The Alleynian 709 2021

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THE ALLEYNIAN 709

VALETE

V A L E T E TREVOR LLEWELYN JOHN CARN E L L E Y N I G E L P R O U T CAROLINE MEDLAND BUDDHIKA KULATUNGE J A N E B R I G G S D A V I D F L O W E R R O R Y B R Y A N T ANNIKA LASCELLES MATTHEW POYNTER B R U C E I N G R A M D A R I O D U O J O E H A L L A M MA LCO LM COCKS EMILY COLLINS-MCINTYRE J O R DA N A N N E T T A N D Y I N G L I S

TREVOR LLEWELYN

Ali Henderson

Trevor’s journey at DC started in 1972 when he joined as a first year pupil. He worked hard, earning a place at St John’s, Cambridge to read Geography, and also developed his love of athletics. Trevor still holds the DC record for the high jump (2.07m), and shortly after he left school he competed for Great Britain at the Eight Nations Games in Tokyo, jumping 2.15m; he represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982 and jumped a personal best of 2.20m in Crystal Palace. He was also president of the Cambridge University Athletics Club, but as he is not one to blow his own trumpet, surprisingly few colleagues would be aware of these aspects of his life. After leaving Cambridge, Trevor continued to pursue his high jump whilst teaching at Haberdashers’ Aske’s in Elstree, before coming back to the bosom of DC where he introduced himself to David Rose. Like many Geography teachers, he has more than one string to his bow and it was an invitation back to Cambridge to do some coaching that led to a wonderful intertwining of his dual passions of Geography and athletics. His success at both these pursuits might have something to do with his natural ability to break up complex movements and ideas into manageable and understandable chunks. Early coaching successes with Emika Udechuku OA were followed by multiple trips to Commonwealth, European and World Championships with Ben Challenger and Samson Oni. The reward for all this hard work was the opportunity to see for himself so many parts of the world he was bringing to life in the classroom. He also developed a sideline in conducting fitness training for the Rugby Premiership referees, and running seminars for British Athletics coaches. To perform as an international athlete requires absolute dedication and focus, and throughout his 35 years at the College, Trevor has been unwavering in his dedication to the education of Alleynians. As a passionate and enthusiastic member of the department, he brought new teaching styles

with him, and from ‘Meg D’ to AQA and CIE he has always been absolutely dedicated to ensuring that the highest quality of teaching has been offered to his students, even if, at times, that meant reverting to some robust ‘chalk and talk’. Whilst never one to reinvent the wheel, Trevor lives by the mantra, ‘if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right’, and he has demanded this approach not only from all his students, but also from all of the Geographers who have worked with him. In 1998 Trevor took over from Steve Hoyle as Head of Geography and had to manage a department which included a huge variety of teachers, from those youthful and inexperienced colleagues comfortable with computers to the steady hand of David Rose and the free spirit of Maggie Jarman. Always at the top of his agenda was ensuring the best quality teaching. A move from the top of the North Block afforded Trevor an opportunity to watch the ebb and flow of DC life from the window of the new South Block office. He even took time to chat to the builders as The Laboratory slowly rose. For those who have worked with him, the corner of that office will seem a very empty place next year as ‘Big T’ vacates the best seat in the house. As Head of Department, Trevor made the office a welcoming and friendly base. The end of term often saw him in there cooking scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, and his doughnuts are legendary. The Geography Office is a special place, and all who depart leave a small item stuck to the wall. The trouble is, only Trevor has ever been able to reach up there, so we are slightly fearful of what he will leave behind. He has taken a genuine pride in mentoring new colleagues, many of whom have gone on to be very successful in their own right. We may still need him to come back each year to remind us how to teach Adiabatic Lapse Rates and Latent Heat. Our small pocket of humanity has been an important part of his life, and

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