Old Pangbournian Society

JOHN LANG (55-58)

John Lang set a hare running with a letter to The Daily Telegraph July 27 about British-flagged ships. John, a retired Rear Admiral, had spotted that the vessel which took The Queen on a Hebridean cruise earlier in the month “was wearing the Red Ensign, the much respected, and increasingly rare, symbol of British register.” Two days later the paper carried four replies. One of them pointed out that following “recent changes in tonnage taxes, the Red Ensign has made quite a flourishing return” to favour with ship-owning companies although many of the vessels flying the Red Ensign today employ multinational crew

29/07/2010 10:29:25

ANDREW SIMPSON (90-95)

Andrew simpson with his sailing partner Iain Percy has been rated “one of Britain’s strongest gold medal chances for 2012” in a survey by The Sunday Telegraph. “America’s Cup duty with TeamOrigin and the recent birth of Simpson’s son have restricted their competitive season this year,” noted the paper. “But, as their victory at the World Championships in January proves, they are a class act and more than capable of managing their sailing commitments.”

29/07/2010 10:28:04

Ken Russell (42-44)

The veteran film-maker cropped up in The Times in mid-July in a feature on whether or not the BBC should commission a "Men's Hour" on BBC Radio similar in format to "Women's Hour". He thought not. Men, he wrote, "could quite well be interviewed on any other radio programme" about subjects they would like to hear about "divorce, for example" or his films ("there are lots of them") or art or "characters with a touch of daring." Russell concluded: "I don't think men are interested in talking about emotions. They don't want to hear each other emoting."

29/07/2010 10:26:46

ROBIN PATERSON (69-73)

A full page spread in The Sunday Times at the start of July brought us up to date with a huge property development in the Caribbean being masterminded by OP developer Robin Paterson and his business partner the hotelier Michael Pemberton. According to the report, the Paradise Beach development of 35 villas with price tags of about £11.6 million on 32 acres of Barbados’s exclusive west coast is back on course after a rocky 2009-10 when it was hit by the credit crunch and the withdrawal of funding from HBOS.

As outlined by Paterson, the British principal of Cinnamon 88, the Barbados-based company behind the resort, there is substantial interest now from new buyers. In the first phase of the development 16 villas were sold. Meantime the project has been refinanced thanks to support from the Barbados government and a £40 million loan from a Trinidad bank. Construction work is expected to begin again in a few months after a survey is completed. “We are delighted everything is now underwritten, enabling us to move ahead and restart the project,” Paterson told the newspaper. Subsequently an article in The Daily Telegraph written by the film director Michael Winner indicated that another outcome may have resulted from the new loan – one that excludes Paterson from the project.

29/07/2010 10:25:11

Tim Lee (51-53)

Captain Tim Lee (51-53) was one of 15 retired Royal Navy officers to sign a letter which appeared in The Daily Telegraph on election day May 6 urging the retention of the Trident nuclear missile system.

The letter argued that the Conservatives "are the only party who (sic) will ensure that while our troops are overseas our citizens are safe at home... By wanting to remove Trident the Liberal Democrats are offering danger and showing naivety... Labour has proved its failure over 13 years of defence underfunding and ill-timed cuts for the Forces but it has been consistent over the necessity of Trident."

10/05/2010 12:37:33

Malcolm Graham-Wood (OP 70-75)

MALCOLM GRAHAM-WOOD (70-75), a former Chairman of the OP Society and now a director of oil and gas broking at Westhouse Securites, was quoted in The Daily Telegraph April 27 arguing that the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico "shouldn't make too much difference to BP's financial position...In terms of their reaction, there's really not much more they could have done." Earlier in April Malcolm appeared in another Telegraph story on the energy industry when he informed the paper that Scottish & Southern Energy's purchase of the North Sea gas field assets of US company Hess for £277 million was "an entirely sensible acquisition as the company needs to have its own supply to replace existing contracts."

05/05/2010 09:40:48

PATRICK DERHAM (72-78),

PATRICK DERHAM (72-78), the present Headmaster of Rugby School, has edited a book with the vice-provost of University College, London, titled Liberating Learning. According to a piece in the Financial Times at the end of February written by the historian Andrew Roberts, the book will be published in April and "will set the education debate alight in a manner reminiscent of The Black Papers, a series of polemical pamphlets on progressive education published in 1969." Liberating Learning includes contributions by the historian and television presenter Niall Ferguson, the philosopher AC Grayling and the joint heads of the Young Enterprise education charity Stuart Rose and John May. Concluded Roberts: "It (the book) could become a bible for reformers - those fed up with the past 13 years of missed opportunities."

01/03/2010 10:50:57

EWEN SOUTHBY-TAILYOUR (55-59)

EWEN SOUTHBY-TAILYOUR (55-59) went back to a thesis he wrote for the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich on his return from commanding the Falkland Islands' Royal Marines' Naval Party 8901 in 1979 in a letter to The Daily Telegraph February 24. Sharing the proceeds of Falklands oil with Argentina, he pointed out, was considered by the UK as long ago as 1975. Following a seismic survey in the mid-1970s "tentative plans were made for British companies to drill the oil and pipe it ashore to Comodoro Rivadavia, an oil town on the Argentine coast," Southby-Tailyour stated. "There it would be refined and sold on the world's markets to the financial advantage of all, including the Falkland islanders. On April 2, 1982, Argentina forfeited any such collaboration. Foresight might have saved the day - and lives - all round."

01/03/2010 10:50:12

RHIDIAN LLEWELLYN (70-75),

RHIDIAN LLEWELLYN (70-75), a former teacher at David Cameron's prep school, Heatherdown (it closed in 1982), was quoted in The Daily Telegraph at the end of February as saying that he remembered the future Conservative Party leader as "a charming and bright" pupil with a "cheeky grin." Cameron was ranked last in a sixth form of 13 boys at Heatherdown in 1978, but at age of 11 was a year younger than the other boys because he had been marked out as "very bright" and promoted ahead of his age. "To suggest he was a dunce is unfair because you would expect a younger boy to be behind chaps who had already sat their scholarship exams to Eton," Llewellyn (who now runs an educational consultancy firm) told the Telegraph.

01/03/2010 10:49:22

Richard Hamilton (87-92)

Since leaving the college I rowed internationally for GB for 8 years and went to the 96 Atlanta Olympics. After a brief spell teaching at Windsor Boys School I was appointed to Coach for Britain Internationally where I won Gold with the Junior 8+ in Athens and then a silver with the Mens Coxed four at the World Championships.

We then moved to NZ where I was Director of Sport at Tauranga Boys College before taking up Dairy farming. We are currently milking 1000cows of which we own 400 and employ 6 staff. Its a great life style where we farm in the Bay of Plenty, lakes, beaches and great hunting areas are all close by. I am married to Louise and have 3 children Fergus (10), Tiereny (8) and Rory (4).

We recently caught up with another OP Jim Bryce who farms all the grounds around the college and had a fantastic time meeting his family and had some great days water skiing and fishing on the lakes.

I am very keen to meet up with any other OP out here and even happier to accomodate any OP who may be travelling out here and want some accomodation for a while.

08/02/2010 11:19:08

Tim Goodenough (86-93)

Sylvia Goodenough, Tim's mother informs us that 'Tim is a mechanical engineer in Neuchatel, Switzerland. He and his partner are expecting their first child, already known to be a boy, in March 2010. He should be an interesting child as he will grow up in a French speaking part of Switzerland with a Spanish mother and a British father - hopefully ending up trilingual rather than just confused!'

25/01/2010 08:53:02

Richard (Sam) Strachan (58-62)

December 31st, 2009, sees the end of my 48 years in shipping - 39 as a broker, mostly in Australia where I live. This is anticipated with an odd mixture of exultation and uncertainty. My immediate aim is an increased involvement in training and lecturing in which I have been involved informally for a while. In 2008 I wrote an article on training for the Institute of Shipbrokers magazine and this has led to an unusual invitation from Irano Hind (one of Iran's national shipping lines) to conduct a week of personal tutoring in Tehran sometime in 2010.

18/12/2009 12:09:28

Anthony Hayes (51-55)

After a full 43-year career in Air Traffic Control which started in the Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy, at sea in various aircraft carriers and subsequently with the Civil Aviation Authority, mostly as an Airways Radar Controller at the London Air Traffic Control Centre, Weswt Drayton, I retired some four years ago to Pewsey in Wiltshire.

My last project in the ATC world was a ten-year posting to Eurocontrol, the European ATC planning organisation in Brussels where I was responsible for implementing the introduction of Airborne Collission Avoidance Systems in all airliners flying in European airspace, so markedly improving the standards of European flight safety.

Whilst at Eurocontrol I met and worked with Richard Jenyns (50-55). We visited the College together some five or six years ago.

I continued by RN connections in the RNR, eventually rising to command the RNR Photographic Interpreters Group.

Health has been dodgy recently. However, the current post cancer prognosis, I am assured, is GOOD. Also continue to enjoy touring across Europe (last year to Croatia) in my 1963 Alvis TD21 Coupe.

Greetings to all.
Tony Hayes

18/12/2009 12:05:04

Charles Stuart (53-56)

Charles made two visits to the UK from Australia in 2009. The first followed his participation in an air traffic controllers conference in Dubrovnik. This allowed him to travel on to the OP dinner at the Hurlingham club at the end of April - "what a night, and extremely well organised." Charles stayed with Adrian Stow (54-58) and later caught up with Lionel and Pat Stephens over lunch at the Bell in Aldworth. In October he returned to London to attend the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators annual awards dinner at the Guildhall. Subsequently he stayed with Adrian Stow for a night before going to Warsash, overnighting with Robin Bradley (55-59) and meeting John Webster (46-50) at a small dinner party. He then moved on to spend a few days with Jeremy Ainslie (55-59) in Devon, catching up on what he has done in the past 50 years. Charles is now planning a visit to Santiago, Chile, in February "on my way to Patagonia fly fishing with my son and his friends." He hopes to meet Ben Brundell (53-56) while in the country.

19/11/2009 12:20:27

Richard Mitchell (63-68)

Richard is working in the Ministry of Defence "in a challenging and interesting post providing advice on maritime capability - quite suitable after 35 years of warfare appointments in the RN," he says. He meets OPs from time to time "but not as many as in the past. Having bought a new OP tie recently he hopes to reveal more OPs in the MoD corridors of power in future.

19/11/2009 12:18:55

The Hurman Brothers - Tim, Adrian and Richard

The mother of Tim, Adrian and Richard Hurman emailed to bring us up to date about their varied lives. Tim (91-96) is a systems architect for ING Life based in Tokyo. Adrian (92-98) is a design engineer for Mustang Engineering (oil and water plant machinery) presently working in Perth, Western Australia. Richard (93-00) joined the Royal Navy and is commanding officer of HMS Charger based in Liverpool.

10/11/2009 11:17:55

Philip Bach (81-88)

An OP from the 1980s, Philip Bach (81-88), let us know in March that he still had a job with ING in London but that the credit crunch had hit the bank hard and he was hoping to get through the next nine months unscathed. Philip had recently renewed acquaintance with Matthew Way (82-87) who is a housemaster at Stowe School.

10/11/2009 11:16:39

Rory Copinger-Symes (79-86)

OPs in Afghanistan in 2009 included Rory Copinger-Symes (79-86). In May he returned to the UK after a six month tour as Deputy Chief of Staff in Headquarters 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines. “It was a tough time…but I think we moved the campaign forward,” he wrote while adding that the Marines had sustained a high number of fatalities. Later in the year he was promoted to become Colonel Naval Recruiting responsible for all the Navy’s recruiting effort, based in the dockyard in Portsmouth.

10/11/2009 11:07:39

Roderick Line (72-75)

Roderick Line (72-75), sent a newsy letter from Lewes where he lives. After Pangbourne he joined T&J Harrison as an engineer cadet and spent five years in the MN. In 1980 he switched to the RAF and flew a variety of military aircraft for 16 years before moving into commercial aviation in 1997. Over the last 12 years he has flown holidaymakers to many destinations for a charter airline and seen a good deal of the world. He keeps in touch with Robert Wyld (72-75) who lives in Weybridge and works in the medical profession.

10/11/2009 11:06:27

Nick Devereaux (70-73)

Nick Devereux (70-73) got in touch to report that in January he completed 35 years in the world of metals and commodities. “Where has the time gone?” Recession, he wrote, “is taking its toll of some of our customers but life goes on.” Meantime William Creasy (71-74) let us know in February that he had retired from the Cambridgeshire Constabulary and now worked for them as a civilian investigator “which is great fun.” Later in the year he attended Founder’s Day.

10/11/2009 11:05:12

Simon Marriott (64-68)

One of two letter-writers from the 1960s, Simon Marriott (64-68), responded to Nick Knollys (62-67) who had wondered in Issue 39 about OPs who had served in the Sultan of Oman’s armed forces. “Add my name to the list,” he wrote. “I completed two tours: January 1975–September 1976 with the Armoured Car Squadron; and June 1980–April 1983 with the Armoured Regiment.” The other 1960s writer, Paul Parkin (66-70), attended Founder’s Day in 2009 for the first time in 38 years. He lectures at Brunel University in Uxbridge, Middlesex, on a new MBA in Healthcare course – one of only four such courses in Europe.

10/11/2009 11:03:52

Jeremy Sanders (56-60)

Jeremy Sanders (56-60), Chairman of the Falklands Islands Memorial Chapel Trust, sent some musings to Steve about his time at the NCP. Reading that Garth Morrison (56-61) had become a Knight of the Thistle, he wondered if this was a unique distinction for someone who played rugby for England Under-15s. Jeremy’s contemporary, Ewen Southby-Tailyour (55-59), contacted us in July to say that he was writing again – a sequel to his book on 3 Commando in Afghanistan which reached high into the Sunday Times best seller lists. Ewen is also contracted to produce “a huge format, glossy portrait book” about the Royal Marines to appear in 2014 on the Marines 350th birthday. He recently re-met Chris Roberts (52-56) after many years. Chris was in the Marines with Ewen before heading the Forestry Commission in the west country.

10/11/2009 11:02:32

Tony Hepworth (50-53)

Tony Hepworth (50-53) who lives in Suffolk writes that he retired from the Royal Navy in 1969 and then spent years overseas, chiefly in the Middle East. Now back in the UK he has undertaken consultancy work for the World Bank, Lloyds Register and others as well as setting up a computer services company. Another OP running his own company, Simon Dyer (55-58) reports that it has expanded to the point where he has to sub-contract work to other surveyors. “This is in part because I continue to sail as Master with Wightlink, Isle of Wight Ferries, which I enjoy immensely.” Writing in February, Simon was preparing to go to Croatia to collect a new vessel and sail her back to Lymington. He reported bumping into Patrick Adair (56-60), a “lost” OP, on a training course for Chief Officers in Kiel. Patrick also works for Wightlink.

10/11/2009 11:01:26

Malcolm Mackenzie (52-55)

Malcolm Mackenzie (52-55) wrote from Athens to request a new OP tie and to explain how he came to go to the NCP – “a serious error in principle” according to his father who believed that boys wishing to go to sea should first achieve a university-level education. At the time of writing Malcolm was preparing to make the purchase inspection of a roll on roll off car carrier while also undertaking teaching commitments – “I keep well and busy.”

10/11/2009 11:00:18

Denis O'Kelly (44-47)

From Spain Denis O’Kelly (44-47) sent an unusual letter – dictated into a recording device which then transformed his words into flowing blue print. “But I wrote the envelope!” Denis “remains a recluse in Jerez de la Frontera, alas no longer able to enjoy the sherry, and managing to get by with occasional visits from my wife and daughter…I am unable to convince them that a permanent life in Spain would be better.” He reports that the minor frustrations of life annoy him increasingly and he feels “like a dinosaur” but he is never bored.

10/11/2009 10:58:42

Cliff Bragg (46-49) and John Rudge (46-48)

Also in Australia two OPs from the 1940s met up in July after many years – the OP Rep in Eastern Province, South Africa, Cliff Bragg (46-49) and his contemporary at the NCP John Rudge (46-48). John (on the left below) emigrated to Australia by delivering a tug to Fremantle, WA, after World War 11. He worked for Castrol in Sydney for seven years, before going into mining with RTZ in Broken Hill. Later he linked up with management consultants in Queensland before settling down to lecture in the Management School at the University of South Australia for 17 years. In retirement he is a volunteer at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.

10/11/2009 10:57:01

Dick Covington (40-43) reports

Dick Covington (40-43) got in touch from his home in Devon to report that he had met Tony Chambers (40-42) in Cornwall after the latter had returned to the UK from Spain. The two met thanks to a list of members of the Association of Royal Navy Officers. Another OP from the 1940s, John Lock (45-48), contacted us to correct a detail in the obituary of Peter Pinkster in Issue 39 (he was never Captain of Eagle but Second in Command). John lives in Hampshire and says he spends “far too much time with doctors these days.” Soon after Ian Lindsay (45-49) emailed from Australia to assert that “the new breed of OP…will be bland and uninteresting” based, apparently, on his view that the modern generation’s alleged lack of interest in the past bodes poorly for the future.

10/11/2009 10:55:01

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