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Wigton Old Scholars’ Association |
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July 2002 Reunion - Outgoing President's Address by David Yates: "But be not afraid of greatness, some men are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them." Thus wrote William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. I have absolutely no doubt that I fall squarely into the last category. A surprise late evening phone call from the persuasive voice of Peter Kurer and the deed was done. "El Presidento" for 2002. In the tradition of the annual Presidential Address I shall share with you, briefly, a few of my personal experiences and observations. My boarding school career got off to a completely false start. I was consigned to Wigton from Preston station on 29th April 1942 at the tender age of eight, under the care of elder brother John. Having safely arrived at the School, along with my trunk, within a few days I was diagnosed, by the school doctor Dr Dolan, as suffering from diphtheria which necessitated my immediate removal from the school by ambulance to an isolation hospital at Cleator Moor for a month spent mainly lying on my back having regular, rather unpleasant swabs taken from my throat. It seemed a long sentence as I only had a soldier as companion for a short time and was otherwise the sole occupant of the hospital! On discharge I was on light duties - no lessons - just picking gooseberries etc in the company of the Matron. That was term No 1. Because I moved to Leighton Park School in Reading my time at Brookfield was very much at the beginning of my formal education as I left there in 1947 aged thirteen; so this address will not be prolonged. However, my memories of this period are fairly clear if not nearly as impressive in detail as many of the recollections of previous occupants of the Presidential chair. Certain facts which 1 learned then have proved to be of inestimable value in later life - particularly the fact that 1000 pence equal £4.3.4, which was learned with the assistance of Freddy Bell's eloquent ruler! I wonder now whether it could still help the European Commission with its budgetary calculations! On more serious note I owe a debt gratitude to Gwen Ashford who, in spite of my poor attempts to learn the piano, made a lasting impression with her introductions to Morning Reading. The help of the radiogramme taught me instantly to recognize the 'sound bites', long before Classic FM, Greig - Peer Gynt Suite, Mozart - Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, Mendlesohn - Songs Without Words etc and this has been of lasting value ever since. Whilst on a musical note I remember sneaking into the hall to listen to Hans Kurer playing Schubert's Impromptus on the school piano - what a talent - Opus 90 no 3 is still my favourite piano music. Conditions were undeniably austere. There was a war on and anybody who has studied the history of World War II will know that 1943 was probably the lowest point of the war. In the first six months 477,000 tons shipping were sunk with the loss of only twelve U-boats in the North Atlantic and along with the war in the air the pressures on the country were tremendous. However, pre-empting the rocket-propelled weaponry being developed by Dr Werner Von Braun, research on ballistic missiles was well under way at Brookfield. It was discovered by a team of you scientists that margarine (yellow/green in colour and disgusting to eat) could, by projection off the end of a knife inserted in a dining table with precision, be propelled vertically at colossal speed, and I was amazed and gratified, some ten years later on returning to the school, that the grease spots were still there! At the same time as Dr Barnes Wallis was developing the bouncing bomb a small team led by Dr Paul Graham was damming the beck for strategic purposes. Water canon nowadays used for riot control was equalled, as an offensive weapon, unscrewing the top of a Bunsen burner and connecting its rubber hose to a water tap in the chemistry lab. Not, I hasten to add, when C. B. Marshall was taking the lesson but with some of his milder deputies. However all this stuff about military conflict is not in keeping with the Quaker ethic. Walking in crocodile to Sunday morning Meeting and sitting quietly for what seemed an age was certainly not appreciated by us at the time but the value of having time for reflection becomes more apparent in later life. I can also identify well with many of Avril's reflections of last year – the murky swimming pool, the bread and dripping basket etc. Did the deprivations and the discipline do us any harm? I think not, weighed against the knee-jerk reactions of today's generation. Before I sit down I feel I must pay tribute to the team of stalwarts, who I am not going to name, who have kept this organization and reunion going over the years with such diligence. Those of us who, for various reasons, have not returned as regularly as we might should be grateful to those who have kept things going. Of course the organization may be something of an anachronism in this day and age but whilst it has a spirit of purpose and there is a younger generation prepared to take office and give the Association a worthwhile future - long may it, and all of us, continue. Thank you for listening and for your support. President David Yates sat down to enthusiastic applause from the floor and the meeting continued with reports from various officers. |
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July 2002 Attendance List (75): Jill & Tony Kemp, Tony & Rene Goodfellow, Archie Rankin, Ron & Mary Robinson, |
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September 2002 Reunion - Carlisle. |
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