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Dulwich Despatch Lower School Boys’ Newspaper—Christmas Issue 2014
Young Volunteer Scheme at Southwark Libraries During the summer I volunteered to help out with the Summer Reading Challenge at Dulwich Public Library. After seeing an advert for this voluntary work, in our school library, I decided to volunteer despite being slightly underage (the minimum age being 14). I went to Challenge is a great initiative set up by the National Reading Agency in partnership with many of the libraries across UK. The aim is to get children to read 6 books over the summer, with small prizes being awarded for every book read. If you read the 6 books, you are entered into a prize draw for an electronic gadget, this year it was an android mini tablet. My job as a volunteer was to ask the children about their book and their opinion on it, and then I would take note of the books they the recruitment session at Peckham Library and I chose to work in the library closest to me, which is Dulwich. The Summer Reading
We were presented with certificates at the end
had read. Sometimes the younger children would read the book to me as they found it difficult to explain the story. The staff at the library were very welcoming and extremely friendly. Overall it was a really enjoyable experience and has improved my communication skills which has improved my self–confidence. I am genuinely looking forward to applying again next year, and would encourage other boys to give it a try. Felix Gralton (now in 9S)
Book Reviews: C.H.E.R.U.B. Russian Roulette
General Interest: All you need to know about Vikings Blue Cornflower Evolution Cartoon Great Dulwich Bake Off Pupil Profile Shark Attack! The Secret Teacher! Upcycling Visiting London/Victorian London Young Volunteering
Puzzles & Quizzes: Rugby Wordsearch Spanish Quiz 7
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Recipes: Chocolate Brownies Cookies and Cream Oreo Cupcakes Cupcakes Turkey and Sausage Pie Trips and Outings: House of Lords Raymond Chandler Blue Plaque FREE COMIC INSIDE Catch up with the latest Batman adventure
Clubs and Societies: Cycling Debating History Society: Greece Scouts’ Air Car Sports Appreciation Table Tennis Creative Writing: Dwarf Story Farm Lake Homeless at Christmas Oldmere Characters Perfect Crime Friends
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Author Talk: Sam Osman Black History Month
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Painting : Clock Tower Poetry: One Shout (Illustrated)
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Dulwich Despatch
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Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
Buttercream
110g butter 110g caster sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 110g self-raising flour 1-2 tbsp milk
140g butter 280g icing sugar 1-2 tbsp milk Food colouring (optional)
YUM! This simple and easy cupcake is delicious and (can be) pretty. METHOD
Line a cupcake tin with 12 paper cases. Cream the butter (it needs to be fairly soft) and the sugar together–a wooden spoon is best. Beat the eggs in a little at a time Add the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour using a metal spoon. Divide mixture evenly between the cases. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 180°. Cool on a wire rack.
Buttercream Put the butter (which needs to be fairly soft) into a large bowl and then beat in the icing sugar (sieved) a little at a time. Warning—-this will get messy! Add a little milk if necessary to get a good consistency and add food colouring to make it look lovely. Leo Tidmarsh, 8E
The Great Dulwich Bake Off
In October, Dulwich College hosted the latest in a long string of DC charity events, a Bake Off . Joe Atkinson, Jack Probert and Josh McConnell from 8L organised a great competition: full of baking, eating and fundraising. It cost £1 to enter, with a 1 st prize of £10 and spot prizes of big packets of sweets. 13 year 8 boys took up the gauntlet (or oven glove!) producing goodies that ranged from doughnuts to brownies to millionaires shortbread. All of this left judges Mr Jepson and Mr Scarisbrick with no room to spare. Gabriel Rahman won 1 st prize with his Oreo cakes. The remaining cakes were sold, raising more than £110 for Trinity Hospice. A great sum, which may be added to with a year 7 competition. A huge thank you to all who participated in such grand fashion, Alex Mellis for producing the poster and Mr Tanna and Miss Crossley for their great support and help with organising the event. However, this event is just one piece in a bigger jigsaw. Dulwich College puts on a great number of charity events, which bring out the ingenious and imaginative side of the boys who organise them. This has raised funds for charities like Cancer Research, Trinity Hospice, Level Water, Teenage Cancer Trust and The Samaritans to name but a few. The Dulwich boys recognise how fortunate they are, and give generously to these charity events. It is important to remember that some people in the world are trapped in very dark places, but the charities we support make the world a lighter place. Joe Atkinson, 8L
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Scrumptious Chocolate Brownies
At A Glance Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes
Gooey Chocolate Sauce (optional) While your brownies are cooking you can make the sauce to go with it!
Brownie Ingredients: 100g Plain flour 50g Cocoa powder 125g Dark chocolate, broken into small pieces 250g Butter 325g Golden caster sugar 4 Medium eggs Method 1. Preheat oven to 180 ° Celsius, fan 160 ° Celsius, gas mark 4. 2. Grease and line a rectangular tin around 28cm x 18cm x 3cm with baking parchment. 3. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and the cocoa powder. 4. Place the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water, heating gently until both the butter and the chocolate has melted. Make sure that you don’t heat up the chocolate too quickly otherwise the chocolate will burn. 5. Place the sugar in a large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture in with the sugar. 6. Add the eggs gradually, beating well, then gradually add flour and cocoa. 7. You should now have a smooth mixture. 8. Pour into your ready prepared tin, bake in the centre of the oven for 40 mins!
Chocolate Sauce Ingredients: 70g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces 150ml of milk 2 teaspoons of sugar 5 teaspoons of maple syrup Method 1. Place your pan on the cooker top and add to it your milk. Let this heat up until just about to boil, remembering to stir the milk. (Do not allow the milk to boil you will know if it is boiling if it is bubbling quickly). 2. Add in your chocolate and sugar, stir until the ingredients are incorporated well. 3. Add in your maple syrup to the mixture. 4. Take off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature. 5. Put in a bowl and leave this in the fridge for around ten minutes. 6. After making the sauce cut the brownies into squares and cover half of them with the sauce then take the other half of the brownies and place them on top of the covered brownies!
Jedidiah Burge Thomas 7L
Dulwich Despatch
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Turkey Pie Recipe
A Really Handy (and Yummy) Leftover Turkey Pie Recipe
This pie is extremely tasty and is very handy when trying to use up any leftover turkey! The sausages are genius and for those out there who like tomato ketchup, it is a very good accompaniment!
Serves 4 hungry people Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of butter 800g leftover turkey 2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1/½ inch pieces Olive oil 3 sticks of celery, finely sliced
2 carrots peeled and then chopped A handful of thyme, leaves picked 1 wine glass of white wine 2 tablespoons of flour 1 egg Sea salt and ground pepper 250ml milk 255g/9oz pork sausages 1 x 500g pack of all-butter puff pastry
Method: Preheat the oven to 220 ̊ C/425 ̊ F/gas 7. Take a casserole pot and add the olive oil and the butter. Add leeks, carrots, celery and thyme and cook slowly on the hob for 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two before adding the wine, a wineglass of water and the milk then finally add the turkey and salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer very slowly for 20 minutes. Stir it every so often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. It’s ready when the sauce is loose but quite thick. If it’s too runny, then just simmer it for a bit longer with the lid off until it thickens. Pour the turkey mix into a pie dish. Now squeeze all the meat out of the sausage skins then, roll them into small balls, brown them in oil then put them on top of the turkey mix. Roll out the flaky pastry to a ¼ of an inch thick. Egg-wash the rim of the dish then put the pastry on top.
Use a knife to trim the edges. Egg-wash the top of the pastry. Use a knife to criss-cross the top of the pastry. Cook in the centre of the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden and crispy on top.
Jude Pearson, 7W
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Cookies and Cream Oreo Cupcakes
For the cupcakes: 200g plain flour 40g cocoa powder 240g caster sugar 3tsp baking powder 80g unsalted butter 2 eggs 200ml milk 2tsp vanilla extract 16 whole Oreo cookies
The Winning Entry in the Great Dulwich Bake-Off 2014
For the buttercream frosting: 175g softened unsalted butter 350g sifted icing sugar 1tsp vanilla extract 1-2tbs milk 3 or 4 Oreo cookies crushed into small pieces You can use more or fewer Oreos in your frosting, it really depends on how you want it to look. Some popping candy to sprinkle on top Mini Oreos for a garnish. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl and mix. In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together until it combines then add the milk, vanilla extract and the eggs one at a time, whisking them in slowly. Carefully add this to the flour mix. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases, placing one small spoon of mix in the bottom of a case, then a whole Oreo cookie and then cover completely with more cake batter. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes. The cakes are ready when a cocktail stick or skewer comes out of the centre clean but be careful not to think the bits of Oreo on your skewer are bits of uncooked cake mix. Set on a cooling rack to cool down completely. Make the buttercream by beating the butter and icing sugar and vanilla together for a good few minutes with an electric whisk (or by hand but it may take a while) until it becomes very smooth and fluffy. Add the milk a little at a time if you find the consistency a little too thick. Mix in the crushed Oreos a spoonful at a time, just until you get the pretty cookie speckled look that you're after. Then pipe in a swirl onto the cool cupcakes and sprinkle with the popping candy and place one mini Oreo on top. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C gas mark 4 and line a cupcake tray with paper cases.
Enjoy!
Gabriel Rahman, 8S
Dulwich Despatch
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Creative Writing
Farm Lake It was a cold October night at Gort; there was no evidence of any tracks in the papery earth, nor the evidence that someone had cycled there by Farm Lake. There should have been, but tonight was different. He ran... a scream, but still, there was nothing in the ripped seedy abysses that gaped at him between every tree. The withered leaves dangled like dead men hanged by rope; cracked and shrivelled, veins bulging like old fingers. The branches of the trees lurched, bowed and wretched in agony as the wind sent cascading booms, clawing at the bark as the ripples flooded up the trunk. The stagnant folding water on the lake looked like the waste from a charnel house, creeping up the muddy banks. He was the only one left, desperately gasping for air as he scrambled up the loose rock of the ramshackle track that led to Mr Gren's field, where he kept the horses. He knew a town, it was just over the hill; he would be safe from it there. Numbers were the only thing that could stop it; a nearby sanctuary where he didn't need to be smart and quick, but he was running out of time. It was getting closer, he could feel it. A long shape was coming into view; it was the field fence, but in the overwhelming dark he could not estimate the distance of the nearing obstacle. He heard a wail and suddenly burst into a rapid spree of sprinting: he jumped. A violent shock hit him in the legs. He hit the
ground hard and felt a gruesome liquid dribble down his left leg. He felt around it and came across a sharp substance; it was barbed wire, and it had torn into his leg. It was deep. His eyes darted around, it was then he saw it, walking towards the field. He desperately searched his pack for his knife. It was getting closer, searching for him. He tried to pull the wire off. There was a tearing sound, and a husky cry erupted from his throat and tears trickled down his cheeks. He found the knife. He clenched his jaw and began removing the wire from flesh, grimacing with utter pain. He was loose, but it was now striding towards him. He clasped the knife and limped helplessly towards the town, now only a few stones-throw away. It was quicker than him now; he'd have to be smart.
Illustration by Alex Mellis, 8L
He glanced at the wooden barn, then changed his course, knowing it might be his only chance. It was nowhere to be seen. He clambered into the barn via the stable window. He sat between the hay bales panting. The barn's back door led to Jay Street: he was nearly there. He pulled up his trouser leg; his limb was raw and still had strands of wire clinging to it. But he
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ignored his leg and crept through the back door. He turned. It was in the doorway, staring at him. He then stumbled down the sodden cobblestone paving, yelling for help. He wept, knowing it was going to get him, though now on Jay Street. He made it to the end of the street and turned: there were people! It was now running at full pace toward him, gurgling with pleasure. He had had enough. Without warning he flung his fist around and dealt a direct hit to the head, causing it to sprawl wildly to the floor. He heaved his arm back up and sped up, it was stunned, but was now steady on its feet and ready to strike again. He then roared to the people and tried to run to them, but he winced, it was his leg. Eventually they met in the middle of the pavement. They asked him if he was alright and if he wanted the ambulance, but when he looked around, it was gone. He drifted off from the conversation. He was safe. James Walde, 8L
Spanish Quiz
Q1
How many letters are in the Spanish alphabet? Scotland is known as what in Spanish? What is the common Spanish food sold on the
Q2
Q3
streets can that be dipped in chocolate called?
Q4
Which letter has a 'tilde' in Spanish?
Q5 Q6
What major city is near the centre of Spain?
What animal do you commonly find on a billboard on a Spanish motorway? What part of Spain recently took a vote for independence? How many countries does Spain border and which countries? What ancient language does most of Spain's language come from?
Q7 Q8 Q9
Q10
How do you say pancakes in Spanish?
Ned Wildgoose Bulloch and Aditya Batla 7C
ANSWERS ON PAGE 19
Dulwich Despatch
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College Life: House of Lords Trip
On Monday 3 rd November I went, along with Lolly Whitney-Low, Alex Kinch, Ben Potter, Henry Walder, Cameron Morais-Jones and Sam Williams, on a tour of the House of Lords. This trip was a reward for winning the Floella Benjamin Junior School Drama prize, so I must congratulate the other boys again. I absolutely loved the trip and every aspect of it – this summary will be too brief to convey all the wonderful parts of the day. Upon arrival, we started our tour by watching the Lords have a debate about the problems caused by air pollution – together with something way above my
head! We also spotted Lord Alan Sugar and were very excited at seeing him on the other side of the room; when we talked to him and shook his hand we were all so enthused that we ran around – almost as if he were Ronaldo—with ‘I’m never going to wash this hand again!’ hollers. Once we had listened to about half an hour of
speeches, arguments and grunts, we came out of the spectating area to meet Baroness Floella Benjamin. She was a very nice lady, who somehow knew
everybody in the building and did enjoy a good chat! She showed us round the beautiful, golden building that the House of Lords is. We looked at the Royal Chamber and where the Queen would enter and put on her crown, her massive throne, the giant halls, the voting desks and even the neighbouring House of Commons. In the House of Commons we listened to an inspirational speech about child abuse. Baroness Benjamin was delighted to tell us that the speech that was given would go down in history, and that meant we were now part of that history. Once the tour had finished Baroness Benjamin treated us to the most delicious afternoon tea. I stuck to hot chocolate but Lolly and the teachers had some apparently ‘very nice’ Earl Grey tea. We had scones with all sorts of jams, sandwiches with at least five different fillings and my personal favourite: the cakes—chocolate cake, sponge cake, raspberry covered ones and tiramisu—all served on an elaborate tray. We concluded the amazing day out by listening to a lovely speech addressed especially to us from Baroness Benjamin. Enthralled, we followed her lead and put our hands on our hearts and repeated each line after her: calls to remember where we came from, and to do our best to make a difference in the world. It was inspiring and touching—but even more so, with her final line… “Because I’m a Dulwich Boy!” I would like to thank Mr Starkey, Mr Quadros and Baroness Floella Benjamin for making this amazing day possible. Max Hamilton, 7C
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Dulwich Despatch
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All you need to know about Vikings!
Are you interested in how the world’s most fierce fighters conquered the UK and how? If you are interested… then read on The Vikings were seafaring Scandinavians engaged in exploring, raiding and trading in waters and lands outside of Scandinavia from the eighth to eleventh centuries. They spoke the Old Norse language that today not many people speak. The Viking age in European history was about AD 700 to 1100. During this period many Vikings left Scandinavia and travelled to other countries, such as Britain and Ireland. Some went to fight and steal treasure. Others settled in new lands as farmers, craftsmen or traders. The Vikings in Britain Southern Britain (England) had been settled by the Anglo-Saxons. In AD 787 three Viking longships landed in southern England. The Vikings fought the local people, then sailed away. This first raid is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. It was the start of a fierce struggle between English and Vikings. The English called the Viking invaders 'Danes' but they came from Norway as well as Denmark. Norwegian Vikings or 'Norsemen' sailed to Scotland, where they made settlements in the north and on the islands of Orkney and Shetland. Vikings also settled on the Isle of Man. Vikings raided Wales, but few made homes there. Why did the Vikings attack monasteries?
In 793 Vikings attacked the Christian monastery at Lindisfarne in Northumbria. They were pagans, not Christians like most people in Britain. A Viking robber did not think twice about robbing a Christian church. Christian monasteries in Britain were easy to attack, because the monks in the monasteries had no weapons. Churches and monasteries kept valuable treasures, such as gold, jewels and books. There were food, drink, cattle, clothes and tools too - tempting for greedy Vikings. Where did Vikings settle? Some Viking ships brought families to Britain looking for land to farm.
Good farmland was scarce in the Vikings' own countries. The parts of Britain where most Vikings settled were northern Scotland and eastern England. For 500 years, from about AD 900, Vikings ruled the north of Scotland, the Orkney and Shetland Isles and the Hebrides islands off the west coast. In Ireland, Vikings founded the city of Dublin. Viking areas in east and northern England became known as the Danelaw. Viking settlements brought new words into the English language, and new ideas about government too. For a short time England had Danish kings (King Cnut and his sons, from 1016 to 1042). How far did Vikings roam? Norwegian Vikings sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean to Iceland and Greenland. About AD 1000, Vikings sailed to North America and started a settlement, though it did not last long. Danish Vikings went to France and founded Normandy ('Land of the North-men'). Danish Vikings also sailed south around Spain, and into the Mediterranean Sea. Swedish Vikings roamed along rivers into Russia. Viking traders could be found as far east as Constantinople (Turkey), where they met people from Africa, Arabia and Asia. Thank you very much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Alex Sicking, 7L
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Sports Appreciation Society: Thursdays LS01
Sports Appreciation Society takes place on Thursdays and starts after Christmas. During this club we discuss various sports and watch videos.
Sports Appreciation Society is a club that includes sports from a wide variety of disciplines; we discuss team activities and those that include one-to-one contests, such as boxing and wrestling. You are probably thinking, why not just go out and take part in sport? But if you appreciate sport, then you will improve too. The club takes place on a Thursday lunchtime and starts when Concert Choir finishes, it is from 1:30 to 2:00 and all are welcome (even Tottenham fans!) We watch videos, have debates and discussions, and, occasionally, we will hold a quiz with treats for those who can correctly answer questions. Gabriel Proctor, 8S
Dulwich Despatch
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Black History Month Talk by Sam Osman
Sam Osman was interested in literature from very early on in her life and spent time reading books and writing to follow her dream and become an author! “As a child I considered myself a swot,” remarked Sam. Her inspiration for books comes mainly from stories she’s heard, places she’s been and her own exciting experiences. She worked on BBC documentaries, and would travel to amazing places and see and experience amazing things. As a child she used to read books by Charlotte Bronte, like Jane Eyre . She was especially inspired by Charlotte as she came from a very poor family and didn’t have the best education, but despite this went on to be an amazing author. When Sam’s father died she didn’t really know him as he lived in Sudan and she in England. When she went over to Sudan for the funeral she became interested in this side of her family after her aunt showed her a picture of her grandfather. This hooked Sam immediately and she started to explore her grandfather’s past. Sam said, “I was interested about his past as it seemed so close and familiar but, at the same time, so alien.” It turned out that even though her grandfather Sam Osman
was a wealthy man, he was illiterate. But now, only two generations later, Sam is making her living as a writer. Sam’s research into Sudanese history was the basis of our Black History Month talk in the Raymond Chandler Library. Sam told us about the ancient Kingdom of Kush which was a civilisation dating back before Egypt and is further south down the River Nile. This civilisation made wonderful and beautiful pottery, jewellery and buildings.
Isis is represented in this gold jewellery
It became very industrial later on as it had iron ore, trees (unlike Egypt, Kush had lush jungle-like vegetation and trees, amazing animals and plants) and water, “and these are what you need for making iron,” Sam told us. The people then developed a smelting industry and because of this a few things occurred. 1. The Kushites made weapons out of iron and so had a military advantage over its opponents and it became very powerful. 2. The smelting created masses of slag, which can still be found today. 3. . Unfortunately, it destroyed the beautiful, lush environment . Kush had masses of gold and iron, so it was often attacked and raided by many other warriors. However, the weapons they had (Continued on page 13)
The tombs of some of the kings of Kush are part of the Meroe archaeological site in northern Sudan.
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developed and made gave them an advantage, and around 727BC the Kushite warriors invaded and ruled Egypt until about 653BC. There were in total seven Kushite pharaohs and they ruled for many years. The smelting, on the other hand, made what is probably the first noticeable contribution to global warming, though not on a global scale. This was because all of the trees they chopped down loosened the soil and the rocks were weathered and became sand. The gathering of iron ore did the same thing as gathering trees and destroyed what had been such a rich and fertile land. So from their own innovation came their own demise! Today it is a barren desert. When Sam Osman has travelled there, she experienced the most scary thing in her life—to avoid being sucked down by the sand, the driver raced at more than 150 mph over the desert sands . Luckily she arrived safely at the Nubian pyramids! ******** On Wednesday 5 th November the writer Sam Osman visited the Raymond Chandler Library. She came to talk about the Nubian empire in relation to Black History Month. Before the main talk there was a lunch for all the members of the Raymond Chandler Book Club. We were able to chat about what she read as a child and also ask some questions. She knew some interesting facts for instance, when she was a child the case of Lord Lucan was quite big news. Lord Lucan was intending to murder his wife but instead murdered the maid. After doing this he fled the house and has never been found for 40 years. She also brought in two Nubian weapons which were very cool. During the talk Sam started describing her studies into the Nubian empire. They were a civilisation that was around at roughly the same time as the Egyptians but pre- Jedidiah Burge Thomas 7L
dated them by a few thousand years. Also they were more powerful both economically and militarily. The reason for this is that they were on a part of the Nile that had massive forests and jungles along its banks. Their lands also included lots and lots of iron and to smelt iron you need water, wood and iron ore. She also talked about the time when Nubia invaded Egypt and created a line of pharaohs called the Black Pharaohs. The most powerful and famous of whom was the Pharaoh Thaka. To give you of an idea of how rich the empire was, they produced the modern day equivalent
Nubian Pharaohs
of $22,000,000,000 worth of gold. She then talked about what inspired her for her books and she said that she talked to someone who had been smuggled through Europe from Afghanistan to England and she said that it had inspired her to possibly write a story about it one day. James Lyon 7W
Dulwich Despatch
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Creative Writing: Oldmere Village
Samantha Lewis is an accountant aged 41 who lives alone in a house larger than the rest, overlooking Mere pond on Market Street. Samantha splits her life in two, detaching her job from her normal life. She keeps her job confidential and little is known about it, her customers know only what she wants them to. She has a few friends but over all her life is quite solitary. One thing Samantha has been successful at is making enemies—Sam, Dudley and George; these are only a fraction of her foes. She enjoys sitting in the tea shop across from the gym zoning out, admiring Andy, the gym manager, and regarding most others with disgust. Samantha has a generic face, concealed behind thick, expertly applied makeup. She ties her jet black hair back in a bun smartly. A tight black blazer semi-covers her white, crisp, ironed shirt. Samantha wears black trousers with fashionable, shiny black high heels, and to complete her strong, city, upmarket look she always has her nails painted, ’ black swan ’. At a closer look you would notice she walks briskly in a small trot or even a gallop. At an even closer look every time Samantha sits she twitches uncontrollably just bellow her left ear. While at the same time shrugging her right shoulder and blinking. If she sits mid-way through her conversation she will even take the time to briefly go through this process before resuming her sentence. This is all incredibly hard to spot as she does all three movements simultaneously. As a child Samantha lived up north on a grim farm with her mother, farher and uncle. She was the youngest of three brothers and four sisters, all of which she loathed. Her parents were drug addicts, her brothers smoked and her sisters were no better than bullies. It was claustrophobic in the mornings and the day was filled with pigsty dung. Dirt and decay filled the air like a sewer, and at night it was cold and damp. Finally, at 18, Samantha Lewis left for university with an OCD for cleanliness. Her childhood left her with an unwelcome habit of needing to point out, in a complaining tone, any imperfection. She has now wiped clean any trace of her northern accent and we are still unsure of how she got from farmer’s daughter to wealthy business woman. Aiken Furlong, 7E ******** My character’s name is Patsy Smith and she lives at Number Eight Low Street in the Eastern part of Oldmere, close to the pretty Mere Pond. She is also the owner of a teashop and delicatessen. Patsy is thirty-eight and a half years of age with a birthday on March the twenty sixth. She is very small of stature compared with most of her friends and other women her age. Features that make Patsy stand out from others are her long lush glistening dark copper red hair and her small upturned freckly nose. She also has light grey eyes with a tint of seaweed green. When she walks she has a tendency to double tap her left foot on the ground and also tap her left thigh with her hand. Patsy sometimes thinks this may be because she is always trying to stop herself from dancing as she walks along, because she loves dancing, it is one of her favourite things. She also likes to run a lot and wear her hair in a swinging ponytail, which bounces against her luminous orange running vest. On the rare occasions when she sits down she cricks her neck to the left. Patsy also likes to greet everyone kindly and doesn’t like rudeness. She always says hullo to people. Patsy came to live in Oldmere sixteen years ago when she was twenty-two. She sort of stumbled across it and decided that she wanted to make it her home. At first, Patsy rented an old house close to an old disused quarry and tried to think of a way to make a living in this quaint charming market town that she had discovered. It was not easy and in the end it took two difficult, and at times disappointing, years to start the business that she now has. Failures included trying to set up a shop in her house and the fact that properties rarely came up for sale, and when they did they were ridiculously expensive. Eventually she found the right house (8, Low Street) and for once things went her way and
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******** Roger Mallerby is an aging antiques dealer with many idiosyncrasies. People describe him as snooty and antisocial, yet he has his reasons. His greatest secret, only ever revealed once, is that he has a severe case of brittle bone disease. He was forced to reveal it when Dudley Bains-Pemberton, a retired general, challenged him as to why he didn’t serve Queen and Country in the war. This was early on in their acquaintance and they have since developed a great friendship. He became difficult to befriend in the early stages of his life when, at school, he was confined to the library during break and sporting activities. This is one of the reasons why he does not like being in loud, crowded areas. He is slightly anxious about physical contact and so this has made it hard for him to develop normal relationships with people and animals. With no siblings, only one cousin in Australia and his parents having died many years ago, and therefore no close blood ties, it is very hard for him to form meaningful relationships and he likes to hide his feelings. His Father’s sister died as a child from an injury caused as a result of the disease and so he feared marriage in case his children inherited the disorder. Bowling is the only sport he participates in as it is non -contact. Additionally, bowls is a silent sport and this appeals to his preference for calm, quiet places. He is rarely angered and feels guilty when he raises his voice as it Patsy doesn’t really have any secrets apart from the fact that she came from a wretched childhood of poverty and unhappiness and her misery was not helped by being constantly beaten by her own parents. Patsy even stole to survive. She would not wish her childhood on anyone. She has never told anyone this, not even her close friends. She is now happy here in Oldmere Town and loves her job and living amongst the local people—Roger Mallerby aside! Luke Butland 7E she became the proud owner of a busy little teashop and delicatessen specialising in Italian meats and fresh breads and pastries. She has to admit to herself, however, a big shortcoming. A personal one. Patsy is driven to blind jealousy by a local man called Roger Mallerby. It was his house that she wanted (Number 28), and it was only because he made a dodgy sneaky deal with the previous owner that he managed to buy the house that Patsy really wanted and she was not able to.
offends his own requirement for calm and serenity, however he recently lost his temper over an incident at the bowling club. His love of art and history developed at an early age when he studied books in the library of his boarding school during break and sports. Having consumed the interesting fiction he was left with a choice of art history books or Latin scriptures and so he chose the former and awoke a life-long passion.
He lives in one of the nicest houses in Oldmere and his large, L-shaped living room holds an extensive collection of historical, artistic literature. He is not renowned for being very kind, but he secretly donates money to the Foot and Mouth Painters’ Association each Christmas. He visits antique fairs twice a week and runs his antiques shop from twelve to four o’clock Monday to Friday. He also visits many museums and old historical residences, in-between running the Bowls Society and dining in elegant restaurants, many of them Michelin starred. He is very intellectual and has a good eye for art. He is not materialistic, though he has a large collection of very beautiful works of art, which he prizes over all his other possessions. Whilst considered antisocial, he is good friends with Dudley Bains- Pemberton and enjoys meeting him at the White Lion Pub. Toby Evans, 7E
Dulwich Despatch
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Clubs and Societies
Scouts: Building an Air Car Building an air car was something that neither of us has ever experienced. Not having used tools and materials like this before we felt excited as there were no restrictions on what we could build. To start off, we agreed on the design of the air car that we were going to build so that we weren’t improvising as we went along, which would make failure more likely. We divided jobs between us so that we weren’t doing the same thing and we could work more quickly. Aiken was assigned to sorting out the motors and the chassis and putting them together using velcro and different joining materials. Jed cut and sanded the car’s balsa wood pieces to exact measurements. Aiken thought that the build was a bit ambitious but we were able to complete it just on time. Jed loved the building of the car and would like to do more projects like this! Our car had a chassis in the shape of a large arrow with 2 motors on the edges of the triangle and one on the tail. With plastic wheels in three corners, that Aiken had fitted brilliantly, the vehicle’s movement was smooth. Overall the vehicle was very light. Aiken felt the car looked alright, but that the raised propeller didn’t look very good. He also thought that we could give it a frame so that it was more aerodynamic, although this would weigh it down. The car, even though we had built it well, didn’t go as well as we would have liked it to as one of the propellers was mounted upside down. This meant that, after being stationary, the car went backwards. Jed thought that if we had tested it out as we built the car, this wouldn’t have happened. We both learnt many things from this experience, such as co-operating with people calmly under time limits. We also learned about aerodynamics, weight and useful tips for building vehicles. Overall this experience has been extremely fun and informative! Jedidiah Burge Thomas, 7L and Aiken Furlong, 7E ******* History Society: Ancient Greece Here is my project which I am presenting at History Club, which meets on Wednesdays. Greece is a mountainous country, made up of a large mainland with islands dotted around it. It
is struck by hot, dry summers; rain only coming in the winter. In Ancient Greece the land was divided into city-states, each one fighting for the best land. Due to this many men had to enlist in the army to fight in these wars. The soldiers had to pay for their own armour, so this meant that the richer soldiers served as well protected infantry units in phalanxes, whilst the poorer soldiers were bowmen and in auxiliary units. Greeks liked their homes to be private, having the windows set high in the walls. In houses there was always an altar for sacrifices to be made on and a statue of the god Hermes at the door to keep away evil. There were lots of gods, and each had a different personality, like Athena, the goddess of war and knowledge. Ancient Greeks also believed that gods were much like humans, as in stories they argued, agreed, fell in love and so on. There were lots of professions in Ancient Greece such as fishing, farming, masonry, blacksmithing and many more. All of these men sold their produce in the nearest town square, where townspeople could buy it.
In early Ancient Greece tyrants held the power, but in some city-states they were driven out and an early form of democracy was set up. It was a forum called the Assembly and it made important decisions. This was not a perfect system, as women, slaves and immigrants were not allowed to make any decisions. Oscar Cunningham 7W
Page 17
Cycling at Herne Hill Velodrome
The Herne Hill Velodrome is a velodrome or track cycling venue in Herne Hill, in south London. It is one of the oldest cycling tracks in the world, having been built in 1891. It hosted the track cycling events in the 1948 Summer Olympics and was briefly the home of Crystal Palace Football Club during World War I. Between 1987, when the track at Paddington Recreation Ground was demolished, and 2011, when the London Velopark for the 2012 Summer Olympics opened, Herne Hill was the only track in London. Nowadays it is home to some of the most prestigious races and competitons. With banking less steep than the 2012 Olympic Velodrome in London, but longer straights; the Herne Hill Velodrome is about 1.4 times longer than the ones used in the Olympics and major competition venues today. This means that Herne Hill is the ideal place to train for stamina based races outside the velodrome, such as the Tour De France - one of the longest cycle races in the world, which races over the
course of a few weeks and sometime thousands of miles. Herne Hill Velodrome is proud to announce that it is the home of one of the greatest modern cyclists of the current age. Bradley Wiggins started his first session at the Velodrome when he was just 8 years old. My coach, an old man who goes by the name of Tony, described him as ‘a small ginger boy that was scared by the track bike and the fact that it had no brakes’. Herne Hill Velodrome coaches are also among the best in the UK, with some of them racing daily in the Velodrome’s more professional competitions. The Velodrome also provides a huge variety of classes for absolute beginners to 19 year old superstars that can go around the 450m track in less than 25 seconds on full sprint.
The Herne Hill Velodrome also runs a newspaper that in March 2014 celebrated its 125 th anniversary. It is called the Herne Hill Daily and has been
published monthly for 125 years and 8 months straight. It was even published during World War I and World War II. It keeps you up to date with all of the latest news like upcoming championships at the Velodrome, class times for a variety of ages, news on the results of previous local, sectional and regional competitions and how people who train at the Velodrome have placed in the contests. It even shows ads for people who are willing to sell bikes, helmets, pieces of cycling kit, handlebar tape, etc. To add on to that, there is a club in the Junior School that allow Year 5’s and Year 6’s to go down to the Velodrome every Thursday after school to train and to make friends and rivals. So for those of you a bit younger reading this, it is a good club to go to and it is the reason why I developed my love for track cycling. I strongly urge you to go to the Herne Hill Velodrome website to check out more info about the club or you can go to one of the starter session holiday clubs held there. Herne Hill Velodrome is located off Burbage Road near Herne Hill. Have fun! Jake Connellan, 7L Table Tennis Club Table tennis club runs on a Tuesday and a Wednesday at 1:30pm. It is really fun and you get to play against each other in matches. Recently Stephen, Jacob and I went there and played King of the Court. In this game there is a King and people have to challenge him. If you lose the first point the next person comes on and challenges the King. If you win the first point you continue and play to three points. If the challenger wins the game then they become the King and the other King becomes a challenger. Another game is called Around The World. Basically you serve and run around the table. The other person then hits it back to your side and you have to make it back in time to return it and vice versa. There are lots of other fun games you can play. Lots of people go, you should too. Eashan Mitra, Jacob Stott and Stephen Liu. 7C
Dulwich Despatch
Page 18
Upcycling: How to save money
Upcycling is the process of converting old or discarded materials into something useful. For example: unravelling a wire clothes hanger to break into your car to rescue your keys does not = upcycling. Whereas stretching out a wire clothes hanger then tying strips of a plastic bag around it to make a wreath = upcycling. This is a 15 windowed white wooden door that is no longer in use. While a normal person will think to recycle it, why not upcycle it? Recycling takes this door and breaks it, to produce something of a lesser quality. When you upcycle, you’re not breaking the door but refashioning it to a similar or better quality than the original. A door’s life can be saved to be reused for a different job. As you can see opposite, what a great effect upcycling this door has had. The door now has been transformed onto a wall with 15 photos that you can admire behind the 15 windows. Also, it has 5 hooks that can be used to hang up coats. I love this as now you don’t have to go and show people your dusty book of photos but just look at the wall.
Perfect!
Janoshan Manoharan 7E
My First Day In Year 7 at Dulwich College Like a constant, beating drum, my hammering heart was pounding. 6! I had to wake up at. 6.00a.m!!! It was the first day, the start of my new school life; my new environment; my new friends and also my new teachers. Setting foot on the Dulwich soil, I was proud now to be an Alleynian. Waving my mum away after a flood of kisses, hugs and ‘good luck’ wishes, I feared I was
going to be isolated. Lots of groups of boys standing around talking, I couldn’t decide which one to join. In addition to that, what was I supposed to say? What am I supposed to do? Just then, a boy, Niall, started chatting and walked along with me just like we knew each other before. Glancing around this gigantic maze, I found smiling teachers and friendly faces from my form which seemed very friendly. I knew I’d be with these same friends for seven years together, it was like building another sort of family. After a welcoming introduction from Mr Scarisbrick and Mr Middleton in the Edward Alleyn Theatre, I sprinted to meet my new form, 7E, and teacher, Mr Trevill. We were 22 boys with nearly everyone from different primary schools. Having a brief chat with my lively form, I then met everyone in the team-building challenge. This was a really good way to get to know everyone. We were all encouraged to work together and share our ideas and we showed lots of enthusiasm for the tasks. We all had different skills and we worked together. I knew Year 7 was going to be difficult, with challenges and surprises to be met. However, with good friends, I knew that there would be fun every step of the way. I was ready for Year 7.
At the end of the first day, I couldn’t stop smiling. Everything had gone so well and I was happy with my form, I hoped my time during the Lower School will continue like this first day. There is nothing better in life than the anticipation of knowing fun is on its way… Janoshan Manoharan, 7E
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Blue Plaque for Raymond Chandler’s House Recently, I was lucky enough to represent the College at a college-related event about
a well-known and appreciated Old Alleynian, Raymond Chandler. A Blue Plaque was being unveiled by English Heritage at the house of his uncle, where Chandler lived whilst he studied at Dulwich College. The award was for his contribution to literature with his detective stories. Raymond Chandler began writing in his fifties, after the oil company he was working for went bust. He created what is nowadays known as the ‘hard-boiled’ detective. His central character, Philip Marlowe, always appears laid back, even in dangerous situations. Chandler was at Dulwich only four years after P.G Wodehouse. The headmaster at
Blue Plaque for Raymond Chandler’s Home whilst he attended Dulwich
the time, Arthur Herman Gilkes, was a Classics enthusiast and this influenced Chandler. Philip Marlowe seems to have his own code of chivalry which may well be derived from tales of classical heroes. He never
fights women, or acts in any unpleasant way towards them; whereas with men he will often ignore them or even fight them if he has to. There were speeches from several people including Miss Akrill, an English Teacher, and Dr Spence, The Master. The speeches gave me a much better and deeper understanding of not only Raymond Chandler’s life and the kind of man he was, but his writing too and how his life flowed into his books. It was an interesting
Boys from the Raymond Chandler Library represented the College
and historic event and I felt privileged to have been a part of it. I would definitely recommend books by Raymond Chandler (e.g. Trouble is my Business) for people aged 12 upwards. They are slowly worked up, with moments of excitement, and are a great read. Louis Wilson, 8W
ANSWERS TO SPANISH QUIZ on page: 7 A1
A7 A8
Cataluña.
There are 27 letters in the Spanish alphabet including the ñ
Spain borders five countries which are the UK (Gibraltar), Andorra, Portugal, Morocco and France.
A2 A3 A4 A5 A6
In Spanish Scotland is Escocia. These delicacies are called Churros.
A9 Spanish is mostly originated from Latin and Arabic. A10 Pancakes in Spanish are panqueques although they are also known as crepes and tortitas.
ñ, the 15th letter, has a tilde.
Madrid is the city in the centre of Spain.
A picture of a black bull is often sited on the motorway.
Dulwich Despatch
Page 20
Creative Writing Homeless Man at Christmas
We'd enjoyed a hearty Christmas feast and stepped out for a walk in the neighbourhood. I was walking down the cobbled street with my parents when I saw him in the distance. He was slouched in the corner rotting away. The thin figure was like a broken skeleton with cobwebs all over his face. He sat there crumpled and lifeless. His face was filled with years of pain and disappointment. He looked dejected, shattered and alone, with only his memories for company. It was like he was lost in another dimension. This dull person was drained of all hope, deep in thought, trying to chase all those years gone by, hoping to get his life back. I walked towards him to give him some money so he could buy a hot meal. Nobody should be alone on Christmas Day! He glared at me with piercing eyes that terrified me. They were as dark as coal. He then stared at the ground with those sad eyes. He had lines on his forehead from a constant frown. His face was as pale as chalk and full of wrinkles. Long, unkempt hair covered his face and made it hard for me to see his all features. I could see he was a tall man, with high cheekbones. He appeared weak and could barely move since his white shoulders were so rigid. His clothes hung like a sack on his thin bones. The shirt he wore looked more like an ill-fitting dress which hung down to his legs. It was full of dust, and small patches had been ripped off. His trousers had holes in them and looked terribly old and worn. He was a lost tramp, fighting his way through pain. He looked fragile and I felt that a strong draught of wind would probably blow him over. His veins protruded on his swollen fingers. All his fingers were bent and crooked. His hands were twisted and stretched until he could barely move them. When he spoke, his voice sounded like an old, croaky frog. He had a low voice and I could barely make out what he was saying. I felt sad for this man. I was heartbroken at his loneliness. Yet he had something special and powerful. Something that was unique. I tried hard to decipher what it was but could not tell. What was this man doing here on this street? How did he end up here? Did he once have a warm and inviting home? Did he have a family, people who loved him and with whom he celebrated many Christmases gone past? And in that moment I felt so blessed to have my family walking there beside me. Ronit Nair, 8L Peace turned his head around his surroundings, he was bound up, and could hear the faint whispers of people around him. He turned his head and saw two people on his left and right, both of them were grimacing at him and spitting on the ground. Peace tried to talk but he wasn’t able to. His eyes bulged in fear. “So Peace…” Said the girl to his right, grinning wickedly from cheek to cheek. “Where were you yesterday at 9 o’clock?” Peace’s eyes bulged a bit more as his mind raced through the past few days and what had happened. His mouth gag was cut and he started to breathe heavily. “I was at my house with a friend...” He said, starting to cough loudly. The boy to his left put a hand towards his mouth, before smiling and laughing underneath it in a maniacal way, like a mad scientist who had just made the greatest discovery of all time. Peace looked upwards. His eyes hit against the wall of the room above him. Slowly he turned his head around the surroundings again, and again, and again, trying to find something that could signal where they were. His eyes shifted towards a bleach bottle that was on PCF—Perfect Crime Friends Inspired by the series in Bakuman that Mashiro and Akito make together which in itself is a manga.
(Continued on page 21)
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