 |
AOSA ANNUAL
REPORT 2001 - NEWS OF OLD SCHOLARS |
|
 |
[Page five] |
|
|
|
MATT NEWTON (1944-53) has retired to the Torquay area. He still works one day a week and is kept fairly busy with golfing and gardening interests as well as entertaining his five grandchildren. Matt sees SHON WILLIAMS (1945-51) occasionally; Shon is the current Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and has another year in this post before retirement. AUDREY DAVIES (SEDDON 1944-51) says: ‘my year has been dominated by our term spent at Pendle Hill in Pennsylvania. It was an interesting experience but we don’t feel we were very useful. It did allow us to have holidays with friends in beautiful Vancouver Island before term and with DOREEN (1942-46) in Toronto afterwards. Doreen also visited us for two days in Pendle Hill and likewise Alan’s sister and her husband during a holiday. Our elder son studying in Cincinnati came for Thanksgiving. Margaret and David Gray came to teach short courses on Shakespeare whilst we were there, both they and JOHN and MARY READER have filled the same post in the past. One interesting experience, which I would rather not have had, was with the medical service. I fell on my hand, which meant an X-ray on my wrist and I then cut my thumb preparing yams for Thanksgiving. This latter involved an ambulance ride to ‘emergency’ (did it really resemble ‘ER’?) Both cases were dealt with efficiently but with considerable expense and much paperwork. We now look forward to getting back to a normal retired life with our pets and visits to our family.’ 1944-55 – The last time my class group met, four years ago (in Ingleby Greenhow), we promised ourselves to meet again in the summer of 2000 to celebrate the new millennium together in the Ayton area. We did not know then that the school would close the following year, nor did we know that ARTHUR GRAINGE (1946-52) who was the driving force behind us all getting together in the first place, all those years ago, would be chosen as the Association’s President for the first year of the new millennium. Although we were not so large a group this time, the turnout was still impressive and over the course of the weekend, the following people made the journey to Ayton to see the changes wrought by Wimpey and to help Arthur celebrate his Presidency: MIKE and Barbara ADAM, TONY and Beryl BROWNE, BILL COATES, PETER WAKE, DOROTHY DAWSON (EASTON) our immediate Past President, DAVE and Shirley FISH, DICK DENNIS, GILL JACKSON (HINDS), ELIZABETH PEARSON (WRIGHTSON), DEBBIE (ROBINSON) and Dave McMURDO, BIDDY STAINSBY (BROWN), GILLIAN GLASPER (CORNFORTH), JOAN HAWORTH (ROBINSON) and Julio Donoso, JOHN and Margaret FOTHERGILL, BRIAN and Marion HINTON, BRIAN WINN, PAT and Ken JOWETT, SYLVIA TAYLOR (BUCKLE) and Don Pagel, BRIAN SMITH, SHEILA WRIGHTSON (MANSHIP) and her brother TOM (1941-44), HARRY and Susan SNALAM, LOUIS and Doris TROTTER, ANN (THOMPSON) and Brian GALE, MARGARET CARNEGIE (WILKINSON), ANNE WHITE (McCUNE), HELEN WATSON (WOOLLAM), JOAN (BOYNTON) and Tony WAKEFIELD, MARGARET CHESTER, BERYL QUEEN (GOOD-FELLOW) and her brother ALAN (1952-57). It was lovely to see them all again. During the course of the Saturday evening barbecue, Harry Snalam gave me more details of the World War II fighter plane fuel tanks which he and Bill Coates and others converted into a ‘boat’? in which they messed about on the beck, and which IAN CORNFORTH (1951-58) mentioned in his letter to me last year. After an unsuccessful attempt to make a raft out of old oil drums and pieces of wood, Harry and Bill came across the tanks in the yard of Barking Dog Farm. Brian Winn’s uncle who owned the farm allowed the ‘lads’ to work on the tanks at his farm until they were ready to be transported, via the beck to the school grounds. None of the staff at school was aware of what they were up to. (Now there’s a surprise!) When they put in some old piping to act as the keel, it caused a leak. Bill and Harry had permission to use the boats at school but on the provisos that they kept strictly to the beck above high dam and that only third formers and above were allowed to use these craft. One night, the two of them crept out after ‘lights out’ and pushed one of the boats through the sluice gates so that they could row on the lake. It was so dark that they could only see by the light of their cigarettes. They made it back to the dorm without being caught and were impressed with their cleverness at getting away with the escapade. However, next morning, in the cold light of day, it was obvious that someone had been out during the night , for the boat had pushed the weed to one side and there was a clear pathway in the water for all to see. I believe they both received a severe carpeting for their pains! PAT FROSINI (SCAIFE 1947-53) was not able to make the reunion as she and Quinto were away on holiday at the time. They moved house in October, but, I understand, are just down the road from their previous home in Casal Palocco near Rome, which has been taken over from them by their daughter, Daniela. JILL (CLEGG 1947-55) and David NAYLOR had another very busy year when, apart from their many family and church commitments, they travelled to Provence and Gran Canaria (flying from Humberside Airport, which is very close to home.) In September they went to Paris to attend the wedding of the daughter of David’s penfriend: ‘ The meal lasted from 9pm until 4.30 am – you need stamina to cope with any French celebrations.’ … ‘We enjoyed two reunions, Thorne Grammar School (David’s) and we went to Knaresborough for a reunion with my Leeds’ College friends.’? Jill and David’s summer church commitments clash with our summer reunion, so they have only once been able to join us in June. |
|
|
Go to: Late Teens - 1920s - 1930s - 1940s |
||