medicine and married Mary while still a student. After home posts in Bristol and south Wales he followed a successful career in obstetrics and gynaecology, but after the birth of two sons he left hospital work and went into general practice in Bristol until his retirement in 2007. He was a much loved and highly respected GP. In a busy life he still found time to pursue many interests including sailing, caving, swimming, walking, climbing and travel as well as riding mountain bikes, dogsleds and skiing. Away from energetic pursuits, he took great pleasure in theatre, opera, literature, poetry, gardening, woodwork and simply the delight of socialising with others. In later years he became a Freemason also in Bristol and it meant a lot to him to be able to join the OA Lodge. In October 2011 he accepted the chance to take part in the ARC rally with over 200 yachts crossing the Atlantic from Gran Canaria to Santa Lucia but sadly after two and a half weeks of sailing and just three days out of port he had a totally unexpected heart attack and died. Well over 300 people attended his funeral and he is greatly missed by many, not least his widow and two sons. a pianist, organist and double bassist. After the installation of the then new Compton Electrone organ in the Great Hall, he was one of only two boys allowed to play the organ at morning assembly. As a scout he was a member of Troop H and later, when it was formed, Troop IV. He was also a keen cyclist. On leaving Dulwich he studied medicine at King’s College, London. As part of his general practice training he worked at Hemel Hempstead hospital, where he met his future wife Helen, a trainee nurse. After qualifying he went into further general practice training in Redbridge, Southampton, before taking up a post in the main practice in Chichester, rising to principal before taking early retirement. He and the family moved to north Devon where he established a smallholding. The considerable work that this involved led him to ‘retire’ again. He then became involved in the medical assessment of benefits claimants for the local authority. A number of years later he finally retired and immersed himself in the restoration and extension of the organ at the local church where he played for services. He took part in the inaugural recital together with Barry Ferguson, the retired organist and choirmaster of Rochester Cathedral. Some years ago he succumbed to Alzheimer ’s Disease. During the summer prior to his death he achieved a life-long ambition – to drive a steam locomotive Robin George Palmer (1945-54) 29.02.36-24.04.09 Robin Palmer came to the College in 1945. Somewhat larger than life, he became actively involved in many school activities. He was a keen and gifted musician,
on the Bodmin Railway, for he had always taken a keen interest in railways. William Whiting, an OA contemporary, has contributed significantly to this obituary. Frank Graydon Pyne (1944-48) 24.11.33-24.07.10 Frank Pyne came to Dulwich from Shepperton School, Middlesex, but left after his father returned from WW2 and moved because of his work to Maidstone. He finished his studies at Sutton Valence and then the London School of Economics, before completing his training as a chartered accountant. Married to Valerie for 53 years, he worked as an accountant and management consultant for a number of major companies including Rio Tinto, Babcock International, Spirax Sarco and 3i, before setting up Problem Resolution Management Consultants where he worked until retirement. Both a FCCA and a FCMA, he worked on a number of international projects often for the World Bank in 22 different countries in Africa and the Middle East as well as Europe. He built up a considerable library of accounting and management books. When he was younger he enjoyed hill walking, was a keen gardener, took painting lessons and was interested in family history. But above all else was his family, Valerie, a son and daughter and four grandchildren. Brian Raynor came to Dulwich from the Prep, was Captain of Spenser, CSM in the CCF, winning the Kittermaster Prize, and in the 1st XI of 1948-49 as a wily spin bowler. After National Service in the Army Education Corps, he went to Kings College, Cambridge, to read Maths and served as the Mission Secretary for the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (CICCU) and developed a desire to serve overseas. Graduating in 1954, he went out to Egypt teaching at the English Mission College in Cairo, but in 1956 as a result of the Suez Crisis he and other expatriate school staff were kept under house arrest with only one 78 record to listen to – Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. After a safe passage was negotiated, he taught at a school in London for a while before joining Achimoto School just outside Accra in Ghana as a Maths teacher and there he met his future wife, Janet, and they were married in Chelmsford Cathedral in 1959. Their time in Ghana was a hugely rich experience, immersing themselves in the culture and developing long lasting friendships as well as writing a series of maths text books. When they returned to Ghana after several years in the UK they found that a number of former pupils were now key figures in the country including the President. Brian Raynor (1944-49) 07.02.31-18.05.11
41 Obituaries
Made with FlippingBook HTML5