June 2010 N0. 56 OLD SUTTONIANS NEWSLETTER OS Interview John Haynes (1956 M) In this issue: Founder and Publisher of “The Haynes Owner's Workshop Manuals” (commonly known as “Haynes Manuals”). Born in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) on 25th March 1938, the son of a Tea Planter whose es - Charlie Fermor Page 3 tate was near Kandy, I went to the only preparatory European up-country boarding school outside of Colombo, the Hill School in Nuwara Eliya at the side of a large lake. Continued on page 2 Marriages Page 20 Reunion Page 4 OS News Page 5 Cricket News Page 30 Awards Page 4 Dates for your Diary Page 32 John H. Haynes OBE standing by a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Derham Tourster in 2009 Information A member of the United For information about Sutton Valence School, please contact: Westminster Schools’ Foundation Registered Charity No. 309267 • the Admissions Office at Sutton Valence on 01622 845206 or email [email protected] Founded in 1576 by William Lambe • Sutton Valence Preparatory School on 01622 842117 or email [email protected] Old Suttonians Newsletter June 2010 1 Old Suttonians Newsletter Continued from front page Normally driven to church on a Sun - agreed to make the money available to cial", printed on a Gestetner duplicator day in an old vintage Hotchkiss bus, me early as they approved of the task I with drawings by myself on the wax sten - once we had to walk and was most ex - had set myself. cils. A total of 250 copies were run off, cited to find that the lake road had been hand folded and stapled, and priced at 5 closed for a sports car race. MG's and I paid £15 for my Austin Seven to a shillings (25p) per copy; the entire stock other sports cars slid and sprinted Mr. Smith in a scrapyard in Kingswood sold out in 10 days during the summer through the corners in a glorious ca - near Sutton Valence, and he kindly took of 1956 after another small advertise - cophony of sound and speed! This to - the steel body off giving me just the run - ment in "Motor Sport", and I was on my tally sealed my interest in everything to ning chassis. The blacksmith at Sutton way! I then published many more books do with motoring, especially sports cars, Valence flattened the springs and after resulting in being able to take the com - as a highlight every day on Father's Es - various other technicalities, including pany I had formed in 1960, J.H. Haynes tate was being driven around it to the rebuilding the engine myself. I built a & Co. Ltd., public with a full listing on factory and tea fields in his Morris new body from ash and wood retaining the London Stock Exchange in 1979. Minor. just the original bonnet and radiator, and the end result was a quite pleasing In 1985 I created the Haynes Interna - At school I started in Bennett under sporty-looking car. tional Motor Museum, a charitable the excellent housemaster, Mr. Blatch - trust, at Sparkford in Somerset which ley-Hennah (ex-staff 1946-1953), and When I was 17, I decided to sell the now contains over 400 cars and motor - then went on to St. Margaret's. Having car as it would have been impractical to cycles. soon found out that I was useless at run it on normal roads, and when a two sports such as Rugby and Cricket, my line advertisement created an amazing I am ever grateful to the staff and Housemaster, Mr. MacIlwaine (ex staff response of over 150 replies, I sold the Masters at Sutton Valence School for 1950-1976), very kindly let me skip car and had an idea. letting me pursue my interest at school, games to concentrate on building some - without which this first booklet would thing called an Austin Seven Special in Having had a marvellous art and car - never have been printed, and naturally the carpentry shop adjacent to the tuck pentry teacher, ‘Daz’ Symonds, and hav - as a result two of my three children, shop, then in front of the Fives court ing been lucky enough to win the senior J.J.(John Haynes, 1985 M) and Chris (now demolished and replaced by art prize 3 years running (one being for (Christopher Haynes, 1991 M), went to Maths/ICT teaching block – Editor). the biography of William Morris, Sutton Valence for their education, and "Wheels to Fortune"), I decided that I amusingly enough both of them got into In 1953, with nearly all UK sports cars should write and publish a complete set the Rugby First 15, one of them being being exported to the USA, enthusiasts of instructions on how I built my Austin captain in 1991 in his third year in the were building their own open 2-seater Seven Special. A 48 page booklet re - First 15. sports cars by taking the steel saloon sulted, "Building an Austin Seven Spe - body off an old 1930's Austin Seven and using the A frame chassis, suspension and running gear constructing an open ash frame aluminium 2-seater body in its place. Having done this, in 1954 with the car finished I had great fun driving it around BM and the other school play - ing fields. Early on the wife of my Housemaster asked for a ride. As we drove over the grass I was horrified to see that the button which popped out from the dashboard to indicate oil pres - sure was slowly dripping oil on to her pleated white skirt. Stopping in a hurry she was very sweet about it, saying how much she had enjoyed the drive! I was able to build the car as my God - father had left me a legacy of £100 which wasn't to be touched until I was 21, but my parents (then living in Ceylon) kindly John H. Haynes at the wheel of his Austin 7 Special at Sutton Valence in 1955 2 June 2010 Charlie Fermor (2005 H) With the recession still looming in the Apple Crisps has many a celebrity fan background it is tougher than ever for including Thandie Newton, Lilly Allen, graduates to secure employment with an Jamie Callum, Sophie Dahl and crick - estimated one third of recent graduates eter Alastair Cook to name but a few. out of work. However, for Charlie Fer - Charlie commented: “I am delighted mor student life is now a distant mem - that Apple Crisps has taken off, it is the ory as he takes his company Apple only known company within the UK that Crisps to new heights just a couple of actually home grows, hand picks and years after graduating from Reading produces dried fruit in an environmen - University. tally friendly manner.” For Charlie, farming has always been He continued: “My dream would be to a way of life with three generations of see Apple Crisps become even bigger in his family running Perry Court Farm in years to come with more and more peo - Kent and yet, when he went to study ple exchanging their usual fried brand Agriculture at University nobody envis - for my dried, healthier alternative. With aged that he would start his own com - our country becoming more weight con - pany straight from his student digs! scious by the minute that’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. I am Perry Court Farm is renowned for its currently working on a new range of impeccable apple orchards with hun - fruit including cherry and strawberry dreds of thousands of apples being sold crisps as id like to extend the current of - across the country each year but Charlie fering.” felt that so much more could be done with the fruit. He wanted to make a breakthrough in the market and create a snack that appealed to all generations that could be viewed as both a treat and a health product and the result was the delicious Apple Crisps. After conducting a large amount of re - search into fruit snack products Charlie realized that everything on the market had either been fried or imported into the UK. The only country that used their own produce to make the crisps in a healthy manner was the USA who use environmentally friendly drying ma - chines. This was the answer that Charlie was looking for, so after selling his stu - dent house he flew out to the states and invested in a drying machine to install in Perry Court Farm. Now two years on and Charlie is one of the youngest MD’s in the country plus with a fully functioning factory his com - pany Apple Crisps is thriving. Over 50,000 bags have been sold in 37 high end outlets and farmers markets across the south east. It is also rumoured that 3 Old Suttonians Newsletter Retirement of Honorary Secretary of Colin has now moved to Hampshire De facto Colin has been running the the OSA and retired from the Committee. Being OSA for these past dozen years and we the kindly, well organised chap that he have every reason to be hugely grateful is has fulfilled the final (most impor - to him. C.R.G.Shaw (1955 W) tant?) task of finding competent succes - sors to his many offices. We welcome Thank you Colin. Enjoy the golf. When he had left the SVS Teaching David Pickard as Hon Secretary, Staff Colin had already served 20 years Archivist and Tim Weedon as Hon By E D G Bunker (1954 M) on the OSA Committee and was also Treasurer.