the abingdonian michaelmas ol o ssue Editorial 2 - 7 Beyond Abingdon 50 - 59 including including A new Editor Gap Year travels A new Headmaster Filming in South America Correspondence Normandy battlefields Lower School trips School Notes 8 - 27 Field Trips to the Arctic including World Challenge Tanzania CR Farewells Kayaking for Charity Who was George Duxbury? House Reports Drama 60 - 65 including Showcase 28 - 33 Play reviews including Examination Drama Examination Art An Obituary Prize Essays Poetry Music 66 - 73 including Community Service and Charities 34- 39 Concert reviews including Orchestral Tour Teaching Hospital work Sport 74 - 96 Jubilee Tea Party including Rowing Societies and Clubs 40 - 49 Rugby including Hockey CCF Cricket Academic and Debating Societies Badminton Middle and Lower School Clubs Tennis Sailing successes Cross Country Josca’s 97 - 104 Editor-in-Chief : D. J. Pope Secretary: Chris Johnson Editors: Matthew Burnard, Neil Sadler, Adam Hall, James Pargeter, James Dingwall, Christian Davies, Michael Rothkopf, David Findlay, James Rose, Siddharth Kapoor, Finola Donovan agesetting: D. J. Pope rtwork supplied by : J.P. Nairne rinted by: G. H. Smith & Son, York the abingdonian page 2 the abingdonian page 3 editorial oror me,me, Adrian’s painting symbolisessymbolises manymany thingsthings aboutabout tthehe magazinemagazine yyouou hhaveave Fin your hands. First, looking back, I have been down this road before - for three fascinating years last century I edited the bingdonian. So you may well ask whether the “new” Editor is really so new. Let me reassure you, far from the jaded cynicism of the “been there, done that” newspaper hack, that fasci- nation with recording, discovering and showcasing all that goes on in our School is still very much with me. Second, despite all those elderly issues, I feel that this magazine and its Editor have only really reached the beginning ofof thisthis road,road, andand cancan but look forward to the uncharted territory ahead. Surely this is one of the most exciting times to be an Abingdonian (old, jaded or new)? So many things have changed about our School and our community in the last year; so much is new: where will it all lead? I can see future magazines along the way celebrat- ing wonderful new buildings and fantastic new opportunities for all of us, many of which will trace their origin, I believe, to plans and events that have been put in place this year. I hope this edition of the bingdonian, from the Arts Centre plans on the front cover to the final groundbreaking section about Josca’s, at least records these ‘Landscape momentous changes, and if possible, enables you, the reader, to catch a whiff of the infec- with path’ tious enthusiasm for this School which I have rediscovered while putting it all together. (Intaglio print) In this herculean endeavour, my grateful thanks go first to my team of boy Edi- by Adrian Jack 5RGH tors, who toiled long and hard to extract a year’s worth of content from a cross section of Abingdonians, in one and a half terms! Nor can I forget the advice and help from the experts: JPN’s selection of the evocative artworks and the painstaking proofreading Cover design: undertaken by the very professional team of FAD, PER andand AMS. All these colleagues ‘Abingdon shards’ have gone way beyond the call of duty to ensure that from a practical point of view this (Photoshop design) magazine is the best it can be. But read on and you will see that the inspiration for this by Chris Johnson 6TCG new flagship edition, for which I am, of course, immensely grateful, all came from the new Headmaster: DJP (Editor-in-Chief) the abingdonian page 2 [email protected]@ aabbiingdonianngdon.or g page.uk 3 Thenew Headmaster from the Headmaster ‘The School must be successful academically, there must be a broad range of “other half” activities and also am delighted to have this opportunity to introduce this new look edition of the everyone must feel happy.’ bingdonianbingdonian, and would like to start by con- Igratulating the editor and his team of reporters for gathering so much interesting and relevant skills and initiate debate in a number of areas. information. In producing this edition we have I hope you will agree that this edition has been had the chance to ask ourselves the question, successful in achieving these aims on all three what is the bingdonian for? The aims are es- fronts and that you will all enjoy reading about the sentially to provide a chronicle of the events, achievements of the school during the academic activities, triumphs and defeats of the previous year 2001-2002. year, to celebrate boys’ work in a wide variety of subjects and to give the opportunity for boys to Since my arrival in Abingdon in January I develop their own journalistic and publishing have thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the Continued page 4 the abingdonian page 4 the abingdonian page 5 life of this large and complex community. As I Mount Meru in tropical Tanzania and to many have said repeatedly at Parents Evenings and on places in between. other occasions as the opportunity has presented itself, I believe that Abingdon has enormous Broadening horizons and raising expecta- strengths in many areas. It is almost impossible tions are a large part of what we are all about at to pluck highlights from the plethora of activi- Abingdon. Over the next few years we hope to ties and successes that the school has enjoyed, be able to achieve these aims with the help of nevertheless there are several that stick in my investment in our facilities and infrastructure. mind’s eye. The award of twenty-six offers to Already work is well underway towards the Oxford and Cambridge Universities in Janu- completion of the new £3 million Arts Centre ary was something near a school record and I which will be opened during the autumn of am delighted to report that, despite the fiasco . In addition we have been able to improve regarding the marking and grading of A2s this considerably the quality of life for our Board- year, all our candidates have been able to take up ers by refurbishing the dormitories in School their places. Throughout the Easter and Sum- House. At Josca’s, Abingdon Junior School, the mer terms the fame of our First VIII spread pace of change over the last twelve months has further and wider. As we now all know our First been dramatic, with general refurbishment, a VIII covered themselves in glory, dominating new classroom block and fast-expanding pupil Schools’ competition, by winning every major numbers combining to allow an increasingly event, including the Princess Elizabeth Cup at ambitious view of the future. Henley. Whether you are currently directly con- Although it has been marvellous to have nected to the school, have an interest in it for such headline-catching stories to talk about, the future or are a member of the Old Abing- what I have enjoyed most about my first few donian community, I hope that you will enjoy terms of looking and learning has been the reading this edition of our magazine and that positive attitude and sense of real community you will gain from it an impression of the range that I have found in every corner of the School. and quality of what is on offer here. There are I have found both energy and enthusiasm in certainly many challenges facing independent abundance, not just for the day-to-day routines education at the moment, but I am confident but for broadening horizons well beyond our that we have the capacity, and determination, immediate boundaries. Over the last twelve to confront them head on. months, for instance, we have hosted groups from many different countries and Abingdonians Mark Turner have travelled from the Swedish Arctic circle to Headmaster Soon after he arrived, L.TitleyL.Titley, P. Vickers (Lower School) and C. Davies (Middle School) interviewed MrMr TurnerTurner hoping for some answers about the next few years ... ello, Headmaster. Could you give us of academic achievement and scholarship are very your first impressions of the School high, the breadth of activities available in the “ther over your first two terms? alf ” enormous, and the general commitment and H commonsense of most bingdonians seems to be very aving arrived at bingdon in anuary, 've commendable indeed. o will be looking forward very much enjoyed getting to know all members of to getting to know the chool better over the next the community. hat 've found so far has been few years. overwhelmingly positive. t seems that the standards Continued page 5 the abingdonian page 4 the abingdonian page 5 In the Abingdon Herald it says you will be usic, rt and rama. e've already raised firm but fair. What does this mean? about a million pounds of those million, we've just had confirmation of a donation from the ercers’ t means that it is important that the guidelines ompany of ,, and we're aiming, through shall be enforced but fairly and with firm disci- our ppeal, to raise million towards that project. pline. 'm very keen to raise this million as quickly as possible, because as soon as the rts entre is built Since your arrival at the School there has been can start to turn my attention to developing other a number of expulsions. What is your response to areas of the school, including new changing rooms, a this, and to the opinion that new Headmasters new swimming pool, astro-turf pitches and a new tend to “flush out” their school when they arrive, boathouse.