby. or President Graham Webb 07778 679671 Chairman Andrew Clutterbuck 07866 733180 uoip Secretary Graham Loader 07702 632219 The 2006/07 season saw another mixed bag in terms of the club's performance President R.J.Standley 01564 772886 both on and off the pitch. The first XV started brightly, with a realistic chance Chairman R.D.Taylor 01564 775883 of vying for promotion until the combination of a small squad, combined with Secretary R.Heighway 01564 742262 heavier pitches not suiting our traditional free flowing game, led to a losing Treasurer J.S.Parrott 01926 842610 streak which meant another mid-table finish was inevitable. There were some Captain P.Davies 01564 773814 bright performances and it was good to see players who hitherto had only Membership J.Milne 0121 733 6250 featured in the development squad start to challenge for the 1st XV starting line-up. The club is not just about the 1st XV though, and we continued to put The new online court booking system has been up-and-running for a couple of out three sides most weekends of the season - a challenge that some of our years and is an unqualified success. Anyone wishing to view the booking sys- traditional adversaries have found more and more difficult in recent times. tem or join the squash section can visit the website on www.squashbooking. The Saints had a particularly poignant game at the end of the season to com- co.uk/silhillians The squash club also has a specialist individual web site memorate the life of old boy Rik Adams, tragically killed in a motoring accident which can be found through the squash booking system and clicking on the club in 2006 - the game versus his former club King's Norton was a fitting tribute, web site and then squash. Last year I reported that as a consequence of losing key players we struggled in the Warwickshire Winter League and were relegated to division four. How- ever at the beginning of last year we managed to pick up the services of a new number one string. The benefits of acquiring any new player of a sufficient standard to play team squash is good news but a number one string has the added benefit of allowing all other team members to play down the order.

Alf Kavanagh has played squash for many years at a variety of local clubs. In recent years he has represented both Ireland, Connaught and Warwick- shire at both over 45s and 55s level. He is also an extremely accomplished racketball player. In May this year Alf won the Brit- ish National Racketball Championship at the over 55s level which was held at Edgbaston Priory - a fantastic achievement and something that the squash club can be duly proud of. You may remember from my previous reports that Arthur Adair has also played for Ireland, Lein- _ ster and Warwickshire at Roger Taylor, Alf Kavanagh, Phil Guest, m Mark Pearson, Graham Webb , Jim Roper, Lee Jones and Ian Cooper the over 55s level. Ray Mills and Arthur Adair Continuing on the county squash theme both myself and Arthur have been se- the racket is larger and, due to the different bounce of the ball, the game is lected to represent Warwickshire in the over 60s level to play against Worces- played at a totally different pace. There are now external leagues and at some tershire, Herefordshire and Derbyshire in mid October this year. Hopefully this clubs there are similar numbers of members playing racketball and squash.

will all go well and I will let you know the outcome in next year's report. We have spare capacity for new members wishing to play either game. Our • o

tion subscription rates remain very competitive and anyone interested in joining the Alf played most of our division four matches at number one. During the season squash club should contact John Milne on 01564 795063. he only lost once. This was reflected in the results and we had a far more suc-

Roger Taylor sp Sec cessful season than the previous year, only narrowly missing promotion.

In the summer leagues we benefited from Mark Taylor playing six matches on as his return from university. At the time of writing we are top of the league having orts played all of our matches. However we have played more games than some of The annual golf match between the Hockey (captained by Jonathan Clutter- our closest rivals and in similar circumstances to last year it will depend upon buck) and Rugby (captained by Jim Roper) Clubs was held at the Royal & An- uoip the outcome of the few remaining fixtures of our opponents as to whether or cient St. Stonebridge Golf Club in August. The Rugby section managed to not we will gain promotion to division three. Once again thanks to Phil Davies snatch a tie from the jaws of defeat to retain the trophy presented by the late and Ray Mills, the respective captains of the winter and summer teams. Kenneth Hicklin OS. The match, played in the best of sporting tradition, was Played Won Lost For Against Points Comments enjoyed by all and, as with all previous meetings, went down to the wire on the Winter League 18th green in the last game. The Hockey section are aiming for their first win 14 10 4 142 111 192 Finished 4th out of 8 only 5 next year under the experienced captaincy of Max Levenger. points behind runners-up Summer League Answers to Past Presidents' Quiz: 12 8 4 131 96 171 Top at the moment. 1 Claude Coton 1965; 2 Brian Uriy 1973; Stuart Mackay 1985; 4 Bill Townsend 1962; 5 Vic Hawley 1956; 6 Des Cooper 1960; 7 Bob Toy 1971; 8 John Richardson 1995; 9 Trevor Jones 1972; 10 John Woolman 2000 In this year's open club tourna- ment both Alf and Arthur did not compete through injury and unavailability. This gave a big We acknowledge with thanks, the opportunity for other players to support and interest of the following: win the trophy with the result that myself and my son (Mark Taylor) were left to compete in the final. Mark played extreme- AIM SOFTWARE LTD BRI ASSET MANAGEMENT PLC Croft House, ly well and youth triumphed BRI House, 21b Station Road, Elm Court, over experience with Mark win- Solihull, Meriden Business Park, ning 3-0. In the last two years West Midlands Coventry CV5 9RL Mark has come up from the B93 OHL Tel : 01676 523550 lower leagues into division one, Tel: 01564 770400 Fax : 01676 522799 winning the handicap tourna- Packaged and bespoke software Independent firm specialising in ment last year and culminating solutions & support, specialising managing investment portfolios. A this year by winning the open in the Manufacturing, Distribution bespoke & highly personalised Mark and Roger Taylor tournament - well done. and Finance Sectors service for the discerning investor The committee have all put in many hours of work to ensure that the club runs Contact: Tim Platt Website : www.brigroup.co.uk Contact: Paul or Michael Cusack efficiently and without their efforts we would not be able to operate. Special BABY BOTTLES (WHOLESALE) LTD thanks must go to John Standley, John Milne, John Parrott, Brian Wright, Ray Crondal Road, Exhall, CARSTINS LTD Mills and Bob Heighway. Coventry CV7 9NH 324 Station Road, However membership levels and consequently income were slightly down on Tel: (024) 76361518 Balsall Common, the previous year and the position is being closely monitored. Several avenues Fax (024) 76364718 Coventry CV7 7EF are being explored to increase membership levels through advertising, limited Quality soft drinks, kegs, beers, cask ales Tel: 01676 533145 special reductions and the promotion of racketball. The latter in the light of and wine at competitive prices Email: [email protected] having amongst our membership the reigning over 55 British Champion. The Web : www.babybottlesltd.co.uk Website: www.carstins.com 6 game has become extremely popular and is being played at the majority of lo- Contact: Keith Harding, Area Manager Subaru and Isuzu Main Dealers. cal squash clubs. Racketball is played on a squash court and has very similar (07740 830234) Fiat Specialists 67 rules and scoring system. However, the ball is of a similar size to a tennis ball, Email: [email protected] Contact: Martin Clarke Corporate a Private Hospitality FAMOUS FACES LTD HARRIS CLAIMS GROUP LTD PO BOX 69, Kingsbridge First Floor, 2A Bath Court, Old Silhillians' Association Clubhouse and Grounds Devon TQ7 4LE Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2NE Tel 01548 559165 Tel: 0121 622 6555 The Old Silhillians' Association is well equipped to host a variety of Corporate Web: www.famousfaces.co.uk Fax: 0121 622 5494 and Private Functions. Email: [email protected] Independant Claims Specialists; Fire, Providing speakers, celebrities Flood and Theft With a wealth of knowledge in Hospitality and Event Management look no and cabaret artistes for Contact: Steve Allso further than the Old Silhillians' Association Clubhouse and Grounds. conferences, promotions, corporate and after dinner HAUNCH LANE DEVELOPMENTS LTD We are situated in the heart of the West Midlands motorway network, entertainment 7 Stratford Road, adjacent to Junction 5 on the M42. 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Website: www.thorlux.com Website: www.greswoldeconstruction.com Superbly maintained Rugby, Football, Hockey and Cricket pitches with New Build, Refurbishment and Designers, Manufacturers & Suppliers Property Development of Professional Lighting Systems full changing room and shower facilities. Contact: Malcolm Priest Contact: Ian or Andrew Thorpe Extensive Coaching Programme for Mini and Junior Rugby, Hockey and Football. If you would like to place an advertisement, 2 Squash courts with private changing and shower facilities. Croquet, Archery and Rifle Shooting facilities. acknowledgment or contribute to next year's FREE car parking for in excess of 400 cars.

magazine please contact: If you are interested in hiring the facilities or wish discuss further opportunities, please contact Keith Waterhouse - General Manager 68 GCI 0-10111Maop t - 01564 777680 / f - 01564 775151 / e - [email protected] MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE in SOLIHULL and WARWICKSHIRE through Your local independent Estate Agent

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John Shepherd FRICS Michael Cutler FRICS

Residential Property Sales by Private Treaty and Auction. Structural Surveys and Homebuyers Reports New Homes, Overseas Homes, Residential Lettings

A personal service from a professional company Hockley Heath Balsall Common Solihull 01564 783866 01676 534411 0121 703 1850 Knowle Dickens Heath Mayfair, London 01564 771186 0121 733 2002 0207 408 1400 Warwick Stratford upon Avon 01926 407767 01789 292659 website : www.johnshepherd.com email : enquiriesgjohnshepherd.com