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T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 8 Duncan was born in Hertfordshire and attended Verulam School in St. Albans before going on to Southampton Solent University as a prelude to a successful career in business development for companies operating, most recently, in the sphere of geological and land use mapping with The Geo lnformation Group which is a private company that 'specialises in the provision of maps in the form of accurate and high quality image databases. These include aerial, Hi-Res, 3-D and historical maps for the professional market, Beccy and Duncan both enjoyed the more conventional form of secondary education that will be familiar to those of us who went to Horney High or Stationers' in past generations. Their successful careers since have proved the value of "our" kind of schooling! The Couple's home is in Hackney where there is access to many pubs, theatres and restaurants which both enjoy. They cycle the streets of London, often using Boris bikes to get around. The old Stationers John Macara, school years 1928 -1938, was born and brought up at 20 Denton Road opposite the lower school gate -convenient for cocoa at morning break. Never late! John entered the lower prep, under the guidance of the renowned Miss Preston, and then moved to the upper prep, where his education was governed by Miss Sherrington and John then became form captain of Form I for the first year of Beaky Davis, who needed to be taught the traditions! John needed three attempts to matriculate because of poor French teaching. He read telecommunications at City and Guilds, Imperial College, then moved on into the RAF as Technical Signals Officer for five years; where his responsibilities included such exciting places as the Normandy Beachead, Germany, India. School sparked an interest in History which continues to this day. Sadly, none of John's school friends who went into the RAF aircrew survived the war. In the aftermath of the war, people went in different directions and many contacts were lost. John played for the OSFC but gave up on marriage in 1948. He became a Chartered Patent Agent and founded Mathisen Macara & Co., which continues strongly and successfully today. John retired in 1983 to take up cruising. He now lives in Beaconsfield. John has welcomed Duncan, and Andy and the rest of the Forrow family to the McGregor Clan, best known (besides John Macara's membership) for Rob Roy and a long history of cattle thieving. John knew immediately upon meeting Duncan that he would fit in very well with the clan! Andy Forrow was at Stationers from 1960-1967, a member of Meredith House, mentored by Joe Symons and Stan Reid at the peak of their careers. Like John Macara, he had played football for the OSA 7thand 8thXl's before retiring upon his marriage, in 1971. Andy studied Business & Marketing at The City/Sir John Cass Business School before a long career in the pharmaceutical industry. He has been a Member of the OSA since the mid-1980s when introduced by Old Stationer Mike Challis, (1945-1951). Mike was Uncle to his wife Sue and Great Uncle to Duncan and his Brother and Sisters. Andy served on the Committee of the OSA for many years, including several as Treasurer, before "selection" as President in 1998 (there being no other non-Past Presidents around the table when the vote was taken!) Both families are proud of their association with the School and the OSA, just as they are proud of the excellent young couple who are now Husband and Wife! Congratulations, Duncan & Beccy, and good luck, "as far as you roam!" Footnote: * (at least one precedent for this happy occasion being the wedding of the Son, Andrew, of Ray Perrolls (1932-1935) to the Daughter of John Wilkins 1943-1948) REVoLuTioNARY CHANGES iN YoRKSHiRE In the light of the decision of the General Synod agreeing on the 9th July 2013 to diocesan reorganisation in the dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield, even though Wakefield diocesan synod had voted against it, this would mean that the Right Reverend Stephen Platten (pictured) would no longer be the Bishop of Wakefield, after April 2014. 'Mentor bishop' for Yorkshire Church Times, November 15th, 2013 A former Bishop of Southwark, Dr Tom Butler, has been appointed by the Archbishop of York as a 'mentor bishop' to give advice to John Tuckett, who is directing the creation of the new diocese of West Yorkshire & the Dales. Dr Butler retired in 2010, and lives in Wakefield. Bradford diocesan synod has given its consent for him to become Acting Diocesan Bishop during Bishop Baines' sabbatical, from February to April, when the new diocese comes into being. The Right Reverend Stephen Platten is to be Rector of St. Michael's, Cornhill Church, City of London and an honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of London. Stephen will take up his position at St. Michael's in July, 2014. This in addition to his new post as Chair of The Central Hall at the University of York where the Synod sits the Hymns Ancient and Modern Charitable Trust which he will assume at the end of January. We send you our good wishes, Stephen, as Rector in St.Michael's, Cornhill and look forward to enjoying your presence as clergyman in the family of City of London Churches. Ed. 28
T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 8 A TuRNiNG PoiNT City New Year Service -St Michae1, Cornhill Friday 10 January 2014 On this very day, in the year 1645, Archbishop William Laud, then Archbishop of Canterbury fell victim to the executioner. Laud was a complex and intelligent man but no politician, and only four years later -not quite to the day -his Sovereign, King Charles I would lose his head to the axe man, on a scaffold outside the royal palace in Whitehall. It was the culmination of seven years of bloody war between King and Parliament, between Cavalier and Roundhead, between Charles and Cromwell. Laud's death on this day in 1645 was a turning point. This New Year will be but the beginning of five years of commemorations of an even more ugly and brutal war. But I would like to take to you back to a slightly less distant war recalling an event which again came right at the year's end. On the night of December 29th 1940, Tom Deakin, Edith Cooper and her son George, emerged from a blazing building. It was the headquarters of the Cellular Clothing Company which used to make Aertex shirts, sportswear, blankets and all the rest. These three had been on fire watch at the Aertex building on the corner of Fore Street and Moor Lane, in what we now call the Barbican. Tom said to Edith, his sister-in-law, "Come -let's go down here," pointing to the right. Edith, as if by instinct, said, "No we'll go left." Seconds after they moved away, immediately behind them, a blazing building fell into the street. It was a miraculous escape, and it was a turning point. Edith was my grandmother, Tom my great-uncle and George my father. Well into my childhood, looking out from a pockmarked Moorgate Station towards St Paul's Cathedral, all that could be seen were ruined basements with weeds and scrub growing amongst them. Recalling my father telling that tale always makes the City of London somehow assume an even greater significance for me than it would have anyway. In so many ways that story, that place and that event (in the midst of what is often described as the second Great Fire of London) seems to have been a true turning point. Indeed without my grandmother's instinct I should not be here at all! There were, of course, many turning points in Hitler's war. Churchill famously remarked after the Battle of Britain had been won: 'This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning.' Today's second reading from John's Gospel touches on just such a turning point. Yet, despite this, the story of Jesus turning the water into wine has almost become a cliche. You can imagine as a clergyman I've often been told: 'We need you to talk to your boss and stretch your hands over some water -this wine tastes like gnat's pee.' Clergy can themselves find the tale an embarrassment. One of my predecessors as curate tried to explain the miracle -or indeed explain it away. 'It was not,' he said, 'that the water had been changed into wine but rather that the guests were so drunk that they couldn't tell water from wine. As you can imagine this caused uproar. The vicar sacked the curate and was then called in by the bishop to say he couldn't do that -he didn't employ him anyway! The director of training was brought in to explain modern biblical scholarship and biblical criticism -and so it went on. What was the curate's mistake? His mistake was to misunderstand the significance, the point of the story. What is the story about -why is it there? There are two tell-tale sentences (in what we heard) that give clues to what the miracle is about. They come at the 29
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OSAmag78

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