Old Orwellian Newsletter

Winter 2017 Aldeburgh Lodge 1909 Old Orwellian Newsleter Orwell Park School, Nacton, Ipswich, IP10 0ER 01473 659225 www.orwellpark.co.uk 2 Headmaster As we celebrate our 150th year as a school, this newsleter refects on the experiences of Old Orwellians during their time at the school. There have been many changes over the last 150 years, but one thing has not changed: the school produces well-rounded individuals who are comfort- able with who they are and who have the confdence and initiative to make a valuable contribution to their next school and to society in general. In this edition we look back at the lives of Peter Mornard, who served the school so well as Head of English, Senior Master and Acting Head in the 80s, and Ted Blackbrow, who as school photographer devoted his last years to promoting Orwell Park in the local and national press. Nicole and I were delighted to see OOs at the Half Century Club Lunch- eon in November and we look forward to seeing many of you at the forthcoming events celebrating our 150th anniversary, including the House of Lords Reception, the 150th Anniversary Ball and the School’s Summer Concert at Snape. We also look forward to the publication next year of the history of Orwell Park which is being writen by journalist Edwina Langley and funded by the Foundation. With all good wishes for the New Year. Adrian Brown Headmaster Half Century Club Forthcoming events 2018 We had a marvellous lunch on 11th November which ñ 15th March: Old Orwellian House of Lords was attended by over 30 Half Century Club members. Reception We were grateful to Peter Jackson (OO 1936-39) who ñ 19th May: Old Orwellian Day hosted the lunch at the Farmers Club and also the drinks party before the lunch. It was an absolute ñ 16th June: 150th Anniversary Ball at Orwell pleasure to see many familiar and new faces at the Park lunch and to hear fascinating memories from both ñ 29th June: Snape Summer Concert Aldeburgh Lodge days and from more recent times at ñ 9th November: Half Century Club Luncheon at Orwell Park. Orwell Park The Half Century Club is for Old Orwellians who left the school over 50 years ago. We hold a lunch every year for members and alternate holding the lunch at Headmaster: [email protected] school or in London. Next year the lunch will be on 01473 653225 9th November at School. Headmaster’s PA: [email protected] Please do contact Sarah Kirby-Smith, Old Orwellian 01473 653274 Secretary on: Registrar: [email protected] [email protected] or telephone 01473 01473 653224 653274 for more information. 2 3 Peter Mornard 1947-2017 PJM was a brilliant schoolmaster: he identifed with children and they with him. They loved his infectious enthusiasm and his sense of humour, particularly when the but of the joke was Peter himself. You never laughed ‘at’ Peter, you laughed ‘with’ him, because he was always so ready to laugh at himself. His atrocious puns, in- ficted without mercy on both staf and boys, betrayed a sharpness of wit and his over-the-top sense of the ridicu- lous. In some ways he was a Peter Pan character with an optimistic view of the world in which Ipswich Town were always victorious and his racing tips were always winners. Children of all ages identifed with his Walter Mity persona. His sense of fun and make-believe mirrored their own imaginative exploits, for instance in scoring spectacular goals. But of course, in their imagination, the children would be scoring for a proper team like Arse- nal or Manchester United. While this was the public front, there was a serious side to Peter’s life and career that could be best described as a vocation. He came from a family of teachers and he was a brilliant exponent with all the necessary skills. Peter gave of himself: he dedicated his energies, his time and his talents in the service of others. And there were talents aplenty. He was ahead of his time. The creative writing that he inspired from the children was meticulously marked and always had the encouraging comments, so beloved of modern educationalists. His own creative use of words was ably demonstrated in his endless articles for the local media, both newspaper and radio. Peter’s relationship with his pupils was one of mutual respect. He respected their potential, which he tried to foster. They respected his talents, his humour and his willingness to share his wide interests. He would spend endless hours encouraging them to develop the many skills of which he was an accomplished practitioner. On his frst day back at Orwell in 1980 he turned up late for his frst class; “Good Morning , boys.” “Good Morning, Sir. Have you got a chit for being late, Sir?” “And what’s your name?” “ Cook, Sir.” (We never used frst names in those days!) “Outside, Cook; I’ll deal with you later.” From moment one, Form 5 knew who was boss: respect was instantaneous. Incidentally, two years later Cook won a major Scholarship to Oakham with English as a notably strong subject. That story was recounted to me by an Old Orwellian who is about to be 50: he remembers the incident with total clarity, as if it were yesterday. Life was always a bit of a drama with Peter. He translated his love of the theatre into outstanding productions that live long in the memory. He was ambitious: for instance he never had a prompt; the children had to adlib their way out of trouble, if they forgot their lines. He demanded devotion to duty from the boys and an exacting involvement from colleagues; teamwork was a vital ingredient. He extended the skills and creativity of children to produce inspiring experiences, that gave endless confdence to performers and pleasure to audiences. He gave of himself wholeheartedly; however, we did have to put up with his last night, pun-flled ‘thank-you speeches’, which sometimes seemed to last almost as long as the production itself. Peter would be sad to hear me say that he was never a great footballer. He loved his football and his celebratory jinks down the touchline when his Old Buck team scored a last-minute winning goal against my Orwell team were equal in his mind to England winning the World Cup. I did see him score one brilliant goal when playing against the boys: a volley from 35yards out and he never let any of us forget it! Others will talk today about his involvement in tennis, but it was his table-tennis exploits which particularly cap- tured the minds and enthusiasms of the Orwellians. His organisation was meticulous and so it was a 3 4 Peter Mornard surprise when one day the table tennis team was outside the school waiting for transport to play a League match in Ipswich. Up comes the taxi but with an unfamiliar driver. The boys asked him if he knew where Mr Mor- nard was. Unfortunately the driver had very poor hearing and thinking they said, “Where is Mr Durrant, the usual driver?” replied, “Oh, I took him to hospital this morning.” The boys knowing that PJM would want the show to go on, thought they had beter travel without him. Half an hour into the match a breathless PJM was seen entering the gym, moped helmet in hand. “ Why didn’t you wait for me?” he cried. “Well Sir, we were told you were in hospital, but thank you for coming, Sir. You don’t look too bad, Sir!” Such dedication, they thought! Peter took the team to the national fnals and I hate to think how much he must have spent on Mars bars, reward- ing boys for improved performances and occasionally for beating him, amidst much pretend bluster and play- acting. The organisational skills that Peter utilised to run tennis tournaments were displayed in so many aspects of school life. It was these skills that made him a natural for Senior Master and fnally Acting Head when, in 1989, I took a sabbatical. The true refection of his infuence is demonstrated by the fact that whenever I meet Old Boys, they ask about the school in general and then enquire of ‘Morney’. He was ‘favourite teacher’ to so many. They knew the debt they owed to him for his dedicated input into their lives and subsequent successes. Peter is fondly remembered by so many because he was slightly eccentric, but so human; so broad in his interests, yet so fo- cused; so dedicated, yet so much fun. Heads dream of having staf like Peter: skilled, extremely hard working, with a creative imagination and a great sense of humour. He enlivened lessons, activities, the games feld and the Common Room and most importantly he locked into the mind and ambitions of children. He was a gift to any school; he was a major building block in the improving reputation of Orwell Park. We were fortunate to have had his charisma for so long. In the words of a colleague, “Never one for ostentation, he was in all senses – and even after a diet – a man of real substance.” He lives on now in the lives of those for whom he was such a major infuence and in the memories of those who had the privilege of interacting with him over many years. Peter John Mornard 1 Ipswich Town Nil Ian Angus Peter Mornard with David Howard 4 5 Ted Blackbrow 1939-2017 Ted Blackbrow, one of Fleet Street’s fnest photographers, winner of UK Sport and Feature Photographer of the Year (1995 and 2003), creator of pictures described by Paul Dacre as ‘masterpieces of the genre’, died in the last days of Au- gust, depriving the world, and Orwell Park within it, of a great talent, a loyal friend to the school, and a world-class professional of great energy, integrity and enthusiasm.

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