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NEWS OF OLD
BRUTONIANS 2004/5
1939
John REES (O39/43) David Graham (O60/65)
writes: “A lunch at the Goring Hotel in London
in honour of John Rees (OB and much
respected former housemaster of Old) was
held on January 17th, 2005 by prefects from
his first intake of new boys in 1960. Marcus
Hill, David Graham, Nari Mehta and Philip
Mitchell attended. It was, in John’s words, ‘a
truly memorable day’, even if slightly marred
by a search party being raised and coordinated
by John’s daughter (with whom he
was staying) when he failed to arrive back in
time for a late dinner! Marcus, on the other
hand, returned to Dorset on the milk train out
of London, arriving home at 0200 the
following morning, having found it difficult to
extract himself from the party – evidence of a
very happy and enjoyable day.”
1948
Dudley MAFFEY (O48/53) wrote in October
2004 that “after a delay of almost exactly fifty
years, I have been awarded the General
Service Medal for service in the Intelligence
Corps in the Suez Canal Zone early 1954 – 1955
during my two year stint of National Service.
Now retired, my wife Anita and I spend the
greater part of our time at our apartment in
Cornwall.”
1949
John DOWNING (P49/50) was interested to
hear that King’s CCF were to be based at
Penhale Camp in July 2004 as it adjoins his
land.
John MONRO (N49/52). Now a widower, Rob
visited the UK in 2003 where 3 of his 4 children
are married, living and working; he hopes he
might visit Bruton on his next holiday.
1951
John ROBERTS (N51/54) writes from India that
after studying History at Exeter he worked in
the Middle East as the Audio Visual Aids
Officer for Kuwait University and later set up
a complete language training school for their
Ministry of Defence. Whilst there he was able
to take holidays riding across Afghanistan,
play Bush Kashi (the real Mogul game of polo)
in a village side near Mazari Sharief, make the
Hajj to Mecca and Medina disguised as a Turk
in 1970 and walk through the mountains of
North Yemen when it was first opened to the
world in 1973. He also spent time in Africa as
a TV cameraman, colonial policeman, hunter
and mercenary and has written a book about
his first four years there My Congo Adventure.
He returned to Europe in 1981 to run a
business based at Blandford that enabled him
to return to the East on buying trips. He has
been married thrice to Persian, English and
Indian wives and has three children, His
Persian daughter is married to a Turk from
Azarbyjan in Iran and has a son. His
daughter Azita has inherited the family spirit
of adventure by fighting with her mother in
the Iraq/Iran war for the Iraqis against the
Ayatollah, before escaping Saddam Hussein’s
clutches and returning to Iran through the
mountains of Kurdistan, all at the age of 16.
She now hopes to train for the Metropolitan
Police at Hendon.
John remains active, recently driving around
Java, Malaya and Thailand and taking daily
trips into the Indian traffic to try and outdo
the worst driving in the world. After his life
abroad John had lost contact with those with
whom he endured the luxuries provided by
the 'Bruton Hilton', as he describes it. Years not
wasted as the regime provided the ability to
survive anywhere and eat anything, including
survival in third world jails. John hopes to
revive contact with the following New House
OBs (51/55) Jeremy HEWLETT, John ABBOT,
Finn McCORMICK, Christopher and Alistair
ROOTH, Ian GIRVAN, Thomas OLIVER.
1952
Peter CANNING (52/57) began his RAF Officer
Training in January 1958 at the RAF College,
Cranwell after which he was commissioned
into the then Secretarial Branch in December
1960. He retired from the RAF in August 1993
a few months before the mandatory
retirement age of 55 in March 1994. From
then until he achieved the status of OAP in
March 2004 he was one of 9 Senior Career
Liaison Officers in the RAF Careers
Information Service. This was an
appointment for a “Retired Officer”, actually a
Civil Servant, and involved liaison with
schools and universities in South Wales and
the West Midlands.
For the last 14 years he and Diana (nee Sale)
have lived in Hempsted on the outskirts of
Gloucester, and there they plan to stay. Peter
writes that, 3 months into retirement, it is
good to have control of one’s own programme.
He does voluntary work of a listening nature,
he walks the dogs, he gardens and is checked
out on the Dyson.
Since retirement he has been a paying
customer in the hands of Simon CANNING
(ex-Hazlegrove and O81/86) who is developing
a business in Cheltenham as a Personal
Fitness Trainer. A strange role reversal for
Canning Snr when, on entering into banter
(i.e. complaining) about weights and reps
demanded, is told by son to get on with it and
not answer back.
Peter and Diana would like very much to hear
from any OBs who are in, or passing,
Gloucester (there are 2 easy routes via nearby
M5 exits). Tel: 01452 310221
David COVEY-CRUMP (P52/56) writes that he
“was interested to see the words of the
Carmen Brutoniense. I remember singing it
with great enthusiasm, if less comprehension
despite the place Latin had in the curriculum
in those days. Contrary to what is printed, I do
recall an ‘Insignis nobis laudamus’ before the
final ‘Floreat Brutonia’of the chorus. The
‘Fausta tendamus vela’ shown instead, is
unfamiliar.
Is there anyone out there to support, or
condemn my memory? Perhaps the Song
deserves an additional stanza to record
recovery from its ‘demise in the 70’s’.
As for myself, I have now just retired, after 20
years in the Royal Navy Weapons Electrical
Branch, followed by 27 in Industry.
The time in Industry was mainly in software
engineering, but lately drafted to Quality
Assurance on a poacher/gamekeeper basis.”
NEWS OF OLD BRUTONIANS
1953
David MOORE (O53/58) was pleased to have
news of Mary Tyndall and writes that “her
occasional tea for the boys was always a nice
oasis in the hustle and bustle of Old House
during her husband John’s stewardship.” His
own mother, Rosemary (nee Burrough) who
was Matron of Old House, has survived her
brothers Charles (O21/26) and Dick (O21/27)
and is “now living in Oxon. with help but still
very much on the go.” Their father William
Burrough was a Governor of King’s and
Coroner for North Somerset
1955
John MOLE (O55/60) was a guest of the
Writers’ Union of Romania in September 2004.
He also received an honorary doctorate from
the University of Hertfordshire and his book,
Counting the Chimes: New & Selected Poems
1975-2003 has just been published.
Robert TRAILL (N55/59) writes from Cape
Town where he has been in contact with
Nicholas EVELYN (L56/59), formerly Junior
Warden of the School, who is the Conservative
Agent for the Bridgwater Constituency and is
also standing for the Somerset County Council.
1956
Richard PALMER (O56/59) has recently retired
and, after living in Southern Spain for three
years, has returned to Cornwall. [See changes
of address list]
Paul YOUNG (N56/60) is looking forward to a
healthy retirement in the Cotswolds to enjoy
many beneficial walks with his wife and
standard brown poodle. [See changes of
address list]
1960
David GRAHAM (O60/65) LAB International,
the company owned and managed by David
and his two sons, Daniel (O84/89) and
Tresham (O87/92), acquired a majority
interest in The Pfunda Tea Company of
Gisenyi, Rwanda in November 2004. The
factory and estate, which presently
manufactures 1.2 million kgs per annum of
excellent tea (amongst the very best in all
Africa), are the first to be privatised by the
Government under their privatisation strategy
for the industry, an important milestone in
rebuilding the country after the genocide. The
acquisition gives depth and vertical
integration to the existing bulk tea-trading
and value-added packing operations of the
Company in Mombasa and London.
Meanwhile, David has also been
masterminding the Old Brutonian Golf
Society. Its inaugural meeting was at Trevose
Golf and Country Club, North Cornwall on
Friday, April 22nd and the second meeting will
be at Woking Golf Club in Surrey on
September 30th, 2005. Anyone interested
should contact David on DG@LABUK.net for
further details.
1961
Malcolm WATTS (L61/62) writes that
following a 31 year career in the RAF and a
further 10 years in various IT and business
management roles, he has now retired from
Bradford & Bingley plc and retreated to Jersey
where he hopes to mix sea, sand and project
management. [See change of address list]
OLD BRUTONIAN ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER 2005 23