Abingdonian 2010 2 The Abingdonian The Abingdonian 2009 – 2010 Volume XXIV No. 5 Issue 314 Contents Editorial 2 Headmaster’s Foreword 3 Common Room Farewells 4 School 16 Clubs and Societies 24 House Reports 30 Service Activities 50 Departments 70 Art 84 Design Technology 94 Drama 98 Abingdon Film Unit 112 Dance 115 Music 116 Sport 130 University Places / Leavers 180 Design by Deepfusion - www.deepfusion.co.uk www.abingdon.org.uk 1 Editorial It’s possible that I am the only person who reads every single word of The Abingdonian – and every single comma, and every single full stop. However, should anyone think this might be a tedious process they would be very wrong. Who could remain indifferent when following the triumphs and disappointments of the sports’ teams, or fail to be moved by the pleasure of the Moldovan children holidaying in Romania courtesy of the Abingdon supported charity Agape. Time and time again writers use the words dedication, challenge, effort, commitment and hard work to describe the boys’ activities, and mention their determination to learn lessons, embrace different cultures and help the less fortunate. It makes me very proud of them. You will only to have to read a fraction of what’s in here to feel proud of them too. I hope you will. I’d like to thank all the boys who have helped with the production of this magazine; their commitment has been impressive! With the retirement of Anne Soper, who used to happily proof read the whole document and pick up numerous mistakes, I can only apologise in advance for the inevitable errors that I will have missed. Sarah Wearne The Abingdonian Editorial Group: From L to R in photograph: Lawrence Lai Barry Au Kelvin Poon Chun Maan Chin Timothy Hui Jay Jung Jacob Diamond (not pictured) 2 The Abingdonian Head’s Foreword This is my first formal association with The Abingdonian, a publication I greatly admire because it is such a fantastic record of the life of this wonderful school over a whole year. Everything is here from Rifle Club to dance, concerts to fencing. There’s something for everyone, memories of a trip abroad, success at a particular sports fixture, an image of a painting or sculpture. Tribute is paid to my predecessor Mark Turner at the end of his eight and a half years’ service as a fine Head for Abingdon School. In years to come the boys will look back on the 2009/10 edition, fondly I hope, and recall the events of this year and their individual role. And you never know – the archivist might be asked to source material for a future biography of a boy who’s gone on to do extraordinary things. Felicity Lusk with Mark Turner More than anything though it’s worth reading for its own sake. I hope that you enjoy this edition of The Abingdonian as much as I have. Felicity Lusk www.abingdon.org.uk 3 Common Room Farewells Mark Turner Mark and Elizabeth Turner Farewell Party 2010 A single article cannot attempt do justice to the work of Mark Turner over the last eight and a half years. David Lillycrop, Chairman of Governors for the past two, spoke at Prize Giving of the strength of Abingdon at the end of the Headmaster’s tenure. As the Headmaster himself has said, he inherited a thriving school in 2002, and history will attest that he has succeeded in strengthening it further. He has been assiduous in ensuring that Abingdon moved forward during his tenure. Mark Turner arrived in January 2002, having already served six years as memorable boathouse, driven by a increase in achievement in sport has headmaster of Kelly College. The wave of parental enthusiasm and led to stronger fixture lists. Reporting achievements of the School during endeavour after the success of the too has been modified to include more the last eight years are apparent first VIII in 2002 when they won the detail. The Headmaster himself, in the from a glance at the Abingdonian, Schools’ Head of the River, the National front of the Other Half booklet, defied Headmaster’s newsletters and Schools’ Regatta at Nottingham and anyone to research what is on offer Abingdon News (which he instituted). the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley. and find nothing that stimulated their The boom years of the last decade The new Sports Centre, declared a top interest or enthusiasm. have been used as opportunities to priority in an early parental survey, took renew and to build afresh, and to years of planning and construction. strengthen and broaden the Other Half Somehow the Headmaster managed by careful recruitment and deployment to convince the Governors to borrow of staff. The Arts Centre was built large amounts of money to fund the in the early years, followed by the building of this outstanding £9 million facility. The strengthening of the Other Half has not just happened through provision of better facilities. Monitoring of pupil participation has increased, with clear expectations given to the boys. There has been a broadening of activity to include such items as the Film Unit, and more meetings of departmental societies. These have been accompanied by rising expectations that new and established staff offer opportunities for pupils to Boat House 2003 May Fair 2003 develop beyond the classroom. An 4 The Abingdonian tradition has often been mentioned to new staff at their induction and Mark Turner has sought to ensure that academically able boys are recruited and then developed in order to ensure they have opportunities for life beyond school. Analysis of the statistics illustrates the point: the size of year- groups has grown, with an increase in their average ability on entry measured by standardised tests. A*s at GCSE have gone from 27% to 42%. A level results have risen from 76% A&B in 2002 to an average of 90% for the last four years. Mark’s own work rate has been phenomenal. It was evident to me each morning in the pile of correspondence he had read and the detailed letters of reply he had dictated. Annual assemblies on leadership, usually around the time of appointment of prefects, often made mention of the officers’ manual given to the Headmaster on his entry to Sandhurst, With HRH The Princess Royal 2006 with the title Serve to Lead, a path he sought to follow. Keen that all boys experience service to At the final assembly Euan Campbell, In all his work for Abingdon, Mark was others, early on in his tenure the Third Head of School, spoke of the ably supported by his wife, Elizabeth, Year Service scheme was introduced Headmaster’s contribution in many herself head of Religious Studies at as a compulsory element of the Third- areas of school life, mentioning in Abingdon Prep. She was frequently year curriculum. Opportunities for boys particular the impact he had on the first welcoming prospective, new and to go overseas as part of charitable XV when spotted on the touchline. He current parents at school receptions, ventures have been encouraged and was rarely absent from home fixtures, and entertaining at Lacies Court, often developed too, in part due to the or from musical or dramatic events. accompanied their two engaging sons, Headmaster’s own enthusiasm for such When he spoke at the Concert in Alexander and Gideon. ventures. the Sheldonian Theatre in June, the Headmaster declared that attendance A man with a clear vision of what at the myriad musical events was far Rowing Abingdon – Henley matters in education, Mark’s from being just a duty, it had given him 2010 achievements at Abingdon were great pleasure. applauded at many farewell events during his final days before his move to While other schools focused solely Shrewsbury. I hope his time there will on raising their league table position, be as fruitful as his time at Abingdon Abingdon has developed an attractive has been. all-round education at the same time as increasing academic standards, David Dawswell making it an attractive place to parents and boys. Abingdon’s grammar school www.abingdon.org.uk 5 get answers, and he has become known Alun Watkins almost affectionately by Abingdon’s small criminal underclass as D. I. Watkins. When Alun was appointed to Abingdon in 1989 an internal memo from a member Alun has a traditionalist’s commitment to of the interview panel, who shall remain the best of ‘old fashioned standards’, a nameless, said ‘If I had been headmaster belief that successful schoolmastering is I would have got on with it, rung him based on strong personal relationships up and offered him the job by now’. – hence his massive investment in Thankfully, even after a period allowing meeting boys off the buses almost every for the exercise of headmagisterial day of the school year – and he never consideration, not to mention let his colleagues on SMT forget that in procrastination, the phone call was made a boys’ school the Other Half is a vital and Alun was appointed to Abingdon. key element, and not an adjunct to the The powerful first impression he made education on offer. In fact, over the at interview was quickly consolidated years, Alun has been a stalwart defender on arrival in the School as he showed of Saturday school. We will watch with real gravitas as a classroom teacher, interest to see whether this is introduced demanding high standards. Alun’s M.Phil at Victoria College, Jersey, where he has research at Exeter on ‘some rather been appointed Head. obscene dung beetle’ is indicative of the The Watkins family have been Abingdon’s fact that he has never been squeamish leading dynasty for over two decades.