Old Felicians' Discounts OLD & Scholarships Available FELICIANS
WINTER NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2019
Louisa Everett Year 8 Rowell Sophie Everett Year 6 Rowell [email protected] stfelix.co.uk SAINT FELIX SCHOOL @stfelixsch SOUTHWOLD
EDITOR’S NOTE
Thank you very much to everyone who has taken the time to send us news, obituaries and other interesting articles for the newsletter. Although every effort has been made to ensure that entries are correct, occasionally gremlins do creep in and the Club cannot be held responsible for any errors that may have arisen. We will, of course, print errata and apologies for any mistakes brought to our attention.
We would very much like to hear from younger OFs, who have left school relatively recently. We would love to hear about your studies, your travels, your families and your lives. If you are the parent of a younger OF, who perhaps won’t get around to sending us news, please do let us how they are getting on, even if it is only a line or two about their job or graduation or gap year destinations.
We are happy to publish information about charity fund-raising, etc., so if you’re planning to climb Kilimanjaro to raise money for Save the Children or to jump out of a plane for the Macmillan nurses, please let us know and you may get a few more sponsors, as well as raising awareness.
We are always very pleased to publish news of any OF gatherings or memories of your time at school and they are one of the most popular features of the newsletter. Please include names of those who attended reunions, together with their maiden names (if applicable) and their house/dates at Saint Felix. Any submissions and comments should be sent to Deborah Digby [email protected] (full address in Committee List).
Please note that the deadline for the Summer 2019 newsletter is 15th May 2019 but we are very happy to accept copy throughout the year.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 1 As you can see from recent issues of the newsletter, we can now include photographs, so please send us any that you would like to accompany reports of OF get-togethers etc. We cannot guarantee to publish them all but will try our best.
Concern has been expressed about the plastic wrapping used for recent issues of the newsletter. We have spoken to the printers, a local East Anglian company, and they have assured us that all the materials used in the printing and wrapping are biodegradable. We have also negotiated a better deal which has allowed us to use colour and to include pictures and photographs now.
Deborah Digby
ADVERTISING IN THE NEWSLETTER If you would like to advertise your business in the newsletter, please contact Caroline Macmillan, [email protected]. Very special rates available for Old Felicians!
2 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 OLD FELICIANS’ CLUB EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2018
Life President Janet Buchanan-Smith (Lewis)
Chairman Fran D’Alcorn [email protected] Tel: 01502 675358
Membership Secretary Jean McArthur [email protected]
Hon. Secretary Caroline MacMillan [email protected] Tel: 020 8749 3010 Mobile: 07979 751772
Newsletter Editor Deborah Digby [email protected] Mobile: 07711 647947 The Old School House Low Street, Nunnington, York YO62 5UX Please note change of address
Members Elizabeth Strowlger Erica De Courcy (Salisbury) Sylvia Hillier (Winsnes) Carol Smithers (Watts Jones) Christina Walmsley (Melvill)
A number of long-serving committee members have announced their intention to retire in the very near future so we are in dire need of new members and, in particular, a Treasurer and a Membership Secretary, who would be responsible for maintaining the OF database. If you could spare a couple of hours a month to help the Club, we would love to hear from you.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 3 REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
The Regional Representatives do a great job collecting email addresses and contact details for local OFs to ensure that our database is kept up to date. They continue to arrange local social events which are open to ALL OFs, not just those living in their county or country. Why not contact a representative to see if she is organising a get-together?
And if your country or county is not represented yet, why don’t you volunteer? It is a great way of renewing friendships made during your time at Saint Felix.
UNITED KINGDOM Bedfordshire: Carol Smithers (Watts Jones) 01525 753220 [email protected] Berkshire: Sharon Upton 05600 496767 [email protected] Bristol: Erica Wildgoose (Budgen) 07901 646820 [email protected] Buckinghamshire: Alex How 01844202478 [email protected] Cambridge: Liz Thomas (Thorogood) 01223 842400 [email protected] Cornwall: Hilary Price (Butters) 01803 813472 [email protected]
4 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Cumbria: Helen McKenzie [email protected] Devon: Hilary Price (Butters) 01803 813472 [email protected] Dorset: Jean McArthur (Clarke) 01202 640066 [email protected] and Mary Gosling (Hudson) 01935 812673 [email protected] Essex: Jill Griffiths 01277 822224 [email protected] Gloucestershire: Lucy Josey (Adkinson) 01242 234888 [email protected] Herefordshire: Elizabeth Henderson 01568 616990 [email protected] Isle of Man: Jane Tatchell 01624 844949 [email protected] Kent: Elspeth Howell (Kellock) 01580 880361 [email protected] Leicestershire: Sue Read (Ashpole) 01780 721237 [email protected] Lincolnshire: Frances Carr (Mead) 01790 753561 [email protected]
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 5 London: Caroline MacMillan (Hayward) 020 8749 3010 [email protected] and Christina Walmsley (Melvill) 020 7371 0121 [email protected] Midlands: Jane Adams 01981 540695 [email protected] Norfolk: Alison Gibb (Berry) 01953 850606 [email protected] Northamptonshire: Sue Read (Ashpole) 01780 721237 [email protected] Oxfordshire: Sue Hitchcox (Adams) [email protected] Rutland: Sue Read (Ashpole) 01780 721237 [email protected] Scotland: Janet Buchanan Smith (Lawrie) 01314 494242 [email protected] Somerset (South): Maggie Hague (Johnson) 01963 250108 [email protected] Somerset (rest of): Hilary Price (Butters) 01803 813472 [email protected] Suffolk (West): Charlotte Hare 01359 250474 [email protected]
6 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Sussex (East): Elspeth Howell (Kellock) 01580 880361 [email protected] Warwickshire: Rosemary Hyde (Riley) 01789 298897 [email protected] Wiltshire: Jennie Slater (Thompson) 01672 564689 [email protected] Yorkshire: Deborah Digby (Wilkinson) [email protected]
INTERNATIONAL Australia: Catherine Heap (Johnson) [email protected] Canada: Linda Wrigley [email protected] France: Jean McArthur (Clarke) 01202 640066 [email protected] Ireland: Fenella Begley [email protected] New Zealand: Cati Condon (Plaegaerts) [email protected] Portugal: Sarah Hockley (Kerrison) [email protected] South Africa: Sherley Southworth (North Lewis) [email protected] Switzerland: Jenny Haller (Ollington) [email protected] USA: Alison Partridge (Lawrie) [email protected]
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 7 CHAIRMAN’S LETTER
Dear Old Felicians
This has undoubtedly been an interesting year for the OFC; firstly, I am indebted to Samantha Bowman (née Kemball) not only for her generosity and hospitality in enabling us to hold our annual lunch and AGM at the Mansion House in March but also for welcoming a small group of OFs to view the Mansion House art collection more extensively following our guided walk around the City of London in September. Secondly, I do thank June Addison for being such a superb and informative Blue Badge and City Guide on this walk; I was also delighted to join another group of OFs for the visit to the Guildhall which was arranged by Deborah Evans-Stickland.
Most of all, however, I am immensely grateful to all the members of the OFC committee for all their hard work in ensuring that events have run smoothly, especially during my absence in Australia/New Zealand in January and February following which I was somewhat incapacitated by a broken wrist which coincided with the final arrangements for the Mansion House event. Not only did your committee come up trumps on this occasion but some of their husbands also played a vital role. We are extremely fortunate to have such a dedicated band of supporters, without them the OFC could not function. I am sure that you will join me in extending sympathy to Liz Strowlger following Ken’s death – he was an ever-present stalwart at OF events.
8 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Yet again I fear that Caroline as Secretary of the OFC (I could not cope without her input and dedication) has had to bear the brunt of keeping the Club afloat and fully functioning; without her commitment to the cause we would be in danger of disintegrating. It is vital that we recruit some of the ‘younger’ OFs to undertake some of the tasks necessary for the OFC to survive (some of the committee have been in post for more years than they care to remember and would welcome possible replacements). These are not arduous and do not necessarily require attendance at committee meetings but greater participation would relieve the pressure on key members of the Committee. Please contact any member of the Committee if you feel that you could spare a few minutes per month to help.
I am delighted to report that Saint Felix is going from strength to strength under the leadership of James Harrison – pupil numbers from both home and abroad are increasing, facilities for the Sixth Form are improving and the school’s reputation for excellence is being enhanced.
I am always happy to receive additional items for the archives so, if you are clearing out attics or cellars or down-sizing please contact me if you come across items of school uniform (especially pre-1960), photograph albums, letters or other items which you think may add to our archive of Saint Felix memorabilia. Similarly, the Headmaster is always pleased to welcome Old Felicians of all vintages to visit the school and, if you are very lucky, I could be your tour guide!
All good wishes for 2019.
Fran D’Alcorn
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 9 MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER
I write on the week of the Armistice centenary where I have been mindful of how the past has shaped the future. Our guest speaker in Chapel on Sunday night was Oliver Everett (married to an OF) and he mentioned the importance of duty. Such concepts need to be reinforced into the minds of young people as ideas such as commitment, duty and selflessness are no longer default; indeed, the world of the modern teenager is complex, filled with distraction and often more virtual than real. This is why I instituted a complete mobile phone ban for pupils aged 11-16 and a restricted one for Sixth Formers. Pupils need silence and calm not only to reach their academic potential but also so that they can reflect and build real social networks rather than spend all their spare time on phones or other mobile devices.
Saint Felix has a great community feel and we spend a long time exposing our pupils to the sacrifices made by our predecessors in making the school what it is today. We celebrate Saint Felix Day every March 8th with a formal dinner for the Sixth Form with keynote speaker as well as a whole school event such as our walk from Aldeburgh to School. Our main reception room is named after the founder, the cross country course has many twists and turns named after former
10 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Headmistresses and Headmasters and our weekly assemblies occur in the Silcox theatre. The early history of the school and the intents of the founder are well explored ideas in Chapel and assembly where I aim to connect the past with the present. It is important that all pupils and indeed staff understand their own places in the history of the school.
We are progressive as well as retrospective though and have made some much needed changes both to update facilities and improve education. In order to increase the overall Sixth Form experience and actually in consultation with the Sixth Formers themselves, we renovated the Sixth Form study centre to create a new space akin to a university library.
It is spacious and colourful and lends itself to silent work as well as quiet group work as there are dozens of individual learning pods as well as two glass boardrooms which are almost soundproof. I have stated that I expect more from the pupils every year and this space allows them to learn and study like independent learners.
At the same time, we created a new sixth form refectory and this has been so successful that despite it being only a month old, I cannot imagine sixth form life without it. Sixth Formers are given a daily allowance and hot drinks are free. We are confident that the vast majority of our GCSE students will stay with us for Sixth Form.
When I first became Head I extended an open invitation to all Old Felicians to visit the school if the opportunity arises. Fran D’Alcorn is excellent at delivering bespoke tours at relatively short notice. The past, present and future are intrinsically linked at this school and we enjoy hearing about the successes of our former pupils with as much enthusiasm as you hopefully enjoy hearing about those of our current students.
James Harrison
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 11 OLD FELICIAN WEBSITE
The Old Felicians’ Club has its own section on the school’s website, www.stfelix.co.uk, which has been updated. To access this, go to the home page and click on ABOUT US and then select Old Felicians. This site features news of forthcoming events as well as reports and photographs of reunions, etc. Please email Caroline Macmillan [email protected] with any news or photographs you may have for the website. Our newsletters are now posted on the OF section of the school website and are therefore accessible to anyone using the site. If you do not wish your personal details to appear on line, please advise us when submitting your news.
OLD FELICIAN DATABASE
The database is only as good as the information you give us, and we are finding that changes of address, particularly email addresses, are not being kept up to date. You will not receive your newsletter if your address is not up to date and the regional reps won’t be able to contact you with news of local reunions. PLEASE drop a quick email to Jean McArthur at [email protected] confirming your latest name, address, email and phone numbers, if any of these have changed. This would be hugely appreciated by the membership secretary and the regional reps.
THE OLD FELICIANS’ CLUB NEEDS YOU!
For over a century the Old Felicians’ Club has been run on a voluntary basis by Old Felicians for Old Felicians. Under the watchful eye of the chairman, meetings have been minuted, accounts prepared, events organised, newsletters compiled and the database maintained. Several of the committee members, who have given many years to the club, have decided that it is time to hand over to younger OFs and they will be stepping down at the AGM this year. It is now essential that new OFs join the committee. With internet communication it is not vital to
12 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 travel to every meeting, although we do usually combine them with a fun lunch or an interesting venue, so it’s well worth coming along. If you could spare a couple of hours a month to help with some of the tasks, such as co-ordinating an event, obtaining information for the newsletter, organising four committee meetings a year and writing up the minutes, maintaining the database or monitoring the few financial transactions made each year, then this will ensure that the OF Club can continue after the end of this year. If we are unable to recruit new committee members, then it will be very difficult to ensure the club continues to serve its members. Please contact Fran D’Alcorn or Caroline Macmillan to discuss how you can help the Old Felicians’ Club continue into the future.
SUNK GARDEN PROJECT
The long double border has been cleared and a volunteer brick layer worked very hard to remove the top layers of coping bricks and remove roots that had grown between the bricks of the double border.
We received a quote for £1,600 to repair and rebuild the holding walls. It was discovered in the Summer that the water supply to the Sunk Garden had been damaged probably caused by the harsh winter. The difficult decision was made to suspend the project and concentrate on fund raising. The project requires c£8,000. Letters were sent to all companies that supply the school and parents to seek sponsorship and to date we have received donations totalling £942 so, as yet, we are a long way short of the target mark.
As soon as the £1,600 is reached we will be able to get the holding walls repaired. I have organised a series of First World War Armistice Lectures at school with all proceeds from ticket sales and profits from the refreshments going towards the Sunk Garden fund. This has resulted in £650 being raised.
Jo-Anne Greenace
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 13 SAINT FELIX POSTCARDS
Both Alison Clark (Lanbury) and her mother, Margorie Thomasson, were in Clough, Margorie during the First World War and Alison in the 1950s. Postcards and pictures have been reproduced from the two delightful watercolours that Margorie kept from her time at the school, one of Clough and the other a long view towards Somerville, Gardiner and the main school buildings from the Sunk Garden. You can view the paintings on the OF sections of the school website. Cost and ordering information are as follows:
POSTCARDS: £2.50 (PACK OF 10) plus P&P £1.00 (UK only) A4 PICTURE: £15 each plus P&P £3.00 (UK only) Cheques payable to: The Old Felicians’ Club Send order to: Caroline Macmillan, 36 Wendell Road, London W12 9RS [email protected] / 07979 751772
For larger quantities and overseas orders, please contact Caroline for a quote. THE ISABELLA GARDINER TRUST
For some years now, the Isabella Gardiner Trust has provided scholarships and bursaries to help with the advancement of education at Saint Felix School. It has also received generous financial donations from Old Felicians and from events such as the London Walks.
14 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 FUTURE EVENTS OLD FELICIANS’ ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND LUNCH AT THE RANDOLPH, REYDON, SOUTHWOLD IP18 6PZ ON SATURDAY 16th MARCH 2019 Meet in the bar for pre-lunch drinks at 12.30pm. The lunch will be followed by the AGM and an opportunity to visit the school. Booking forms to be returned by Monday 25th February 2019.
OLD FELICIANS’ TRAVEL CLUB An idea has been mooted for a Travel Club or possibly a Noticeboard to help Old Felicians to find travel companions and to encourage them, particularly perhaps single ones, to get together and arrange visits to all sorts of interesting places.
Initial suggestions include: • City breaks in twos, threes or fours at any time of year • River Cruises in Europe, Spring to Autumn • Winters somewhere warm, for six weeks or more, in hotels or private villas • Walking holidays, Spring to Autumn • Visits to British charities working in India, Africa and elsewhere, Winter • Specialist Art Programmes at any time of year • Specialist Music Programmes at any time of year • Touring in Europe, Spring to Autumn • Road trips in America at any time of year • Home/holiday home swaps or sharing at any time of year
If you feel this could be the beginning of something in which you would enjoy participating or if you have a specific holiday idea or other interesting suggestion to contribute, please contact Briony Kapoor (Lonbay).
Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01797 364936 Mobile: 07972 826129
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 15 RECENT EVENTS OFs VISIT SAINT FELIX
Old Felicians Emily Stewart, (Bullough), Georgina Netana (Cresswell) and Joanna Seely, who were in Somerville between 1986 and 1993 visited Saint Felix on a sunny August day 2018 to show their children where they went to school.
OLD FELICIANS VISIT THE CITY OF LONDON
October 2018 saw Old Felicians enjoying two visits to the City of London. The first was arranged by Deborah Evans-Stickland (Evans, Bronte 1961-71). Murray Craig, a City of London Guide and Clerk of the Chamberlain’s Court at Guildhall, gave an interesting and informative account of the function of the Guildhall and surrounding buildings. The group also visited the Guildhall Art Gallery and saw the foundations of the Roman Amphitheatre which lie below it and were only discovered when the current building was erected in 1988.
Three days later OFs met outside St Paul’s Cathedral and June Addison (Clough 1958-65) a qualified City of London Guide, showed them hidden corners, gardens, memorials and buildings which they would never have discovered without her expert guidance. Following this, she arranged a visit to view the foundations of the Roman Temple of Mithras which was found during building excavations in 1954 and now lies under Bloomberg’s new European headquarters. Just a few steps away is Mansion House and the Lady Mayoress, Samantha Bowman (Kemball, Clough 1974-84), invited the group to visit her official home in the City to meet her husband, the current Lord Mayor, and to view the Harold Samuel art collection which is displayed in this magnificent building.
16 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Thanks go to Deborah for the Guildhall visit, June for the City tour and Samantha for her wonderful hospitality at the Mansion House.
In true Old Felician tradition, nearby hostelries provided suitable refreshments after both these memorable occasions.
OLD FELICIANS GO BOATING
On Sunday 7th October, Isabelle Grote (Gardiner 73-80) organised a fun, relaxing trip from the Lazy Otter to Ely on her boat Plan B. Jane Stiles (Somerville 73-78) organised a great Sunday lunch and Mandy Perkins (née Shardlow, Bronte 74-78) and Claire Weeks (Beaumont, L-R: Claire, Mandy, Isabelle and Jane. Gardiner 73-78) were the crew.
OLD FELICIANS MEET IN SOUTH AFRICA
Earlier this year Fiona Jones (née Ferguson, Clough 77-79), Gerry Irvine (née Deller, Clough 72-79) and Deborah Digby (née Wilkinson, Bronte 73-80) met up at Laurensford Wine Estate, Somerset West in the Western Cape, South Africa. Gerry was touring the Western Cape with her husband Mark and Fiona and Deborah are ‘swallows’, flying south for the English winters. Both have been ex-pats for many years and this is the closest they have lived to each other since they left school, so a lot of time is spent exploring wine estates together, with husbands Allan and Chris who have both taken early retirement.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 17 MY VISIT TO SAINT FELIX, OCTOBER 2018
I started at Saint Felix in the Autumn term of 1958-60 years ago!! I went into St Georges, followed 2 terms later by Fawcett. This time I signed in, at the office, emerging with a name tag round my neck and Fran d’Alcorn to accompany me on a tour round the school. I had visited before when my daughter Ruth came for her 6th form years in 1985, but not since then.
What wonderful artistic things are going on and a heated indoor swimming pool! Not the romance of the pine trees and the reality of diving into the freezing, breathtaking water, but of course the success of the new is undoubted. More science labs, boys in Fawcett!!, a nursery school, the front entrance changed place and the library, as we knew it, has gone, replaced by computer terminals and all the modern clean lines and brightness. The Gardiner Hall is reassuringly much the same as I remember. There was a lovely air of gentle business and let’s face it a very different education for the pupils than we experienced.
18 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Saint Felix gave me a love of art, music, games and some very good friends who I still meet up with!
Miss Butcher, bless her, gave me a garden at the back of Fawcett where I grew radishes and cornflowers!! When later I suggested that I might do horticulture this was not deemed suitable either by the school or my father, how things have changed!! So I went into nursing. After having children, I went to the Scottish Institute of Human Relations, a sister organisation to the Tavistock in London, to study Counselling and Psychotherapy. I always think this work is a type of gardening! and designing gardens is still a real love of mine. I then worked part time at Glasgow University with students and staff, and also in private practice. Living in rural Scotland now gives me plenty of scope for enjoying the outdoors, collecting plants, playing with grandchildren and the odd bit of therapeutic work!
Romma (Rosamund) Clements (Betts, Fawcett 1958-1964)
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Ruth Nicholson is looking for Vivi (Piri?) who was in Somerville around the late 1970s. If anyone has any information to pass on, please contact Deborah Digby at [email protected]
Do any of you remember Miss Elizabeth (Lizzie) Willett who taught PE at Saint Felix 1951-53? I believe that she was also a form teacher, ran ballroom dancing classes and was a keen sailor. I would be very grateful to learn more about her so please send any details/photos (copies would be fine) to Fran D’Alcorn.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 19 OF NEWS CHIGOZIRIJE (NNE NNE) IWUJI-EME (Somerville 1985-91) I apologise for my error in confusing the sisters but at least for a short while some of you were able to knock a couple of years off your age! Congratulations to Nne Nne who has been appointed High Commissioner to Mozambique. Nne Nne has made history as she is the first British black female career diplomat to be appointed High Commissioner. Nne Nne was a pupil at Saint Felix from 1985-91. During her school career she participated in numerous activities, especially school plays, such as ‘Son of Man’ and writing articles for the magazine including ‘The Tradition that goes beyond education’ abut Nigerian customs and culture. She was also secretary of the debating society and played for the first in Sixth Form.
She gained 9 GCSEs with A Grades in 4 subjects (no A*s awarded in those days) and went on to study Economics at university. During her sixteen years in the Foreign Office she has been economic adviser for Africa to the chief press officer to the Africa minister and her most recent posting was to Brazil as First Secretary Prosperity and Acting Prosperity Consul.
SARAH RUSH (Gaze, St George’s and Somerville 1950-55) Community stalwart Anne Rush, known as Sarah, has been awarded a British Empire Medal by Her Majesty the Queen for her services to fundraising, charity and to her neighbourhood of Barnham, Thetford, where she has been a church warden and fund-raiser at St Gregory’s Church for 40 years. It is a thoroughly well-deserved award for Sarah, who provided great support to the widows and children of the eighteen Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club members who died in a plane crash outside Paris in 1974. For 20 years, she has also been an organiser for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Sarah commented ‘I have a desire to help other people where I can. I believe the more you put into life, the more you get out of it. I am obviously delighted and very humbled to be accepting this honour.’
20 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 We send many congratulations to Sarah on this well-deserved award. She is another OF of whom we can all be very proud. Sarah’s two daughters, Nicky and Amanda, were also at Saint Felix in the 1970s and Nicky writes that her mother’s teddy bear even came back for a second stint at the school when she attended.
ROSEMARY ARDEN-WHITE (Woodall, Somerville 1941-45) Rosemary was delighted with the OF postcards she ordered recently, particularly the one from the Sunk Garden showing her house, Somerville. Rosemary first went to Saint Felix when it was at Hinton St George and was one of the OF’s who returned for a reunion at Hinton House in 2012.
Now happily living at Hartley Wintney, Rosemary writes: ‘My very happy life goes plodding on in this gorgeous village where the church provides so much fun and loads of lovely friends. I can still ride my bike! I keep up with my sister Pat, she is very hampered by an awful scoliosis of the spine, but still struggles on in her flat in London and I also keep in touch with Phoebe Pollock (Pemberton) who lives near me in Odiham. We share the same Macular Degenerative problem! I am excited to have three very special great-grandchildren, but they live in the USA so I rarely see them. They were over in July and it was a treat to see those three little ones.’
PAMELA HOLMES (Clough 1965-71) Wyld Dreamers by Pamela Holmes www.pamela-holmes.com They say a writer writes best about what they know, and I have followed this dictum in my second novel, Wyld Dreamers. It’s broadly based on the years I lived in Somerset on a farm in the 1970s, a few years after I left Saint Felix. While the school did not prepare me specifically for the tasks I did there – milking cows, baking bread or hay-making – it had made me the sort of person who could get on with things as well as survive in a very cold house! I fell in love with rural life and became what some people called a hippy. I thought I’d be there for the rest of my days with my friends and animals.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 21 I include these experiences in my coming of age tale, though all the characters in Wyld Dreamers are fictitious. A group of friends is asked by successful London photographer, Seymour Stratton, to help his son and their university pal Julian to renovate a dilapidated cottage on Seymour’s Somerset farm. The offer is irresistible; a beautiful house in an isolated setting, constant parties, drinking and other naughtiness. The five friends live, try to work and often play together, with the inevitable ups and downs of communal living. Commitments and plans are shelved in favour of living in a glorious present.
Fantasies that the idyll will last forever are entertained. But when relationships start to fray and the police get involved, Seymour kicks them off the farm. The friends scatter to pursue more conventional lives. Wyld Farm becomes a place they think about from time to time but imagine they will never return to again.
The book is set in the 1970s, a decade we often regard as a dull as it follows on from the wild Swinging Sixties. But I’d say it makes more sense to see the 70s as the exciting beginning of a new chapter in the story of Britain. It’s when there was a focus on feminism, action on animal rights and the beginning of the modern environmental movement. More choice in what we wore – think bellbottoms and platform boots – and by 1974, the contraceptive pill was prescribed to single women. Many things that we now accept as normal were radical and controversial. In the second part of the book, when I bring the five friends back together 25 years after they’ve been driven off Wyld Farm, we see how they’ve adapted to changing times and what their dreams are made of now.
“Wry, vivid and deftly plotted, this account of how youthful follies can come back to haunt you in middle age is a real delight,” says John Preston, author of A Very English Scandal.
22 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 ‘This is a book you’re dying to get back to. Holmes creates a quiet air of tension as she deftly describes the carelessness of youth and its consequences in her endearingly flawed characters. I loved it,’ writes Hilary Boyd, author of Thursdays In The Park.
Wyld Dreamers was published on 4th October 2018 by Urbane Publications ISBN-13: 978-1911583042.
SAINT FELIX REVISITED MARGARET RIDGE AND BETTY RICHMOND both née Noble (St George’s and Clough 1947-59) After exploring Southwold’s centre, beach and seeing the ferry across to Walberswick – still a one-man rowing boat – we headed towards Saint Felix. We drove along the attractive tree-lined avenue beside Ruth’s playing field (rugby posts now) and parked where the tennis courts used to be. Entering the archway on the north side of the Cloisters with anticipation, or perhaps apprehension, we found Reception in the former school prefects’ room. Offices have now replaced the old cloakrooms. The Headmaster’s PA and Receptionist welcomed us, and the Receptionist kindly took us on a tour of the ground floor, later handing us over to a member of staff, who is herself an OF and now teaches science. We were able to compare notes with then and now and we enjoyed reminiscing, particularly noting our strict code of conduct compared with today’s more relaxed attitude and behaviour, but recognising the need for change.
Some areas were familiar: the Staff bench was still there, but has a different function now! Walking along the corridors was a nostalgic experience, with even the bannisters having a familiar feel. The music block was unchanged with its double doors and porthole windows, though now painted in bright colours. The “no talking” list has been removed from the notice board. The outdoor swimming pool has been replaced by a large indoor pool and plenty of sports facilities. The Gym has been converted into an impressive theatre with tiered seating.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 23 All in all, the school looks to be a happy place, moving with the times, and the pupils were courteous and well dressed in attractive uniforms. The school has moved into the 21st century, and hopefully will continue to thrive. We left feeling pleased that we had lived through school in our own time – young people now lead a less Spartan existence but maybe face other greater pressures today.
JOSEPH DRAKE (Rowell 2007-17) Joseph Drake has been selected for the British Youth Sailing Squad and has qualified for the World Championships in Poland.
GEORGE STANNARD (Edmond 2007-12) George, ex swimming scholar, completed the Channel crossing in just over ten hours in July 2018, following in the ‘flippers’ of Dame Barbara Woodward (OF & British Ambassador to China).
This is George’s account of his experience.
‘Swimming has always been an integral part of my life. I swam competitively for five years during my time at Saint Felix (2007-2012), and on coming to Oxford I joined the university swim team, competing in annual Varsity matches and achieving three Full Blues. This year, I decided to take on the challenge of swimming across the English Channel, to raise money for three charities that each do incredible work.
I made the decision to swim the Channel in October 2017, after acting as a member of support crew for my friend Naomi, who completed the crossing herself earlier in the year. I witnessed just how rewarding and unique an opportunity it was, and it inspired me to take the plunge and organise my own attempt. I was given a provisional window from 21st-28th July (the exact date of the swim was to be decided by my boat pilot closer to the time, according to the weather). This left me with a good few months to train, both physically and mentally.
24 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Over the winter I upped my pool hours to prepare for the (roughly) 21-mile distance I needed to cross, took freezing showers to improve my cold tolerance, and increased my calorie intake to put on more body fat (one of these tasks was far easier than the others…) As the weather got warmer, I started sea swimming – initially a few hours over the Easter break, but building up to 7 hour swims by June. I trained in Lowestoft and Southwold when I was home for the holidays, and in Bournemouth during university term-time.
When the window finally arrived, my pilot called to explain that I’d be starting the swim early on Saturday morning, and that I should meet him in Folkestone at 3am (when the tide was at its weakest). I set off that evening, filled with excitement, trepidation and slow-release carbohydrates, and accompanied by my support crew: my parents, younger sister and fellow OF Mimi (2009-2011), and three university friends.
The boat set off from Folkestone harbour just after 4am, and forty minutes later I was in the water, in just goggles, a hat, Speedos and a lot of Vaseline (no wetsuits allowed!) First, I swam back towards the white cliffs, so I could start properly from an English beach. Once my feet cleared the water, a klaxon sounded, and I was off, embarking on the most daunting journey of my life so far.
I was very fortunate that my swim started when it did – by 5am the sun was beginning to rise, and so I only had half an hour or so of swimming in dim light. The sunrise was blood-red and breathtakingly beautiful, and swimming into the dawn is an experience that I won’t forget for a while. Apart from this, and an impromptu goggle swap to deal with some leaks, the first few hours passed fairly uneventfully.
My crew took turns to nap and stay awake, so I had someone to watch and support me at all times. Every hour they’d blow a whistle and wave a flag, and I’d stop swimming for a feed, to keep my energy levels up. However, I wasn’t allowed to touch the boat or crew at all, if I trod water I cramped immediately, and any time I stopped swimming the
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 25 tide drifted me further away from France. My hourly respite therefore involved me kicking on my back alongside the boat and being thrown a bottle of warm squash mixed with a carb powder, with the bottle attached to a dog lead so it wouldn’t float away. It wasn’t the most relaxing or dignified manoeuvre by any means, but it helped to break up the monotony of swimming.
For the first half of the swim I noticed three or four jellyfish per hour, and also sustained a few stings from those that I didn’t see. Some were mild tingles; others were painful enough to make me shriek – but as a twisted silver lining I found the resultant adrenaline rush quite useful to keep me awake (proof of my boredom/exhaustion)! About halfway through the swim I encountered a a nightmarish Finding Nemo-esque jellyfish minefield, and wasted valuable energy dodging as many as I could, before eventually accepting my fate and ignoring them. Overall, I think I got stung ten or eleven times.
I reached the nadir of my swim about nine hours in, when the tidal change negated much of the work I was doing. I was disheartened, mentally exhausted from being alone with my thoughts (and doubts) for such a long period of time, and cramping all over. My tongue had become a swollen, salty sponge, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever regain sensation in my toes. And although France looked close, it had done so for the last few hours. My friend Naomi, returning the favour by acting as my support swimmer, had already accompanied me for three hour-long stints, and was battling a head-cold herself. And so it came to be that my sister Mimi, despite having retired from swimming herself seven years ago, put on a cap and goggles and jumped in the water alongside me for motivation. She managed to stay in for five minutes or so before getting a stitch and getting out again, but it was a sweet gesture nonetheless, and gave me the morale boost that I needed. I ended up reaching French shores an hour later, in a time of 10h55m.
There were times when it felt like the worst day of my life, and I wondered why on earth I’d chosen to subject myself to such a painful challenge.
26 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 But far more often I realised just how lucky I was to have the opportunity to do it, and what a once-in-a-lifetime experience it was. The feeling of touching the beach in France and crawling out of the water more than compensated for all the jellyfish stings, the cold, the exhaustion and the boredom. It was an incredible feeling, and one that I’ll always cherish, knowing that I’d taken on a challenge which seemed so insurmountable and terrifying at first, and given everything I had to complete it.
I managed to raise £5,500, thanks to the overwhelming generosity and support of kind friends and family before, during and after the swim. This money was split between three charities close to my heart: Reverse Rett, a medical charity that funds research into curing Rett syndrome, a debilitating neurological condition that affects young girls; Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international humanitarian organisation providing vital medical aid to those in need; and SOFEA, a local Oxfordshire charity helping to support disadvantaged young people and reduce food waste.
ANGELINE HUNT (Edmond 2005-11) Angeline’s passion for the theatre was inspired by her GCSE & A Level studies in Drama, English and Photography at Saint Felix which she feels played a crucial role in the start of her theatrical journey. After leaving school she completed the Acting Foundation Course at RADA with Distinction and after a Gap Year embarked on the BA (Hons) Acting Programme at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London, graduating last year.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 27 Following graduation Angeline has been working within the industry in TV, Theatre and Film. A lot of her acting work has brought her back to Suffolk and she recently played multiple roles in a production of ‘The Little Cabaret of Suffragette’ which toured 6 Suffolk theatres. (‘I can confirm that she was outstanding in this production!’ – FD). Other credits so far in her career include several roles in the Italian Conti Academy productions together with parts in films produced by Film Suffolk and Fantasy Communications Ltd and the ITV Drama ‘The Halycon’.
GRADUATION SUCCESS
JONATHAN DE OLIVEIRA (Kay 2007-15) Jonathan was awarded a First Class Honours Degree in History from the University of Bristol in July 2018.
ELLIE PYBUS (Pemberton 2006-12) Ellie was awarded a First Class Honours Degree in Music from the University of York in July 2018.
HENRY HUGHES (Kay 2004-13) Henry was awarded a Master of Science First Class Honours Degree in Mathematics (specialising in Algebra) from King’s College London, recording the highest marks in his year. He has subsequently been awarded the University of London Wynne Roberts Prize for Mathematics.
ALEX HEARD (Rowell 2011-13) received a Master’s Degree with First Class Honours in Pharmacy from Bath University.
KERRI ANNE PALMER (Rowell 2009-14) graduated from Aberdeen University with First Class Honours degree in Pharmacology. In October, she commenced a post at the Institute of Medical Research in Aberdeen to study for a PhD in a Breast Cancer Research programme.
28 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 MILITARY OLD FELICIANS
A number of our younger OFs are serving in the armed forces. Here is some news about them. Please get in touch with your news if you are also serving in the armed forces or have done in the past. We would love to hear the experiences of OFs of all ages.
ALEX (Edmond 2008-15) Ex Head Boy Alex is currently a Flying Officer at RAF Cranwell training to be a pilot in the Royal Air Force. He expects to complete phase one of his training early next year before going on to specialise in fixed wing, rotary or fast jets.
JAMES (Pemberton 1998-2012) Officer Cadet James is currently at Sandhurst where he completes his officer training in December. He will then be joining the Royal Anglian Regiment 2nd Battalion as an infantry officer in Cyprus.
LUCY (Pemberton 1997-2014) Flying Officer Lucy graduated from RAF Cranwell Officer Course in May 2018. She is currently based at RAF Halton while completing her Logistics training.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 29 LEWIS (Fawcett/Pemberton 2013-15) Lewis and Tom have stayed friends since leaving the school. (Pictured together) Lewis is serving in the Household Cavalry and completed ceremonial duties in London last year, attending the Trooping of the Colour (Queen’s Birthday Parade).
TOM (Fawcett/Rowell 2010-14) Tom was determined to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the army, which he succeeded in doing after working hard to achieve the required results.
After completing his training in 2017, Tom was posted to Bulford in Wiltshire. Tom has been to America on a three month exercise in North Carolina, has spent two weeks in Gibraltar on exercise, and has gained his HGV1. He has done so well since joining his new Unit that he has been put forward for promotion to Lance Corporal and is currently attending the Potential Non-Commissioned Officers’ course at the Royal School of Signals HQ in Blandford, Dorset.
In November, Tom is heading off to Norway for a month to attend a Nordic ski course, which he is looking forward to as, before moving to Saint Felix, Tom lived in Germany and skied regularly in Bavaria. Tom is hoping to follow in the ski boots of his brother Adam, who is also in the Army and represents them at snowboarding, although Tom wishes to remain a skier.
30 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 OLD FELICIANS’ GOLF OLD FELICIAN GOLF DAY The OF golfers hold a Golf Day in November each year. Last year it took place on 14th November 2018 at Woodbridge Golf Club, Suffolk. All standards are welcome to play a fun, informal round of golf. Please contact Tessa Summers (née Ellis, Gardiner 73-80) [email protected]
RUNYARD TROPHY This was played at Bury St Edmunds on 10th September 2018. The other Schools competing were Framlingham, Woodbridge, Norwich and KEGS (King Edward’s). Good fun was had by all the Saint Felix team, Vicky Wheeler, Gilda Buckwell, Sarah Reardon, Jackie Whitwell, Rachael Goldsmith and Tessa Summers. We did not come last but unfortunately did not come first either (this year)!
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 31 TASSIE FOURSOMES The Berkshire Golf Club was the venue again for the 27 hole Tassie Foursomes played on 11th June 2018. There was a good entry with top girls’ schools represented from all over the country. Roedean, Benenden, Sherborne, Millfield, Cheltenham, to name a few. The Saint Felix team of Sarah Reardon, Rachael Goldsmith, Vicky Wheeler and Anthea Franklin did their best against strong opposition!
OBITUARIES
Patricia May (née Edmonds, Somerville 63-68) has sent us obituaries of her mother Frances Marjorie Edmonds and Frances’s cousin Gill Woodhouse. Frances Edmonds (Fair, Somerville 1934-38) and her sister Camilla Cope (Fair, Somerville 1931-36) were the daughters of Marjorie Fair (née Secretan, Somerville 1904-08). Marjorie’s sister was Esme Champion (née Secretan, Somerville 1904-10) and Esme’s daughter was Gill Woodhouse (Champion, Somerville 1938-42). Three generations of OFs from the same family spanning over 100 years at Saint Felix – is this a record? We’d love to hear from any other OFs with similar histories.
FRANCES MARJORIE EDMONDS (Fair) Somerville 1934-38 “They don’t make ‘em like your mother anymore”, a policeman once told me after a burglary where Mum was issuing instructions to three burly, astonished policemen! He was right. Sadly, they don’t. That generation was special, they went through a war, they never complained, they just got on with life. My mother was forever looking on the bright and sunny side of life. She had an energy that seemed boundless, a quirky thrill about anything mundane, and showed that there is enjoyment to be found even in the darkest and seemingly ordinary corners.
32 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Francie Fair was born in 1921 and brought up at a boys’ boarding school, Haileybury, where her father was master of a house called Trevelyan. Here, as well as a deep love of gardens, she developed a lively enthusiasm for sport.
This held her in good stead when, following her mother, aunt and sister, she went to Saint Felix. She wasn’t madly academic, but with her tomboy spirit she excelled in hockey, lacrosse and cricket. She also played the violin and was leader of both the school orchestra and choir. Her letters home were hilarious – demanding that her mother send “immediately”, such things as a violin case or new socks. She was always chattering about games, as well as insisting that she gave up Latin in order to have more time for music.
Throughout her life, my mother remained passionate about sport. However, her other passion was the theatre. At 17 she went straight from Saint Felix to the Webber Douglas Drama School in London. She thrived in this environment, but soon the war interrupted her potential for celebrity fame and fortune and, instead, Mum joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. She was a Radio Telephone Operator, recording everything that the pilots said and at one time was solely responsible for some 70 airwomen.
Soon after the war, which I understand her, despite tragic losses, was fairly colourful, she met Humphrey. Charming and debonair with a fabulous Triumph Roadster, it was love at first sight. They married in 1948 and in 1950 bought a cottage in a Hertfordshire village where Mum at last could have her own garden and I, their only child, was born. In 1958 my parents built a house in St Ippolyts, just outside Hitchin, creating a wonderful home and delightful garden where they entertained their friends and family with warmth, laughter and endless G&Ts.
Then, in 1962, I too was packed off to Somerville House! My mother loved nostalgic trips to Saint Felix. We wandered the beaches of Southwold and Walberswick, followed by tea in the Swan or the Crown where we tried to out-shock each other with Somerville stories. After my father died,
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 33 my mother moved to a smaller cottage. She remained busy, even after she broke a hip in 2013. Then in 2015 she broke the other hip. Fearfully I had to break the news that she could no longer drive. “Why not?” she demanded, “I drove in the war you know…”
She still loved life, was still fun and feisty, and determined to remain independent in her own home. This we managed to achieve, despite her developing cancer as well as Alzheimer’s, which ultimately stole the amazing mother that I knew. She died on Mothering Sunday 2017 aged 95.
GILL WOODHOUSE (Champion, Centre Cliff and Somerville 1937-42) Her father was a housemaster at Haileybury school, and in her early years she obviously spent sufficient time with the boys there for her to profess later that she knew the rules to most boys’ games better than her boyfriends.
When she was twelve, she started at Saint Felix School, The war started two years later, and the school was evacuated to Tintagel in Cornwall and subsequently Hinton St George in Somerset. She left, just before her 18th birthday in 1942, with, as well as her General School Certificate, a pass in the Home Nursing Examination.
It was clearly in her mind to nurse with the Voluntary Aid Detachment, as her mother had a quarter of a century before. But her father (who had won the DSO commanding his battalion in the Spring of 1918) thought she was too young and held her back.
Nevertheless, there is a record of Gill looking to take a short intensive course at a nurse training centre in the Spring of 1943. She joined the VAD before the end of the year, to start what was for her (as for so many of her generation) a hugely important and defining period of her life. Gill nursed sailors at Chatham. She may have learnt about boys at Haileybury, but she always said she learned about men there – I don’t think the finer points of the rules of Rugby Union were debated much!
34 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 She also came face to face with the enemy. Not at Chatham, but on leave at home at Haileybury. Out walking with her father one evening, a flying bomb came over so close to them that they could feel the heat from the engine. Her father bundled her to the ground, and the bomb exploded only half a mile away.
MADELEINE MARX (Kohn-Speyer, Bronte 1928-33) Madeleine followed her sister Hilda in Bronte House in the late 1920s. Her father believed that his daughters should have professions, so she then worked as a pupil in a local firm of architects for 3 years before enrolling at the Architectural Association School in Bedford Square in London. She spent another 3 years there and graduated A.R.I.B.A. and A.A. Diploma just before the outbreak of war.
During the war she had a varied career. First she was with the London County Council dealing with welfare. Then she spent some time with the Women’s Voluntary Service doing clerical work. Next she was a technical and clerical assistant in the Lands Branch at the War Office. Finally she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service and was posted to the Royal Engineers. She was a temporary Junior Commander in the ATS, and then finished her service years as Staff Captain (Planning) at the Chief Engineer’s Branch Headquarters, South Eastern Command. She spent much of her time ferrying senior military officers around London in her Fiat Toppolino as it used so little fuel.
Madeleine spent some time in Florence studying art, and was fluent in Italian, French and German. After the war she worked in an architect’s office, mostly doing domestic architecture. She was a keen tennis player well into her eighties, and a competent skier. She was also a great supporter of the Arts and a Friend of the Royal Academy and Covent Garden. Madeleine died on 15th June 2018, two weeks before her 102nd birthday.
This obituary was sent to us by Madeleine’s niece, Ann Hone (Bell, Gardiner 1951-56)
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 35 TORI BIRD (Somerville 1984-87) Tori passed away all too early in July this year at the age of 46. She followed her mother and two of her older sisters into Somerville House. She was awarded the Hess music scholarship to Saint Felix and this passion for music continued throughout her life. On Remembrance Sundays at Saint Felix she was tasked with playing the Last Post on her trumpet. From high up in the choir stalls, the refrain was always a very emotional moment in the service. She made friends across the year groups at Saint Felix and was a great ally to the younger girls in Somerville. She was brave enough to tackle the high diving board and enjoyed plunging into the chilly, and at the time outdoor, school pool.
She went on to study music and education at Warwick University directing productions such as “The Boyfriend” there. She became a primary school teacher, encouraging countless pupils to sing and play in memorable musicals, choirs and bands.
Tori had a huge enthusiasm for life and travelled the world, not afraid to try sky-diving, bungee jumping, trekking and scuba diving. She embraced life to the full and was always ready to tackle something new or to take the road less travelled. She worked at schools in the UAE and Egypt but latterly her home was back in rural England, living close to her family. She was an amazing single mother, dedicating her life to her two gorgeous young boys who have inherited both her wonderful singing ability and her appetite for fun and adventure.
She leaves behind her parents (Ted & Miriam née Donald ’56) and three sisters (Jules ’83, Nicki and Rosy ’88) and an army of nephews and nieces who miss her greatly. She was always the fun Auntie to go to with any questions and the first to proudly praise their accomplishments!
A fund in her name to help combat the disease she so bravely fought has been created and any donations would be welcomed by her family. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tori-bird
Rosy Bird (Somerville, left 1988)
36 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 IRIS WOTTON (Twogood, Clough 1940-44) Mum was born on the 13th April 1926 in Ilford, which was a bit of a surprise to me because I always thought it was Teddington! She did, however, grow up in Teddington and from what she told me she had a pretty happy childhood visiting nearby Bushy Park, playing in the large garden and being teased and spoilt by her elder brothers in equal measure! I remember Mum also telling me of the underground bunker that Bappa, my Grandfather, had built under their double garage when the Second World War broke out. I wish I had seen it; bunk beds for all the family plus maid plus cook, not to mention a fully stocked bar and a snooker table-marvellous!
During the War years Mum was evacuated from Saint Felix School to Tintagel and was generally very happy there. She excelled at Hockey and Netball and had two particular friends, sisters Phil and Betty Philips in Clough House who remained in close touch until their own demise.
On the 1st April 1949 Mum married my Father, Eric Wotton, and two years later my brother Chris was born and I arrived in July 1956. By now we were living in Surbiton, but in 1960 we moved to a lovely house called Bracondale in Cobham.
It’s funny how things fade into the recesses of one’s mind only to be retrieved on occasions such as this. Mum and Dad often, or so it seemed to me as a six year old, entertained friends and family. Having listened to The Archers in my bedroom whilst munching my way through a bowl of rice crispies prior to going to bed, I would sneak out and peer over the banisters at the people as they arrived in all their fine dresses and suits, often sporting an Old Millhillians’ tie.
Mum had a great love of gardens and had an eye for plants in pots which came to the fore at Gainsborough Court in Walton, her patio at the back was a riot of colour, with every pot full and she would spend many happy hours on her bench amongst her creations.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 37 Mum did not have the firmest grip on matters of business. Whilst she knew Chris was in American reinsurance she had no understanding about what I did at NatWest. When asked by friends what and how I was doing she would usually answer, “oh, he’s something in banking but I think he enjoys it.”
Her friends, especially those from Surbiton, were very special to Mum and she had extremely fond memories of catching up with them over lunch and sharing each others’ news about their respective families. They were very happy times.
Mum was quite a seasoned traveller. I was surprised at just how many different countries she had visited; Denmark, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, Canada, South Africa and the States. She and Chris also flew around the Bay of Biscay on Concorde, quite an experience.
Mum’s family was all important to her; siblings, nephews, nieces and then later her own Grandchildren. She had great joy being in their company and gave out a warmth in return, something that is a family trait.
Looking back it feels like March 2004 was the beginning of things not going well for Mum. The sudden and totally unexpected death of Chris came as a hammer blow to us all, but Mum most especially.
Gradually I saw signs of frailty and failing eye sight and eventually in March 2011 Alzheimer’s was diagnosed. I won’t dwell on how life changed after that, suffice to say it was not great.
But here’s the thing. It would be wrong to dwell on the last eight years of Mum’s life, when the previous eighty four were, by and large, good years. In answer to the question, “how would you remember your Mum?” I would say this. She had her frailties, as we all do, she was a worrier, as many of us are, and occasionally we saw a stubborn side to her. But above all she was a kind, caring, compassionate, selfless and loving person. She always looked elegant and always saw good in everyone.
This obituary was sent to us by ndy ootton, ris ootton’s son
38 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 DEATHS
We have been advised of the deaths of the following Old Felicians. We are very sorry to bid them farewell.
Madeleine Marx Bronte 1928-33 d. 15/06/18 (Kohn-Speyer)
Gill Woodhouse 1937-42 d. 21/04/18 (Champion)
Alice Crosthwaite Gardiner 1946-49 d. 2018 (Shackel)
Liona Lumley Bronte & Fawcett 1952-57 d. 2018 (Ritter)
Tori Bird Somerville 1984-87 d. July 2018
Iris Wotton (Twogood) Clough 1940-44 d. 2018
Elizabeth Faulder Staff d. 12/09/18 (Willett)
Margaret Banks Centre Cliff/Somerville 1933-39 d. 06/10/18 (Taylor)
Beverley Weatherill Staff d. Nov 2018
ERRATUM In the last issue of the newsletter, Frances Marjorie Edmonds’ name was given incorrectly as Frances May Edmonds. We sincerely apologise for this error.
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 39 DESTINATIONS OF LEAVERS 2018
May Bandy Kingston University – Foundation Art and Fashion
Krzysztof Bisaga University of East Anglia – Pharmacology and Drug Discovery
Jingtai Cai Canada – General College enrolment
Wanqi He Manchester University – Economics and Finance
Amelia Heard Birmingham University – Ancient History
Thomas Hill Swansea University – Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Chloe Hillier British and Irish Institute of Modern Music – Professional Musicianship
Tamsin Hills De Montfort University – Architecture
Gabriella King UEA – English Literature with Creative Writing
Rosie Kinsella Nottingham University – Ancient History
Jing Li British and Irish Institute of Modern Music – Professional Musicianship
Zhantong Liu British and Irish Institute of Modern Music – Music Production
Tyla-Jo Marr Sheffield Hallam – Foundation Year in Health and Social Care
Fedir Miezientsev University of Portsmouth – Economics
40 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Owen Mullen University of East Anglia – Biochemistry
Simisola Olonade Queen Mary University – Science and Engineering Foundation Programme
Lauren Oram Lincoln University – Sports and Exercise Science
Thomas Owusu-Brew Swansea University – Sports Science
Elora Parocki University of Bath – Computer Science
Anton Perez Kingston University – Business Management
Max Robb Into employment
Anushe Saeed Lincoln University – Criminology
Anjani Taylor University of Bath – Foundation Year in Chemistry
Jake Thomas-Mansfleld Birmingham University – Mechanical Engineering
Timothy Vixseboxse British and Irish Institute of Modern Music – Music Production
Ziwei Wang Greenwich University – Accounting and Finance
Honor Whyte Exeter University – Anthropology (deferred)
Yin Nam Wong Leeds University – Digital Media
Mengyi Xue Norwich University of the Arts – Fashion
Mario Zhang Swansea University – Mechanical Engineering
Yingjie Zheng Manchester University – Fashion Marketing
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 41 Saint Felix Celebrates 2017/18
In celebration of Saint Felix Day, the whole school took part in our Founder’s Walk on 9th March. All pupils took part in the 27km walk, joining at various stages depending upon age and ability. This was a symbolic acknowledgement of the school’s history and marked the school’s official 121st anniversary, which began at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson’s summer house in Aldeburgh where the founder and Headmistress, Margaret Isabella Gardiner, held her first lesson.
SENIOR DEPARTMENT Art, Photography and Textiles • Introduction of Photography as part of the Year 7 art curriculum, which will roll out through the KS3 art groups next year • April 2018 Exhibition of a range of students’ work at the annual Schools’ Exhibition at Halesworth Gallery • Jerry Huang and Bryan Wan, two former students have graduated from Norwich University of the Arts in Fashion Design and were chosen to showcase their collections at London Fashion Week. Bryan was also placed in the top 25 Peoples’ Choice award
Boarding Events and activities this year have included: • Thorpe Park • Remembrance Service • Cambridge • Chinese New Year celebrations • High Altitude trampoline park • Valentine’s Dinner and Disco • London Grand Day Out: London Dungeons, London Eye, Tower of London, Covent Garden and China Town • Coastal Voyager
42 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 • Ultimate Ninja obstacle activity • Cinema trips • Paintballing • Hautbois Activity Centre • Visit to the armoury at Norfolk Constabulary
Charitable Activities The Senior Department have supported a number of charities this year: • Access Community Trust – Harvest Festival, Giving Tree and winter clothing • Brain Tumour Trust – Christmas Jumper Day • Children in Need – Cake bake • Jeans for Genes – Jeans Day • The Loft (Southwold) – Founder’s Day walk • MacMillan – Coffee Morning • Médecins Sans Frontières – Pyjama Day • Save the Children – Christmas Jumper Day • Street Child – Fashion Show
Drama • Senior Production of ‘Mary Poppins Jr’ • GCSE Performance Evenings: ‘Unexpected Journeys’, ‘A Drop of Poison’, ‘The Trial’ and ‘Bums on Seats’ • Performance of monologues, duologues and group pieces by Speech & Drama pupils
LAMDA Examination Results Chloe Hillier Devising Drama Grade 8 Solo (Pass) Joseph Barbrook Devising Drama Grade 7 Group (Distinction) Tallulah Jary Devising Drama Grade 7 Group (Distinction) Charlotte Sigsworth Devising Drama Grade 7 Group (Distinction) Jack Barrett-Kelly Devising Drama Grade 5 Group (Merit) Henry Cole Devising Drama Grade 5 Group (Merit)
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 43 George Walker Devising Drama Grade 5 Group (Merit) Mollie Barrett-Kelly Devising Drama Grade 5 Solo (Merit) Tallulah Jary Acting Grade 5 Combined (Distinction) Georgia Pleasants Acting Grade 5 Combined (Distinction) Lucy Rainer Acting Grade 2 Solo (Distinction) Warren Buist Devising Drama Grade 2 Solo (Distinction) Imogen Whyte Devising Drama Grade 2 Group (Merit) Leyla Sanchez Devising Drama Grade 2 Group (Merit) Alice Barker-Harrison Acting Grade 1 Duo (Distinction) Amelia Prowse Acting Grade 1 Duo (Distinction) Harrison Bell Devising Drama Grade 1 Group (Distinction) Jacob Hart Devising Drama Grade 1 Group (Distinction) James Hunt Devising Drama Grade 1 Group (Distinction) Harry De Coteau Spring Acting Grade 1 Duo (Merit) James Keeble Acting Grade 1 Duo (Merit)
English • Year 9 Students visited South Cove church to savour the unique atmosphere and meditate upon its history. Each student wrote their own poem about the experience • We published our second annual anthology showcasing the literary talents of the school • We ran a number of theatre trips including visits to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Macbeth in Cambridge
Equestrianism • Saint Felix has been represented at National Schools’ Equestrian Association Championships this year and has won in team and individual events • Maria Donovan, Louisa Everett, Luise Fischer, Katie Hammett, Nathaniel Hurst, Georgia Pleasants and Jack Wilmot qualified for the four finals of the Eventers’ Challenge National Championships at Hickstead as teams and individuals • 90cm team placed 3rd in the Hickstead Final
44 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 • Jack Wilmot was 2nd in the Hickstead Mini Derby Championship to become Individual Reserve National Mini Champion 2017 • Nathaniel Hurst was 3rd in the 90cm Eventers’ Challenge Hickstead Final • Jack Wilmot placed 4th in the Jumping with Style Championship Plate National Final • Jack Wilmot won the 70cm Santa Stakes at the NSEA Championship Plate • Nathaniel Hurst won both the 1.05 Show Jumping and Jumping with Style at the Championship Plate at Keysoe • Maria Donovan won the 80cm Eventers’ Challenge qualifier with Georgia Pleasants 2nd • Georgia Pleasants won the 90cm Eventers’ Challenge qualifier with Katie Hammett 2nd
Geography • Year 12 and Year 13 students enjoyed an invigorating week at the Cranedale Centre in Yorkshire, visiting Scarborough, Bridlington, the Yorkshire Moors and Dalby Forest
Modern Foreign Languages • European Day of Languages: Assembly led by the Sixth Form and students from Years 7 and 8 to promote language learning and diversity as well as celebrating all languages and cultures • The Association for Language Learning’s ‘Have Your Say’ Languages Competition in French and Spanish: The East Anglia Regional Finalists were: Harry Barbrook, Finley Barbrook, Indira Gopee, Joab Carr, Elodie Whyte, Eirinn Cross, Mollie Barrett-Kelly and Matilda Kime • European Food and Culture Day: Year 11 students made and sampled European food giving them an insight into European culture and history
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 45 Music • The adjudicator for the popular ‘House Shout’ competition in November was Mr Colin Virr who launched and is Head of Aldeburgh Young Musicians • Polly Chan, as a Member of Aldeburgh Young Musicians for a second year, gave a solo performance in the Peter Pears Recital Hall at Snape Maltings • Polly Chan was invited to take part in a Southwold Arts Festival weekday ‘Young Musician’s Showcase’. She presented a 45 minute recital, playing a variety of music on both piano and trumpet • There were successes in the Rotary Club ‘Young Musician of the Year’ in Beccles. Polly Chan achieved 3rd place. Oliver Oldrey won 3rd in the ‘Young Vocalist of the Year’ • Oliver Oldrey auditioned for the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and was awarded a place • At Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Oliver Oldrey sang the solo, ‘Walking in the Air’. He also took part in Jubilee Opera’s production of ‘The Golden Vanity’ in Aldeburgh • Kitty-May Hayes attended and performed a solo on a piano course at Pro Corda in May
Music a ination ntries Jing Li Grade 8 Singing Merit Chloe Hillier Grade 8 Singing Merit Polly Chan Grade 7 Pianoforte Distinction Smriti Gokarn Grade 6 Pianoforte Pass Jing Li Grade 6 Pianoforte Pass Jing Li Grade 6 Singing Merit Polly Chan Grade 6 Trumpet Merit Joanna Jia Qi Lin Grade 6 Violin Pass Bruce Jackson Grade 5 Pianoforte Pass Smriti Gokarn Grade 5 Violin Pass Xinwen Zhang Grade 5 Clarinet Merit
46 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Jiazhe Huang Grade 5 Flute Pass Joseph Devonshire Grade 5 Guitar Merit Lucy Rainer Grade 5 Theory Pass Joanna Jia Qi Lin Grade 5 Theory Merit Chloe Hillier Grade 5 Theory Pass Jing Li Grade 5 Theory Merit Smriti Gokarn Grade 5 Theory Distinction Joanna Jia Qi Lin Grade 4 Pianoforte Pass Oliver Oldrey Grade 4 Singing Merit Chloe Hillier Grade 3 General Musicianship Merit Timothy Vixseboxse Grade 3 Pianoforte Merit Bruce Jackson Grade 3 Violin Pass Polly Chan Grade 1 Drums Distinction Jacinda Fitzgerald Grade 1 Violin Pass
Science • Four students from across the Senior year groups represented the school at the Interment of Professor Stephen Hawking at Westminster Abbey • Four students from Year 8 participated in the Salters Festival of Chemistry competition at the University of East Anglia • Jack Barrett-Kelly, Mollie Barrett-Kelly, Bradley Blaxhall and Eimear Rattenbury achieved silver medals, and, Henry Cole, Jessica Ellis, Jonathan Kirby, Joanna Lin, Georgia Pleasants and Elodie Whyte achieved bronze medals in the Biology Challenge in March, the Royal Society of Biology’s national competition for students in Year 9 and Year 10 • Jake Thomas-Mansfield achieved a bronze medal in the Biology Olympiad, the Royal Society of Biology’s national competition for Sixth Form students • A team of four students from Year 9 to Year 11 came second in the regional heats of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s ‘Top of the Bench’ national competition
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 47 • A group of students from Year 11 and Year 12 attended the 2017 Young Scientists’ Journal Conference at Queens’ College Cambridge in October. They were inspired by three excellent lectures by eminent scientists
Sixth Form • Financial Capability Training (research partnership with MAS and Edinburgh University) • Higher Education Fair at Suffolk University • Mindfulness Meditation • Model United Nations • MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) • Prevent Training (radicalisation) • Safe Driver training
Sport Aquathlon • Poppy Branton 1st in the T3 category in the Basildon Aquathlon
Athletics • Lauren Oram and Brooke Oram selected to represent Suffolk • Precious Aduwa-Emovon 1st in the high jump and progressed through to 100m finals, Michaela Taiwo 2nd in the 800m and Oreoluwatomiwa Braithwaite 2nd in the long jump and 3rd in the 100m final at the Suffolk Schools’ County Athletics Championships • Precious Aduwa-Emovon finished 3rd in the long jump and Oreoluwatomiwa Braithwaite finished 1st in the Long Jump and 3rd in the 100m at the Anglian Track and Field Championships 2018
Basketball • The U12 and U13 Boys’ Basketball teams won the North Suffolk Schools’ Basketball Competitions
Biathlon • Michaela Taiwo finished 8th at the British Schools’ Modern Biathlon Championships at Crystal Palace
48 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Climbing • Jack Barrett Kelly 1st in his age group in the Nu Kids climbing competition in Norwich • Jack Barrett Kelly 6th in his age group in the Little Flash bouldering competition at Highball
Cricket • Harry De Coteau Spring’s U13 Norfolk Cricket Team won the Active Norfolk Team of the Year 2017 • Harry De Coteau Spring selected to play for Norfolk • Finley Barbrook and Harry Barbrook selected to play for Suffolk • The U15 Boys’ Cricket team reached the finals of the Suffolk County Cricket Cup competition • U14 Boys’ Cricket team reached the semi-finals of the U14 County Cup Cricket competition
Cross Country • Poppy Branton, Rose Branton, Louisa Everett and Brooke Oram were selected to represent Suffolk at the Anglian Cross Country Championships • Brooke Oram finished 1st girl for all age groups at the Horsford Cross Country Mud Run
Fencing • Joshua Stephens and Samuel Stephens achieved Bronze in the foil and Mollie Barrett-Kelly achieved a Silver in the Girls’ Under 16 Foil and a Bronze in the Cadet Sabre at the Norfolk Junior Fencing Championships
Football • Eirinn Cross represented the Rising Star Football Academy (RSFA) in the Norway Cup • Finley Barbrook and Harry Barbrook continue to be members of Ipswich Town Football Academy
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 49 Games Mark Award • The Senior PE Department has been awarded the Sainsbury’s School Games Silver Mark
Golf • Benjamin Newman was selected to represent England in the inaugural ISGA Under 15 National event. Benjamin Newman has been invited to the Alexander Quin Invitational Golf Competition • Benjamin Newman won the Fishing Smack men’s golf competition • Jessica Buck, Reuben Harvey and Benjamin Newman represented Saint Felix in the Suffolk Schools’ Golf Association Team Championship at Fynn Valley Golf Club, Ipswich and finished runners up • Benjamin Newman won the Boys’ Individual prize for Best Nett Score at the Suffolk Schools’ Golf Association Team Championships • Benjamin Newman has been selected to represent Suffolk at the England Schools’ Golf U16 Championships Jessica Buck qualified for the Lee Westwood National Final tournament at Gainsborough Golf Club • Jessica Buck selected to be Junior Captain for Halesworth Golf Club • Benjamin Newman finished 3rd in 0-15 handicap category in the Southwold Junior Open Golf Competition • Reuben Harvey finished 1st in the over 15 handicap category in the Southwold Junior Open Golf Competition
Hockey • Brooke Oram was selected for the Suffolk Hockey Squad
Modern Triathlon • Joshua Stephens finished 14th in the U15 Boys’ category at the British Modern Triathlon Championships
Netball • Maria Donovan was voted Players’ Player for Norfolk United U15 Academy team and also most improved player for the Sapphires’ adult league team • Maria Donovan played for Norfolk United U16 Academy Netball Squad
50 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Tennis • The U13 and U15 Boys’ teams both reached the County finals
Triathlon • Poppy Branton was selected to be on the Eastern Region’s IRC (Inter Regional Championships/National) team • Poppy Branton 1st in the T3 category and beat the course record by 26 seconds at the Leighton Buzzard Triathlon • Rose Branton 2nd place in the Youth at the Leighton Buzzard Triathlon • Poppy Branton finished 1st in the T3 Girls’ in the Discovery Open Triathlon • Poppy Branton finished 1st in the T3 Girls’ and Rose Branton finished 3rd in the Youth category in the Ipswich Triathlon
PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT Art • Eva Bullion, Oscar Cole, Reo Snowling and Freddie Whyte-Wood had their work exhibited and were awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Young Art East Anglia competition • Children designed and made ‘sea-themed’ costumes for the opening parade of the Southwold Arts Festival Charitable Activities • Harvest Festival collection • Operation Christmas Child Shoebox appeal • Children in Need Day • Year 6 Carol Singing at Broadlands Care Home, Oulton Broad • RNLI SOS Day Drama • Freya Attwell, Lewis Dunn, Harriet Etherington, Edward Hill, Tia Hillier, Rima Jaohar, Edward Oldrey, Charlotte Rainer, Esmae Shaw-Clutten and Saffron Vine all gained Distinctions in their LAMDA Grade 1 Group Devising Drama examinations
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 51 • Mustafa Jaohar, Ava Lines and Rose Webster were awarded Acting Grade 1 with Merit • Ryan Kennedy and Emily Oldman were awarded Grade 2 Group Devising Drama with Merit
Music • Theo Meldrum and Saffron Vine performed in the Jubilee Opera performance of the Golden Vanity at Aldeburgh • The Prep Department Choir performed at the Southwold Arts Festival opening events
Examination Results Emily Oldman Grade Four Pianoforte Merit Emily Oldman Grade Four Violin Pass Emily Oldman Grade Three Musical Theatre Distinction Charlotte Rainer Grade Three Musical Theatre Distinction George Goodby Grade Three Pianoforte Merit Ryan Kennedy Grade Three Pianoforte Merit Ava Lines Grade Three Pianoforte Merit Lara Fisher Grade Three Pianoforte Pass Samuel Parle Grade Two Electronic Keyboard Merit Charlotte Rainer Grade Two Pianoforte Pass Samuel Barker-Harrison Grade One Violin Pass Saffron Vine Grade One Violin Pass
Sport Biathlon • Ethan Rattenbury won the Eastern Region Biathlon championships and is the Eastern Region Under 12 Champion
Cricket • Year 3 Kwik Cricket team narrowly lost the final of the North Lowestoft School Games competition, finishing second out of 13 schools
52 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 Netball • North Suffolk School Games High 5 Netball Tournament – U11 team won and this qualified them for the national finals
Sport outside school • Daniel Franco-Key ranked Number 1 U10 Suffolk tennis player. He has played in National Tournaments. Daniel has also been selected to represent the Suffolk U12 tennis team at the Lionel Cox competition and is part of an eight-man Regional training squad • Evie Booker was named Player of the Season for Suffolk U11 Girls’ cricket and was also awarded Suffolk Youth Cricket Girls’ Player of the Year 2017 • Ethan Rattenbury was selected to represent Norfolk at Under 11 level in the Sportshall Athletics regional finals in the Norfolk County Athletic Championships and won the 800m. He also achieved a silver medal in the high jump and bronze medals in the 100m and 200m. Ethan is currently ranked 4th Nationally over 100m for his age group
PRE-PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT Art • Art work was selected for the ‘Nature’s Delights’ exhibition at Peter Pears Gallery in aid of Cancer Research • All pupils contributed art work for the Southwold Summer Art Exhibition – ‘Mermaids and Mermen’ Events including Charity fund raising • Harvest Festival contributions • Children in Need – Pudsey Bear fund raising • Samaritans’ Shoe Box Appeal – ‘Operation Christmas Child’ • Nativity – ‘The Little Star’s Story’ • West Midlands Children’s Theatre visit • RNLI Fundraising ‘SOS Day’ • World Book Day celebration – ‘Bedtime Stories’
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 53 • Easter Chapel Passion Play • French Assembly and Parents’ Breakfast • Grandparents’ Day with lunch Equestrian • Imogen Dawson, Georgie Strachan and Isabelle Tallamy who rode in their first school Equestrian competition. They did incredibly well gaining 2nd place in the 40cm show jumping team qualifier, then 2nd place in the Grass Roots Regional Final Visits • Field trips to the Benacre Estate and Southwold Beach • Year 2 visited Orford Castle, the Southwold Lighthouse and the Benacre Estate Open Day • Year 1 visited Sam Cole’s Fish Plant, the Southwold Cannons, Sailors’ Reading Room and Museum Saint Felix Swimming • British Nationals, Sheffield – Finn Jeffery and Collins Saliboko competed in three events each at the highest age group event of the year • English Summer Meet, Sheffield – Finn Jeffery won silver in 200m IM, Owen Webster won bronze in the 1500m Freestyle and finalist in the 400m Freestyle, Sophie Taylor finalist in the 400m IM and Sonia Tumiotto finalist in the 100m, 200m and 400m Freestyle • Commonwealth Youth Games, Bahamas – Collins Saliboko represented Tanzania • FINA World Short Course Championships, Hungary – Sonia Tumiotto represented Tanzania • National Inter-counties, Sheffield – Sonia Tumiotto and Chester Leeming represented Suffolk • CANA, Dar es Salaam – 6 swimmers returned to Tanzania for this International event. Marin de Villard (1st), Collins Saliboko (1st), Sonia Tumiotto (1st), Smriti Gokarn (2nd), Natalie Sanford (2nd), Anjani Taylor (2nd)
54 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019 • ESSA Secondary Schools’ Relay Finals, London – Junior Boys (Joab Carr, Marin de Villard, Jacob Hart and Lazar Nemeth), and Junior Girls (Michaela Taiwo, Noni Thole, Clara Watson-Flowers and Imogen Whyte) qualified and competed in the former Olympic Pool in London • Tanzanian Nationals, Dar es Salaam – 32 gold, 11 silver, 7 bronze and 28 personal best times. 18 Individual National records. Overall age-group placings: Natalie Sanford (1st), Sonia Tumiotto (1st), Smriti Gokarn (2nd), Collins Saliboko (2nd), Chris Fitzpatrick (4th), Marin De Villard (5th)
May: • East Region Summer Champs (Youth & Age) – 12 Youth swimmers competed, winning 1 silver and 2 bronze with 22 personal best swims. 17 Age swimmers competed, winning 4 gold, 3 silver, 10 bronze and 128 personal best swims. Gold Medals from William Ellard (2), Chester Leeming (2). Silver from Chester Leeming. Collins Saliboko, Natalie Sanford, Michaela Taiwo, Owen Webster. Bronze from Oscar Cole (2), Chester Leeming (3), Lazar Nemeth, Collins Saliboko, Natalie Sanford (2), Sophie Taylor, Clara Watson-Flowers. As a result of a good championships Chester Leeming finished in second place in the Top Boy (14 years) Award
June: • ESSA Primary Schools’ Relay Finals, Sheffield – Oscar Cole, Ava Lines, Ethan Rattenbury and Rose Webster won both the Mixed Stroke and Freestyle Relays and retained the Top Small School Trophy for the fourth consecutive year • Suffolk County Development Champs, Ipswich – 11 swimmers competed and won 24 Gold, 11 Silver and 7 Bronze medals with 45 personal best times • North Suffolk Primary Schools’ Swimming – Congratulations to the eight pupils who retained the North Suffolk Trophy winning seven of the eight events. Swimmers: Rufus Carr, Oscar Cole, Keanan Cross, Ava Lines, Ethan Rattenbury, Isla Webster, Rose Webster and Matilda Williams
JANUARY 2019 | OLD FELICIANS | 55 July/August: • British Swimming National Championships, Sheffield – Chester Leeming, Collins Saliboko and Natalie Sanford have qualified in eight events • English Summer Meet, Sheffield – Joining Chester, Collins Saliboko and Natalie Sanford at the English Summer Meet are Imogen Block, Finn Jeffery, Sophie Taylor and Owen Webster
SAINT FELIX SCHOOL Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6SD 01502 722175 | www.stfelix.co.uk Printed by The Lavenham Press
56 | OLD FELICIANS | JANUARY 2019