Old Princethorpians

Princethorpe will be starring on the airwaves this Sunday (18 October) after BBC Coventry & Warwickshire spent a morning on site at the College last week.

Keith Wedgebury, presenter of Wedge's Warwickshire interviewed Assistant Head, Alex Darkes and Head Boy and Girl, James and Megan Godden for the show.

Wedge's Warwickshire is a show dedicated to rural life. Each week Keith Wedgebury goes out and about around the county discovering what goes on.

Comments Alex Darkes, "Keith wanted an insight into Princethorpe's history, its links with the local community and recent developments and he seemed to enjoy his walk round the school greatly."

The hour long show will air this Sunday (18 October) at 3.00pm and will be repeated on Wednesday (21 October) at 8.00pm. Tune in to BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, 94.8FM and 103.7FM. If you miss the show you can replay it on BBC iplayer.

Old Princethorpians 17 – 0 Princethorpe College 1st XV

On Wednesday 2 September for the first time in the college history the Old Boys took on the school in what was to be the new John Shinkwin Trophy in acknowledgement of our previous Headmaster.

The Old Boys captained by Michael Mitchell were really ‘pumped-up’ for the game throwing all of their experience and strength into the match. With horrendous conditions the game was a real spectacle for the 100 strong crowd, for many of which it was the first time on the side lines for a good number of years. The game was always going to be a forward battle with the ball very difficult to handle but two pieces of brilliance from the majestic Angus Rose saw the Old Boys take the spoils and lift the trophy.

OP Chairman Peter Rollason, who was a touch judge at the game, commented, "It was a credit to both sides that such skilful rugby was played in such awful conditions and it was a very encouraging debut to what everyone hopes will be a regular fixture."

After the game, food and refreshments saw memories relived and many positive words said of the prospects for the season.

Thanks must go to all the catering staff, Eddie Tolcher, the families and the boys for making the evening such a delight.

Jon Fitt, Master of Rugby

Eddie was at Princethorpe from 1972 to 1978.

He started working here in 2008, but previously he had a close involvement with the College as a Governor for 6 years.

His memories of his schooldays range from walking around the mile walk and down to the Convent (now the Retreat Centre) and playing cricket on warm summer evenings to braving the outdoor unheated swimming pool.

He says he developed a love of history at the College and discovered economics in the Sixth Form, which he then chose to pursue at University. He also has valued the friendships he made and the development of his faith.

Eddie says he has never really escaped from Princethorpe! "My wife, Ann, & I were married in the chapel in 1993, then I became a governor and now my eldest son Christopher is carrying on the Princethorpe tradition and enjoying life in Year 8!"  

He continues, "I have kept in contact with John Mallorie and Chris Higham and I was thrilled recently to get in contact with Chris O'Neill having lost touch some years ago. I met loads of other contemporaries at the Memorial Service for Fr Clarkson back in April."

Eddie is keen to track down anyone who left the Sixth Form in 1977, 78 & 79.

Sarah, aka Sybil, was at Princethorpe from 1982 to 1984.

She started working as a part-time Art Teacher at the College in 2007.

Her memories are rich and varied:

Bluebells, Switzerland, the Art portacabin, Keats with the Weirs, Choir rehearsals in the Chapel, a global community including friends from Mauritius, Europe, Africa and Asia, the architecture and the study hall fresco, nuns and priests."

She continues, "I once I saw Father Mac dressed in black cassocks, skid down the freshly polished corridor leading to his office."

Sarah lives with her family locally, "From my home I have a bucolic view of the tower and woods on the horizon, beckoning me! I love the atmosphere, the light in the studios, the great facilities in Art department.

Sarah is still in touch with members of 'Epicurean Society' and would love to hear from Benoit Eynaud.

Vikki was at Princethorpe in the Sixth Form from 1995 to 1997.

After her A-levels she went off to Cardiff University to read English and a couple of years later she did a PGCE. She then taught for three years at a Catholic comprehensive school in Port Talbot.

But Princethorpe beckoned and in 2007 a decade after leaving the school, she was back teaching English at the College.

Vikki says, " I kept in touch with Chris Kerrigan over the years, he knew how much I wanted to teach English at Princethorpe, and the minute the opportunity came up, I leapt at it."

Vikki is enjoying working in the English Dept, recently taking gifted and talented pupils on residential creative writing courses and setting up a new Creative Writing Group.

Paul was at Princethorpe from 1985 to 1991.

He worked at Princethorpe part time from 1996-7, then full time from 2000. 

Paul has lots of memories of his time as a pupil, here are just a few of them:

• Larger than life teachers – Lou Skiffington, Barry Weenan, who I aspired to as art and technical drawing ‘Gods’. 
• The first summer at the end of Year 8, a teacher didn’t turn up for a French lesson cover (VI form also used to do cover), so a small group of us just decided to go up to little Swiss and play on the rope swing.  
• The threat of being slippered if you forgot your books.  
• Being locked outside in the cold winter – you couldn’t stay inside at break.  As Year 11 (fifth form) you took up the much coveted position at the warm air vent outside the laundry – now my department. 
• White shag pile carpet in F13 - Fr Alan’s classroom. 
• The crappy old portacabin for VI Form Art – it was a hole!!  But always the strength of the art work on the walls and striving to get your work there one day.

Paul says of getting a job at Princethorpe, "I always kept in close contact with Lou Skiffington through Uni and when I graduated he called me back to teach four periods a week, not much, but it was a much wanted foot back in the door. I then went off to get my PGCE and waited in the wings teaching at fairly local comprehensive schools – the rest is history!!"

"I feel proud to be carrying on and building upon the strong art tradition, but putting our (Sue Harris' and my) stamp/personal touch on it."

Paul  has lost touch with many of the friends he had at VI form, apart from Paul Rynot. He would be keen to hear from anyone from his year.

Steve was a pupil at Princethorpe from 1970-1977.

He started working here in Sept 1982.

He remembers as a schoolboy "having to remove our shoes when entering the school from the playground and putting on our sandals for indoor wear!"

He says that as a year group, the leavers of '77 are in regular touch but he would like to get in touch with Nick Culley again.

Alex was a pupil at Princethorpe  from 1968 to 1975

He has been teaching here since 1979.

Alex recalls, "I first walked through the doors at Princethorpe on 4 June 1967 – I remember it well because it was my brother’s 7th birthday! It was then that I met the inspirational Fr Bill Clarkson who would offer me a job on the staff some twenty–two years later and I have been here ever since!"

"Bill Clarkson was not Headmaster until 1969, but as Dean he had a significant role in the day-to-day running of the school and had a strong influence on my formative years"

"I have happy memories of my time here as a pupil; the unique ethos had been firmly imbued by the MSCs and I am still in touch with many of those priests who were central to establishing the school at Princethorpe. It seems amusing these days to be teaching the children of pupils who were my own school pals."

"Charlie Lawton and I chatted most days on the bus coming in from Leamington and we find ourselves forty or so years on as members of the OPs committee and the conversations just carry on where they left off more than thirty years ago on an ex-London Transport double decker struggling up the hill at Wappenbury! Remember the day we had to get out and push it up the hill?! And Sean Philpott and I started at Princethorpe on the same day in 1968 standing at the same bus stop in Lillington, seeing Sid Spanner drive past in the comfort of his warm car – a little blue DAF!"

"I feel delighted to see a resurgence in enthusiasm for OPs and excited that we now have a regular programme of social events and the opportunity to invite former pupils back to the school."

Sean was a pupil at PC from 1968 – 1972. 

He started working here in 1978. 

His memories of his school days are rather blurred, but her recalls it being rather austere and cold.  

When asked what drew him back to the College, he says, "it was the community that drew me back and I wanted to teach in a local Catholic school."

Overall, he has not regretted joining, as he enters his 32nd year of working at the College!

Bernie is an honorary OP as he was a pupil at St Bedes from 1961 to 1962, he says:

"I was at St. Bedes (Fr. Fleming was Headmaster and Fr Clarkson a young chemistry teacher) for a couple of years, and then went to Ullathorne Grammar School in Coventry.

I came here in September 1973 after doing one year's teaching in Feltham Comprehensive in London. The PE guy at Princethorpe took my job at Feltham and I took his (as a temporary job until I went to the USA) at Princethorpe! What a coincidence! Can't remember whether his name was Neale or Jones.

Fr Clarkson , once teacher, then as Headmaster and my employer, married Kate and myself in the college chapel in 1977.  We were the 13th couple to be married here!!"

After posing for our OPs staff group photograph the other day, Bernie commented, "Looking around I realised that I had taught all of the other staff except for Sean P. How old does that make me feel!!"

Some Old Princethorpians have loved the College so much that they have returned as members of staff and in some cases they have spent decades within the College's walls and grounds.

Currently there are no less than eight members of staff who are OPs, many of whom will be very familiar and well-loved faces to you. Together they have racked up nearly 175 years studying and working at the College!

In order of longevity working at the College we have the following:

• Bernie Moroney (36 years)
• Sean Philpott (31 years)
• Alex Darkes (30 years)
• Steve White (27 years)
• Paul Hubball (10 years)
• Vikki Ball (2 years)
• Sarah Roberson (2 years)
  and last but by no means least
• Eddie Tolcher (1 year)

Following last Spring's Memorial Service for Fr Clarkson and the response from OPs to the event, the OPs committee has decided to hold an annual day at Princethorpe to celebrate Fr Clarkson's contribution to the College.

The event will take place next year on Sunday 18 April 2010 from 12.00pm to 4.00pm, exact timings tbc. The day will follow a similar format, starting with a mass in the Chapel, followed by a buffet lunch, tours of the College and sporting/fun activities for all the family.

All OPs and their families will be welcome at the event, which it is hoped will become an annual fixture.

For those interested in looking around the College the next Princethorpe open event is our Open Morning on Thursday 14 January 2010 from 10.30am to 12.30pm. All are welcome. This is an opportunity to look round the college on a normal working day, just before Entrance Examinations on Saturday 23 January.

Parents with children currently in Year 6 who are interested in admission to the College in September 2010, and would like to attend a Taster Day at the College before Entrance Exams, should email the Registrar lorettacurtis@princethorpe.co.uk.

Spaces are available on a first come, first served basis on Wednesday 25 November.

Those looking to get into the Christmas mood need look no further than the College's popular Christmas Fair which takes place on Sunday 29 November from 2.00pm to 4.30pm.

There are stalls, games, festive refreshments and of course Santa in his grotto! All welcome!

Thursday 5th November is the date of the next London OPs Pub Meet.

OPs are welcome to meet at The Glassblower (42 Glasshouse Street, just off Regent Street, nearest tube Piccadilly Circus) on Thursday 5 November 2009 from 6.30pm.

Says London OP Rep, Charles Lawton, "These events are usually great fun and it would be fantastic if a few new faces were to join us, and help make the evening go with a bang!!"

Age:  37 

When were you at Princethorpe? 
1988 - 1990

What did you do after leaving the College?
I completed an English Degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism, then worked for the BBC in the Midlands for a decade as a radio and television reporter and producer.

What are you doing now?
I live in Lincoln with my family and work full time as a senior Lecturer in Media Production
at the University of Lincoln, teaching radio.

I also freelance as a BBC radio newsreader/producer and I am currently writing my first book which is due to be published in Feb 2010.   

What was the school like in your day?
Very good, with a relaxed atmosphere. The Sixth Formers were treated as mature adults and it was a very exciting time. There was an emphasis on hard work but you were encouraged to be yourself and the social life was good. Quite different after an all girls, convent school. 

How did Princethorpe affect the person you are today?
It gave me lots of confidence in my academic abilities, the teaching was very good in all my A Level subjects with teachers encouraging us to be creative and confident. Two outstanding teachers were Moira Weir, who taught English and Rosie Neal, who taught Theatre Studies.

They both treated students with great respect like adults and they were really interested in students as individuals and extremely supportive and encouraging.   

I remember their teaching to this day.

What advice would you give to your teenage self?
Stop worrying, don't be so reticent to speak to others. Listen more. Exercise more.

Who or what has been the greatest influence on your life?
Rosie Neal was a big influence on me and lots of others.

What keeps you awake at night?
Nothing.

What has been your proudest moment/greatest achievement so far?
Latin GCSE and the birth of my two kids.

What’s your biggest indulgence?
Red wine, trashy magazines and good coffee.

If you had to have one last meal, what would it be?
A strong, well made coffee with dark chocolate on the side.

What is your favourite TV Show and why?
Hardly get time to watch much but I really like decent documentaries. 

If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be and who would be with you?
Going on a very long walk through 
beautiful woodland, with friends/family and heading somewhere nice for lunch.   

Sean Hedigan (1988) and his wife Fiona are delighted to announce the arrival of their daughter Freya Kathleen Patrica Hedigan. Freya was born in Cork Maternity Hospital, County Cork, Ireland on 22nd June 2009 @ 6.18pm weighing 6 pounds 8 and a half ounces.

Welcome to Baby Freya and congratulation to her proud parents.

Florence was the stunning setting for the wedding of OP Melissa Franklin (1995 - 2000) and her new husband Ramiro Sanchez. The couple got married at the Chiesa Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi in Florence on Sunday 13 September 2009, with Old Princethorpian Rosie Davey in attendance as bridesmaid.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

If you or your parents have got old school reports, school or team photos, old uniform or other artefacts from your days at Princethorpe, we would love to see them!

The College has a new Librarian, Mrs Celia Scott, who will also act as College Archivist and she will be starting to archive existing material soon.

We hope to be able to share things like old photographs online in time, so the more we have at our disposal the better.

Please send your Princethorpe treasure through to Melanie Butler, OPs Secretary c/o The College or email Melanie Butler.

Michael Binney (1970 - 77) is now aged 50, he is one of the many OPs based in Hong Kong and runs a consultancy business with twin brother Paul, who looks after the European side of things.

Michael has a host of memories for the Memory Bank:

The boarding area and washing facilities with the cold water and old gov't
surplus beds and other furniture, the lights out and the supervising staff
looking to give the slipper to any misbehaving youths.

As a weekly boarder I always felt sorry for the full boarders, 4 nights a week
was bad enough!

The older priests, some of who were quite used to giving you a flick on the ear or the
ruler on the hand to discipline you.

Walking the round mile was always great.

The boarding side of the school and the addition of those boys from overseas,
gave the school an edge and made it more interesting, I don't know whether that
is missing now!

• Michael McDermott is hoping to get back into contact with Justin Smith, both left around 1984/85.
• Alan Zur (1963 - 1968)would be interested in finding out how Peter Shiels is doing after all these years.
• Ali Sheikh (1989 - 1990), now living in Karachi, Pakistan would like to hear from any of his old O6, L6 and U6 pals of 1989-90.

If anybody can help put any of these old friends back in touch please let us know by emailing oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk.

In the last issue of The Old Princethorpian, Jose Ramon Quintanal, who is now based in Mexico City, asked for our help to track down some friends from the Class of 76/77.

Paul Cluett responded to our search, recalling his friendship with Jose and his brother Victor which started in 1976 when the pair came to Princethorpe.

Comments Paul, "Victor was in my Form, and Jose Ramon the year above.  As I have some Spanish roots, the two brothers used to come back to the family home in Rugby for a change of scene and for the chance to speak Spanish.  They tried out their newly found linguistic skills on my family with interesting results as, unsuprisingly, some of their newly found expressions were 'interesting' over Sunday lunch!"

"Over the course of their year in Princethorpe, the English got better and a strong friendship between Victor, Jose Ramon and my family developed. Some years ago, whilst on business in Mexico, my father was welcomed into the Quintanal family with great affection."

Jose takes up the story, "I was able to contact Paul, as well as his parents, over the telephone this summer. It was the first time we had had the opportunity to talk to each other after almost 32 years. It was great to hear those voices again. The last time we talked, we were still teenagers. Now we are almost entering into the 50´s!!"

Both men value their experiences at Princethorpe.

Paul, is now director of a company specialising in funding leisure developments and lives with his family in the Cotswolds. He says, "The school and Fr Clarkson's influence had a profound impact on me.  I was certainly no academic, but the values and ethos have stuck with me."

Jose agrees, "Princethorpe provided me with those basic principles  that are the basis for succeeding in this complex world, more global and diverse than it was back in 1976. Nowadays I work for a Global Financial Corporation. The fundamentals learned at Princethorpe have been put in practice every day for the last 25 years."  

"Clearly, the type of relations developed at Princethorpe  is something that has no price."

Paul is pictured top and Jose Ramon bottom.

Two brothers and former Head Boys, Suki and Ek Samra, returned to Princethorpe on 18 July 2009 to celebrate the birthdays of two of their children together with their families and friends, including some fellow Old Princethorpians.

Suki was a pupil at Princethorpe from 1986 to 1993 during the stewardship of Fathers’ Sweeney and Whelan and headboy during 1992/93. After Princethorpe, Suki studied law at Kings College and is now a partner at law firm, Lester Aldridge, based on the south coast practising property law. Suki’s abiding memory of Princethorpe is “coming from a Sikh background it may seem odd that my parents decided to send me to a Catholic school. However, my parents clearly saw at the outset what I was to experience over the next 7 years. That was an ethos and faith which was aligned with a Sikh upbringing where faith, culture and a way of life are often intertwined. Combined with this was an all round “comprehensive” education. The college managed to get the best out of pupils whether that was through the support and encouragement of the staff, particularly from the likes of Moira Weir, or through the great setting and sense of place. It was the location that brought us back to Princethorpe this year to celebrate my youngest son’s 3rd birthday. As a pupil it is easy to take for granted the excellent setting. The addition of the new Sixth Form Centre overlooking the green down to the former gasworks provides a great facility not only for the current 6th Formers, but also for past pupils who want to hold an event or party there. 

"I made some great friends at Princethorpe, many of whom I am still in touch with. Mark Woods was my best man at my wedding to Michyla 5 years ago and others such as Oli Noble, Jason Rudolf, Chris Clark, John Sutherland, Donald Silcock, Deep Mahida, Dave Grant and Mark Smyth also attended. More recently, I met up with some of these guys and also Mike Knapp in Edinburgh to watch Scotland play rugby against South Africa followed by the usual shananigans you would expect from a group of 30 somethings meeting in a pub at midday and finally hitting the sack in the early hours of the following day!”  

Eqbal (Ek) was a pupil at Princethorpe from 1987 to 1994 and followed in the footsteps of his brother, Suki by taking over as Head Boy during 1993/94.

After Princethrope, Ek studied Accounting and Financial Management at Sheffield University, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 2000 and is now an Executive Director within Credit Derivatives at UBS Investment Bank in London.  

“Like my brother, I too have made lasting friendships (some 22 years and counting) with fellow Princethorpians (Amarjit Snehi, Raj Mahal, Parminder Badial, & Vach Jandu), many whom attended to celebrate my daughters second birthday party at the College with their families.  It was good to go around the school with the Old Princethorpians as it brought back such fond memories of our time there.

Princethorpe laid the foundation in succeeding in many aspects of my professional and personal life to date through its ethos of ensuring each individual gives their best, be that academia, music or sporting prowess. 

Images show from left to right OPs Raj Mahal, Suki and Ek Samra and Amarjit Snehi and a view of the party in action.

James was at Princethorpe from 1989 - 1996

After Princethorpe he studied A' levels at Lawrence Sheriff, and then went to Coventry Uni and studied Consumer Product Design.

After qualifying he worked for a professional practice designing stands for exhibitions including the Motorshow.

Says James, "I worked with great people and saw some fantastic things. Won a few best of show awards for Subaru stands then given that the work we were doing was not consistently there and that the owner was thinking of retiring, I decided to enter into something which was more sustainable and guaranteed , namely estate agency. And that's what I have been up to for the past 7 years.

James is currently a senior sales negotiator at Hawkesford in Leamington Spa, "My long term aspiration is to open my own estate agency with a friend in Leamington. 

He would like to hear from other former pupils that have fled further afield, Antony Harvey and Paul Lamb both, he believes working as accountants in New Zealand.

Ruth (1998 - 2005) graduated with a 2:1 in BA (Hons) Fashion Design from the University of Wales, Newport this summer.

After graduating she got offered an internship at the head office with an Australian women's fashion designer called Camilla Franks. Camilla specialises in resort wear and is based on Bondi beach in Sydney. She has stockists all over the world and is recognised as a high end international designer.

This month Ruth is working closely with Camilla to design and launch her first ever swimwear range, due to showcase at Sanctuary Cove Resort on the Gold Coast in February for Australian fashion week. 

She has also been offered job prospects for the coming year, leading onto full time employment if she wishes.
 
Ruth is pictured with fellow OPs sister Rebecca and Chris Griffin.

Sean Hedigan left Princethorpe in late 1988 or early 1989.  

He married his wife Fiona (who is Irish) back in June 2006 and moved to Ireland in the August of 2006 and has been there every since. He is employed by John Sisk And Son Ltd (Ireland’s largest Main Contractor in construction) as a Senior Quantity Surveyor.

He and Fiona were joined by Baby Freya in June of this year and Sean says, "Life could not be any better than it is now !!"

He continues, "I would just like to thank all the staff at Princethorpe who provided me with a solid education which has enabled me to become what I am today. Please pass on my regards to the staff and in particular Fr. Sweeney (Headmaster at the time) and Mr Ketterick (Form Tutor, Geography Teacher and Careers Advisor (who actually directed me into becoming a Quantity Surveyor), hoping that they have not left or that they are still in contact with Princethorpe College and that they are still with us.