was accomplished with sharp efficiency. His undoubted talents were soon recognised when he was appointed as Resident Tutor of the Orchard Boarding House. Always keen for a challenge, Locky seized upon the chance to spend a year in Sydney on an exchange. With his batteries refreshed and no hint of a tan despite a year in 30-degree heat, he seamlessly immersed himself back into Dulwich life with an appointment as Head of Year 9 and responsibility for running the Middle School House Competition. There are too many to mention, but one of Locky’s great loves of Dulwich is the biannual Rugby tour. He has been on every one since the 2004 trip to Australia. He organised the 2006 trip to South Africa and was a huge support to me on the last three trips to Australia, South Africa and North America. A few things Locky can always be relied on to do on tour: lead an excellent
sing-song on the coach, use the local public transport system rather than cab with the rest of us, put on half a stone, wear his budgie smugglers on the beach and get annoyed with the coach driver/tour company rep. He embarked on a sabbatical to France with Nicky, Ramona and Xavier and has enjoyed the lifestyle so much, he has decided to stay there. Despite being in France, his love of Dulwich, especially Dulwich Rugby, was demonstrated by his coming back for both the semi-final and final of the NatWest cup. This is because all of these boys came through his U16A team and he has so much pride in what they have gone on to achieve. We wish him and his family all the best in whatever they go on to do in the South of France, and it will always be a pleasure to welcome him back to the Dulwich playing fields, on which he made such an impression in so many shapes and forms.
opportunity to play in a fixture. It was clear that Tom’s organisational skills were very strong. He was on the Founders’ day committee from 2008 to 2013 and took charge of whole-school events such as House swimming and Junior School Sports Day, running them all equally efficiently. In recognition of his superb organisation and huge commitment, Tom was made Head of Junior School Co-curriculum in 2012 and has continued to expand and improve the co-curricular programme in this role. It was soon clear that one of Tom’s other great strengths was the relationship he formed with the boys; his pastoral care was second to none. He was always happy to offer the boys opportunities: the Year 6 trip to the
Varsity match at Twickenham and the U11 Rugby tour are just two that stand out. He became part of the Child Protection team in 2012. There were several occasions when serious illness struck the families of boys in his Form and Tom went out of his way to support them with kind words and thoughtful gestures. He was an excellent Form Tutor, respected by parents and boys alike. Tom has made an invaluable contribution to the College and we are sad to see him go. But he is ready for the new challenges ahead. He will, I am sure, make his mark as Assistant Head at Thomas’s Clapham as he moves onto this new and exciting challenge. We wish him well.
Heather Friell
Simon Northcote-Green
H eather leaves us to become Head of Pre-Prep at The Downs School, Bristol, after being Head of DUCKS since 2004. Her legacy is a formidable one. Her good nature and kind-hearted leadership of DUCKS will be recalled and recognised by the countless children, staff and parents who experienced the welcome and forbearance she gave them, as well as her generous sensitivities for all their concerns and her kindness. A loyal Kiwi, she was equally loyal to those she knew as trustworthy and who shared her educational principles and vision. She always looked to the good in people and, more importantly, to the good in any child. Her care for children was the hallmark of her achievements as teacher and as Headmistress. Her legacy has several characteristics to it. Heather supported and promoted SEN at DUCKS and made provision for staff training and awareness in a huge range of areas. She was a champion for all of the children in her care, often working for families way beyond what might be considered normal expectations. This was particularly notable in her dedication to helping parents find places at appropriate schools for their children when they left DUCKS. Healthy eating and lifestyle were always passions for Heather. She worked tirelessly to try to ensure that children learned good eating habits and to identify what are healthy foods to eat. Sugar-free snacks and fruit were encouraged, as were decent table manners – for which children were rewarded by eating ‘Fruity Tea’ with her. Her drive to encourage exercise was nowhere more obvious than when, just a few weeks after a major hip replacement operation, she was powerfully cycling on a stationary bike in the playground to make yoghurt!
Ulla Kite
Heather was always a ‘hands on Head Teacher’, spending time every week doing playground and lunch duties, and joining in with running clubs and in games lessons. She promoted music and performance opportunities for all of the children. She personally directed a number of Nativity plays and wrote and directed Year 2 plays that were performed in the Edward Alleyn Theatre. Dances that she worked on include, memorably, an authentic version of the New Zealand ‘Hakka’ – flicking tongues, leaping and thigh slapping included. It was Heather who introduced the ‘Golden Rules’ as a code of behaviour for the children at DUCKS. She unfailingly promoted these rules in her constant, and successful, quest to provide a safe and happy learning environment for all of the children in her school. Heather succeeded Fiona Johnstone as Head of DUCKS, who in turn had taken over the leadership of the school from its inspirational founder, Ann-Christine Andersen. When asked at her interview whether she walked to school in New Zealand in the customary barefooted style, she retorted, ‘No, I wore boots’. Further explanation followed. Heather used to ride on a horse across six miles of rough country and tether her beloved steed to the school fence. That spirit of freedom, of the breaking of shackles, of allowing exploration (even risk), of confronting convention, possibly made her less concerned about the constraints that come from recent educational compliance. Heather was always most comfortable in the classroom where her spirit and unquestionable love of children was allowed to become unlicensed. So many of her ‘offspring’, including OAs, would testify to this. We wish Hamish, Angus and Heather all the very best in their venture to the West Country, where she might even consider a horse a better bet to beat the Bristol traffic at peak rush hour. She will be greatly missed.
Will Dugdale
U lla joined Dulwich from Southbank University initially as the German Department’s Lektorin in 2001 and became a full class teacher in 2004. During her time at the College she taught German, French and Lower School Debating and in recent years she predominantly worked with Upper School boys preparing them for their AS and A2 German speaking exams on a one-to-one and small-group basis. Here she was able to pass on her expert knowledge of German cultural topics and current affairs. She accompanied trips to Germany
and France and participated in other co-curricular activities at the College, which allowed her to share her enthusiasm for music, architecture, the arts and travel. Ulla’s son, Sebastian Kite, was a pupil at the College and is currently developing a promising career as an architect and installation artist. Ulla will continue to participate in the German learning community in her retirement, acting as an oral examiner for the AQA exam board, and she remains an active member of the James Caird Society.
TomQuilter
Francesca Southern
T om joined the Junior School in 2003, fresh-faced and eager after his first year’s teaching at a primary school in Bristol. As an OA, he was coming back to familiar territory, keen to give something back to the school he felt had given him the best start in life. Twelve years on, he is a very different person; experienced, confident and wise, he commands respect from both colleagues and boys and has become an invaluable member of both the Junior School and the wider College community. Tom started as a Year 4 Form Tutor. Early on, he was given the responsibility of DT Coordinator, a post he held from 2003 to 2005, and he became the colleague who was happy to help. He turned his hand to anything and everything, whether it was painting a Bugsy Malone
motif centre stage with Simon Middleton or playing on the beach with the Year 6 boys in France. As time went on Tom became an informal Junior School Social secretary, organising staff social events, farewells, leaving presents, the Junior School staff Christmas outing and much more. Over the years, Tom took on more responsibilities. He was made Head of Junior School swimming in 2003 and put a great deal of energy into developing a highly successful swimming squad. In 2005, he was made Head of Junior School PE and Games. Keen to raise the profile of Junior School sport, Tom set about increasing the number of fixtures; there are now 60 per cent more than there were when he started in the post. Furthermore, inclusion for all gives every boy in the Junior School an
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