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T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 8<br />
'The Elusive Smith'<br />
My Dear Hon. Editor<br />
14th August 2013<br />
dwest@iinet.net.au<br />
Tel. 0417928028<br />
My good pal Doug West, living in Perth<br />
WA for the last thirty years, wishes to<br />
know if anyone can shed any light upon<br />
the Old Stationer named below:<br />
GERRY SMITH started at Stationers' in<br />
1953 almost certainly continued into the<br />
6th form. Big bloke, 6ft tall and sported a<br />
crew cut. Good sportsman and main<br />
outside school sport was Ice Hockey at<br />
Harringay. Joined and enjoyed CCF. Has<br />
never been an OSA member.<br />
Best Wishes<br />
Alan<br />
There is no doubt that Gerry Smith stayed on<br />
to the Sixth Form. Magazine Vol.XLVII<br />
No.3 December 1960 gives his achievements<br />
as being awarded a State Scholarship in<br />
Summer 1960 in Applied Mathematics and<br />
Chemistry; one of eleven in the U6 awarded a<br />
State Scholarship that year – the highest<br />
achievement by any year, I believe, for the<br />
number of State Scholarships. The names of<br />
the other high achievers for this qualification<br />
were: R.D.Andrews (m,am); R.Brown<br />
(el,gn); A.Cooper (m,c); P.W.Critten (el,l);<br />
R.Harris (m,am); G.A. Mears (m,am);<br />
R.J.S.Muir (l,f ); A.F.Nafzger (h,l); E.<br />
Secemski (m,am); G.A.Smith (am,c);<br />
B.M.Wehrfritz (m,am). Two of these were<br />
not of the 1953-60 year group, so there were<br />
actually nine of this year group, as Robert<br />
Harris was in the Lower Sixth gaining a<br />
State Scholarship – a remarkable achievement<br />
and George Mears was in the third year sixth.<br />
Overall in this year group, 1953-1960, more<br />
than a third gained two or more Advanced<br />
Levels; and probably there were only<br />
approximately 35-40 pupils in the sixth form,<br />
as a number of able pupils in this year group<br />
who could have stayed on to the sixth forrm,<br />
left at the end of the fifth form to enter the<br />
professions with five or more O levels.<br />
To date of this 1953-1960 year group, Ralph<br />
Batchelor; Robert Brown, Anthony Cooper,<br />
David Cox; Pierre Essaye; Keith Fielder;<br />
John Geering; Alan Green; Wyndham<br />
Griffiths; Michael Hasler; James Hayman;<br />
David Metcalf; Alan Nafzger; Peter Redman;<br />
Anthony Richards; Ernest Russell; Chris<br />
Seabrook; Ian Snelling; Brian Stovey; Geoff<br />
Tapping; Tony Taylor; Richie Tyley, are one of<br />
the larger year groups of members, with 22<br />
members of the Old Stationers' Association. It<br />
Article from 'Drive' AA Magazine, new year 1969<br />
is interesting that this group is yet to have a<br />
Reunion, considering its tremendous success<br />
on the Football Field at Winchmore Hill<br />
between 1953 and 1960 and its brilliant<br />
Academic Record at Stationers'!<br />
There are often requests from offspring for<br />
details of parents or grandparents whom they<br />
know to have died but have become interested<br />
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