WBGS Until1981) in 80% Audits*Free Weto Fullerians Complete Only Option 03C.Ai 1 14/08/2015 11:33:11
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Simply Better Telecoms… 01923 801812 …Savings | Service | Support FREEworth AUDIT £350.00 www.twilightzone.co.uk We find significant savings (Managing Director, Andrew Watford, Studied at WBGS until1981) in 80% audits*Free weto Fullerians complete only TZE-WatBoys-ad.indd 1 04/08/2015 15:50 The Fullerian 2014-15 Headmaster’s Notes 3 Martin Post 5 The E.S.Household Pavilion 6 School Life 8 Languages 28 English 34 Trips and Exchanges 44 CONTENTSArt 62 Music 66 An Assembly for Remembrance Day 74 Sport 76 Staff Leavers 97 Old Fullerians and the Antarctic 100 University/College Entrants 104 School Prizes 106 Acknowledgements 108 Editor: G Aitken Student Editor: Deven Voralia 10N Cover Design: Kit Gillman 10N Design: Many thanks to John Dunne for his help this year. Thank you very much to all those who helped with the production of this year’s Fullerian. Watford Grammar School for Boys Rickmansworth Road, Watford WD18 7JF. Telephone: 01923 208900 Fax: 01923 208901 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.watfordboys.org Twitter: @WBGSExcellence Student Editor Deven Voralia has been the student editor of the Fullerian this year and has been extraordinarily efficient. We have met occasionally, and communicated by email and that has been all that it has taken for Deven to doggedly pursue teachers and students to write articles. Where there has been any difficulty in finding someone to produce an article, and Deven has been able to, he has set about writing it himself. As you will see, many of these are entertaining and witty. Deven came highly recommended by a number of members of staff who assured me that if I wanted someone I could rely on to do the job well, then Deven was the man to do it. He has been meticulous in his sending of emails, with helpful links and has a direct style that makes resistance to his requests futile. I very much hope that he will be able to continue in the role of student editor for the next two years. GA 2 THE FULLERIAN 2014-15 HEADMASTER’S NOTES A momentous year e knew it was going to be such a year, when February was tragic and his funeral was attended by over 100 of his at Easter, Martin Post announced he had been former classmates and fellow Nottingham students. His girlfriend gave a appointed to be one of only nine Regional Schools poignant eulogy in tribute. Commissioners. As he said in his leaving speech, School sports continue to go from strength to strength. The Rugby one of the few jobs he could ever be persuaded season was testing for all teams, perhaps reflecting the disruption whilst to leave this school for. He thus spent the summer the new pavilion was constructed. However, resilience eventually paid Wterm expertly leading the transition to the Acting Head and his team for off with some fine victories towards the end of term from the First and 2014 to 2015. other teams. The Hockey season was good, with some initial matches As acting Headmaster, it’s been quite a year. As ever, the school cancelled because of snow or frost, but then all teams developing continues to move forward apace. Buildings have been a key feature of strongly. Cricket has had a great season, with teams playing more the development of the school recently and this year was no exception. matches than ever before with strong weekly results against highly In September staff and pupils returned to find another 22 classrooms respected schools. Cross Country and Athletics teams did consistently in the main 1912 block transformed with LED lighting, mood walls, and well throughout the winter and into the summer. Basketball is now state of the art interactive projectors. They were all carpeted and given played consistently well at district level and a range of age groups. It’s new ceilings to provide a 21st rather than 20th also been tremendous to see other sports such century teaching environment. The brightness as golf developing and individual performances of the classrooms and corridors was remarked in pole vault have been at national level. on by all and this became a key theme for the Music has been another personal year as we welcomed parents and prospective highlight of the year. The regular concerts that parents to see the school. Down at the New Stephen Hussey and his team put on are always Field, things were progressing rapidly towards a delight, but are never predictable in the sense completion of a new Sports Pavilion. The old that our many musicians are always challenged had been demolished in April and when I came to play pieces that stretch yet showcase their back from holiday in mid August, building was ability. When that’s put together with other already advanced and in early September, the players and in a programme for an evening as topping out ceremony took place. This is when a whole, one is left asking the question posed a building’s main structure has been completed. by our German visitors: ‘where are the ordinary The school took over the building at the end boys?’ We don’t do ordinary in this school. of the year, on time and on its £1.2 million In February, I travelled to Mainz to budget, funded by the Academies’ Maintenance celebrate 50 years of exchanges between the Fund, Sport England and the Watford Fuller Schloss Gymnasium and WBGS. The warm Foundation. It was in use from the new year welcome there and impact of the exchange on with 10 changing rooms and upstairs clubhouse students from both schools, cemented my wish and balcony. The official opening of the E.S. to cycle from Watford to Mainz in June. I duly Household pavilion took place in March with completed this ride in June, covering 900km John Taylor, former British Lions player, as guest and raising £11,000. All after welcoming the of honour. This inspirational new building will German party back to Watford. now help motivate many more generations of school sportsmen. A general election loomed in the spring and WBGS was host to The multiplicity of trips and visits continues to develop: this the Watford Observer question time in the Theatre. A packed audience year there have been repeats of many popular visits, such as ski trips, heard the five candidates for Watford answer questions for an hour and Battlefields of WWI, Classics to Rome and field study visits. A cricket tour half. I quietly enjoyed keeping these sometimes unruly ‘students’ and to Barbados and diving trips were amongst other new opportunities in audience in check as chair.