piest golden retriever in Britain, living on one side of that big door at the bottom of the stairs and 70 teenage boys living away from home on the other. I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that, to Dad (and Mum), we were all one big family. Dad took full responsibility for everyone in his charge and the tributes that have poured in since his departure have proved how much he cared for every single one of them, however challenging some might have been! By my calculation that is over 200 Blackwater boys who Dad helped make the journey from boyhood to manhood. He took particular special care of all those struggling with tough home lives, often corresponding with the Mums and Dads to keep them up to date on their child’s progress. He was firm but fair. He walked the talk when it came to rules and regulations. Often on a Saturday evening he would get up from watching The Two Ronnies on the telly, don his Deerstalker hat and drag a reluctant house tutor out to patrol the streets of Seaside. Anyone surprised out of bounds without a leave pass, having a quiet fag or cheeky pint or, heaven forbid, engaged in inappropriate heavy petting, was summarily dealt with and warned not to get caught next time. Dad’s unerring sense of duty is no better expressed than in his commitment to the Combined Cadet Force. Inspired by his brother Charles, commissioned into the Army Air Corps and fellow teachers like Donald Perrens, his predecessor in Black- water; Marcus Lyon, the Head of Art, and Mike Young, his fellow housemaster in Pennell, who had all seen active service in the war, Dad was 100% committed to making the CCF as meaningful and pro- fessional as he possibly could, despite the protestations against compulsory ‘corps’ amongst many boys (including some of his sons) and indeed some in the common room. His efforts were recognised with the award of his MBE in 1992. What a proud day that was for us all at the palace. The motto of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is ‘Serve to Lead’ and if anyone epitomises that approach to the CCF and indeed, all his time at the College and in the community, it is Dad. After Blackwater, Dad went on to become deputy headmaster serving three heads, Simon [Langdale], Chris [Saunders] and Charlie [Bush]. People ask if he ever coveted a headship himself, but Dad actu- ally never wanted the limelight (Mum always kept his feet firmly on the ground); he simply thrived in his role helping and advising others. Beyond the College, Dad was a magis- trate for over 15 years, rising to become chair of the Eastbourne bench, he was a freemason, a school inspector and gov- ernor. In all these endeavours Dad was
Forbes stands alongside the float he built to help fund raise after the Big School fire in 1981
Forbes excelled, winning his rugby colours, playing first eleven cricket and becoming head of house. Whilst at school, he met and fell in love with Diana Bailey, the head girl at St Helen’s girls school, also in Abingdon, and, you will not be surprised to learn, a feisty lacrosse player. They went off to their universities, Di to Bristol and Dad to London Univer- sity and then Pembroke College, Oxford, where he completed his teacher training. The job search began. When Charles and Forbes were young, there were really no summer holidays for Granville on the farm. So, he would load Alison and the boys into the Wolsey and drive down to Bournemouth where they would stay in a B&B whilst he went back to bring in the harvest. Dad grew to love the seaside and vowed that he would live and work somewhere by the sea.
And so it came to be, Forbes and Di arrived in Eastbourne in 1961. Dad took up a post at the College, teaching physics ini- tially, and Mum taught at Beresford House, where the all-weather hockey pitch is now. They were married in 1962, I arrived in ’63, Jono in ’65 and Will followed in 1970. Dad spent 44 years formally working for the College. After retirement from teaching in 1998 he continued to support the school and the wider community in numerous ways. His achievements and contributions are far beyond the time I have today to do them justice, but there are some particular aspects to share that give an insight into the man he was: I believe the eleven years that Dad spent as housemaster of Blackwater between 1972 and 1983 were the most formative, fulfilling and happiest of his College career. There were five of us and Ben, the sop -
CCF staff past and present on Inspection Day 1977: RSM Bill Strong, Major John Underhill, Major Tom Rodd, Lt Col Tony Henderson, Inspecting Officer Lt Gen Sir Richard Goodwin, Major Forbes Wastie, Wg Cdr Donald Perrens and RSM Tony Watson
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