Etcetera:The Place Where Old Friends Get Together
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Number 14 Spring 2011 The magazine for former pupils and friends of Glasgow Academy and Westbourne School Etcetera: the place where old friends get together Editorial Contents I’m writing this on the Euston train to Glasgow Central on my way back from the 3 Meritorious Service London Academicals’ Dinner. For some reason – possibly a dark foreboding – I’ve Regular Giving 2010-11 decided not to risk a trip to Twickenham for the annual Calcutta Cup match on 4 Seizing the moment – a morning Sunday… with Darius 5 On her bike in search of a fairer Along with the passing countryside, memories of an excellent evening fl it by – an world evening in which tales of rugby took pride of place. Although not known for his 6 Everything is possible prowess on the rugby fi eld, even the guest speaker, Lord MacLennan of Rogart, had 7 Anecdotage a rugby-related story. He spoke warmly of his undying gratitude to the boy who 10 Jim Cunningham remembers broke his arm in Fifth Form, thereby ensuring that he had a perfect excuse for taking 11 Much-loved teachers (almost) no further part in a game that he heartily disliked. remembered Undoubtedly the star of the evening was the oldest member of the company – a 12 My life after T.G.A. 140-year-old cap given to JW Arthur before the fi rst-ever international rugby 13 War Memorial Visitors match in 1871. Arthur was one of two Academicals who played in the match 14 Malcolm Allan – rugby referee, 1900-1974 between England and Scotland. (The other, William Cross, scored the fi rst points in 18 Business Etcetera International rugby in Scotland’s historic win over the ‘auld enemy’.) 19 Events & Reunions As a member of the External Relations Department at The Academy, I’m proud 20 Academical Section of what members of the Academical Club have achieved over the years and we are 24 Obituaries delighted to help the Club in whatever ways we can. 25 Updates The inclusion of the Club membership information in this pack is one way in which 28 Westbourne we can do this. From several conversations we have had recently, however, a number 30 The Academy’s Legacy of former pupils seem to assume that this comes from External Relations. Some What’s in a name? even think that it is a subscription request for this magazine. It is not – the Club 31 Home and abroad subscription funds the activities of the Glasgow Academical Club and the magazine is Special Update funded and distributed by the Glasgow Academicals’ War Memorial Trust. Do we have your e-mail address? Etcetera has been – and continues to be – very warmly received by the whole It’s how we communicate best! Academy community and we are fi rmly committed to it, now and in the future. Increasingly, however, we are considering other ways of helping to fund the Keeping in touch magazine and we are delighted to have agreed a three-edition sponsorship deal with The External Relations offi ce is situated Clive Christian that will go some way to reducing postage costs. in Colebrooke Terrace. Former pupils If any member of the Academy former pupil community would like to discuss are always welcome to pop in for a chat and look round the school. Just give possible future commercial partnerships, we would be very pleased to meet them. us a call to arrange a time. Our address is Colebrooke Terrace, Glasgow G12 With best wishes 8HE and you can contact us on 0141 342 5494 or at [email protected] The Glasgow Academical Club 21 Helensburgh Drive, Glasgow G13 1RR President – Lindsay Crawford Malcom McNaught, Director of External Relations E-mail – [email protected] [email protected] Secretary – Kenneth Shand Tel: 0141 248 5011 Forthcoming Events E-mail: [email protected] 17 June Reunion for those who left in 1950 and before The Academical Club pavilion is available 20 June Regular Giving ‘thank you’ Reception for functions. Please contact Ken Barron at [email protected] for details. September GA 100 Reception (at Anniesland, date tbc) 30 September Class of 1991 Reunion Academical Club’s London Section Secretary – David Hall, 20 Cadogan Place 7 October Classes of 1961-1965 Reunion London SW1X 9SA 13 October Kelvin Foundation Lunch Tel: 020 7235 9012 10 November Classes of 1951-1955 Reunion E-mail: [email protected] 11 November 129th Glasgow Academical Club Dinner 2 December Classes of 1971-1975 Reunion Cover: recent reunion of 1981-85. A full report will appear in the next edition. 2 Etcetera Regular Giving 2010-11 Thank you to all those who have helped get our 2010-11 appeal off to a good start. A total of just under £15,000 of new gifts and pledges have been received since November. I am pleased to report that there has been particular support for our need to buy new benches for the terrace, but I am still very keen to hear from any FPs who are interested in supporting the appeal for a new rowing boat. Bursaries remain the key focus for Regular Giving because in the current downturn there is a great need for help with fees. The Academy has supported able children whose parents need help Meritorious Service with fees for generations. Donations Former School Captain Neil MacGregor (1964) was awarded the Order of from members of our community help to Merit in November last year. Only 24 people can be members of the Order at any ensure we can continue to give talented one time. At the moment they include Lady Thatcher and Betty Boothroyd, the youngsters an excellent all-round Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. The order, which is in the personal education at the school. gift of the Queen, was founded by Edward VII to acknowledge ‘exceptionally Thank you again to all those who have meritorious service’. Members have included Henry James, Winston Churchill helped get our 2010-2011 appeal off to a and Laurence Olivier. sound start. To view our current appeal Neil left Glasgow Academy to read Modern Languages at New College, brochure please follow this link: Oxford. He studied Philosophy at École Normale Supérieure in Paris and law www.theglasgowacademy.org.uk/ntga/ at Edinburgh University before studying and then pursing a career as an Art community/giving/regulargiving.html Historian. For nearly 25 years Neil has been an extremely successful Museum Director – at the National Gallery (1987-2002) and at the British Museum since Mark 2002. He has presented three television series on art and the radio series A History [email protected] of the World in 100 Objects, which aired in 2010. 0141 342 5494 Regular Giving: You can help a child get to the top... Etcetera 3 People Etcetera Seizing the moment – a morning with Darius… You’ve got to be quick to keep up with things for the last 10 years... I’ve also dabbled in opera.’ But what Darius Danesh... sorry, Campbell. That’s advice would he give to those at the start On his recent visit to Glasgow Academy the remarkable thing about Darius. Just of their careers about how to stand out at the beginning of the Spring Term, when you think you’ve worked out at auditions, someone earnestly wants Darius was characteristically generous who he is, he’s morphed into something to know. One of the endearing things with his time in talking to young aspiring entirely different. about Darius is that he doesn’t fl inch performers in the school’s Drama from talking about subjects that others It’s over ten years since Darius fi rst came Department. ‘I have had the luck of might gloss over or conveniently ‘forget’. to public prominence in ITV’s Popstars being able to go from a pop career, He grins: ‘I stood out on one occasion – a talent show format so daringly writing and performing my own material when I tried too hard. I gained a lot of experimental that not even Simon to an acting career in the West End and notoriety as a result and it caused me Cowell had been thought of. It was not, a lot of problems. Literally overnight I he admits, his fi nest hour and certainly became a fi gure of fun before my career gave no hint of a glittering future ahead. Darius with his father and younger brother had even started. Because I wanted to Undaunted, however, stand out, I was trying too hard... Just be Darius almost immediately yourself – be true to yourself. That’s my reappeared as his own advice.’ clean-cut alter ego to come Although he doesn’t say as much, it’s back from an early grave clear that this visit to his old school – in in Cowell’s Pop Idol – the company of his father, Booth, and his after which he even had younger brother, Aria – is an opportunity the courage to turn down for Darius to lay some ghosts to rest. He the great man’s offer of a clearly fi nds solace in the fact that there’s recording contract and go his a drama department for those who don’t own way. And confounding quite fi t the conventional Academy public expectation by mould. ‘As much as this school was one constant reinvention has of the greatest blessings for me, it was just about been the shape of also one of the most diffi cult times in my life because at that time there wasn’t the network and support for someone like me.