Issue 6 • Spring 2012 Keeping inPUS touch with OPs wherever they may be LONDON 2012 Inside Sporting circles: The London 2012 OP sports stars running rings around their rivals Arctic Circle: Frozen Planet’s John Aitchison OP gets a warm reception at school Magic Circle: Profiling the OP coin trickster boss of the Penny Bazaar Coming full circle: The OPs returning to work at PGS The Magazine for former pupils, former parents and friends of The Portsmouth Grammar School 2 OPUS • Issue 6 • Spring 2012 Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk 3 Opus Designed by Simon Udal OP (1977-1987) Contents Simon Udal Design - www.simonudaldesign.co.uk In Brief A round-up of OP news and events In Brief - A round-up of OP news and events 3-5 Between the Lines: Say G’day to the OP brothers having a bonzer time in Oz 50-51 Chairman of Governors Honoured by the Queen Tiger on Two Wheels 6 Opus is delighted to congratulate the Chairman of our Governing Body Mr Brian Larkman on being made an Emission Control - Mick Morris OP 52-53 Chinese Whispers 7 MBE in the Queen’s recent New Year’s Honours List. Bookshelf 53 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Crossword Compiler 8-9 An OP, Mr Larkman is a retired banker, a non executive director of the UK Debt Management Office, a ‘Looks good in his goggles’ 54 member of the Exchequer Funds Audit Committee of HM Treasury and a member of the Finance Committee Ask the Archivist - Questions answered by John Sadden 10 of the Open University. He was formerly Global Head of Money Markets in the NatWest Group (and then School Community comes together to The Man who put Magic and Sparkle into M&S 11 in the Royal Bank of Scotland Group), and has acted as an advisor on banking matters to HM Revenue and help pupils make smart career move 55 Customs and has served on the Regulatory Decisions Committee of the Financial Services Authority. He Athletic Support - Richard Simonsen OP 12-13 joined PGS’s Governing Body in 2002 and became Chairman in 2009 with more than 25 years’ experience of Forthcoming events 56-57 school governance in the maintained sector. He is also a trustee of the childrens’ charity Catch-22. Opus London 2012 - News of Old Portmuthians 58-59 Mr Larkman was honoured in recognition of his services to the Financial Services Industry and the Debt Ed Sets Sail for 2012 14-15 Management Office. Ed helms Year 6 Olympic Sailing Venue Trip 16-17 In memoriam 60-65 OP Ross Leads the 2012 Gold Rush 18-19 Announcements 66 An early Golden Haul in London for OPs! OP Roger is Still in the Running for 2012 20-21 The Long Legs of the Law Pick of the Postbag 66 22 Old Portmuthians, Sophie Giles (2003-2010), George Chapman Headmaster James Priory said. “It is a great honour to be invited This Sporting Life 23 Back cover montage - A key to PGS Sporting Stars 67 (1996-2010), Alex Sergeant (2004-2010) and Jenny Tilbury to the Palace today to celebrate the achievements of our Old (2004-2010) joined the Headmaster at St. James’s Palace in London Portmuthians. Outdoor Pursuits is actively encouraged at PGS and Inside Track - Newspaper Editor; Ian Burrell OP 24-25 last November to receive their Duke of Edinburgh Scheme Gold I am proud that we are one of the largest providers of the Duke of Geography Forever! Ray Clayton - A celebration 26-29 Award. All four former pupils, as well as the Headmaster, were Edinburgh Award Scheme on the South Coast.” fortunate enough to meet the Duke of Edinburgh himself at the The Triumphal Arch - Staff who are former pupils 30-33 special presentation ceremony. (from l to r): Sophie Giles, George Chapman, Headmaster James Priory, Alex Sergeant and Jenny Tilbury outside St James’s Palace before the presentation ceremony Latter House Saints and Sinners (1952-3) 34-35 The Vicar Born to be Wild - David Collyer OP 36-37 “It’s time to play the music. It’s time to light the lights!” - James Bobin OP 38-41 Gone But Not Forgotten - PL Burnell 42 ‘The Amazing Forrest’ 43 Postcard from Singapore - Rebecca Drummond OP 44 “Mr Stork will see you in his office” 45-47 Doing the Large Thing 48 Frozen Asset - OP film-maker John Aitchison 49 Question Time The PGS Development Team is always keen to hear from Regular Old Portmuthian viewers of the iconic BBC topical debate show Old Portmuthians, former Question Time may have done a double take when the programme was parents and friends of the transmitted on Thursday 29 March from the school’s very own David Russell school. Do please stay in Theatre. Headmaster James Priory, himself a former World Public Speaking and touch and share your stories Debating Champion, was thrilled that the school had been chosen as a venue. and reminiscences with us, submit content for future “Question Time has been something of a national institution in broadcasting editions of Opus or nominate for the past thirty years”, he said, “so we were naturally thrilled when we were someone to receive a copy, approached to host the programme.” The Music Department’s Rotunda served as a green room for David by contacting us at Dimbleby, who chairs the programme, and the guest panellists. Fittingly, the bronze boss sculpture which Alasdair Akass Liz Preece Sue Merton John Sadden Chris Reed [email protected] adorns the ceiling of the Rotunda, and which was commissioned to commemorate former Headmaster Development Development Development School Archivist Photographer in High Street, Portsmouth, Tim Hands’ tenure at PGS, is the work of David’s brother, the sculptor Nicholas Dimbleby. To complete the Director Officer Office 023 9268 1391 Residence Hampshire PO1 2LN hat-trick, David’s younger brother Jonathan presented Any Questions from PGS a few years ago. Administrator [email protected] Tel: 023 9236 4248 continued... The views expressed in Opus articles do not necessarily reflect those of the Editorial Team. 4 OPUS • Issue 6 • Spring 2012 Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk 5 Portsmouth Festivities In 2012 Portsmouth Festivities will take This year the Festivites are offering a continued In Brief festival-goers on a journey with the world’s number of ways in which businesses and greatest storyteller, as we celebrate Charles organisations can support Portsmouth Dickens’ birth 200 years ago in Portsmouth. Festivities and at the same time gain OP Nick’s Survival Instinct and Natural Ability as a Wildlife Filmmaker Great Expectations will take place from considerable benefits and brand awareness. Friday 22 June to Sunday 1 July, with a Also, Portsmouth Festivities will have a Nick Cockcroft OP (1988-2001) may have wealth of literature, music, film, theatre much increased online presence as we had a long and circuitous journey to and exhibitions exploring the power of move to an online ticketing system for 2012. establish himself in wildlife filmmaking, Portsmouth Festivities is an annual event storytelling and the significance of Dickens’ With 30,000 people attending Festivities but his determination and patience has which celebrates young people and the quest for social change. events and a unique opportunity to recently reaped the most spectacular of Arts, at the same time celebrating the promote your brand locally and across the This is where the OP community comes rewards. Nick, who gained a distinction culture and heritage of Portsmouth as a city South East, it is a great opportunity. in! The Festivities relies enormously on the in his Masters degree in Biodiversity and of international significance. Supported by generous sponsorship of the companies, For further information about Portsmouth Conservation from Exeter University, Portsmouth Grammar School, the Festivities organisations and individuals who support Festivities, or to receive a free programme of took on a number of roles from being now attracts over 30,000 people to 70 us. events, please email [email protected] or an intern for a large corporate social different events over ten days. telephone 023 9236 4248. responsibility organisation in Singapore to a conservation volunteer for Portsmouth City Council before landing Seventh Annual Portsmouth Luncheon Club 2012 a contract as Creative Development Researcher for Tigress Productions, Once again, there was an impressive turn Attendees: David Jones (1957-1966) Dave Stenson 1947-1952 which has a worldwide reputation for out of Old Portmuthians and former staff Tony Adams (1954-1965) Howard Jones (1953-1962) Geoff Stokes 1958-1961 the quality of its wildlife documentaries. with the television naturalist Nick Baker in of a fortnight as an entire ecological system back in January at the Royal Beach Hotel in Dave Allen (1958-1967) John Kidd (1948-1957) Bruce Strugnell 1958-1967 He impressed bosses at Tigress with his Namibia on the natural history programme including predators, scavengers, birds and Southsea for the annual gathering of the David Allison (1946-1953) Martin Lippiett (1954-1964) Pete Sykes (1960-1970) involvement on the programme Red Sea Beautiful Freaks for the Discovery Channel. insects consume the enormous carcass OP Lunch Club. After a hearty lunch, the Ken Bailey (1939-1944) John Main (1938-1948) Tim Thomas (1960-1968) Jaws, which charted the Great White Shark He has recently completed production of an adult hippo. Nick helped deploy a assembled throng was treated to thought- John Bartle (1947-1957) Angela Main Peter Wason (1954-1961) attacks on holiday makers in the Eqyptian on Hippo: Nature’s Wild Feast for Channel battery of remotely-operated cameras and provoking address by PGS Surmaster Sally Bartle Dave Morey (1945-1948) John Willshire (1951-1961) resort of Sharm el-Shiekh and which, in Four.