He also worked as a general surgeon in Trail, British Columbia, from 1971 to 1975 and then worked as a consultant for the national government in Ottawa. This led to a two-year stint in Saudi Arabia as general surgeon at the US base in Khamis Mushayt, with him once being called to treat one of the royal princesses in Riyadh. His marriage to Jo ended and he returned to Canada, and attended the Know Presbyterian Church in Georgetown, Ontario, with son Peter. There he met Barbara, the church organist, and spent seven years trying to woo her. Eventually she succumbed to his charms and they married in 2005, although he was already showing a few early signs of dementia. A couple of years later, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, dying in August 2012, before becoming too much of a burden on Barbara. He is survived by Barbara, his son Peter and a grandson. His life-long friend (also originally from Forest Hill) and fellow OA, John Temple, contributed significantly to this obituary. at the College, he was very successful academically, and played rugby and boxed. He also wrote poetry and had many poems published, under various pseudonyms in The Alleynian which he also helped edit. After leaving school, he went to Balliol College, Oxford, with a scholarship to read PPP. While at Balliol, he helped run a magazine devoted to third world issues, and he was politically active. Having graduated with a first class degree in 1963, he moved on to Magdalen College to do a PhD, and he became a Fellow of New College in 1968. He also became a lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Ophthalmology in London, remaining there for 27 years. He was Chairman of the Academic Board of Moorfields Eye Hospital and of the Institute of Ophthalmology. He went to Imperial College for two years before leaving academia. While at Dulwich he met College Classics master, Philip Vellacott, and, in particular, one of his daughters, Tess. Leslie was a already a keen camper and the Vellacott family introduced him to Forest School Camps (FSC) in 1962, an educational charity with which he was deeply involved for the rest of his life, including many years as Staffing Secretary and seven years as Chair. Leslie and Tess, by then Arjuna Leslie Holden (1954-60) 12.12.1941 – 03.02.2011 Leslie Holden was born in Muzaffarpur, India, moving to England at the age of five to go to school. He came to Dulwich as a boarder from Purley County Grammar School in Croydon. While
Adrian Hector Hobart (1945-52) 02.02.1934 – 09.08.2012
Adrian Hobart came to Dulwich on a LCC scholarship from Dalmain Road School in Forest Hill. He was in Spenser and wrote the house entry in the House Drama competition one year. He was
also a prefect, and played cricket and boxed for the College. He won a scholarship to Pembroke College, Cambridge, to read English but did his National Service first, joining the RAF and being sent for training in Canada where he became a pilot. During his first term at Cambridge studying English, Adrian decided that he really wanted to study Medicine instead, but he didn’t have the necessary A levels. Pembroke College agreed to let him change course, but gave him the rest of that academic year to pass the required A levels. He had to finance himself for the next year so he returned to London to study A levels again at Norwood Technical College. Not only did he learn Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry to the required standard in only two terms, but he started a college magazine, called Crocodile. He wrote most of it himself but for the first issue he managed to persuade another OA, P G Wodehouse, to contribute an article, and the magazine sold out within an hour of publication. Back at Cambridge, he won a Blue for boxing in three different weight divisions and beat the Oxford captain in the Varsity match one year. After leaving Cambridge, he did hospital training at King’s College Hospital, London, where he also won and then defended the London University heavyweight boxing title. He also continued to write and produce musicals and other theatrical productions, where he met Jo and they married in 1965. They emigrated to Canada soon after and Adrian became a flying doctor (making use of his old RAF training), also working at the same time as a surgeon at Edmonton General Hospital. At the time they lived in the wonderfully-named Moosejaw in Saskatchewan province. Their son, Peter, was born in 1969 and, in the same year, Adrian, who had continued boxing, won the Alberta Golden Gloves heavyweight title. He was once challenged to a fight by Cassius Clay (later Mohammed Ali) who was preparing a comeback and wanted to fight the provincial champion, who was Adrian. The fight never happened because the boxing authorities cancelled it on the grounds that Clay was a professional and Adrian an amateur, but Adrian received a letter from the great man, which he had framed and on display at home.
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