Summer/Autumn 2017 Issue 12 Thank you for the music Pearman’s progress Our link with a world famous Thirteen rock star momentous years RGS’s got TALENT INSIDE: RGS retains top school title. Plus, meet the new headmaster, our rugby Lions hero and a giant among journalists Where are they now? WE CATCH UP WITH SOME FORMER RIPON GRAMMAR SCHOOL STUDENTS AND STAFF AND DISCOVER WHAT THEY ARE UP TO NOW Frost and Emmerdale as well as braving surprisingly, perhaps, Easy Money For MAGGIE COBBETT Anne Robinson’s withering sarcasm on The Writers And Wannabes is my best seller to Left RGS 2001 Weakest Link. These days I work mainly date. Still living in Ripon, I always enjoy first arrived at RGS in 1989 to cover a for Emmerdale, in which I am classed as a catching up with former colleagues and maternity leave in the modern languages ‘village regular’. pupils and can be contacted through my Idepartment, and became a fixture from website 1992 to 2001. During that time I taught With all the sitting around in between www.maggiecobbett.co.uk mainly French with a little German when scenes and inspiration from the many required and the occasional foray into different people encountered along the Novel career: way, I find it a perfect job for the writer Grateful: Dr Peter Mason general studies. Some of my happiest Maggie pictured memories are of accompanying exchange that I have always wanted to be. Shadows with her form, 2D, groups to the Institution Saint-Louis of the Past, a novel, based to some extent in 1996, below in Pont l’Abbé d’Arnoult and second on my own experiences as a teenager left, and working A letter from form visits to the Château du Molay in in France, might raise a few eyebrows as an extra in Normandy. amongst my former pupils. I doubt if any Emmerdale, of them would recognise my seventeen- below. Some of our chair of Having hung up my board marker for the year-old self as the girl in the framed her book covers, last time, I took a completely different photograph on the front cover. including path and became a film/television extra. In addition, I have written many short Shadows of the stories and articles as well as a handbook governors Creative spirit: Karen Marshall pictured top I have made many appearances in shows Past, right such as Heartbeat, The Royal, A Touch of on how to earn money from ‘fillers’. Not row, left, in 1973 and left, as she is today Dear former students and friends of RGS, Schools are accustomed to change – they take it in their stride, but when it arises from a change in headteacher it is time to pause, reflect and, most of all, be grateful. Martin Pearman retires in summer after 13 years as Headmaster; leadership of the highest quality that has enabled RGS to become the outstanding school it is today. Those readers who were at RGS during his tenure will have their own memories of the MLP era, and central to those memories will be Martin’s detailed knowledge of each and every student, and his uncompromising commitment in wanting the very best education for all. Full tribute will be paid to Martin (and his constantly eventually a curacy in West Leeds, followed supportive wife, Fiona) at various KAREN MARSHALL by a time as a priest-in-charge in East Leeds. GARETH ALLINSON events before the summer but for now: Nee Cooper. Left RGS 1977 I’m now vicar of two churches in North West Left RGS 1971 our sincere thanks for a fantastic job Manchester. Of course I always work on Sundays well done, farewell (but do keep in aving mistakenly left school at 16 to do and most other days of the week as well, and he son of John Allinson, who taught maths, and touch) and our very best wishes for the a pre-foundation course at Harrogate Art am involved in an incredible range of activities Win Allinson, who taught biology, I studied geology most active of retirements. HCollege, I came back to school disillusioned from working with children in schools, school Tat St John’s College, Oxford, after leaving RGS. and confused about what I wanted to do. governance, church projects, preaching, drama And from a fond farewell to Martin productions (Calendar Girls) and contributing From 1974 to 1992 I worked for British Petroleum, with to a warm RGS welcome to Jonathan After a rather unconfident time reading for more widely to the work of the diocese as well postings including Aberdeen, London, Singapore, Oman, Webb, who was appointed as the next a degree in English and art, I trained as a as choreographing liturgy. Priestly ministry Tunisia, Great Yarmouth and Glasgow. Headmaster from September this nurse and over the next 25 years got a lot of takes me to places that once I might only have satisfaction working in a variety of areas of the year. You will find some background imagined and with some very interesting people, From 1992 to 2015 I worked for the large Norwegian oil health service, though I desperately missed more especially when it comes to funeral ministry. In details on Jonathan in this edition of company Statoil and was based in London working for 11 artistic and literary pursuits. amongst all of this I still have time occasionally Clocktower but suffice it to say that years as exploration manager - managing explorations in to keep up with the art and design, textiles governors are delighted he will be A BSc in community health and a master’s degree (thank you Tony Smith/SAS, Tim Proud and Les the UK, Ireland, Faroe Islands, Greenland and Denmark - joining us and have no doubt he will in child protection took me into a specialism in Smith for the inspiration) and also creative and three as a senior advisor. build on the outstanding strengths child safeguarding during the time of the Climbie writing, though it’s mainly through holiday of RGS and lead the school to even Inquiry, and also gave me opportunities to journals and making clothes these days. I am now retired and married to Jess, with four grown- greater success. develop skills in training and development. up children. We live in Peaslake, a village in the Surrey I haven’t quite left Yorkshire though, as I am Hills. With best wishes, However, the winds of change were blowing back and forth to my home near Ripon whenever and a call to ordained ministry resulted in I get the opportunity, and I’m still always open to Gareth pictured right, front left, next to Bill Petchey in Dr Peter Mason theological studies at Durham University and new possibilities for my creative side. the RGS RAF cadets, and left, at a recent RGS reunion Cover photo by DAVID HARRISON To advertise your business in the next edition of Clocktower magazine, please contact Ruth Savage on: [email protected] 2 RGS ALUMNI 3 Where are they now? It was an amazing experience ANDREINA JAYNE DALE and I was lucky enough to visit BENIGNO-THOMAS Nee Kitching. Left RGS 2000 many places, including the Great Left RGS 1976 Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and n 2004, I graduated from Jerusalem, but living out of a Loughborough University, with suitcase gets old after a while. studied modern European a BEng in chemical engineering studies (French, German and I and a diploma in industrial Ten years ago I returned to the I economics) at Loughborough studies, having completed a year’s UK and have spent the time University from 1976 to 1979. industrial placement in Chicago, since working in the nuclear and Illinois. defence sector for an engineering After finishing university, I design company as a process worked for Sainsbury’s as a I returned to Chicago for eight engineer. I work with some graduate manager in London months, before starting work great people and the variety of for one year before doing a ‘on the road’, travelling to oil projects is challenging, interesting Postgraduate Certificate in refineries around the world for and rewarding. I am a Science Education in French and Physical more than two years, installing Technology Engineering and Education at the University of and commissioning commercial Maths (STEM) ambassador and Keele. ‘Parex’ units in South Korea, member of the Nuclear Institute, China, India, Israel and parts of promoting Women in Nuclear (WiN I have been teaching for 35 years Europe. UK) and taking part in their annual now in various senior schools conference in Westminster. in Worcestershire, Shropshire, Busy mum: Jayne with her Dudley and as deputy head of a boys, left, and fourth from I have been asked countless times girls’ private school. left in second row, below left. the question ‘Why did you choose During sixth form leaving engineering?’ by both students I am now working in my final week with maths teacher Mr and peers, perhaps because many people don’t see me as a typical year as a classroom teacher Saul, below engineer – I was brought up in before retirement. Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, with no family background in engineering, I am married with two children. I like to bake cakes, I love clothes and shoe shopping and am My 23-year-old daughter works currently training for the Tough at Charing Cross Hospital as Mudder mud run and the Great a genomic coordinator on the North Run in 2017. 100,000 Genomes Project. My answer is that my RGS My son is in his first year at the sixth form chemistry teacher, University of Bath, studying Dr MacMillan, suggested it – mechanical engineering.