son Jonathan, and Laurence Raw, OA, now a university lecturer, all contributed to this obituary. Martin Peter Doolan [1959-68] 27.12.1948 – 29.04.2015 Martin Doolan
not been at primary school for long when the Second World War started and he was evacuated to Watford. He came to Dulwich from St. Bartholomew’s primary school in Sydenham with a London County Council (LCC) scholarship, was in Raleigh and a weekly boarder in Ivyholme. He became a school prefect, a house monitor and a school sportsman. He played rugby for two years in the 1st XV, and partnered Anand Panyarachun, who was subsequently twice prime minister of Thailand and Thai ambassador to Canada, USA, Germany and the United Nations, as the first pair in the 1st Tennis team, and also represented the College at Athletics. He was also a keen member of the College Scout Troop, where he became a Patrol Leader, and also joined the Christian Union. After leaving Dulwich as a pupil, Garth did National Service in the Royal Navy at the Joint Services Linguistic School in Coulsdon, where he learnt Russian as the country prepared for the Cold War. After National Service, he went to Queen’s College, Cambridge with a scholarship in 1954 to study Classics. He continued to play rugby and athletics at Cambridge, and was a member of the Cambridge Pastorate. After graduating in 1957, he returned to London and studied for a Diploma in Education at London University. After completing his Dip Ed, he immediately joined the Overseas Civil Service and spent 11 years as an Education Officer in northern Nigeria, including some time teaching classics at the Provincial Boys Secondary School in Sokoto. The young family of Garth, wife Peggy, and daughters Margaret and Sarah, returned from Nigeria in 1969 and he was soon appointed to teach classics at Dulwich, but this
period was clouded by the ill health and eventual death of Peggy in 1970. He subsequently married Annabel, who was the daughter of the vicar of Holy Trinity in Sydenham when the family returned from Nigeria, and a son, Jonathan followed his second marriage. Once he was back at Dulwich and again living in Sydenham, Garth kept himself busy teaching Classics, Religious Studies and eventually Russian as well. In addition to teaching religious studies, he rejoined the Christian Union at the College. He was housemaster for Grenville in the Lower School, coached senior rugby, tennis and squash in the Lower School. He was Deputy Head of the Lower School for more than 20 years, a post which carries no glory, but quite some responsibility on occasions. He ran Troop 1 in the College Scout Troop for 24 years, a record for a member of staff at the College, and even had OAs in his headquarters team at summer Garth spent so much time at the College, there was little time left for outside interests, but he was a life-long member of the Holy Trinity Church in Sydenham, where he was also a church warden and member of the parish council, and also found time to be a school governor of Holy Trinity primary school and Chairman of a local voluntary services charity in Lewisham. After retiring from the College in 1994, he continued to be devoted to teaching and taught Latin for the University of the Third Age. He and Annabel continued to live in Sydenham and both continued to swim daily at the College. Chris Field’s Valete when Garth retired from the College, plus Garth & Annabel’s camps who were by then active elsewhere in Scouting, but still returned to help him.
was born in Streatham Common to a Welsh father who was a teacher
and an English mother who was an actress. Martin followed his elder brother to Dulwich from Rosemead Prep School. At the College he was in Sidney, he was House Captain in his final year and also a school prefect. After leaving Dulwich, he was awarded an Exhibition at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, to study English Literature. After leaving Cambridge in 1971 with a degree in English Literature, he spent a couple of years travelling and teaching English as a foreign language. It was in Switzerland in 1973, while teaching at a language school that he met Katarina. They found each other to be quite exotic – Katarina, an adventurous Croatian who could quote English Literature; and Martin, a Londoner with a passion for punctuation. When it was time for Katarina to return to Croatia, Martin followed, which was the beginning of their lifelong love and their professional collaboration. Martin spent his working life writing and teaching. During his time at Cambridge, he had written a children’s book about a charming, curious little character called Mulberry who would ‘pick dew drops in the morning’ and ‘felt bored on lazy days’. His daughters recall him as a skilful story-reader, who read at a pace that was easy to follow, and who made his characters come
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