THE ABINGDONIAN Vol. XII No•. 3. September, 1961. Price 2/. CONTENTS Ofiicers of the School 109 Tennis 150 Editorial 110 Athletics 151 ,.' Lom~ Mary Cobban , 111 Swimming 153 School N otes 113 Combined CadetForce 154­ From the Headmaster 120 Scouts 158 Quatettentenary Appeal 121 Music Notes 159 ValeteetSalvete 122 Hands Across the Sea 160 Chapel Notes 122 Home and Away , , 161 Examination Restilts 124 School Library 161 Founder's Day , 125 School Socleties 162 Cricket 130 O.A. Notes 169 Rowing 146 OFFICERS OF THE SCHOOL MichaelmasTerm, 1961 SCHOOL PREFCTS R•. J. C. Bampton (Head- of School and of School House) R.W. J. Bampton (S) '. C. M'. Davis (S) R. C. Luker (D) P. A. Merriman (L) B. R. Rosevear(S) M. I. Nelson (D) J. M. Bunce (S) R. S. Ogjf (W) I. A. D. Martin (S) , P. L. Hedges (C) A. A. Venn (D) G. A. Brown (D) M. R. Mole (D) A. C. Bowker (S) J. M. Talbot (D) HOUSE PREFECTS School House-R. S. Haynes; J. A. R. Willis; J. B. GoodmaJ;l; 'B. A. F. Bum; C. J. Dean; A. M. Q. King; C. H. Bellinger; R. H. Meakins; P. E. Cable; C. R. Winfield. Crescent House-R. F., W. Budden; D: J; Hoddinott; S. P. Bowen; G. C. Alabaster. Larkhill--J. M. Beere; D. J.'ApUn. Waste Coun-R. G. Parks; J. R. Veysey. Daybo)'s-A. J. V<trney; D. Weir; N. P. Loukes; A. J. LIoyd; P. A. H. Dawson; D. C. Pollard; P. Rainey; P. P. Hutehinson; T. A. Marsh; E. G. Jones; T. H. Day; R. W. Ellaway; G. F. Keeys; C. D. Turnbull; A. R. F. Redgrave; R. G. Lockton. Captain of Rugger-B. R. Rosevear. Secretary of Rugger-J. M. Bunce. Secretary of Cross Country-D. J. ApUn. Secretary of G.G.C.-R. W. J. Bampton. ttThe Abingdonian" Editor: R. J. C. 13ampton. O.A. Editor and Treasurer: Mr. G. F. Duxbury. Asst. Editors: D. Weir, N. P. Loukes• .~_~_n_~ u ----'--' r----:---- -.--- __ -n--- n __.-_ .-------- ----~.-~..---__··..,;c---c------ 110, THE ABINGDONIAN EDITORIAL How- often have boys been amazed to hear the old adage that ttSehool days are the happiest days of your Ilfe." Presumably the eoiners of this saw looked back to their yonth reme~bering earefree tunes and long golden swmriers. Although sneh summers are never quite so golden in reality as in sentimental reminiscenee, even the most harassed examination candidate has to eonfess that in the sh,elter of Alma Mater he is proteeted hom the harsher b1asts of life.. In the mutability oE youth oudooks, ambitions, opinions and ideas change from day to day with astonishing ease. Yet sometimes in the midst of salad days there oeeurs a sobering reminder that life is notcon1ined.to the constricted round of 1e~sons, games and prep. and which causes the ineonsequential tritles that h seemed.so great to appear in their true .dimensions. I Such an occasion wil,s the untimely death of Mn. Cobban which l- hl!-s shocked and saddep.ed the whole.School. Although it had long i·. been known that she was·ill she played such a major' role in the Schoo) ~.. ( and in School life that·· their continuation without her seems. hardl, ,I eonceivable. Her name will evoke a host of memories in the minds of all those who. have been connected with the Sehoo!: as hbstess at funetions as varied as Founder's- Day and meetings of the Roysse Sodety; sailing down. the drive on her bicycIe before iUness overtook her; setting, off for the Royal Garden Party with the Headmaster so shordy before her death; and her retnrnfrom the Canaries and Switzerland IQoking tanned and bringing. with her the hopes oi all for her complete recovery. For the moment we can only stand numl>ed and grieving that these hopes were not to. be realized. Yet as in the theatre so in School­ the show must go on, even although one principal character is no longer with ·us. Indeed it is only as we go on that the extent of our 1088 will befully seen and the debt we-owe hertrnely gauge&. It does not need a Cassan~a to prophesy that Abingdon School will be a far poorer place without her. ttFoTthe tnnt1tPet will sound, and the: dead will rise immortal, and we shall be-changed.; Thisperishable being must be clothed withthe imperishable, and what is mortal must be clothed with immortaZity. And when OUT m.ortality has b.een clothed wit:himmortality, then the saying of ScriptuTe will co'me true: tDeaJth is swallowed up; victory is w,onl' tO death, uihue is yOUT tlictQry? 0 death, where is yOUT sring?'" THE ABINGDONIAN 111 LORNA MARY OOBBAN The death of Mrs. Cobhan at the earll' ag~ of.'45, occurr,ed peacefuUy at Marcham Road Hospital OJ;1 the afternoon ()f Fri,day, 1st September. It brought toan end aperiod ()f protracted illness which she had borne with great courage ~nd wonderful cheerfulness. Mrs. Cobban was born 'at Sl'denham, the daughter ofthe late Mt. G. S. W. Marlow, barrl,ster.at.law. After ~tteluUng Sydenham High School, she wenton toKing's College, London. It was in 1942' that she mamed Mr. Cobban and ift 1947 cameto Abbigdon when he was appointed Headmaster of the School. HeJlqualities and great service to the School will live'in the memories of the boys who have passed through the School since 1947 but the wide range of her work in Abingdon itself mal' be less weIl known to manl' of those who read this maguine. \ In a busy life, she found' time to be a Governor of the Larkmead and Fitzharrys Secondarv Modern Schools, a member of the Board of Management of Summemelds HostelJor maladjusted chUdren .and Presi· dent of the, Abingdon Girl Guides' Association and the Abingdon Abbey Townswomen's Guild. 'The funeral was held on Tuesday, 5th September and began with a celebratlon .of Holl' Communion in the School Chapel. Later in the morning, School and Town combined in a Service of Thanksgiving fot her life' in St. Helen's Church. 'Local sympathY was revealed in a ve.,ty practical way whenour bellringers rang a quarter peel unmufiled at St. Nicolas'Church between 10.30 and 11.30 a.m. The large congregation ineluded the Mayor and Mayoress of Abingdon, Aldel"111llliand Mrs. B. G. Burrett, who made.this one of the rare occasions upon which they attended ''in state" the funeral of a private person. Also present were many representlltives of the School and the organizations and societies with which Mrs. Cobban was connected. The organ wasplayed bl' Mr. Hugh Fowler and Mr. Hugh Sawbridge. John Kellv, ex.Head of Day. boys, read the lesson, and the address was given bv the School Chaplain, the Rev. G. R. Phizackerlev, who also conducted the Service assisted bv the Vicar of Abingdon, the Rev. J. H. S. Dixon. Other robed clergV were the Revs. W. B. LittlechUd, Rural Dean; J. V. Pixell and John Moore, Abingdon; F.W. Dobson, Chaplain to the School of St.Helen and St. Katharlne; and M'aurice Jelbert, Methodist Minister at Abingdon. After the Service, elose mourners ineluding four boys representing the School attended the cremation at Onord. Although very many boys and·. Old Bol's did manage to be present at theService in St. Helen's Church many who would havewished to have been 'there could not attend. It is for this reason that we print the full text of the Chaplain's address both' as' a tribute to' the memorv of Mrs.Cof,ban and also in th~ hope that it will give those who could not attend asense of joiningin somepart of the Sei-vice if onll' by proxy. 112 THE ABINGDONIAN ''You will hav~ noticed that we arejoining together in a Service- of THANKSGIVING. We began with that jovful, grateful hvmn "Now tbank we all our God", and we have just sung "Ten thousand times ten thousand", the jubUant cadences of which go echoing round the School whenever it i8 sung in Chapel. ' Those who knew Lorn.a Cobban have much' to' thank God for. You . can't reckon a llfe by the number of years that have 'beenlived,but only by its qua1ity. Judged by this standard - and it Is God's standard - herlife was well~rounded and complete. Sad, for a time, we must be. We'shouldbe inhumanI if we were" not sad; monsters;_ ifwe did not weep. ' But overtopplng our sadness at her passing are the memorles which we shall treasure formany a day to come. Loma Cobban wasa woman of honest simplicity, without ,a trace of guile or malice in her. How often in these past few'days have i heard people say: "Everybody loved her", or "She was ahrays so friendly - she would '!I'ave at you acroSs the Park," er "l've 'seen her on _her knees scrubbing the floor", or "She would do anytbing for anybody.'~ Comments Uke these revealthe deep affectionin which she was held by all. I havemyownmemories. I think of her unlJroken spirit througho,,"t those long, 'lang motiths of trying Ulness. 'Even on' her worSt days, she wouId summen,up that warm and heartemng 'smileof hers and it would be I who feIt the, better for the visit. I caUed in to see her on the night before she died~ She spentneilrlyall the time in asking about othe,: people - what were we doing, .how werewe gettlng on - entlrely,f(ll'getful' of hersdf." But there, was time for spiritual things as weil - a" prayer together anda hIessing.The last words which I heard her speak confirmed for me my certainty thathere,was someone with a' simple, loving, lovable trust in God.