November 2018 Newsletter
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Truro School Former Pupils’ Association November 2018 Newsletter November 2018/19 issue 03 www.truroschool.com [email protected] ALUMNI NEWS 12 December 2018 Truro Fencing Club Christmas Concert Robin Elsey CO11 Were you at Truro Prep or Pre-Prep between 1987– 1992? Locryn Williams CO14 We would like to invite you to this year’s Christmas concert at Willday House at 2.30pm followed by festive Luke Mansfield CO14 refreshments in the Prep dining hall. If you would like to attend please email Derek Man CO07 Katy: [email protected] Ollie Lobb CO09 12 April 2019 Bex Hogan CO99 Pre-1970 Afternoon Tea If you left Truro School before 1970, Archive Attic please join us on the 12 April for a cream tea at our very popular annual Family Announcements Spring reunion! Email or telephone Katy: Advertisements [email protected] 01872 246094 A note from the Development Team Dear Alumni and Friends, Another year has flown by already! Just to remind you that due to the school holidays, there will not be a newsletter in December, and the next edition will be with you at the end of January. I would love to hear what you are up to over Christmas and New Year, especially if you are arranging festive get-togethers with your fellow alumni – be it family or friends! Please send us in your pictures! Or, are you spending your time somewhere exotic? It would be great to see who is furthest away and how widely spread around the globe our community is. I cant wait to hear from you all, and speak to you over December and throughout January! Best wishes to you all, Katy Communications and Development Assistant Nicky, Jo and Katy Truro Fencing Club visit the Lansdowne Club to watch former pupils James Honeybone (CO09) and Will Deary (CO15) perform A group of aspiring young international fencers from Truro Fencing Club were thrilled to receive an invitation to watch some sublime swordsmanship in the serene surroundings of the Landsdowne Club in Mayfair, London. Six current Truro School students were joined by students from neighbouring Penair School, Roselyon School and Plymouth College, to watch the international ‘Masters of Fencing’ exhibition matches between Hungary and Great Britain. Individual bouts displaying the highest levels of skill & dexterity between members of the Great Britain and Hungarian sabre squads were followed by a nail-biting foil match pitting Richard Kruse, World Championship Silver Medallist and quadruple Olympian against James Davis, 2014 European Champion, Grand Prix and World Cup Gold Medallist. Despite Kruse building a strong lead early on in the bout, Davis fought back effectively with some considerable panache to recover the points gap and pull off a 15-14 win. Following a break with live music fusing flamenco guitar, lutar & percussion courtesy of the "Horsemen of the Apocalypse", the scene was set for a series of team events with Truro School alumni James Honeybone (CO09) and Will Deary (CO15), and Camden’s Webb and Miller, representing GB, facing a veritable "Battle Royale" against a world-class Hungarian squad comprising Szilagyi, Szatmari, Gemesi and Desci. A similar battle of weapons and wits was on display as the Commonwealth Championship teams of Scotland (Ghosh, Carter, Shek and Rocks) faced off against Wales (Jolley, with James and Nathan Potter). With victory to the Hungarians and Welsh secured, the audience was then treated to a one on one between JJ Webb and Andras Szatmari, with the Hungarian fencer and former World Champion coming out on top. The evening's grand finale did not disappoint. Truro’s James Honeybone - GB Sabre Champion & Olympian - took on double Olympic Gold Medallist Aaron Szilagyi. With a combination of some superb counter attacks and parries, and a series of clinical attacks, James secured a 15-9 GB victory worthy of this wonderful evening, which showcased the incredible athleticism, skill and sportsmanship which this sport combines. We hope all the young Cornwall fencers who were lucky enough to be invited to this event not only had fun, but also took inspiration from this exhibition. All the long, hard lessons and footwork sessions, and fights on pistes both near and far, contribute to building a better, tougher, and more competitive fencer. James Honeybone reminded us of Muhammad Ali's quote: The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. Finally, a huge debt of gratitude is due to Olympic referee Vasil Milenchev, assistant referee Alex Beta, and MC James Williams and all those who supported, organised and funded this event especially Jon Salfield & sponsor Julian Ghosh. Lucy Jupp, Head of Fencing If you are interested in becoming a member of the Lansdowne Club and need a nomination, we may be able to help. Please let us know by emailing: [email protected] in the first instance. Robin Elsey CO11 Vendée Globe 2020 Since Robin last caught up with us a lot has changed for Robin however his goal has always remained the same; to get to the Vendée Globe 2020. The Vendée Globe starts in France on 6 November 2020. 30 sailors will race solo, non-stop around the world without assistance on extreme 60ft race boats. The race was founded by Philippe Jean Tot, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. As the only single-handed non-stop round-the-world race, the race is a serious test of individual endurance, and is regarded by many as the ultimate in ocean racing. Robin told us that he has been lucky enough to join the Hugo Boss racing team over the summer, sailing on-board their foiling 60ft IMOCA. Continuing to build up his knowledge in the latest generation of foiling yachts that are at the cutting edge of technology. Robin went on to say: From that I jumped onto the really radical 100ft Supermaxi from Australia joining the team to help boost their development of this concept on such a large boat. Robin said this was one of the most extreme yachts that you can race on, and the team came away from a testing Rolex Middle Sea Race having pushed the boat to its limit, hitting 37 knots in the process. He said: for the non-sailors among you, imagine standing on top of a car during a rally race, that is pretty much what it is like except it goes on for days, you come away with a few bumps and bruises! Robin went on to become the boat captain and as a team they have worked to improve the boat and bring home a line honours win in the RORC Transatlantic Race and a new monohull record in the Round Barbados Race. Now Robin is aiming to compete in the Vendée Globe 2020 on-board a boat prepared and run from the heart of Cornwall in order to bring Cornish business and sport to international attention through the Vendée Globe. Robin’s dream has always been to compete in this prestigious race and bring a world-class sailing team to Cornwall. Now the dream is on the way to becoming a reality. Locryn Williams CO14 Fjällräven Polar Race Former pupil Locryn Williams is in the running to enter the Fjallraven polar. This is a race which involves a 300km race through Arctic wilderness with more than 200 highly skilled sled dogs and a group of ordinary people. Locryn is determined to be one of those ordinary people but needs your vote. The way the race works is that two people form each region are selected to enter - one of those two people is whoever gets the most votes - the second is picked by the Fjallraven Polar jury. Locryn is looking for votes to win the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg region and take on this amazing challenge- as you can imagine that is a lot of people fighting for two places! Locryn told us that he isn’t the best when it comes to asking for help but is reaching out to his old school community to help him secure as many votes as he can. Locryn was a keen rugby player at school and beyond and was the captain of the U18 and Vice Captain of the U15s Twickenham team. However, after a few head injuries and concussions Locryn was medically retired from the sport. Locryn told us that after these concussions he suffered with his mental health and being as he is, struggled to talk about it. Locryn began rock climbing as a way of rehabilitation and began adventuring around amazing locations such as Iceland and Snowdonia. Locryn told us that adventure helped rekindle his self-belief, gave him purpose and made him believe he could keep on. Let’s show Locryn what our Truro School Community can achieve - every vote matters - so please forward this to your friends share it far and wide and help get Locryn into the race and support his incredible journey. The voting closes on 13 December so act fast! Vote for Locryn Watson Weeks Memorial Plaque Unveiling On Saturday 17 November, family and friends of the late Watson Weeks gathered in the Burrell Theatre foyer to share in the moment when Ann Weeks officially unveiled the memorial plaque, which honours Watson’s time at Truro School. Former Headmaster, Guy Dodd (who kindly organised the plaque) and his wife Helen were present, along with Brian and Lorna Jackson who had all been great friends for so many years. Everyone enjoyed Ann’s moving words of tribute to her husband, recounting his many performances and productions, a great many of which took place in the School Chapel.