SUN OF COLFE’S ISSUE NO. 5 SUMMER 1985 COLFE’S TOUR SUCCESS “You cannot conquer America.'' So said some old Englishman called William Pitt A party of seventy-two tried to con­ quer it anyway, from March 31st until April 22nd. Giving seventeen concerts in twenty-two days, we hit them with Some Englishmen Abroad hymns, socked them with psalms and were cajoled into singing. I had to take along nearly gave Horror" or “ Friday the 13th probably bored them with Bruckner. We tried to lock myself in the me a nasty hernia. Why don't Part Five” . Where else do toilet, but with a queue of ten I play the triangle, I ask curtains hang off the rails in went we rehearsed, we sang, we played, people, my conscience didn’t myself'.’ Situated in the an eerie attic (where Apel we loved, we broke hearts and we left allow me to stay in there for North-W'cst of the city, the and myself had Co sleep) ? half an hour. Out comes the school stands in really relax­ Monday April 1 st a short wait everyone tried to confused in 57 very difficult Male Voice Group, and led ing surroundings. It was late Sunday March 31 st morning rehearsal in Uie gel their duty free; Mr stages.” They were doing a by Mr Blundell we sing. As and we were tired when we Myriads of little boys shelter school and an evensong per­ Thompson walked off with buckle up here and a strap Mr Thompson later obser armed, but America was under myriads of mothers, formance in the Cathedral. Mr Howard’s briefcase and over there and blowing ved. it was like “ A Symphony early and very much awake. and the car-park is full of This building started in 1907 Andrew Cavanna walked into through this nozzle and then for Male Voice Group and The hosts from the school anxious relatives telling their is typically American. A the ladies' toilet. Deduce pulling this string 1 thought if six aeroplane engines - and knew who they were hosting children to change their gigantic replica of a 14th what you will. the plane did crash, it would the engines won.” Boston but we didn’t know who our socks every day, and to make century English Cathedral, it The aeroplane, a packed be simpler to swim, because was the next stop and a very full use of facilities such as hosts were going to be at all. still isn’t complete and part of and rather cramped one. was by the time you’ve even got long wait All I remember is it is shrouded in scaffolding wash-basins- Two coaches Hie scene is set: hundreds of full of Germans or Colfeians. your life-jacket off the velcro some sort of version of arrive and wc all pile on. loud American mothers or It’s still a nice building Its other inhabitants were strap, the plane would be “ Snap that we played Myriads of little hands wave sons bellowing in the night though and the evensong red-jacketed air-hostesses. about 50,000 feet under. w hich involved touching your went off well. The evening goodbye as the vehicles air names of hundreds of Now for those who were ner­ They looked like very obese nose it was James Streeter's was ours and as the choir depart and as the mothers Colfeians. Havoc ensued. vous of flying, the next move walruses by the time they’d idea. Jeremy Pine) had to from St Alban’s had already begin their “ Is my little Andrew Apel. Robert on the part of the steward­ finished anyway. return, unwell. A connecting Elliot and myself were been to Colfe’s, we knew' a cherub going to be alright ?’’ esses was classic. “ As we The flight was seven hours flight to Washington D C. large number of them. There routine. tracked down eventually by a will be flying over wter. this and ten minutes long and then we were on our w ay Then we faced the com­ certain Alex, who led us were parties going on, and at! plane is fully equipped with supposedly. This one. very to St Alban's School plexities of Gatwick Airport, (tuba and all) to a car. Now the hosts had videos so there life-saving equipment” There nice {notice the sarcasm) air- A nde in two amazing but all went well and we only from the outside it looked like was plenty to do. A group of then followed an excellently hostess suggests that as we’re school buses ttx>k us to this had to wait a short while a car, inside was a different us went out for the evening to choreographed routine by a choir, we should sing Here lovely school, in the grounds before boarding the North­ matter. Tennis balls were see a film with the boy I had these women, which must be was a noisy plane, a packed, of Washington National west Orient jumbo. In the strategically placed on the hosted when the Americans entitled “ How to get hurt and enclosed space - and we Cathedral My tuba, which I back shelf and on the floor, so were over here. More impor that whenever the car turned tant is what we went in. A a comer (which it did at great tank with these gross fifty speed) you got knocked on foot fins and this enormous the head and feet by these bonnet took us around it bouncing tennis balls. And was like some ancient then one ball would ricochet tanker. off your head, hit the tuba Now for the gossip. Every­ case and concuss the people one was getting friendly with in front. It was like riding in a everyone else and I’ll spoil popcorn machine. We were Andrew Cavanna’s day for later to leam that Andrew him by telling you that he was Cavanna and Jason Jarvis involved in a romance w-hich were in a mansion that he’d rather forget. Deduce belonged to the Stuckey what you will her name was family a dynasty that owns Priscilla. Gavm King's name this enormous chain of ham must be brought up, as he burger joints. Also Robert was surely the fastest girl- Robinson and Phillip Pinel snatcher on the tour. In were with the Go! den bergs - Washington 1 think it was where wealth and generosity Virginia, but there’s a Jenni oozed from the silk cushions lurking somewhere too. and satin linen. Others too Whilst talking about what stayed with people who lived people did in the evenings, it in the same road as Walter must he said that most hosts Mondale. Most experienced were very good in taking the luxuries of Games Base­ people out, hut some with ment, sparkling fitted kit­ unfortunate hosts had to chens and ultra modem tech­ occupy themselves in some nicalities. Apel, Eliot and way. myself were in a flea-pi4 My Colfe s Chamber Choir after the Sunrise Sen’ice in Mercers berg Chapel Pennsylvania. theory is that they d used it as CONTINUED ON p 2 .he set for “ Amytiville NEWS Tuesday was taken up by Consequently to cover us - that we didn’t a trip to Colonial W ilhams- we were left in almost com­ mind, but when the boys burg, quite a way away from plete darkness at the end of from the school decided to the capital, in Virginia. Here the service and then it was have a pizza party at 2.30am they have original houses time for guess-a-note. Satur­ we weren’t exactly very and crafts from the colonial day was free after a short pleased. The younger boys period and all the guides walk rehearsal. The pool was an don’t know how good they around in the costume of that obvious centre of attraction had it, being hosted by time. and there was some wooden families. Having sung at the Wednesday involved a hut or other, where the third Trinity Church in the centre performance at St Alban's President had stopped to of Newport on the Sunday School Assembly. Having blow his nose or tie up his morning, we were relieved been told that if the boys shoelace. The recital on to leave. there didn't appreciate things, Saturday evening went well Cape Cod was our next they simply sat back and and the trio-sonata must be port-of-call. I think it was me started telling jokes to one mentioned, even though I who said that from the “ Big another, we were a bit missed out half the notes. Apple” we had arrived at the nervous. Solemn English Easter Sunday was a "Shrivelled Prune”. From Church Music doesn't exactly 6.30am service followed by the animated, constant vitality get people break-dancing - coffee and doughnuts on the of New York, we had the would they just tum round Church forecourt - where peaceful surroundings of and start discussing last else but America ? But it was East Orleans, where the night's episode of the next part of the journey sound of an ambulance siren "Dynasty” ? It turned out which everyone was looking is the event of the century. that while not ecstatic about forward to - New York. It’s a very fishy place, all 665 Squadron Air Training Corps Stanford and while not bop- A lengthy coach drive, shrimps and prawns and our ping to Bruckner, we man­ with a stop at Princeton on hosts showed us such places Summer Term 1985 introduced testing marksman­ CpIs Heverin and Oliver ship in lying, kneeling, stand­ aged to keep them attentive the way brought us to the as Chatham, the Herring spent 10 days at RAF 40 Cadets participated in our ing and rapid fire.