Issuu

Alumni Magazine of Exeter School

We talk to OE Arya Goggin about his path from School to heavy metal drummer

The School in 50 objects – see the collection chosen by past and present pupils

EXETER SCHOOL

Issue 11 Summer 2019

Results are in… Find out what was revealed in this year’s Alumni Engagement Survey

Contents

Making an impact

From School to Skindred

School news

12.

50 objects

14.

Leaving a lasting legacy

16.

Alumni events

18.

Survey says...

20.

News of Exonians

24.

OE Club

25. Obituaries 28.

14. i

Forthcoming events

We are sending this issue of The 1633 by post to all Exonians whose addresses we have except those who have specifically requested to receive copies of publications electronically. If you would like to receive future issues electronically, then please visit the â€˜supply and update your detailsâ€™ page of the alumni section of the School website. Alternatively, telephone Karen Dart, the Alumni Officer, on 01392 458941. This magazine and The Exonian can be read within the alumni news pages of the School website.

@ExeterSchoolUK Exeter School Alumni Exeter School Alumni (Old Exonians)

01392 458941 | alumni@exeterschool.org.uk Exeter School Alumni Office | Victoria Park Road | Exeter | EX2 4NS www.exeterschool.org.uk/alumni This publication is produced by Exeter School and printed by Brightsea Print Group. We welcome stories for consideration. Contributions may be edited for content and length. Issue 11 Summer 2019

Welcome Welcome to our new look summer edition of The 1633; we have been working hard making changes to the overall look of the magazine which I very much hope you enjoy. There are still many of your favourite features including news from your fellow OEs, updates from the School and a round up of our events this year. There are some new features to take a look at too including a review of our social media campaign ‘50 objects’ on page 12. Thank you to everyone who shared ideas, commented on pictures and shared stories as part of the year-long feature. Thank you as well to all those who took part in the engagement survey earlier this year, there was a great response and I appreciate all the comments, ideas and feedback that were shared. You can find a summary of the results and findings on page 18. You will also find enclosed with this edition of the magazine a guide to leaving a legacy to the School. We have been lucky enough to receive some wonderful legacies and pledges from members of the Exonian community in recent years. Legacy gifts are genuinely making a real difference to life at Exeter School and you can read all about one particular legacy on page 14. We are so grateful for this support and hope that this guide can provide the information and guidance needed for those of you who are also considering supporting us in

this incredible way. We have recently partnered with a local law firm WBW Solicitors who are providing a 10% discount to their will writing services for our alumni community, regardless of whether you choose to leave a legacy to the School. I hope to see many of you at OE Day on 21 September – our annual Exonian reunion here at Exeter School – it will be a day full of activities for you and the family. Please see the enclosed form for more details and how to book. Rachael Magee (left) - Director of Development and Alumni Relations. Alumni Officer Karen Dart (right)

From the Head It has been a great pleasure to see many of you both in Exeter and at various events in the course of the last year. Thank you for your keen interest in the life of the school today and for your continued contributions to its success. I often enjoy telling our current pupils about memories that you have shared with us, about your learning experiences, features of the site or activities in which you were involved: only recently I was delighted to hear about the 1964 1st XI cricket tour to Corfu (in a Bedford minibus!). Do keep an eye on our website and various social media feeds, which we update regularly to tell the colourful story of Exeter School as it is today. Bob Griffin - Headmaster. New Exeter Junior School Headmistress Saskia Van Schalkwyk (right)

Making an impact The value of volunteering At Exeter School we are extremely lucky to be supported by an army of inspiring, passionate and interesting volunteers. So many come from you, our Exonian community; this academic year alone we have already seen 58 alumni give time to provide a talk, run a workshop, or advise pupils on interview techniques, to name but a few activities. This gift of time is undoubtedly making a positive difference to the experiences of our pupils. Without volunteers we would not be able to run the wealth of talks and activities or provide insight into so many different career paths. Alumni are helping to sharpen pupils’ skills and broaden their view point about career possibilities, making pupils more employable and ready for life after Exeter School. This spring term, with National Careers Week, British Science Week and our annual Futures Conference for Lower Sixth pupils, we have been overwhelmed by the inspiring advice shared by Exonians across a huge variety of sessions. During National Careers Week, alumnus Chris Larmour (1981 – 1986), CEO of British aerospace company Orbex, returned to speak with A Level Economics pupils and members of the Young Enterprise group to advise them on the challenges of running your own business from managing finances and personnel to growing income. He then spoke with pupils from across the years about his own business Orbex and what it takes to get a rocket in to space.

Luke Stitson (2006 – 2013) from Dyson, Patrick Mabin (2006 – 2013) from MBDA and David Salmon (2008 – 2013) from Rolls Royce spoke about their journey from A Levels to university and beyond in an engineering careers panel event for Sixth Formers studying Design and Technology and Physics. Luke then went on to deliver an exciting and practical hands-on lesson from the James Dyson Foundation to our Third Form Design and Technology pupils. Pupils were able to design and build their own prototype inventions before sharing them with the class. This year’s Futures Conference was a great success once again, with Exeter School welcoming 14 professionals, including six alumni, to run short career-focussed sessions with our Lower Sixth pupils. The idea behind the Futures Conference is for pupils to speak in a more informal way to a variety of professionals over the course of the afternoon. Careers featured included the creative arts, music, law, engineering, computing, marketing, environment, finance, medical management and physiotherapy.

“I was able to make a more informed decision about my future thanks to the Futures Conference. It was great to be able to talk to professionals in such detail, and to get a better understanding of their field.” Lower Sixth Former Will Furniss

Volunteering Of course, volunteering is not just focused on career activity. Exonians also support other elements of the School. Our School Governors are all dedicated volunteers who support the running of the School. We are lucky enough to count four of them as alumni who also sit on the Foundation Committee, a sub-committee which oversees the way the School engages and supports the alumni community.

There is also the Old Exonian Club Committee, the club itself has been in existence since 1891 and was first established to provide a continued relationship between Exonians and Exeter School, running events and producing an alumni magazine. The long serving volunteer committee have worked with the Alumni Office since it was introduced in 2013, supporting our work.

Thank you to all those alumni and friends of the School who have already given their time this year! And thank you to those who have already agreed to come back and volunteer in the new academic year, you do truly make a difference. Our volunteers this year include:

Alex Mortimore (2000 – 2005) spoke to pupils about the opportunities of a language degree and his doctoral thesis: Goethe and the French Revolution.

Robin Trewartha (1958 – 1965) C Psychol., HCPC Reg talked about the challenges of a career as a psychologist.

Careers Conference: Katharine Lowrie (1994 – 1996), Kris Sum (1994 – 2000), Simon Lewis (1987 – 1997), Chris Dyson (1992 – 1998), Mark Wells (1979 – 1985) and John Billett (1950 – 1960)

Dr Kevin Parker (1967 – 1974) led several sessions with the Chemistry department including considering the practical applications of chemistry in the working world.

> Andrew Neligan (1991 – 1996) advised Sixth Formers on how best to manage their finances. > Adrian Jacobs (1959 – 1966) met with MedSoc to talk about his medical career. > Jonny Telford (2002 - 2007) talked to pupils about his career in IT consultancy with IBM.

The Alumni Office could also not be without our wonderful archivist and volunteer Kevin White (1953 – 1961) and his wealth of knowledge and love for the history of the School. He keeps a fabulous archive of materials, books and photographs in excellent order, which you are welcome to come and visit.

Nick Fennell (2011 – 2015), Amanda Herring (2009 – 2016), Verity Stroud (2010 – 2017), Imogen Milner (2006 – 2017) and Lucy Swiggs (2003 – 2014) talked about their gap year and internship experiences to Sixth Formers.

If you would like to volunteer please get in touch! In particular we are looking for alumni to talk about how their choice of A Levels has impacted on their career to inspire pupils about the skills that can be gained from different subjects.

From School to Skindred An interview with heavy metal drummer Arya Goggin (1991 - 1998) It certainly seems the road less travelled from Exeter School pupil to successful heavy metal drummer but that is just the path Exonian Arya Goggin took when he left the School in 1998. Arya joined a band at the age of 15 and has never looked back. He puts his successful career down to hard work and experience of playing live from a young age. Reminiscing about some of his earliest gigs he remembers one of the first being a battle of the bands at the old Exeter night club Arena where fellow Devonian musicians Muse also played. Things have changed a bit since those early days; he has been in rock metal band Skindred for the last 18 years and with them has toured the globe multiple times, played at the biggest festivals including Glastonbury, Reading and Download, sometimes performing to over 750,000 people, and has produced seven albums with an eighth on the way. Arya took time out from a very busy schedule to talk to us about his incredible experiences and early musical memories. Arya first discovered his love of music as a young child and originally started playing the guitar at the age of six. But it was the

drums that would be his true passion and talent from which he would forge his career. It was only when he was able to start buying music at the age of 12 that he really started to define the kind of music he loved; listening to some of his favourite bands made him realise it was the drums he really wanted to play. He eventually struck a deal with his parents who promised to buy him a drum kit if he kept up lessons for a year. Arya jumped at the chance and begun his lessons at Exeter School with teacher Steve Crossen. Speaking of Mr Crossen, who still teaches at School today, Arya said he was very inspiring and a true music lover with some incredible experiences to share. He had played with some genuine big names and bands that Arya had been busy listening to at home. “You didn’t meet many people like Steve Crossen, he was really different,” said Arya. “You didn’t get many big bands coming down to Exeter and obviously there was no internet to watch live music on, so to hear him talk about his own experiences of playing live with bands was some of my only access at the time, that was inspiring.” Arya enjoyed his time at Exeter

School, making friends, enjoying sport and of course music both inside and particularly outside the classroom. Arya admits that rock music was not particularly prevalent within the Exeter School music programme but his teachers were supportive and encouraged him to keep working at it. Even at a young age he was determined to make a career in what is undeniably a very difficult industry. To succeed you have to have tenacity and a strong work ethic, something which Arya attributes to his time at Exeter School. “School was really good at showing you it’s not just about the end result, but the work you put in, the School definitely encourages you to be confident in yourself and know that if you work hard it will pay off.” Building self-confidence is key, Arya says, to keeping going in the music industry. His advice to budding rock stars and musicians: “Don’t shut

British rock band Skindred’s musical style mixes heavy metal, alternative rock, reggae and punk. Well known for their energetic live performances, Skindred have won several awards including “Best Live Band” at the 2011 UK Metal Hammer ‘Golden Gods’ awards and the “Devotion Award” at the 2011 Kerrang! Awards. They were recently special guests on the Disturbed European Tour 2019.

yourself off, be open to all types of music. Put yourself out there and if someone says no it’s not necessarily a reflection of you, it just wasn’t for them. Being rejected is part of the journey but have self-belief and work hard at being good at what you do.” Practice is definitely another key piece of advice he would share, particularly with how easy it is to share and distribute music now. “When I first started, if you had a bad gig, it was just a bad gig to those people in the room, you could move on and try again next time, now everything is on the internet and people are brutal in their judgement. So practising, hard, being really good at your instrument is so important, you don’t get as many chances to do over.” The industry is still competitive and tough. As well as performing

frequently and networking to make contacts, Arya encourages wouldbe musicians to consider further study and music management. This means you can handle the business side of the industry, an important element that many musicians don’t consider and something he does for his band. There are courses with the Academy of Contemporary Music and the British and Irish Modern Music Institute where Arya has led some master classes and workshops as well. In terms of the future, Skindred and Arya show no sign of slowing down; the band are currently working on their eighth album and have just completed a European tour. “Being in the band we have had lots of highs and lows, but I enjoy it and it’s a privilege to lead this life and a job I love. Success is not about making lots of money but having fun and being able to make enough to get by.”

A view from the classroom “I have fond memories of teaching Arya during his formative years with his aspirations to be a great drummer, and maybe even a rock star. He was an excellent pupil who was interested and open to studying all styles of music as long as it was rock, with sprinklings of jazz, Latin, reggae and hip hop. He seemed to be a driving force within his young band Torna K, and not just from behind the drums. He would arrange band rehearsals, photoshoots, gigs etc. I think it was when Torna K were supporting Skindred that his potential was spotted. I always felt that Arya would do well, and it is just great to see him living his dream touring around the world with the great band Skindred.”

Steve Crossen

Drumming teacher

School news 1.

1. Farewell Mrs Marks Chairman of Governors and OE Andrew King (1960 - 1965) paid tribute to current Junior School Headmistress Sue Marks who is relocating at the end of the school year. She will be succeeded by Saskia van Schalkwyk with effect from 1 September 2019. Saskia has been Deputy Head of The Granville School in Sevenoaks, Kent since September 2014 and has previously worked in co-educational schools in both the maintained and independent sectors. 2. Oxbridge calling Three pupils have been offered Oxbridge places this year. At Cambridge, Charlie Mayall has an offer to read Medicine and Jamie Stephenson an offer to read Maths, both at Jesus College. At Oxford, Deputy Head Girl Tegan Murphy has an offer to read History and Economics at Pembroke College. In the last five years, 38 pupils have received Oxbridge offers. Exeter School has an excellent record of success in placing pupils in a range of leading universities. 3. Chaplain shaves head for charity Exeter School Chaplain Revd Tom Carson succeeded in raising over £5,000 for St Petrock’s and in return had his head shaved by the Head of History Giles Trelawny in front of a crowd of pupils and staff. Over £5,600 (not including gift aid) has been raised and donations can still be made at www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/ shaverevtom. Revd Tom said his head felt a little bit weird and chilly, but he was pleased to raise so much for this excellent cause.

4. Harry Potter night In honour of Harry Potter Night, Exeter School was transformed into Hogwarts for one night only. Twentyfour young witches and wizards from the Third and Fourth Forms spent a magical evening of food, activities and lessons culminating in a sleepover in the School House Library - the first time girls have ever slept in Exeter School’s former dormitory. 5. School Archive inspires alumni art competition The theme of the Alumni Art Competition for Middle Fifth pupils studying GCSE Art this year was to present a collection of artefacts from the School Archive in a medium of their choice. Pupils visited the School Archive in the Exonian Centre and met the School’s Archivist, Kevin White. They were given the opportunity to see the large collection of School memorabilia on display, from uniforms, to military badges, to photographs of previous headmasters. Pictured is the winning piece. 6. Inaugural spelling bee The School held its first Great Spelling Bee and Houses competed against each other in teams to win the beautifully designed wooden trophy in the form of a Scrabble board. Teams of four – two boys and two girls from the Third Form to the Upper Sixth - were challenged by quiz master and Head of English Andrew Dobson. Well done to Drake, who emerged victorious.

School news 7.

10. 9.

11.

12.

7. Nine pupils in nine years An Exeter School pupil has been awarded a soughtafter Arkwright Engineering Scholarship that identifies him as one of the country’s future leaders in engineering and related areas of design. Lower Sixth Former Henry Coleman is the ninth pupil in nine years to receive the prestigious scholarship, following in the footsteps of seven alumni and one current pupil. Henry follows alumni Kirsten Berggren and Jethro White (2009); Luke Stitson and David Salmon (2011); Ben Bryant (2012); Seb Wright and James Krafft (2013), and Upper Sixth Former Tom Wright. 8. Harvard speaker inspires MedSoc Professor Max Essex, Mary Woodward Lasker Professor of Health Sciences at Harvard University, Chair of the Harvard School of Public Health AIDS initiative and Chair of Botswana – Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, provided a fascinating and personal insight into his career discovering the causes of and treatment for AIDS. Around fifty pupils were spell bound during the informative and accessible talk, recognising the immense impact Prof Essex has had in his field and the countless lives his work has saved over the years. 9. Best in the west Exeter School is top independent secondary school in Devon and top co-educational secondary school in the South West in The Sunday Times Parent Power 2019. 10. Squash success The U16 and U19 squash teams are celebrating success in the national schools plate finals this year. The U16 team travelled to Nottingham with Andy Mason, Dani Lunn and squash coach George Aplin to take part in

13.

the prestigious event, taking bronze. The following week, the baton was handed to the U19 players who beat Abingdon in the final to be crowned national plate champions. 11. Rugby success The 1st VII headed to London for the School’s first appearance at the Rosslyn Park National Sevens Vase competition. Not only did the boys make it to day two but also to the bowl semi finals as well. It was a suitable finale for several players from the Upper Sixth who enjoyed a successful year of rugby after a great sports tour to Argentina last summer. 12. F1 in Schools success Three Exeter School teams took part in the F1 in Schools Regional Final held at the Flybe training centre winning a clutch of awards with one team through to the National Final. A team of Lower Sixth pupils achieved the fastest time of the day, accelerating them into the National Final. The team not only won the best verbal presentation award in the National Finals of the F1 in Schools competition, they beat last year’s national record for speed. 13. History Society visits the Archive Kevin White, the School Archivist, kindly showed members of the History Society, from the Third Form to the Upper Sixth, around the School Archive in the Exonian Centre. They were given a snapshot of the history of the School, from photos and details of past headmasters and sporting events to novels written by alumni. They had a really enjoyable time and it was great learning about previously unknown aspects of the School’s history.

50 objects Representing Exeter School For over a year, the School published a series of photographs onto Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Past and present pupils selected the images to inspire memories of times gone by as well as represent Exeter School and its community today. The photographs ranged from modern day views of the School including a full school assembly, a rugby match and the school lunch offerings to older reminiscences such as the war memorial in the Chapel and the original Eastgate

Clock. The posts generated a lot of interest from current pupils and alumni, celebrating Exeter Schoolâ€™s rich heritage in 50 objects. Here the collection is displayed in its entirety. If you have any photos or items from your time at Exeter School we would love to hear from you. You can share them on our social media sites or send them to the Alumni Office and we will add them to our wonderful archive.

The legacy of Dr George Williams OBE Exeter School launches The Founders’ Club

George Williams with his wife Kate Williams on their wedding day on 3 October 1987

At Exeter School we are extremely grateful when someone has left us a gift in their will. We are honoured to have been remembered alongside family and friends and that even after many years have passed, Exonians still think of Exeter School and want to support us, even when they won’t get opportunity to see the fruit of their legacy. It is our job to remember these generous supporters and ensure their personal legacy lives on through the work and success of the School, our staff and, of course, the real beneficiaries, our pupils. The School can thank its existence and early development to legacies from the likes of Hugh Crossing and Elizabeth Dowrich. Each year at Founders’ Day we remember and thank these great supporters along with others who helped to establish the School and it is in their name that we have established our Legacy Society – The Founders’ Club. Our founders represent many things to us, including the idea that many people giving together will create something special. Exeter School is itself a lasting legacy for those original founders and the many friends, alumni, pupils and parents who have supported us since.

As we establish The Founders’ Club to celebrate and thank all those who leave or pledge a legacy, we want to share the story of Dr George Williams whose legacy has set up the George Williams Bursary – a scheme that provides two free places for studying the Sciences in the Sixth Form. Dr William George Williams OBE (known as George Williams) attended Exeter School between 1922 - 1930, during a time of great challenge and change for Exeter School. Following the First World War, the School was struggling financially and eventually came under direct control of Exeter City Council (between 1921 and 1929) in order to avoid closure. However by 1929, Exeter School had successfully applied to resume its independent existence. It was also buoyed by a prominent group of OEs and staff who launched an Improvement and Development Fund, encouraging OEs to donate and support the School and allow it to expand and develop to better suit the needs of pupils. A star pupil, George played a significant role at Exeter School. He was Head of Raleigh House and Head Prefect during his time at School. He excelled academically, winning prizes in languages and science and was one of only three pupils to gain the Higher Certificate in his year in Physics and Chemistry, with French and Mathematics. He was also a keen sports player and Games Captain in 1929. George represented the School in hockey and cricket, but his best sport was rugby; playing for the 1st XV, he was awarded colours in 1928 and captained the team in 1929 (pictured right). Following his time at Exeter School, George went on to the University College of the South West, now the University of Exeter, where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry in 1933 and later his Doctor of Philosophy in 1935. George acknowledged the Governors of Exeter School for their support in allowing him to complete his

doctorate when they awarded him a research scholarship. George went on to have a distinguished and successful career as a scientific civil servant, carrying out research which played a part in the Second World War and Cold War. Following a rich and varied career he was awarded an OBE by the Queen in 1971 upon his retirement as Principal Scientific Officer at the Ministry of Aviation Supply. Even after many years away from Exeter School, George clearly never forgot the start that it had afforded him, and had spoken with his family and wife about his wish to leave a substantial sum of his estate to Exeter School in order to provide financial assistance for those families who would not be able to afford the fees.

become), who otherwise would never have had the opportunity to study at Exeter School. From when the first letter arrived notifying the School of the legacy to this day, when we see the impact of his foresight and generosity in the pupils studying now, we continue to be grateful to George for his care and love for the School and we honour his great memory through the George Williams Bursary.

George Williams sets off for his first day at School in 1922

It was only following the death of his wife, Mrs Kate Williams, in 2002 that the School was notified that such a generous and remarkable gift had been made. The gift itself is the largest legacy the School has ever been left, totalling over £350,000. The School has continued to be supported by further donations from the estate of George and Kate Williams which has brought the total funding to over £450,000. George’s wish is now being realised and he and his family have changed lives, helping a new generation enjoy all that Exeter School can offer. A current George Williams Bursary recipient said: “Coming to this school has had a massive positive impact on my life and I’ve loved every second being here. The help and support are second to none and applying to be here was one of the best choices I ever made.” George’s legacy and memory will live on through these pupils who are with the School now and the future generations of pupils he will help (and hopefully the future distinguished scientists they may

Alumni events 1.

1. Hong Kong Alumni Get together, 6 November 2018 Nigel Walkey (1963 – 1970), Graham Turl (1979 – 1986), Hans Barkell-Schmitz (1973 – 1979) and Steven Wise (1985 – 1992). We were delighted to have our first get together of Exonians in Hong Kong in November. Are you an Exonian that lives or works regularly in/near Hong Kong? We’d love to hear from you and the group will be organising further events in due course. 2. Alumni Business Networking Event, 7 February 2019 Around 40 alumni, parents and members of the local business community attended the business networking evening in Exeter. Guests heard from social entrepreneur Kalkidan Legesse (pictured centre) who co-founded local ethical fashion shop Sancho’s. Thanks to event sponsor WBW Solicitors (represented by Billie Richards, pictured right) for their support of the evening. 3. OE Cambridge Dinner, Thursday 28 February 2019 The annual Exonian Cambridge Dinner took place on Thursday 28 February with 20 alumni from current Cambridge students to those alumni who live locally, joining Exeter School staff at the beautiful Emmanuel College for an evening of great food and good company. 4. OE Oxford Dinner, Friday 1 March 2019 21 alumni and staff were hosted in the historic University College for the OE Oxford Dinner. A delightful evening was had by all, catching up with friends and hearing about the developments of the School today. The event was open to all those who live in or around Oxford as well as those who are studying or have studied at Oxford. 5. Exonians London Spring Drinks Reunion, 11 March 2019 A fantastic evening was had in London with over 40 alumni joining us at Artigiano Espresso and Wine

Bar. We had nearly all decades covered with alumni attending who had left School in the 50s right up to our most recent leavers. Thanks to Exonian Mike Keough (2000 - 2007) who helped to organise the great venue. 6. OE Club and Sixth Form Quiz, 15 March 2019 The OE Club and Sixth Form ran a successful charity quiz night raising over £1000 for our two chosen charities: Hospiscare and the Exeter School Bursary Fund. Huge thanks goes to members of the Old Exonian Club Committee, Exeter School staff and Sixth Formers who helped pull off a great evening. Teams were made up of alumni, pupils, staff and friends of Exeter School. 7. OEs vs School Boys’ Hockey and Football, 1 April 2019 Once again OEs returned to School to bravely battle against the School Boys’ 1st teams in hockey and football – see page 26 for more details about these matches. The OE girls’ matches will take place in September. 8. OE Golf Day, 2 May 2019 Around 35 alumni joined OE and organiser Eddie Trick (1967 – 1972) for the annual OE Golf Day. Joined by three current pupils and Modern Languages teacher Mike Wilcock, everyone enjoyed the day and an excellent dinner at the Exeter Golf and Country Club. A huge thank you to Eddie for all his work and energy in to putting on such a great event every year. 9. OE London Dinner, 14 May 2019 Over 50 alumni joined staff for a wonderful dinner in the historic Bleeding Heart restaurant in Farringdon. Exonians from across nearly all decades attended for a relaxed evening where they heard updates from the Headmaster and Director of Development. The dinner sold out weeks in advance so look out for next year’s date coming soon.

Survey says... Thank you so much to all those alumni who took the time to complete our Alumni Engagement Survey earlier this year. We had a fantastic result with over 19% of alumni contacted taking part! The results are now in and we have been busy in the Alumni Office analysing them, reviewing your comments and thinking about how best to put things into action to provide the

Memories/ nostalgia

196

Alumni news

176

School news, achievements

163

Event Information

106

Business networking

What interests you most when engaging with the Schoolâ€™s social media channels?

best service we can to our Exonian community. Here we share some of the key findings and results so you can see what the community had to say. Details will also be available on our website including some of our plans to meet your needs. If you have any further feedback or ideas for events and alumni communications we always want to hear from you so please get in touch.

What type of events are you likely to attend?

THIS WAY

ALUMNI REUNIONS IN EXETER 52% (most popular choice)

Which best describes your views of Exeter School as it is today?

Positive 74%

No opinion 13%

Mixed 11.5%

Negative 1.5%

How do you think Exonians can best support the ambitions of Exeter School? 61 Leaving a gift in a will 72 Making a donation 80 Volunteering 109 Advocating further study 205 Opening doors to business 210 Building alumni networks 233 Offering work placements 320 Career advice to alumni

In which decade did you leave Exeter School?

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Regular donations

Major donations

Legacy donations

At the right time and for the right project, would you ever consider making a monthly donation to the School?

At the right time and for the right project, would you ever consider becoming a major donor to the School?

With the right support, would you ever consider leaving a donation in your will to the School?

24%

17%

30%

217

D EN

MIDWE 25 7% E

I DON ’T

K EVE NI WEE D N I Y M DA

6 T TO AT AN T W

0% DURING TH E DS N

279 Profiles of successful alumni

319 Alumni events

% DU

GS IN N AY %

Would you ever consider volunteering for the School?

l Schoo Which ould news w you? t interes

EKEND WERING T EVE

MIND ’T 26% WEEK N E

L SCHOOS NEW

39% I D O

When are you more likely to attend events?

244 School site developments 239 General School news 223 Pupil achievements 191 Alumni supporting pupils

1.9 %

91 Ways to volunteer 76 Careers advice and jobs 64 Fundraising developments

1.4 %

0.5 % 4.0 %

ACADEMIC

SUCCESS

75%

1.4 % 1.9 %

What is Exeter School’s greatest strength?

17.3 % 2.1 %

Where in the UK are alumni based?

47.7 %

4.7 % 13.5 % 17.3 %

News of Exonians 1.

1. Congratulations to Kate Marks (2013 - 2015) who led Cambridge to victory at the 2018 Women’s Rugby Varsity Match at Twickenham. It was a close fought game, with Oxford offering sterner opposition than the previous years, putting the Cambridge team under a lot of pressure, until the 80th minute. The Cambridge defence held strong, scoring the all-important try at the close of the first half. Ultimately the Light Blues secured an 8-5 victory over the Dark Blues. Kate said: “To captain a team in such a historic fixture, and to come away with the win, was without a doubt the highlight of my three years at Cambridge!” 2. Toby de Mendonça (2011 - 2016) was selected as cox of the Oxford Blue Boat in this year’s Boat Race and he kindly shared a photo of him hard at work, training in the run up to the big day. Though the race may not have gone his way we congratulate him on this great achievement and wish him good luck next year. 3. During a recent cultural visit to a school in Nanjing, China, the Headmaster, Bursar and Deputy Head met with Julian Fisher (1993 – 2000) (pictured second left), who has lived and worked in Beijing for 14 years. He runs a consultancy called Venture Education and is on the executive committee of the British Chamber of Commerce in China. Julian visited Exeter School when he was back in the UK in May, and gave a most thought-provoking talk to Lower Sixth Business and Economics pupils about the way in which business works in China. Venture Education has generously launched a competition among our Lower Sixth for one pupil to spend three weeks in China this summer. 4. A blue plaque has been unveiled at 15 Banbury Road, Oxford, to honour the career and heroism of Andrea Angel (1890 - 1896) who died in the Silvertown Explosion of 1917. Angel and his family had lived there from 1905 while Angel was a Chemistry lecturer at Christ Church. In 1915 he was sent to manage TNT

production at the Brunner-Mond factory in Silvertown, East London. A fire in the melt pot room led to the explosion of 50 tonnes of TNT. 70,000 houses were damaged and 900 were destroyed. 69 people were killed outright and four died of their injuries. The death toll would have undoubtedly been higher if it were not for the bravery of Andrea Angel, who stayed at his post directing the evacuation of workers and organising firefighting, losing his life in the process. 5. A great number of our more recent leavers were awarded their Gold Duke of Edinburgh this year. Congratulations to Katie Ackland (2010 – 2017), Polly Pittman (2015 – 2017) and Hannah Reddaway (2009 – 2011) (pictured), Jessica Hitt (2009 – 2016) and Louis Reece (2012 – 2016), who were all due to receive their Gold award at Buckingham Palace this summer. And congratulations to the eight more alumni who received their Gold Award at St James Palace: Ethan Maughan (2014 – 2016), Katie Olding (2009 – 2016), Isobel Williams (2006 – 2017), Alexandra Jenner (2009 – 2016), Harriet Jenner (2009 – 2016), Hannah Withers (2005 – 2016), Rebecca Charman (2005 – 2017) and Isabel Buckley (2015 – 2017). 6. Since taking part in the LEJOG cycling challenge with Exeter School in 2016, cycling has become a huge part of Amy Marks’ (2011 – 2013) life. She had always liked the idea of racing and last year decided to give it a go. By the end of the first season, she had gained a 2nd category licence and decided to take racing to a higher level. She has joined Team LDN (alongside James Street (2001 – 2006) ) a team set up to develop London cycling talent. Amy has already competed in the Women’s Team Series and international Kermesse in Belgium and The Netherlands. She hopes to race in the National Series and compete in the National Championships this year.

News of Exonians 7.

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7. Edward “Ted” Draper (1963 - 1969) has retired from a successful career in IT and project management and is currently the Commodore of the Exe Sailing Club at Exmouth. He sails regularly with fellow old Exonians, Hedley Saunders and David Layton. He also plays drums - a musical skill initially developed in the Exeter School CCF Marching Band - for the popular local swing jazz band Just Misbehavin’. 8. In September Mik Parsons (1961 - 1968), Paul Entwistle (1958 – 1968) and Dave Scott (1957 - 1968) with friend friend, Barry Clarke, cycled 256 miles down the Danube from Passau to Vienna. They cycled traffic-free tarmac tracks following the river as it meandered through beautiful wooded valleys past chocolate box villages, meeting locals enjoying their fiestas and sampling excellent wines grown along the river. Although they all left Exeter many years ago and have lived in different parts of the world since, trips like this are a fun way to make sure they keep in touch and share new experiences. 9. This year’s Choral Society concert featured a soprano solo by Exeter School alumna Bethany Partridge (2006 – 2011), who is now an internationally renowned professional singer. This year’s Choral Society concert was held in Exeter Cathedral on Thursday 21 March where Bethany was joined by Sixth Formers and staff who also took on solo roles. The concert, now in its eight year, includes a full choir made up of staff, pupils, parents and alumni with the full chorus and

orchestra performing Part 2 of the Messiah, including the Hallelujah Chorus, and also Poulenc’s Gloria. The soprano solo part in the Poulenc was sung by Bethany. 10. Congratulations to Joe Dunn (1991 – 2002) on his engagement to Alice Carse, formerly of The Maynard School. The couple met while in the Sixth Form (September 2000) and remained close friends for 18 years before becoming a couple in 2018. They will be getting married in July this year, here in Exeter and will be joined by the friends they made at Exeter School and The Maynard. We wish them every happiness in their married lives together. If you have a marriage or engagement news you would like to share please do get in touch. 11. Rose Ridgeway (2002 -2007) founded her jewellery business, Cicely Cliff, after two years spent in Central Australia mining for opal which is one of the few types of mining which actually helps the environment by encouraging regrowth. Finding ways to reduce, reuse and recycle are the central values within Rose’s line of work. “I believe in designing beautiful and luxurious things we can wear without worrying about the guilt of where it comes from.” Using precious metals found in electronic devices such as phones, tablets, tvs, etc (commonly known as e-waste), Rose designs luxury jewellery to be worn for a lifetime. You can find out more about Rose and her jewellery on www.cicelycliff.com.

Congratulations to the winners of our ‘update your

Candy (1989 – 1994) who won a £50 Amazon voucher

details’ prize draw from the tenth edition of the

- congratulations! Thank you to everyone who took the

magazine. We had two runners up: Jason Sparkes

time to update their details with us, you can do so at

(1982 – 1989) and Peter Glanville (1946 – 1954) who

any time by contacting the Alumni Office or going to

took home the ever popular Exeter School tea towel

the alumni pages of the School website.

and a paperweight. Our top prize went to Matthew

OE Club

UB – ALL CHANGE OLD EXONIAN CL Dear All,

once h of the activity fice in 2013 muc Of ni luding the um inc Al y e ilit th sib established hool’s respon Sc e th r of de un Since the School e m and distribution e Club has now co d the production an ol on ho nd Sc undertaken by Th Lo e d Th an ). e 1633 ford, Cambridge magazine, now Th mni ian alu on Ex OE Dinners in Ox ian d on Ol Ex e e Th th ine (formerly d activity for an ts en down ev t of se e re an alumni magaz m ram es that we increase the prog e original objectiv th of y an m has been able to g tin in so doing is mee community and constitution. ’s hn within the Club k the work of Jo and we must than s at es th cc t su en d m te ge ub ga do r the en e has been an un Brookes-Ferrari fo eir n th re r fo Ka d as The Alumni Offic an ll e we ge as six years Dart, Rachael Ma ity over the last s caused Davidson, Karen e alumni commun th ed, its success ha th ish wi bl d ta ve es ll hie we w no and is ub e they have ac Cl fic e Of need for th ub. As the Alumni e is a continuing tives er jec th r ob he support of the Cl ’s et ub wh Cl e w ittee to revie luded that th m nc m co Co s ha ub Cl ee itt ed OE m the e Com e is no ne for independently. Th ni Office and ther um Al e th via ly Office to operate ive fect et much more ef are now being m y. tit en te ra pa se a us to operate as views and wishes informed of the lly fu ory be to es ntinu establish an advis e Alumni Office co d its intention to te ica by ind ed s ag ha To ensure that th an ol m ho will be mmunity, the Sc cruitment for this an of the Exonian co Old Exonians. Re of n (current Chairm up ow e Br ad es m m be Ja , ll on wi iti s. ich ns th wh tra on d th m ar bo a smoo r the first 12 order to provide e role of Chair fo th on ke ta ll the School but in wi ) Club Committee of the Old Exonian wind up the ptember 2019 to Se 21 on M AG e ed at th the School. therefore be tabl maining assets to re e th r fe and ns A resolution will tra d of all the officers d Exonian Club an animous support un e th activities of the Ol s ha ich resolution, wh We trust that this . rs, will be agreed be em led committee m es that are schedu the other activiti at d an M AG e th to meeting you at We look forward September. in for the OE day

mmittee The OE Club Co Chairman James Brown – Secretary Peter German –

President Robin Thomas – surer Chris Bush - Trea

Obituaries A tribute by the Headmistress of Exeter Junior School, Sue Marks.

Ted Ashman (19 November 1937 11 March 2019)

On 11 March 2019, we received the very sad news that Ted Ashman, father of Giles Ashman (1982 – 1987), had passed away. Ted was a very well respected headmaster and a very dear man. Throughout his life, he had given his time to coaching and developing sporting opportunities for young people, across the whole of Devon. Since his retirement in 1998, he had also given his time generously to Exeter School, supporting fixtures, refereeing matches, hearing readers and joining us on school trips. His expertise and calm manner benefitted so many children and staff during that time. Ted was

Hilary (School House) was the third son of the late Sir Anthony (OE 1937 – 1941) and Pat Farrar-Hockley. His abiding memory of School was of playing hockey; a game which was to form a considerable part of his recreational life.

Hilary Farrar-Hockley 1954 - 2018 (1968 - 1972)

Commissioned into the Royal Air Force, he served first in Germany where he was admin officer and intelligence officer to 2 Squadron, a Jaguar reconnaissance squadron at Laarbruch, during the Cold War. Later tours saw him return to Devon at RAF Chivenor before a series of postings elsewhere in the United Kingdom, finishing in High Wycombe where he was to set up home with Kim, his wife, and sons Damien and Callum. After service in the RAF, he went into facilities management, working

known for his services to cricket in particular, namely his involvement on the Executive Council of the English Schools Cricket Association for a number of years and 30 years of managing the Devon U11 cricket team. Nothing was too much trouble for Ted and his sporting commitment, dedication and influence are evident both within our school and across the whole county. Ted was a passionate supporter of Exeter City Football Club and the photograph shown was taken on his 80th birthday, when Lee Holmes, man of the match, presented him with a celebratory card from all at the club. Ted was a true gentleman and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

first with Rentokil, before managing Xerox’s business parks between Bristol and London for more than 20 years. Hockey and cricket were his favourite past-times. First in the RAF, with sides like The Nordics; then at Marlow Hockey Club. There he became a stalwart of the club: player, umpire and administrator. Vice chairman since 1994, he was also an umpire for the Buckinghamshire league. In the summer months, his weekends were spent at Bradenham Cricket Club as player, umpire, secretary and later chairman. Much loved by all who knew him, Hilary died suddenly of a heart attack on 8 September 2018.

We were sorry to hear the following alumni have passed away: Tim Meredith: 1962-1968, John Taylor: 1942-1951, Jeremy Barnecutt: 1961-1968, Mike Ellis: 1952-1959, David Edwards: 1950-1958, Derek Cole: 1939-1946 Details of alumni who have passed away, including obituaries where they have been shared, can be found on our website.

OE Team: Sam Elstub (1999-2004) George Halse (2010-2018) Viv Carton (2002-2007) Ben Stone (2007-2014) Luke Stitson (2006-2013) Ollie Ody (2009-2014) Harry Ody (2006-2011) Harry Bowen (2002-2007) Nick Horne (2004-2009) Graeme Martin (1997-2004) Will Bedford (2004-2009) George Magee (2004-2008) Myles Buckingham: guest

OE Team: George Milner (2006-2017) Jim Shepherd (2006-2017) Chris Richardson (2006-2016) Jake Kilmartin (2012-2018) Ben Crocker (2007-2018) Will Silver (2007-2018) Jamie Telford (2008-2016) Luke Crocker (2005-2016) Ed Starling (2008-2016) Tom Edgington (2009-2016) Tom Murphy (2009-2017) Jack Thomas (2007-2017)

OEs take football title School vs OE football

The annual fixture between the School 1st XI and the Old Exonians took place in superb weather and was a very competitive and entertaining affair. Injuries to key players and unavailability robbed the 1st XI of three of its more influential players. In spite of this, an untried and generally incomprehensible defensive set up by the OEs ensured that the game was pretty even in the early stages! “The 1st XI made a very positive start and found itself 2 – 0

A firm foundation School vs OE hockey

The OEs amassed a wealth of talent from one to three years past. The sight of Luke Crocker (2005 – 2016), currently in the National League at Bristol University, Jim Shepherd (2006 – 2017) and Jack Thomas (2007 - 2017) drew immediate concerns from the School’s hockey players, even before the finishing of George Milner (2006 – 2017) was considered. The game began with a School flourish pressurising the OE goal. The OEs held firm and found some form with some free flowing attacking moves. Goals came from George Milner. Aaron Tucker broke free and replied for the School. George completed his hat trick scoring again and Tom Taylor scored from a corner to close the gap to 2-3.

up within ten minutes,” said Giles Ashman (1982 – 1987). “A change of formation for the OEs had a major impact on the game and they came back very strongly to even things up and then take the lead before the break. A fourth goal for the Old Exonians effectively ended the game as a contest. However, the 1st XI boys can take great heart from the resilience which they showed in the latter stages. They continued to probe and to try to create openings and, if they had scored a third, it would have made for an interesting finish!”

The School pressed again and held the ball effectively, creating some chances, but George Milner was again on hand to slot his fourth. Hockey Coach Ed Jones was impressed with the OEs’ patterns of play. “It was great to see the guys and it was obvious many are still playing at high levels,” he said. “It is hugely gratifying that they continue to develop their hockey skills, following on from the foundations the School created.” 1st XI v OEs - lost 2 – 4

A win for the School On Thursday 2 May, the Old Exonians held their annual golf day at the Exeter Golf and Country Club.

Tim Lee (1994 – 2005) won the morning nine hole competition and former 1st X1 cricket captain Richie Wilkinson (2007 – 2012) was victorious in the main afternoon round,” said Mr Wilcock.

“Expertly organised by 1975 leaver Eddie Trick. 30 OEs took part and

“Also as part of the day, the School sends a team to compete in the

School vs OE Golf

team event and their score counts towards the annual OE v School sport competition for the Joe Mullins Trophy. This year, Ben Reynolds, Jack Parry and Tom Peters played particularly well, meaning a clear win for the school. In addition Tom recorded the longest drive on the 18th, winning himself a prize!”

OE Grant Achieving community goals in central Kenya

Hannah Estcourt (2011 – 2013) is currently studying for her Master’s in Development Studies at the University of Oxford. The central component of this programme is the thesis, which is handed in at the end of the second year. A key requirement for this is undertaking fieldwork research in the summer between the first and second year of the programme. She chose to spend eight weeks in Meru, a county in central Kenya, researching women’s self-help groups and their relationships with external actors, such as non-governmental organisations. This was made possible due to a generous grant from the Old Exonian

Club that helped her to pay for accommodation and translators. During her stay, she spent each morning with a different women’s group, that typically consisted of ten to thirty women who met once a week to conduct rotating savings and loan schemes between their members. These groups also ran businesses together and helped each other celebrate major life events, such as weddings and graduations. She observed the meetings and conducted interviews, before spending the afternoon with a local NGO who was partnering with these groups. She said it was really interesting to learn about the

different projects that the NGO is currently working on. These were as varied as providing agricultural inputs, giving lessons on the impact of climate change and environmental degradation, and facilitating Alternative Rite of Passage Weeks for young girls in Meru as part of their anti-FGM/C campaign. Her thesis is focused on the extent to which these partnerships between NGOs and self-help groups are beneficial. For example, she is analysing how they enable community goals to be achieved, and the ways in which they potentially mitigate the traditional problems associated with collective action.

Leave a lasting mark Your Legacy Giving Guide enclosed with the magazine If you are interested in leaving a legacy to Exeter School or would simply like to have a further discussion then please get in touch with the Alumni Office either directly or by sending back the form with the enclosed Legacy Guide. A legacy, no matter the amount, will make a difference; it will help transform lives and support the long-term future of the School whether you want it to support the Bursary Fund or something else. We would be honoured to help establish your legacy here for the years to come and for generations of Exeter School pupils.

Forthcoming Events We really hope to see you at one of our events this year. We will be adding more events to the calendar and you will find all details including how to book on the School website. For any further details, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Alumni Office – contact details on the inside front cover. Friday 6 September

OE v School Girls’ Hockey and Netball (contact the Alumni Office for details)

Friday 6 September

2018 and 2019 Leavers Reception, School Pavilion (email the Alumni Office to book a free place)

Saturday 21 September

Annual OE Day, Exeter School (see enclosed form to book a free place)

Tuesday 8 October

Edinburgh Drinks Reunion (Box Office opens in July)

Wednesday 20 November

Exeter Business Networking Event (contact the Alumni Office to book a free place)

Tuesday 11 February

Cambridge Reunion Dinner (Box Office opens in December)

Thursday 5 March

Oxford Reunion Dinner (Box Office opens in December)

Friday 20 March

OE Quiz Night (Box office opens in January)

Monday 23 March

OE v School Boys’ Hockey and Football (contact the Alumni Office for details)

EXETER