IT IS NOT PROPERLY FORMATTED - PLEASE USE THE ADOBE ACROBAT (PDF) VERSION IF AT ALL POSSIBLE

---

BRIGGENSIANS’ NEWSLETTER

SPRING 2005

Saturday, 19^th March 2005

Briggensians' Association

28^th Annual Dinner

£16.00 Elsham Golf Club £16.00

7.00 p.m. for 7.30 p.m.

Guest Speaker: Jane Reason (nee Price 1975-82)

(Annual Dinner 2006 Saturday, 18^th March)

Summer Sports

School Field Friday, 10^thJune 2005 at 6.00 p.m. for 6.30 p.m. start

Cricket - Youth and Experience XI's, Tennis, Rounders

_________________________________

Winter Sports

School Field Friday, 16^th September 2005 at 6.00 p.m. for 6.30 p.m. start

Football, Male and Female Hockey, Netball

Football + Pub Games, 27^th December 2005 – 10.30 am start _________________________________

Briggensians' Open Golf Championships

Individual Stableford Rules

Spring meeting at Forest Pines Golf Club (Briggate Lodge)

Tuesday, 31^st May 2005 – 3.00 p.m. start

Autumn Meeting at Elsham Golf Club – Sunday, 16^th October 2005

1st Tee off 12.00 noon

Match Play

Past v Present Tuesday, 5^th July 2005 Elsham Golf Club 4.30 p.m.

Guest Speaker – Jane Reason (nee Price 1975-1982)

I left school in 1982 to read Natural Sciences at Robinson College, Cambridge. Following graduation I spent 3 years qualifying as a chartered accountant in London with Peat Marwick. Immediately after qualification I accepted a secondment to Australia.

On my return to London I joined the consulting side of KPMG specialising in Banking & Finance. Building on this experience I later joined the investment bank S.G.Warburg and spent 2 years as PA to the Group Finance Director in London. From here I moved to Tokyo and finally Hong Kong where I was Regional Financial Controller for the Asia Pacific Region. It was during my time in Hong Kong that I married my husband Ross who I had known since my Cambridge days.

On leaving Hong Kong in 1997, we moved to Switzerland where I have been working hard on some personal interests such as flying small aeroplanes & helicopters, skiing, travelling & playing golf. During the last few years I have also spent a lot of time in Portugal with regular trips back to the UK.

The 28^th Dinner will be held on Saturday, 19^th March 2005 at Elsham Golf Club starting at 7.00pm for 7.30pm. – Gentlemen in Jackets please.

Members and guests are welcome and the places are £16.00 per head.

Requests for places with remittance should be sent to the Sir John Nelthorpe Upper School, Grammar School Road, Brigg, N Lincolnshire, DN20 8AA. (Tel. 01652 656551).

N.B. Half Term not fully open to telephone calls Fri. 11th – Fri 18th Feb. 2005

Cheques made payable to THE BRIGGENSIANS ASSOCIATION.

Please book and pay for places by 7th March 2005 using the form at the end of this

Newsletter

For information on accommodation in the area contact: Brigg Tourist Information Centre. Tel: 01652 657053 e-mail:            [email protected] or on the web http://www.northlincs.gov.uk/tourism

On the day of the Annual Dinner:

Golf (numbers limited) at Elsham can be arranged for the Saturday morning on request.

Starting at 2.00pm there will be a nostalgic tour of the Sir John Nelthorpe School (Girls High School Site, Wrawby Road) and also at 2.00 pm the Grammar School, School House or the new Dining Room for those with sufficient stamina – beware there are many stairs!!

Prior to the dinner, at 6.30pm – Elsham Golf Club - there will be an opportunity to have group photographs taken and look at some of the long whole school photographs.

During the dinner photographs will be taken at the tables

There is now a CD containing Dr. Henthorn’s two books and the school roll from 1879 to 2000

and a DVD of the films ‘The Racket’ and ‘The House that John Built’ 

Menu for the 2005 Dinner

Vegetable Soup

or 

Prawn Cocktail

or

Fruit Juice

Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding

Roast Potatoes

Vegetables in Season

Choice of hot or cold dessert

or

Cheese and Biscuits

Coffee or Tea and Mints

Vegetarian meals are available on request.

BRIGGENSIANS A.G.M. 27^th SEPTEMBER 2004

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2004

I would like to report that once again the committee organised the Annual Dinner, when on 20^th March 2004 we were lucky enough to engage NEV MILLER as our distinguished Guest Speaker. As you all know he had travelled to Lincolnshire from Canada and gave a most interesting speech and slide show, which was of interest not only to the old pupils but also to their wives and partners. The evening went well with a good meal provided by Elsham Golf Club, an extremely successful raffle and a total of 112 Briggensians and Guests enjoyed reminiscing until late into the evening. Prior to the dinner videos of the school, “The House That John Built” and “The Racket” were shown and the School Song was sung as usual by the Old Boys with gusto!

A post dinner questionnaire was sent out and the results showed much support for advertising via e-mail, the local press releases, the school tour prior to the Dinner and photography both in the form of old school photos and group shots of guests at the dinner. We look forward to the next dinner in 2005.

The newsletter was produced as usual but this year many copies were sent out by e-mail. The website continues to develop under the administration of Jim Flewker whose guidance and expertise has been invaluable. Old photos and other memorabilia are incorporated onto the website where we now have both of Dr Henthorn’s books and an interesting article by J A Rhodes regarding the school in the years 1941 to 1948. We hope to add in the near future details of school trips from the 1970’s and some old 1930’s School Certificate examination papers, so you had all better get revising!

Membership numbers are slowly increasing and there is now a good database of Briggensians’ addresses. Life membership is £5 and £1 for school leavers. The Committee was very pleased to make a donation to the Special Status Fund for the school and we will be hearing shortly from the Treasurer who I trust will report our finances continue to be in good order.

Our members have been pleased to see the new Dining Facility being built near School House and also the new mural in the former swimming pool area.

The summer and winter sports programmes together with golf meetings have taken place and thanks to all who took part and organised these.

On our committee Jonathon Gregory and Julian O’Neill retired after many years service and Jane Gibbons joined as our newest member. (We learn tonight that Peter Gregory has also retired and we wish him all the very best.) John Hastings was re-elected as the Briggensians Association representative on the Foundation Trustees Committee.

I would like to thank the President, the Head, the Vice-Chairman, the Treasurer and all members of the committee for their help throughout my 2 years as chairman. I am particularly grateful for the very efficient support of Barbara Kernon our Secretary. Finally I would like to say that I have very much enjoyed my Chairmanship and would like to wish all the best to my successor, Dave Brittain.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE BRIGGENSIANS A.G.M.

Briggensians website- http://www.briggensians.net – remains fully operational but the message board facility on the website, developed by Jim Flewker with the help of “Old boy” Daniel Bloor, who is based in Illinois, U.S.A. has been underused and is a real luxury to be able to keep going.

The mystery pictures section stimulates considerable interest and I am grateful to Jim Flewker for his diligence in ‘ringing the changes’. We still need considerable help in locating Briggensians who have changed their names, addresses and ISPs.

If you know of changes or details of those lost in ’the ether’ please let us know.

Headteacher’s Report 2005

The past year has been a very successful one for the students and staff of Sir John Nelthorpe School. The best ever GCSE results of 2004 with 65% of students achieving 5 or more A*-C grades were beaten again. This summer a record breaking 67% of our students passed five or more GCSE’s at A*-C with an increase in the number of students achieving A and A* grades!

It was a similar story at A level. Last year we achieved a 91% pass rate with twelve subjects achieving 100%. This year the pass rate was 97% with fourteen subjects having 100% pass rate.

I was extremely pleased for our students and staff who have enabled Sir John Nelthorpe School to maintain its reputation for academic excellence and achievement. Everyone involved should be proud of his or her achievements. As usual most of our sixth form students have gone on to follow a wide range of university courses armed with good examination results and the experience gained through a wide range of extra curricular activities.

The biggest event of the year was the long awaited opening of the new dining room in November 2004. The Students Council participated in the design of the inside including the choice of the colour scheme and furniture. Senior students now eat in a ‘bistro area’ and the servery offers a range of traditional hot meals and healthy foods. The facility has been a great success with students and staff and the number of students staying for lunch has increased significantly. It is certainly a great improvement on the old Colton Street canteen. I hope to open up the new dining room on the afternoon of the Briggensians’ dinner so you can have a look at the inside of the building.

On a personal note I was lucky to be involved in an LEA link with Dalian in communist China for two weeks in November 2004. Dalian is a city of six million, which has been built in the last ten years. It is 2 hours to the north –east of Beijing by plane and is a high tec industrial city. Our link school is No9 Middle School (approximately 900, 11-16 year olds). The hospitality was overwhelming – literally a red carpet and a greeting from the entire school. The regime is so different it is difficult to explain. The food was a particular challenge! The Headteacher Mr Yu Bo was a charming man. I could tell even though he did not speak a word of English! This should pose a challenge as he is paying a return visit in April. If there are any Mandarin speakers out there who can help please contact me at the school.

Beijing, the Great Wall and the Forbidden City were as awesome as I expected them to be. The links with China and the LEA will expand and hopefully bring industrial links to the area. Staff and student exchanges will be developed alongside our existing links with France and Germany.

As many of you are aware Sir John Nelthorpe School has been bidding for Specialist Status over the past year. The subjects are Mathematics (and computing) and Science. In early September we had to present the draft bid to DfES officials at a surgery in London. This was a very demanding event where each section of the bid was scrutinized. The Inspector did comment on the fact that most schools only choose to bid for one subject but, as always, we are ambitious for the students at Sir John Nelthorpe School. The final draft of the bid was submitted by the October deadline. Then we waited.

On 7^th December we had a visit from the HMI (with another HMI who was assessing the first HMI). This visit is a good sign as it indicates that the first hurdle has been jumped. The inspection was very intense with much cross-examination of staff. The HMI also toured the buildings and to ascertain whether our remodelling plans were feasible and declared them to be ‘unique’. It will be the end of January before we hear anything more so I should be able to report the results at the annual dinner.

In order to bid for Specialist Status the school had to raise £50,000, which is a considerable amount of money. The school received no financial support from the Specialist Status Trust. The students and parents raised several thousand pounds through a variety of events. Local businesses also made contributions, as did ‘old boys & girls’. I would particularly like to thank those of you who gave business pledges, as we had to raise at least £15,000 from business sources.

During the past year as a consequence of the bid process I have received letters from individuals and have spoken to many of you by telephone. Several have come in to talk to me about their experiences at the school.

Could I remind the Briggensians that I am collecting school memorabilia? We have very little from the Girls’ High School.

Every time someone makes contact I do tell them about the dinner. I hope to be able to thank some of you in person this year.

Finally, I would like to thank the Briggensians, Trustees and Governors of the school for their unfailing support. Several made generous donations to the Specialist Status Fund and they also told me who to contact for help when the school was let down by external agencies. Thank you.

Linda Hewlett-Parker

Headteacher

BRIGG SIXTH FORM COLLEGE

A-LEVEL RESULTS 2004 (A2) 

Destinations 2004

 BRIGG sixth form college PRIZE WINNERS 2004

NEWS OF OLD BRIGGENSIANS 2004/05

Staff Related Section

Rev. Brian WILLIAMS and wife Margaret - Diamond Wedding Anniversary

Both Brian Williams (our speaker for the 26^th Annual Dinner) and his wife Margaret are in good health and have settled into their new home in Louth. In January they enjoyed many happy reunions and reminiscences on the occasion of their Diamond Wedding Anniversary. There was a splendid lunch at the Kenwick Park Hotel in Louth for several of the staff who were at Brigg Grammar School and contemporaries of Brian and Margaret and still fit enough to travel. Everyone was on good form with much talk of boarding exploits and a Grammar School lost to the community.

Gwen Jarvis, widow of Geoff Jarvis (Geography) wrote from her retirement home in Shrewsbury. She has had a rough spell with Double pneumonia in early Oct. and then a fall putting her back in hospital with a dislocated shoulder and cracked bone in the upper arm, for the rest of Oct. followed by 4 weeks rehabilitation. She still found the energy to send news of her family:

Peter Jarvis has just moved house to something smaller (5 bedrooms) and more modern i.e. not 150 years old but he is already missing the cellar for storing the French wine to which he is partial. Same email address and tel. number.

Steven Jarvis retired last May from being Prof. of Paediatrics at Newcastle Med. School but continues his work on brain disease in the newborn. He has three children, two are doctors, Joe in Gambia and Helen a GP in Perth and James teaching disruptive children in Newcastle.

Nick Jarvis, retired from BT two years ago and takes in some of the family as lodgers in his house in Brighton

June Denton: retired last year but couldn’t stay still for long and is now researching literacy and teaching adult teachers/trainers. Classes of 10, no hassle and plenty of holiday!!!

John Harding (Head of English): has recently completed a 4-year course to attain his OU BSc. and intends to catch up with house and garden before tackling yet another degree course.

Avril Harding (Peri Violin): continues her violin and piano and attends many music festivals inc. York, Huddersfield, Buxton and Edinburgh.

Sue Harding-Forbes: has just embarked on parenthood and together with Donald they feed baby Madeleine a concentrated diet of music, stories and drama.

Tim Harding: his wife and three children joined Sue and Donald with baby Madeleine, John and Avril for a family holiday in Eskdale last July. Some pretty serious exercise ensued!!

Peter Cox (Chemistry): Joined the Girls High School in 1965 as Head of Chemistry, he became the Examinations Officer in 1976 and left in 1990 after 25 years dedicated service. Now in Pocklington with wife Anne where they continue to take Methodist services and Peter is the Senior Circuit Steward. He remains a keen hockey umpire and continues with exam marking. They have been enjoying the freedom to travel over the last year giving Europe quite a bashing, not to mention the Prom. Concert and ‘Round the Horne Again’!!

John Slack (Geography/Geology): as many will know John has suffered from MS for many years although you wouldn’t hear him complain, he just looks for the next possibility of some relief or improvement. His body may not be as active, those opponents who played hockey against him may be relieved, but he makes up for this disadvantage by berating the umpires and opposition at too many opportunities, even getting himself and wheelchair dismissed from the field. He confesses to being one of the ‘grumpy old men of St. Neots’.

John still teaches Geology with great success and is always intellectually active and has recently been involved in sending 18 publications by a Cambridge Geology Prof. in the 50’s and 60’s to Spitsbergen.

He’s involved in a charity devising experimental treatment for MS and anyone interested can access their site on: www.proventus.co.uk

Sylvia Barber a member of the teaching staff from 1982-1998 is now teaching at South Axholme Community School in Epworth.

Old Briggensians Caroline Barber (1989 – 1994) attended Durham University and is now with PWC having just qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Rebecca Barber (1991-1996) is now teaching languages in Nottingham having been up at Warwick University. Sam Barber (1996-2001) is now studying Electronic Engineering at Warwick University.

Barbara Kernon (nee Lomax – Science, Chemistry and Biology) Staff 1960 -1964 and 1969 -1990

Enjoying retirement and keeping in touch with the School and past pupils as Secretary of the Briggensians' Association. Two sons both married and both attended SJN.

Tony Kernon (1976 - 1983) has his own Rural Land Management Consultancy in Wiltshire and

Neil Kernon (1978 - 1985) is a Solicitor with a firm in Grimsby.

Prof. Mark Seaward: has been awarded the title of Doctor honoris causa – an honorary doctorate – by the University of Wroclaw in Poland. Mark is the first English naturalist to receive such an honour since Charles Darwin. The award is the highest honour the university can award in any field of expertise and is in recognition of his environmental contribution to lichenology and especially Polish lichens. Lichens are sensitive to pollution and Mark’s research and data base was especially useful in tracking the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Russia.

A blast from the past – found in The Briggensian Magazine, but which year?

MR. J. D. PECK, who is leaving at the end of this term to take up the post of Head of the Art Department at Ruffwood Comprehensive School, Kirkby, joined the staff in 1951.
During his time here he has given Art a, new look. Cramped by the restrictions Imposed by Room 9, he and a band of volunteer boys set to work to convert the building, aptly referred to as the stables, into a new art room. In this they were conspicuously successful, and the resulting room is a place full of interest and charm.
A rock garden followed the art room, and Brigg may be grateful for a bright corner thus created.
Inspired by Mr. Peck’s teaching and fired, as all who come into contact with him must be, by his enthusiasm, an increasing number of boys have taken Art to Advanced Level and have passed on to careers as architects and art teachers. Their work formed the substance of a memorable exhibition in Scunthorpe Museum last year.
Those boys who lacked the artistic spark will be grateful to Mr. Peck for his successful coaching of swimming.
We shall miss him keenly and his place in the Staff Room will need much filling. It is encouraging to know that his tradition will be in some measure continued in that his successor, Mr. A. Turner, is a former pupil. M.P.

At the end of this term, Mr. W. E. Thumwood is to retire after serving the school during four decades.
He came to the school to meet the frustration of having to teach physics with ludicrously inadequate equipment and accommodation. Rarely can any schoolmaster have given more time to his task. Evening after evening and during the greater part of the Easter and Christmas holidays (the Summer holiday was set aside for travel abroad), he worked, and with patience and skill himself made whole sets of apparatus so that the meager allowance could be spent to better advantage. He saw the building of a new physics laboratory equipped far more generously than even he could have hoped, before turning to the creation of a biology department. Here again he leaves a monument to his determination and skill.
Old Boys will know that Mr. Thumwood’s activities and interests ranged far beyond his science teaching. Although imbued with enthusiasm for his subject, seeking to communicate the excitement and spirit of adventure which it aroused in himself, he has never taught it in the narrow specialist sense which leads to the disintegration of culture. His guiding principle has rather been “Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto,” a grandiloquent phrase perhaps, and one which he would modestly deprecate, but surely not inappropriate for one who has cultivated an interest in music, drama, architecture, painting, literature, philosophy, travel and languages. Boys who know him as most assiduous in his attendance at football, cricket and athletics matches would probably add “games” to the list, but one suspects that this is an example, none the less admirable, of his feeling of social responsibility rather than a real interest, although he now confesses to knowing which game is being played, aided by an awareness of the time of year.
In the Common Room no-one could be with him without realizing that here was a generous mind, a severe critic only of himself, always seeking to see the best in others, to encourage and to praise. His personal qualities allied to sheer hard work have enabled him to fill the unenviable role of successor to Mr. Knight as second master and in so doing to gain the admiration and loyalty of his colleagues. He has fully maintained the principles and high standards set by his predecessor.
An account of all Mr. Thumwood’s contributions to the life of the school would be too long to be recorded here, but his work for the orchestra demands particular mention, not only because of his own competence as a ‘cello player, but also for his patient encouragement of successive generations of young string players who will prize his help the more as they grow older.
It is typical of the man that when time has robbed him of his first strength and vitality he has decided to retire rather than abandon the high standards he has always set himself.
His colleagues will miss the man who always happened to be free to take an inconvenient duty for them, the boys the man who always happened to he free to discuss a problem or take them in the swimming bath. All the many who know him will join in wishing him health and happiness in his new life. A.I.M

A. PAISLEY: It came as a big shock to everyone in the school when it was announced that Mr. Paisley would be leaving us this term. He joined the staff as a science master thirteen years ago and taught mainly in the Lower and Middle parts of the school. During Mr. Kettrick’s illness, he helped more and more with the chemistry teaching, and after his death he took over the senior chemistry post. Owing to his great ability as a teacher and his enthusiasm for the subject, the successes in chemistry have continued and even increased. He has also done much for the general life of the school and we could refer to his work for the Scientific Society, as secretary of Swimming and recorder on Sports Day, all of which he carried out with that same cheerful enthusiasm.
He will be missed both as a master in school and a colleague in the Staff Room, but our loss will be another school’s gain. He goes to the John Leggott School, Scunthorpe, next term, as the senior chemistry master, and we extend both to him and his family our best wishes for a successful and happy life in Scunthorpe. H.P.

Alumni News:

Graham Horne 1976 – 1981 emailed us from Scotland in October saying he was hoping to find a photo of the whole school at that time. He remembered it being taken but can't remember which year.

If anyone has a spare copy or special scanning facilities then he would appreciate a call on

[email protected]

Michael.McCleave@csci.gsi.gov.uk was in touch to say, I have only in the past couple of months found out about The Briggensians and was delighted to receive the Newsletter re-kindling fond memories of my days at Brigg Grammar School (1964-1968). I have made contact with old school chums as a result. My news since leaving school is as follows:

I did a year on VSO after attempting to join the Royal Air Force as a pilot. I passed all the flying aptitude tests but at the medical one eye was deemed slightly weaker than the other. In those days your eyes had to be 20/20, not so now. Anyway after VSO I went to Leeds University and completed a BA (Hons) in Criminology and joined the Probation Service as a Probation Officer. Later I changed sides and joined the newly formed Social Services Department in 1974. During my time at university I joined the university air squadron and surprise-surprise the RAF accepted me as a trainee pilot. It seems the rules are more relaxed for the UAS at least it was in those days. I got my wings and the RAF invited me to take a Reserve Commission as a pilot. My career continued in the public sector and I remained with the Social Services becoming an operational manager in 1987 with responsibility for all the child protection and children's services in East Cleveland. In 2000 I joined the Department of Health Inspection Service where I am today based in York. I am responsible for inspecting the public sector and private children's services, boarding schools, fostering services, residential special schools and respite care services for children with a learning disability.   I am still flying with the Royal Air Force Reserve as an instructor and as long as I keep passing the aircrew annual medical and the CFS (Central Flying School) annual flying test I will keep going at it. I also hold a private pilots licence. I thoroughly enjoy flying especially when HM the Queen is paying for it but the best bit is sending a bright eyed trainee on their first solo. I still get tense despite having sent hundreds solo. It is also great when attending a dining in night at the officers mess and some young bod comes over and says you sent me solo are you mad? I must have done something right when HM gave me a gong on her birthday in 1988. I live near Whitby with my wife June who teaches English at a secondary school in Whitby. We have two sons, Peter who is now having to earn a living and pay taxes after having a great time at the university of Newcastle school of medicine, and Tim who is currently at Leeds university studying music sound engineering. 

Steve Wagstaffe was at Brigg 1964-1967 and is looking for any photos during this period as his were destroyed in fire so, if anyone can help, please get in touch by email. [email protected]

Nigel Usher wanted a copy of the DVD The House that John Built and The Racket.

Yes Nigel it is still possible to purchase a copy of the above DVD via the Sir John Nelthorpe School.

M&P Direct Plc [email protected]

Ian Mitchell sent news to Dave Brittain on receipt of a prompt from Paul Cowling who also works for Ericsson but based in Sweden and he passed on the message that I was collecting/updating Email addresses. His home email is: [email protected]

I’m sure he will allow me to share with you that he went on to say “ It seems such a long time since we met (just after you retired) so I'm sure there is tons of news but suffice to say we (the family and I) are all well. The kids are doing great and make us very proud. You'll be pleased to know that my son shows strength in Maths and sciences (so something has rubbed off from you to me and onwards) although they don't seem to have separate Chemistry, Physics and Biology nowadays.

Bryn (Mitchell) has moved jobs again and is now living and working in Blackpool in a senior management role with the NHS. No sign of him ever marrying but he enjoys life and is also doing well. Unfortunately my step father died in the new year (You probably never met him) and as you can imagine it has left a big hole in Mums life but she is pulling through and starting to get a bit more independent.

I don't get up to Scunthorpe as often as I did (Ericsson closed down their Scunthorpe office around the time I saw you last) but when ever I'm in that area I think of you. One of these days you'll get another surprise visit.

Take care and please feel free to include me in any distribution lists you keep.

Regards ...... Ian

Alan R Winstanley [email protected] emailed following a chance meeting outside Tesco’s to say it's nothing like the cattle market, is it?, as promised here is an email coming to you via this wonderful medium of the Internet-thingy.

I will certainly take a mooch around www.briggensians.net -- I probably have some material that might interest a few people, including reminiscences of my St. Joan of Arc school play extravaganza (1975), in which we lit up the gymnasium in a way never to be seen again!

I have some of the old Briggensian magazines, some of which are definitely not-PC today!

Also I was the chief printer ~ 1974-76, would often be seen treadling on the Arab printing press over in the art room, doing a hot line in U VIth party tickets and ceramic pots.

The President - Roy O'Neill - I worked for as a trainee accountant when I left school before going into industry. Gained a fantastic grounding in accountancy and tax which I still draw on today.

You'll be delighted to learn that quite a bit of what you taught me actually stuck (against all odds on my part I know) -- e.g. how to use a multimeter and oscilloscope, and all about basic electronics, which has formed the foundation for part of my job as major writer/ contributor to Everyday Electronics magazine for 30 odd years. I recall Strud. building various electronic things in the labs, from EE magazine projects. I went on to design dozens of projects for hobby constructors, and I'm the magazine's Online Editor and write several monthly columns for them today. I was offered the editorship a month or two ago, but declined due to pressure from my web design business (www.amaryllis.co.uk).

The magazine web site I run is at www.epemag.co.uk, now the world's largest electronics hobby/ educational electronics magazine, and my stuff is read all over the world (in spite of which they still keep their readers). So there you are, the Physics lab rheostats and signal generators played their part in launching a new wave of electronics enthusiasts onto a brave new world!

Apart from all that, I'm busy tinkering with computers and IT, and apart from my freelance job I have a freelance team of web designers oiling the wheels of e-commerce etc. locally, and I'm a local Parish councillor too in Ulceby (www.ulceby.net is the web site I run for the village).

Anyway, nice to bump into you again, I'll try to keep in touch, and please say 'hello' to anyone who vaguely recalls my name. It would be fascinating to see how the BGS has changed with the times, especially in the area of IT. I do a number of talks on Internet usage and web design, so maybe I can pay back a little of what I owe, as I do feel privileged to have been at Brigg Grammar School, ever more so as the years go by.

He emailed again to say, that it'll be great if we add his email address and keep him updated, and he will strive to attend the next Dinner.

Adding: feel free to link to any of my web stuff as desired, I need the traffic after all...

I forgot to mention, a major part of my industry career was spent designing consumer products for the mountain bike market of all things, working on behalf of Halfords. You haven't lived till you have seen 3 million puncture kits a year, and bicycle bells with Dennis the Menace stickers on them... yes, I was the archetypal Bicycle Repair Man from Monty Python! Then I would go home and work on my electronics and web design in the evenings, till I went full time freelance in 1998.

Bye for now -- a monitor has just blown up in the heat.

Caroline Robinson: mailed to let us know her change of address and bring her latest news:

I decided to stay in my university area (Huddersfield) and am graduating today (18/11/04) with a 2.1 - just missed out on a first!

I'm now a performing arts animator at a school in Keighley and will be fast-tracking a GTP (graduate teacher programme) in 2ndry music and performing arts in the summer term. I am the director of the junior choir at Leeds Cathedral and assistant director of the Bradford Youth Choir which is run by the diocese of Leeds. I'm also the musical director of Woodhouse Operatic Society in Huddersfield and am doing ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ with them in March.

Basically, I am very busy and having a great time!

Great to keep up to date with all SJN news!...New dining hall - on site - hoorah!

Neville Miller: is still in Texas, although he often wishes he was based elsewhere, as that is where the work is.

He has had his usual world hopping year. Nev’s year started in Jan.’04 with a month in Bangkok at 36ºC, then to an installation in Northern Thailand where he had time to take a boat to see Laos.

March brought him to Brigg via his home in Ottawa and the chance to meet Briggensians he hadn’t seen for 30 years. Armed with a PowerPoint presentation he was sharing with us a world many only dream about.

To complete May there was a work trip to New Zealand but also another chance to see old friends and the sights of NZ. Back to Dallas, then Thailand again where he photographed magnificent butterflies and rode an elephant bareback!!

After the local soccer season ended there was a trip to Oz to pull together, Brisbane, Perth and Kalgoorlie (not to mine gold but yet another installation). After Broken Hill, Adelaide, Sydney and relaxation on Bondi Beach it was Texas for the election!!

Passion has also reared its head again, this time captivated by the erotic curves of a 1928 Velo.

Bizz and Dave Horsley (nee Morris): wrote to say what an amazing ‘do’ they enjoyed at the last Dinner although too short and their table organised a second sitting a few weeks later. As Bizz said, Gresham’s School receives alumni regularly but is a different matter being on the other side. I suspect 2005 with their school’s 450 year celebrations happening will see a lot of nostalgia in the air.

Don Ashworth and Paul Sykes

Mark Proctor: sent in photos of the Belgium Football Tour – Easter 1974.The Lower 6^th team with masters, Longden, Adams and Allcock took a minibus to Brussels where they stayed with American students based at the International School. Ralph Tapper who taught Physics alongside Dave Brittain was teaching there and helped make the arrangements for the teams to play both Soccer and Basketball but I don’t know the outcome.

Su Wong (nee Bowler): continues to ‘lay on soothing hands’ at the hospital in Ottawa and brings news of her family. Husband Ging is now Director General at Canadian Heritage; Becky is in her 3rd year of a degree at Calgary; Emma has been travelling for 5 months in Mexico – Costa Rica; Tammy is in her final year at High School and plans Art School in Vancouver and Jamie is into web design.

Peter Campbell of East Markham, Newark writes to say he was pleased that Walter Cash had enjoyed his reminiscences from the past and he sends him his best wishes. Peter always enjoys hearing something from his contempories. Peter points out that Elsham Golf Club keeps cropping up in the Newsletter and that as a child he lived in Elsham, where his Grandfather was Agent to Sir Francis Astley-Corbett, whose home was at the Hall. “I remember the Golf Club starting up as a 9 hole course. I began to play there at the age of 10, biking there (no dangers to lone children in those days). The Club House was a small but cosy structure.”

Geoffrey Parratt of Woodford Green in Essex replies to Jeremy Henthorn’s request of news of Don Parker. Geoffrey says:

“Whilst serving in the Metropolitan Police, I met Don, a good many years ago, and we enjoyed a couple of beers together! At the time he was serving with the Metropolitan Police Special Branch. Should Jeremy wish to contact him, the Police Pensions Department will usually forward on any correspondence.”

Further news of an old Briggensian was brought to us by Howard Paynter, who tells us that Sandy Trees, who left BGS in the mid 1960’s, is now Professor A.J. Trees, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Liverpool. Professor Trees is married with a daughter and is in contact with Professor Seaward a regular attendee at our Annual Dinners, who taught Sandy Biology at BGS.

News has been received from a new contact for our newsletter. Ron Fox attended BGS from 1964-1969 and is still in the area working at British Steel. Ron writes that his memories of his first year at BGS were of “wearing short trousers, having to go to school on a Saturday morning and cross-country with David Adams. I received a prize at Speech Day of 1968 for taking and passing 3 “O” levels a year early. I then went on to add another 6 “O” levels in the fifth year but sadly failed History despite the best efforts of Dr Henthorn. I remember Mr Brittain well as he was our Physics teacher in UIVA and did well to get me through my “O” level.”

Regular contributor George Gurnell writes that he enjoyed the 27^th Annual Dinner particularly the school tour and hopes to attend the 28^th Dinner. He has had further contact from Frank Gant in New Zealand. During last summer George, who is in his mid eighties, had a bowling success after 4 hours of play and climbed to the top of Flamborough Lighthouse on an OAPs Bus trip the following week!

Obituaries

Geoffrey Romans died in October 2004 aged 88 years. He came to Brigg Grammar School to be head of English and to be the Housemaster in the Boarding House in approximately 1946. He succeeded Malcolm Gaze as head of English. It was his first teaching appointment on leaving the Army.

He settled into school life very well and always said he counted himself very lucky to have a post that provided him with accommodation and three meals a day.

He was very enthusiastic about his subject and transmitted that enthusiasm to his pupils. He was a Gloucester man who loved three things:- his subject and Thomas Hardy in particular; cricket and his pipe. He was always happy to talk about the first two.

The School not only provided him with employment but also with a wife. He married the Boarding House Matron, Betty and on his marriage moved into a flat in Brigg Vicarage.

I think he left Brigg in the mid 1950's and became an HMI of Schools.

I regained contact with him some ten years ago and since then my wife and I have visited him at various places and finally at Salisbury where Betty still lives. He maintained a very active and lively mind and his letters were beautifully written and difficult to emulate.

His and Betty's recollection of pupils was amazing and he cherished any communication from his former pupils. They have one son, Philip, who is a Barrister.

Robin J.H. Sumpter

Eddie Jackson: We are sad to report the death of Eddie Jackson, former teacher at the school. Eddie died suddenly but peacefully at his home in Ashby on January 13th 2005. Eddie, a former pupil of Gainsborough Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and graduate from Oxford was a long time servant of this school for 32 years, starting off as a History teacher, and progressing in 1976 to a position as Head of Lower School in the newly-created comprehensive school. As the first Head of the separate-site Lower School, Eddie had a big impact on its development; he was a warm, caring, and dedicated colleague who put new entrants at their ease and made significant contributions to the Senior Management Team.
Eddie enjoyed his retirement. He loved holidays in his favourite place, Ireland, and also walking, singing and dancing. In these difficult times, our thoughts are with Eddie’s wife Margaret, and their family.

David Allcock: sadly we reported that David,36, had died of cancer after a long fight in our last edition.

To commemorate David’s passing his friends and family set about raising funds for Lymphoma research.

The Ancholme Rowing Club used the 31 mile Lincoln to Boston race to gather sponsors having set an initial target of £500. The crew included brother Jonty Allcock, Jim Copson, Ross Davis, Peter Evans, Steve Marshall, Ron Norton, Andy Spelman and Jon Taylor and coxes were John Mountain and Marilyn Mordue.  Father John Allcock didn't row due to injury but gave vocal support and mum, Brigid Vaughan, said she was absolutely delighted by the response from business, friends and colleagues with the final total reaching well over £3,000

Basil Price: was Head teacher of Westmoor School and latterly the Vale of Ancholme School for 23 years. He did not enjoy good health but died quite suddenly on 20^th October 2004. Basil will be remembered by staff and students as the archetypal gentleman who reigned with quiet authority.

He started life in Scunthorpe and attended Scunthorpe Grammar before joining the RAF and serving in Canada then back to England with Tiger Moths and Lancasters.

After the war he trained to teach and took a post at Brumby School. He married June and later there followed Richard and Jane to complete the family. Basil moved to Westmoor, later to be called Thomas Sumpter and then Headship in Brigg.

He had a wide range of interests especially Scunthorpe Hospital Radio where he helped to bring action from the Old Show Ground for about 50 years.

Sir Kenneth Jones: died in July 2004 having been a High Court Judge for 16 years. He was born in Wales and educated at BGS and then University College, Oxford. During the war he was in the Shropshire Yeomanry and HQ staff captain in 1945. He was called to the bar in 1946 and was a pupil of Sir Stanley Rees and later he had pupils including Lord Woolf.

His style was to pay meticulous attention to detail and as a powerful advocate he was chosen to prosecute the Krays at the Old Bailey in 1969.He took Silk in 1962, was knighted in 1974 and retired in 1989 to concentrate on sculpture, wood carving and fishing.

BRIGGENSIANS ROUNDERS/ HOCKEY/NETBALL

Summer 2004
On a lovely summer’s evening Briggensians turned out to play the school at Rounders. The School team had the advantage of playing well and just missing out on a Final slot at their District tournament earlier in the week.
Of course they new all the rules!
They won convincingly about 12-7 but the Old girls made a good come back in the second half.

Team included Jane Gibbons (nee Yates), Loise Mikkonen, Caroline Altoft, Amy Altoft, Angela Coggan, Mandy Knight (nee Popple), Ann Louise Yates, Julie Wilson, Paula Rowson, Amanda Brock and Jane Revill (nee Shannon) who played for school.

September 2004
The School entertained the Briggensians at Hockey and Netball. The netball turn out was good with Jane Gibbons, Julie Woodliffe (nee Taylor), Emily Goodyear,
Katie Clements, Jane Revill ( nee Shannon), Vicky Jones, Kelly Johnson, Mandy Knight (nee Popple).
However they played the School team that won through to the East Midland Finals! The school fielded another team as well and that was quite a close encounter.

The School made it a clean sweep for the year with the Hockey Team winning for the first time for many years. It was excellent to see good players from three school years combining well together. The pitch also played its part with problems not only with bumps but a dual marking’ system that fooled everyone including the umpire! Team included Angela Coggan, Helen Cresswell, Emily Revill, Caroline and Amy Altoft plus some school players.

I have already started to make a list of active sports people in the area who may like to be asked to play next time. If you wish to join us or know someone who may do then please let me know. Briggensians are getting a bit thin on the ground and those who have played for years are feeling a bit past it!
Seen at the Netball League recently were Lisa Ashworth (married now with son) and Claire Wilson —soon to work at Robin Hood Airport, Amie Bartrum, Cheryl Nottingham and Ruth Bemrose.

Hockey players seen on Saturdays in Brigg colours, Angela Coggan Amanda Jaques (nee Brock), Rachel Johnson
(nee Dannatt —married with one child and one on the way!) and Caroline Altoft in Winterton colours. H.Cresswell.

CRICKET

The Briggensians triumphed in the annual cricket match against the School X1 last June...but only just!
The match was played on the artificial strip, on the Sir John Nelthorpe School field, and proved to be the closest encounter in many years.
This year's game reverted to the traditional form - Old Boys v School - following the previous year's experiment in which those who turned up were divided into Under-30s and Over-30s.
Briggensians batted first and made 113 in good style.
School seemed to be on course for victory but then  one tiny, and seemingly insignificant, incident in the field turned things on their head.
Having taken a bit of a pasting, and looking like defeat was very much on the cards, the Briggensians decided to call their secret weapon into the attack, in the shape of veteran slow bowler David Willey.
Just like those bowlers who went before him, initially Dave  took 'a bit of stick'.
So much so that John Hastings, senior player on the Briggensians' team, suggested he might move out of his position at slip and occupy a run-saving spot on the boundary at long-on.
Holding his nerve, captain Nigel Fisher replied: "Dave Willey gets all his wickets caught at slip - I've seen him do it so many times for Bottesford Town Cricket Club and Brigg Town before that. Just stay where you are for now, and we'll see how it goes."
The very next ball, true to plan, flew straight off the edge to John, who held onto a very fine catch.
Duly inspired, Dave went on to grab two further wickets, tilting the game back firmly in the Briggensians' favour.
However, Old Boy Adrian Gibbons, playing for the School, as a member of Staff, was still going well, despite running out of partners rapidly, after Dave Willey's breakthroughs.
Unfortunately, Adrian had to face Carl Taylor for the final over.
Now Carl is not only one of the youngest members of the Briggensians' Association, and definitely  one of the fittest, but is a first team player with Appleby-Frodingham CC in the Yorkshire League, and a member of a famous cricketing family.  (Briggensians now in their 50s will remember his father, John, and uncle, Paul, being two of Brigg Grammar School's top cricketers of the 1960s).
Carl bowled a very tight final over, leaving the School still three runs short at the close of play - after a great game of cricket.
Unfortunately the blazing hot weather which had been such a feature of the previous two years' reunion games failed to re-appear, and conditions were very chilly indeed.
Now living in Pocklington, wicketkeeper David Booth, a former captain of the Brigg Grammar School 2nd X1, returned to play his first game of cricket on the school field since the 1960s.
Having attended our annual dinner in March, he was immediately pencilled into the team.
And it's to his eternal credit that he remembered the date three months later!
But, in longevity terms, even David could not match Bill Monteith, from Scunthorpe, who turned up to spectate, having seen the reunion game previewed in Nigel Fisher's In a Spin cricket column in the Scunthorpe Telegraph.
Bill was a pupil at BGS in the 1940s, and like so many of his era, found employment in the steel industry, in his case as a senior chemist at Appleby-Frodingham Works.
Bill played club cricket for many years in Scunthorpe, notably for Nuform, and later helped establish Bottesford Town on a brand new 'green field' site, off Ontario Road.
He also umpired on the Scunthorpe and District panel, and was a key administrator in local cricket leagues, notably for the Broughton and District Evening League, in which Sir John Nelthorpe/Briggensians have fielded a side for many years.
As fund-raisers for Nuform CC, Bill organised many interesting cricket forums in the 1970s, speakers including former England Test players Alan Knott, Dennis Amiss, John Hampshire  and Basil D'Oliveria, to name just a few.
After the Friday night match, the Briggenians, plus a few  Staff from the School X1, visited the Yarborough Hunt pub, in Bridge Street, Brigg, to chat about old times - over a pint or two of the excellent real ale, produced locally at Highwood Brewery, Melton Ross, by the Wood family (who have  School connections over several decades).
Numbers were down for last June's cricket reunion, due to a variety of circumstances, with several Briggensians having to withdraw at the eleventh hour.
But a close encounter, the chance to meet up with old friends and the standard of ale available later made it all worthwhile.
If you fancy playing in this year’s reunion game at 6.00 pm on 15^th June, please contact Briggensians' Vice-Chairman Nigel Fisher, 10 Springfield Road, Brigg, DN20 8DD. Telephone (01652) 655134. Or e-mail
[email protected]
[email protected]

Briggensian Winter Sports

The Old Briggensians annual winter soccer match took place on Monday 27 December 2004 on a cold and frosty morning. Two teams turned up eager to run off the excessive indulgence of Christmas. The match was between the “old” old boys, Mr Gibbons/Taylor select eleven versus a “younger” old boys, Lee Fielden select eleven.

The kick off was at 10.30 am on a pitch that was slightly crusty under foot.

The young boys’ team included ex pupils who had travelled back from America (Daniel North) and the old boys included ancient stalwarts such as Keith Barnes. The young boys took a surprising early lead and added a second soon after to be 2 – 0 up. However class shone through in the end and the old boys were victorious when Phil Davies tried to claim an own goal which made the match 3 – 2.

The day was a great success and the fun was continued in the pub with darts, dominoes, pool and a quiz.

The old boys claimed a white wash winning all the games of the day.

BRIGGENSIANS GOLF 2004

FOREST PINES. 1/JUNE /2004. SPRING MEETING.

This year was the eighth meeting of this competition, and had been set up for us by Gerry Longden Thanks again for the organising the facilities and the weather; it is a real skill to fix both for the same day.

It nearly rained on us and in fact waterproofs were called for on a couple of holes, which was far better than the expectations of both the BBC and ITV weather men.

At one stage in the proceedings we had 5 cards in, all with 30 pts, and this was pushing us into calculator land.

The school has applied for Special Status and to go forward this requires a fund of £50,000 being provided by the School, so this year our sweep levy did not go behind the bar, but instead was directed towards this project.

After a long wait!!! It was noted that consideration was being given to the issuing of a time penalty on the last 4 ball, but as 3 of the 4 were teachers it was assumed that they were waiting for the end of school bell to sound, however, they brought the winner in with them so all remained calm.

Results

1. N GOLLAND 38 pts          2. A POWELL 34pts 3 C HOLMES 33pts

Our captain, J Montieth , in the splendour of his School Blazer, closed the event by presenting the engraved tankard to Nicholas Golland.

BRIGGENSIANS V SCHOOL 6/JULY/2004 ELSHAM.

This was an evening that was a little different; it always starts off with a rush; hoping they have not started without you, and when you get there you find you are the only person who has turned up so far so you can sit down and think up your tactics.

The weather had the looks of ’threatening behaviour’ and it was not long in starting its performance. Only 1 or 2 games had set off by the time the deluge came down. Golfers, old and young, were sheltering by the first tee and under the clubhouse entrance.

We nearly had problems in providing a full team from the Briggensians side, having to be backed up by James Geddis and Chris Wright who were persuaded to join us from their social game by Allyson Golland and by Richard Rivron who was promoted from School reserve to Old Boys first team.

With the rain holding the start up, our four-balls became wedged in front of several club knockout matches, in fact 3 games were let through, so by the time we were into the last few holes we had to feel our way back. {next year ……take a torch}.

This year the school team was really a very young team, it was a pleasure to see so much anticipation and excitement on their faces as they were paired up against an older generation. This year also saw young girls in the team, namely Rebecca Watson and Megan Taylor, I am sure they enjoyed the event and will be looking forward to next year.

The Result…..School won by 7 &1----- this was quickly glossed over as the food had taken centre stage.

Briggensians Captain, John Monteith, thanked all the players for participating and invited them to the same event next year. From the schools point of view I am sure this date is already in some diaries. John presented the team trophy to the Schools captain, Richard Golland.

BRIGGENSIANS AUTUMN MEETING 24/10/04 ELSHAM

This year we had some good weather and with starting at 11.30 am it looked like we had the course to ourselves. It was the day after the Elsham Captains Drive in, so many of the members had been dancing the night away and were not on the course that morning.

As participants arrived, funds were collected by our Hon. Sec. and ‘3 balls’ were ushered out to match skill.

A member from Elsham used his course knowledge on the 5^th ,460 yd par 5, namely Roger Holmes, with a gross 3 net 2 and 5pts scored.

I understand both David Howson and David Hutchinson also came in with a 2 on their cards.

When all the cards had been checked, it was noted that we had the same winner we had earlier in the year at Forest Pines, namely Nicholas Golland. He won on a back 9 count-back from Kieth Barnes. Third place went to Andy Longden from Alan Taylor after a mid 6 count back.

Result……N Golland 35 pts             A Longden 34 pts

K Barnes 35 pts                      A Taylor 34 pts

A.G.M. Derek gave us a quick run through of last years ‘mins’ and they were promptly signed as being a true record etc etc by our Cap, John Montieth.

After a few persuasive words from our Hon. Sec. Derek, Nick Good stepped forward and was promptly dressed in the Captains Blazer for 2004/5.

Following the meeting, Derek agreed to carry on as our Hon. Sec., he is getting used to the format now, after 17 years.

NB.At Elsham, 2 of the fairways had sections roped due for repair work, but as this involved the middle sections and not the semi it did not appear to bother many of us!

DATES for 2005

Tue 31^st May. at Forest Pines.                       Tue 5^th July at Elsham.       Sun 16^th Oct. at Elsham.

 

Membership of the Association is open to all former pupils of:

Brigg Grammar School

Brigg Girls’ High School

Brigg Sixth Form College

Sir John Nelthorpe School

The life membership charge is £5 (It would be helpful if those living outside the UK could arrange to pay via a friend in the UK) and anyone wishing to join should contact:

The Briggensians’ Association, c/o The Sir John Nelthorpe School, Grammar School Road, Brigg, North Lincolnshire. DN20 8AA Telephone: (01652) 656551, Fax: (01652) 658229

I/We have received the 2005 Newsletter

Name, Address (Block capitals please) plus telephone number and email:

Because of financial constraints we are asking you to send a self addressed A4 envelope stamped to the value of 65p to confirm receipt of this Newsletter and to ensure that you receive a copy of the 2006 Newsletter (or you can receive it for free by email)

At the same time, perhaps you could send some news or old photographs about yourself or school friends for the 2006 Newsletter or the web site (www.briggensians.net)

THE BRIGGENSIANS' ASSOCIATION DINNER

SATURDAY 19^th March 2005

I will be attending the Briggensians' Dinner and enclose a cheque made payable to the Briggensians Association for the sum of:

£ ........................ for .......................... places at £16.00 each.

Name:         ....................................................         Years at School: from …...……to……..……

	For Confirmation of Places: Tel: ……………………................  Email: ....................................

 

Address:      ...................................................         

                    ....................................................        

Post Code:  ....................................................        

Name(s) of Guest(s): .................................................................

………………………………………………………..

Request for .......................... Vegetarian meals please YES/NO

Please indicate if you have any seating preference other than with your guests:

Person(s)         ..................................................... year ...................... etc.

                       ..................................................... year ......................

Seating will be in groups of 6 or 8 (max 10) on round tables.