Lastly, I would like to thank Justine from the Old Boys’ Association for all the work she has done to make the reunion and all the other reunions a success.
The tour of the school was a wonderful, nostalgic glimpse for many. Clearly there have been many changes since this group left, but the bones remain. Breakfast was rather better than the boarders used to be served up. And the inclusion of heating in the boarding houses was a welcome surprise! Our sincere thanks to Geoffrey Sullivan (9514), Ric Fletcher and Shelley Keach who led the tour groups about. The Saturday night dinner took place at The Christchurch Club. We met early and enjoyed a high-quality buffet meal and a very convivial evening. The author regaled those attending with a number of stories from the 1977–81 period. Dean Brownie’s (9292) 132 caning strokes in his first year dominated the discussion, as did Mr Le Vaillant’s comment the night before that “he got off lightly”. There were some extraordinary efforts in terms of travel. Charles Maddren (9476) flew from London, Stu Brown (9291) travelled from South Africa and Kelvin Eden (9309) from Moscow. A number of others came from Australia. There were many Old Boys attending a reunion for the first time which added considerable richness to the event. There is undoubtedly something incredibly special about these reunions. The reasons are many and varied and, perhaps, hard to express in a tangible way. But the conviviality experienced by everyone is unique and cherished by all, and without wanting to wish time away, I suspect many of us are looking forward to the 50th reunion. The enjoyment experienced by everyone made it all the sadder when we acknowledged the passing of Don Irvine (9332), Paul McManaway (9346), Richard Chandler (9302) and Nick Gerard (9318) – a toast to absent friends was very poignant. Many thanks to Justine Nicholl and everyone else at Christ’s College who assisted in organising a seamless weekend of joie de vivre!
Dave Black (7392), Captain 1967
40 Years On
The class of 1977 had a memorable reunion over the weekend of 8–9 September. Having overcome some technical arguments about Jerry Bell’s (9917) eligibility to attend (he both started and finished in 1981), the weekend proceeded without a hitch. The choice of Don Chamberlain (9300), Miles Yeoman (9405) and John Hutchinson (9330) as organisers would undoubtedly have raised eyebrows. But they didn’t put a foot wrong, aptly demonstrating that Brian Le Vaillant’s comment (made at the time) that Don Chamberlain peaked at the age of 16 was unfounded; and, in the case of Messrs Yeoman and Hutchinson, that renegade dayboys improve with age! A unilateral decision to move the Friday night drinks to a private bar at the Carlton Hotel was enlightened and a lively night ensued. Executive Principal Garth Wynne welcomed all attendees warmly and updated the group on developments at College. We were then treated to a lengthy and thoroughly entertaining address from Mr Le Vaillant; his recollection of incidents from the year group was both disturbing and remarkably humorous. Kelvin Eden, Chris Averill, Alastair Wait, Stephen Sansom, John Edmond, Simon Gilroy, Richard Hutchinson, Blair Murray Front Row: Andrew Pears, Hugh Murchison, David Pinckney, John Studholme, Bill Lawrence, Garth Gallaway, Miles Yeoman, Mark Tutton, Shaun Cranfield, David Beattie, Jonathan Ballantyne, Mike Vicar Back Row: Mark Fleming, Jim Macdonald, Frank Macfarlane, Tom Hutchison, Sam Newbigin, Tim Wanklyn, Don Chamberlain, Geoff Ensor, Rob Withers, Stu Brown, William Purvis 3rd Row: Mike Peers, Philip Bell, Andrew Brinsley, John Hutchinson, John Marris, Fred Ward, Quentin Roake, Rupert Ward, Simon Wheelans, Dean Brownie, Howard Yee, Peter Haggitt 2nd Row: Jeff Quiggin, Jonathan Watt, Charles Maddren,
Garth Gallaway (9317)
103
College Issue 33 2017
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker