Senior Common Room. Those of us who have reached a certain age will probably recall the disbelief experi- enced when our chemistry teacher told us to taste the product of that lesson’s experiment. To mix a solu- tion of sodium hydroxide with dilute hydrochloric acid was an activity that, in those far off days, seemed both dangerous and exciting. We all knew that acid was toxic and cor- rosive, and that alkalis were just as
accountant at a local conglomerate with interests in manufacturing, refrigeration and foundry operations. John progressed with the group through financial director to become board director responsible for three major subsidiaries. In 1986 the group was taken over by another local conglomerate but not seeing eye to eye with the new owners, John resigned in 1987 to join Mike Appel Organisation, an automotive precision engineering and motor spares group, as financial director. The group was foreign owned, and in partnership with the managing director John designed and implemented a management buy-out scheme which brought the group under local ownership in January 1991. The group grew steadily and had a major share of the motor spares and engineering market but in 2004 the directors decided to sell their holdings to a local consortium and pursue other interests. A period of semi-retirement followed until 2008 when John and Lyn, whose kids had by now flown the coop, decided to give Australia a go. It was an interesting time, after all they thought, what could be so difficult about running a donut and coffee franchise. They had a rude awakening and accepting that the hospitality industry was not for them, succumbed to the attraction of Africa and returned to Zim- babwe to finally retire in 2012. John developed a love for fishing as a young lad on the beaches and rivers of Eastbourne. On his move to Zimbabwe this love continued, combined with game viewing on Lake Kariba accentuated with deep sea fishing trips off the Mozambique, South African and Kenyan coasts. He always considered it somewhat ironic that this led him to be the proud holder of Zimbabwean colours for deep sea angling despite the fact that Zimbabwe was a landlocked country. John’s interests outside of his work were most definitely aligned with the more practical side of life and working with his hands. The arts and theatre held little interest and for twenty years he and his family enjoyed life relaxing on a 100-acre smallholding just outside Harare where they could engage in livestock farming, cropping, build- ing repairs and maintenance and all the other activities involved in farming on a ‘jack of all trades, master of none!’ basis. When he sold the smallholding in 2000 the first additions built at their new home in Harare were garages and a new workshop in which John subsequently spent many happy hours during his retirement.’ John is survived by his wife of 45 years Lyn, their daughter Kayt, son Nathan and four grandchildren. Paul Jordan adds: While at Ascham, John had his painting chosen to appear in the Eastbourne Schools Exhibition at the Towner Art Gallery in 1963 and in the following year he was praised by the East- bournian for his fund raising: ‘Many [Ascham] Scouts did well for the troop during Bob-a-Job week. Mention must be made of Huggett, who worked really hard and earned over two pounds.’ At the College, John won the Frederick Soddy Memorial Prize and was a member of the choir and College orchestra. In the 1990s, when living on a small holding in Harare, John and Lyn hosted the Eastbourne College rugby team for lunch during their trip to Zimbabwe. Frank Osborne Newton Jackson (Nugent & Wargrave 1953–58) died on 7 December 2021, aged 81. He won a GEC (General Electric Company) University Scholarship to Queen’s College Cambridge, spending a year with GEC in Coventry then three years at the College. In his later career, he was managing director of a plant hire company. Head of Nugent in 1957, Frank won the Smallman Chemistry Prize the following year. He was the hon sec and treasurer of the Pho- tographic Society; a member of the Tenby Society, where he gave a lecture, and also belonged to the Astronomical Society (he built an eight-and-a-half-inch reflecting telescope). In the CCF, he was a sergeant in the signals section and won the Evans Signalling Cup and the Lanyard of Honour. Harry Neill Kinsey (School 1950–53) died, we believe, in 2022, when he would have been 85 years old. Later in his career he was the direc- tor of sales for a large sheet poster printing company. He was also a Guildsman of St Bride’s, Fleet Street, an active member of Probus Club in Purley and an Arnold Embellisher.
bad but, because of the name, somewhat more scientific. Eventually a brave pupil would taste the white crystals that had formed as the liquid evaporated. It soon became clear that the substance was merely table salt, and the astonishment of this revelation is one that is difficult to recapture in later life.’ While at Eastbourne College, Tony developed an affection for both cricket and rugby. At Merchant Taylor’s he coached many school teams in both sports and was also a member of the MCC. He soon became a house tutor, a considerable commitment and one that Tony undertook professionally and seriously. At Merchant Taylor’s Tony was commissioned into the Royal Naval Section [he had been a corporal in the College CCF RAF section] and spent many field days in Portsmouth with the cadets and other offic - ers. In due course, Tony rose to be the officer in charge of the Naval section, and spent five or six years organising the weekly activities and the field days; he thrived on it and enjoyed both the challenge and the trust that it signalled. In 1986, Tony was appointed the housemaster of Hilles House and again his enthusiasm, and organisational skills shone through. In 1991, he became head of chemistry, a position he held until 2010. During 2014, Tony had to miss a great deal of school time through illness and decided that the time had come to retire. A former Merchant Taylor’s pupil said of Tony: ‘The values that define this school, and which I still hold dear, were epitomised by Tony: humility, endeavour, joy, and authenticity… He was a stalwart of the Senior Common Room for so long and helped lay the foundations of my ongoing relationship with the school. I was deeply saddened to hear of his passing.’ Tony is survived by his wife, Katherine and son, Alexander. John Ward Huggett (Ascham 1962– 65; Powell 1966–69) died on 15 June 2024, aged 71. John had written his own obituary and asked that this be published in the OE magazine: John was born on 17 October 1952 in Eastbourne, the son of Ron and Iris Huggett. His career at the College was reasonably low profile with no significant academic or sporting achievements noted. He was a member of the Naval Section of the CCF and a front row drummer in the Drum Corps. Having decided to pursue a career in accountancy, John left the College mid-way through his A-level studies to enter articles with an Eastbourne firm of chartered accountants, Honey Barrett & Co. Three years later he transferred articles to a London Firm, Champness Cowper, to gain experience of larger company audits. After qualifica - tion, John left the profession to join the Marley Tile Company in Kent as part of their internal audit department, but having been temporarily disqualified from driving following one speeding offence too many, decided that it was time for a change in career direction in a different country. John then rejoined the profession with the then Price Waterhouse at their Johannesburg offices as an audit senior. At the end of his con - tract he transferred to their Salisbury, Rhodesia, office as an assistant audit manager. It was here in 1977 that he met his future wife Lyn who was also studying articles and in order to prevent any conflict of inter - est John resigned prior to their marriage to take up a position as group
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