09 Abingdonian 2 The Abingdonian The Abingdonian 2008 – 2009 Volume XXIV No. 4 Issue 313 ContentsEditorial 2 Headmaster’s Foreword 3 Common Room Farewells 4 School 13 Clubs and Societies 25 House Reports 30 Service Activities 52 Departments 66 Art 82 Design Technology 92 Drama 98 Abingdon Film Unit 116 Music 120 Sport 132 Leavers 180 Design by Deepfusion - www.deepfusion.co.uk www.abingdon.org.uk 1 Editorial The Wednesday Group: (L–R) John Yoo, Ryan Ho, Simon Lam, Jonathan Wong, Harry Bell, Kelvin Poon, The Thursday group: Joe Ridley, Andy Chin, Matthew Choi and Timothy Hui Charles Pope, David Mears The Abingdonian was first published in the names, and endeavour to impose 1890, in order to record the activities house style on all the documents, but of both the School and its Old Boys. they also turn up week after week In those days there were three issues with a dedication I have to admire, a year, each issue being about 12 as the work requires painstaking pages long. In 1976 this was reduced thoroughness and accuracy. We are to one issue of 55 pages. Until 1987 all of us, however, extremely grateful to the magazine carried brief news of Old Anne Soper, whose unerring eye for a Abingdonians but the following year the misplaced comma or a mis-spelt name Griffen, established in 1976, took over means that the final document is far more this function completely. Despite this, polished than it might otherwise be. the magazine has not got shorter but much longer. One has to remember During the past year the back numbers power of the eastern nations is a threat that in 1890 there were fewer than 100 of the magazine have all been digitised to western civilization,’ should have boys at the School whereas now there – all 118 years of them – so that now, been defeated by 16 votes to 7, and are over 850 – and these 850 all seem if you have Adobe Reader on your the motion, ‘That in the opinion of this to be extremely active! computer, you can word-search all House the ambitions of the German the indexed files at the press of a Emperor menace the peace and As the Editor of The Abingdonian I am button. Without this program it is still safety of Europe,’ be carried 9 votes delighted to have received so many possible to read the magazines but to 6 – especially since I know that the reports of all these activities – from only as separate files. At the moment proposer, HWB Burkett, by then a the triumphs of the Under 12 B XV to the facility is available on the School’s captain in the Wiltshire Regiment, was the challenges of those who tackled intranet but soon we hope to perfect a killed in France in April 1918. the Three Peaks. However, producing web version. The Abingdonian is a huge job – and Who knows what ironies future it seems to be getting bigger every I find it strangely compelling to be generations will find in the pages of year. Without the help of my editorial able to read that 100 years ago the this edition. group I would be swamped; not only Debating Society motion, ‘That in the do this group check the spelling of all opinion of this House the growth and Sarah Wearne 2 The Abingdonian Headmaster’s foreword Mark Turner with left to right – Kate Hoey, Richard Dick, Martin Keown, Robin Brew and Kate Allenby at the opening of the Sports Centre on 4 October 2008 It is with growing nostalgia that I write this, my last, contribution to The Abingdonian. Once again, my most important function is to thank our editor, Sarah Wearne, and her splendidly energetic editorial team. It is no coincidence that, under Sarah’s editorship, both the size and the quality of this production have increased immeasurably. Looking back over the course of this last year, one’s hindsight is perhaps tainted by the fact that autumn gales are hitting the Abingdon site, and the number of absences with swine flu appears to be rising. Nevertheless, I hope very much that you will enjoy reading in these pages the triumphs of the School over a particularly busy period. With the breezes of change beginning to whisper round the rafters, I am delighted to record my congratulations and thanks to all involved. Mark Turner November 2009 www.abingdon.org.uk 3 Common Room Farewells of pedagogy, wary of fads and the steer the progress of tutees who were danger of teaching by numbers, he also his pupils. The dead hand of remained true to the traditions and an examiners’ ‘specification’ has not values of a liberal education. Perhaps reached this region, allowing him to be his favouring chalk over board pens especially inventive. was symbolic. He enjoyed his work, and, once they had found Older pupils benefited similarly from his wavelength, boys responded their teacher’s lateral thinking. The with similar enthusiasm. Master of syllabus was covered conscientiously, ceremonies, provoking and nudging uncongenial though some of it was; debate, Ian took especial delight in the but students of Oscar Wilde would positive reaction of less gifted pupils find themselves listening to Gilbert and to both his own prompts and, more Sullivan, and trawling through fifth-formr important, those of the class’s witty and ‘media’ material was alleviated by a Ian Macdonald wise. Few matched his ability to ‘work’ generous dose of Jeremy Clarkson an unstreamed set. Just occasionally, journalism. when recounting the events of a Reports of Ian Macdonald’s retirement particularly rewarding lesson, he And still the marking got done, in summer 2009 were exaggerated, allowed a tiny but unmistakable pressures of work notwithstanding. like those of Mark Twain’s death Caledonian element to colour his BBC Ian was not one to succumb to the in 1897: a colleague’s sabbatical accent, testimony, perhaps, to the temptation to postpone this essential prompted a temporary return to the sincerity and depth of his feeling, and a task, tired, perhaps, after returning from English Department in the autumn, reflection of the sheer pleasure he takes an away fixture. Boys came to expect and he remains the overlord of school in shared word-play. a rapid return of essays and exercises; badminton. they appreciated the crisp, detailed A former Head of English has criticism of their efforts; confidence Ian’s continuing link with Abingdon commented on Ian’s role as maestro, grew accordingly. edges him towards that increasingly commending his ability to inspire, rare achievement, four decades of blend and synthesise responses, draw Older Abingdonians will probably paid work in schools. He started at them to conclusions, then proceed to remember Ian as a mainstay of the Pocklington in 1971, after four years at develop a related theme. No wonder boarding operation, starting as resident Leeds University. The Yorkshire years he is a keen student of musical tutor in Larkhill, transferring to Crescent presaged much of the contribution he structure. In Ian’s lessons, there was and eventually taking over the running has made here, especially in the field always room for the unexpected and of School House. Here, too, he did of boarding, badminton and buses. the oblique; idiosyncratic writing tasks much to promote the social and Above all, they enabled him to refine were conjured up, allowing boys to be cultural awareness of his charges: the skills and strategies essential to funny, honest and themselves. Each ‘Symposium’, a society which became the success of the teacher of English; boy was encouraged to ‘find his own prominent in the Upper School through the prerequisite of imaginative empathy voice’ — to begin to discover in his the 1970s and 1980s, had its origins was probably there from the start. own writing (and reading) who he might in the boarding houses, growing out of be. There is always a pastoral element its creator’s interests in theatre, music, For all of his activities outside the to English teaching, and Ian’s long literature and history. Converts to classroom, Ian would prefer to be spell of tutoring in the Lower School, classical music owed their enthusiasm remembered for his work inside it. where the tutor is a form master, gave in great part to evening listening Teaching came first. Something of a him the opportunity to monitor and sessions, and were given special sceptic with regard to modern theories 4 The Abingdonian insights into the interpretations of Ian’s when their strength has been diluted favourite conductors, Karajan, Szell to give other schools a semblance and his beloved Toscanini — exacting of a chance. Abingdon’s links with taskmasters, all of them, and sticklers the Far East have helped, of course, for standards, not unlike their champion. but this asset has been enhanced by Ian’s rapport with Asian students; his Constraints of space and the sheer background in boarding has helped length of Ian’s Abingdon career now here. They respect his organised, dictate something of a list, to do some patient approach, together with his kind of justice to the extent of his capacity for sheer hard work. All contribution. He directed several plays, of the players appreciate his calm in the era before specialist Drama; he encouragement, and impress other played the major role in the design schools by their unassuming, polite Anne Soper of the Charles Maude Room, and demeanour. Their supremacy is not was its supervisor for several years; effortless, but it usually seems so; and Anne Soper joined the English he had a spell as Technical Director there’s certainly no need for group Department at Abingdon School in of the Amey Theatre.