NEW FORMAT, NEW FRAMEWORK, NEW DOMAIN & NEW MATERIAL ADDED

From the “so-called Webmaster” aka Roger Smith

It’s been a long time since I made any input or updates to the CoFoC website – all the usual excuses apply but real reasons are harder to find!

With new technologies continually emerging, particularly tablets and smartphones, the old website has become seriously outdated; it certainly won’t display easily on a small screen.

 

New Domain Name

This year (2014) a new top level domain was released (.uk), so it seemed ideal to register cofoc.uk as our domain name. The old domain name(cofoc.org.uk) is being redirected to the new site until the registration period expires. If anyone wants to see the old site this can be accessed at any time via this link.

 

New Site Framework

This new site is mobile responsive so can be viewed on most tablets and smartphones (it displays well on my Samsung Galaxy phone) as well as laptops and desktop computers. This is thanks to the recently developed Genesis 2 HTML5 Framework which I now use for all my new website work.

 

New Place to Communicate

I have also included a members’ only area where members can post messages and any material that is not for public viewing – any jovial remarks about teachers or other old boys fall into this category. All members will have been informed by email of the access details to this area. If you were a member of class-C 1951 and do not have access details please request via the “Contact” page of this website including your name, dates at the school, and any other info that will identify you.

 

Added Material

A trawl of my archived e-mails, to my horror, revealed a large amount of info that never made it into a site update. It’s now all been included on this new website. Most of it is now history but still well worth a read.

 

Let’s Keep this Group Active

To keep this group and website active, please visit cofoc.uk regularly and contribute to it. I need input from members either through the members section, the ‘contact’ page or via personal email.

Any photos, recollections, news of what’s happened or is happening in your lives or at the school are all relevant. Anything not for public view can be sent privately by email or put in the members’ area. Let’s keep in occasional contact in addition to any possible future reunions. If we can’t meet in person – there’s always Skype for real time contact.

Hoping to hear from many of you.

Best regards

Roger Smith

COFOC 2005 REUNION

ATTENTION ALL COFOC MEMBERS!

10th February 2005

Message from Keith Done and Ian Raymond:

Bill has put in a lot of effort, time and no little expense in getting COFOC up and running and has shouldered much of the work in arranging our past events. He has been instrumental in initiating a reunion to mark the year in which we officially become senior citizens and we took the view that he deserved a little help organising the event. We have therefore volunteered our services to look after the admin. and with this in mind we would like to get your views on the following:-

1) It is proposed that the reunion should be an all day event starting with a welcoming glass of wine/coffee mid morning followed by a sit down lunch and afternoon tea prior to departure. The venue would have a bar so that those who wished to stay on to enjoy the evening could do so. 2) The venue would be within striking distance of Gravesend and would offer comfortable and pleasant surroundings with a good standard of catering. 3) Ideally the reunion would take place in the summer months on a Saturday or Sunday but booking a suitable venue at this stage in the year may prove difficult. 4) In order to fix prices it may be necessary to have a pre-arranged menu with perhaps two or three options for each course. 5) Anyone wishing to visit the School, either for nostalgic reasons or to thank them for their generous donation to John Ramsey’s Sri Lankan tsunami relief work, would have the opportunity to do so either on the Friday or the Monday and we would gladly provide contact details to help with organising such a visit.

It would be helpful if you could email or telephone Ian with your comments on these proposals before February 21st (including those of you who have already expressed an interest) stating specifically whether or not you wish to attend, if the proposed format is acceptable, any dates between June 1 and September 30 that you cannot make and how many there will be in your party. Any information on dietary needs would be useful as would be suggestions for a suitable venue.

TranslationsIMR@aol.com

 

6th April 2005

Roger Smith has done a remarkable job in rehashing the COFOC website, having volunteered to take over the webmaster’s role from Arley.

The new domain is at www.cofoc.org.uk so please visit and see the new look. Logging on to the old address will also transfer you to the new one automatically.

In congratulating Roger, we should also thank Arley for the work he did in setting up the original in 2002, and for maintaining it since.

Roger will be adding the more recent newsletters and John Ramsey’s Sri Lankan report shortly.

I hope that Ian and Keith will soon be able to give us a date and place for the pensioners’ reunion – the last I heard was that September was looking likely. Thanks to them for taking on the task.

Best regards to all

Bill

November 2004 – March 2005

Nov 2004 John Ramsey posts from VSO in Sri-Lanka

Jan 2005 John sends report of his first hand experiences of the Tsunami

Feb 2005 John sends an update concerning conditions in Sri-Lanka and the results of his fund raising efforts

Mar 2005 John sends further update concerning Tsunami Aftermath

All this correspondence has been put on John Ramsey’s page in the Members Section.

Click here to go to John Ramsey’s Page

6th January 2005  E-mail response from School Secretary re: John Ramsey’s Tsunami Appeal:

Re:John Ramsey’s Sri-Lanka story
Many thanks for this. Debbie Nurdin is still our Librarian and should have already acknowledged your email. Debbie will be using John’s story as the basis for an item in the next Old Boys’ Newsletter.
Mr Wybar has asked me to let you know that he will be using extracts for two assemblies today and the School will be making a collection towards this fund tomorrow. Money collected will be forwarded to the account in due course.

Please let us know if you hear from John again.

Hilary Humphreys. PA to Headteacher Gravesend Grammar School

 

10th January 2005  Further E-mail from School Secretary:

John Ramsey’s Sri-Lanka story
Hi – just thought I would let you know that we raised in excess of £765 in our collection on Friday. We are sending it off today.

Hilary Humphreys PA to Headteacher Gravesend Grammar School

28th February 2005 More news from the School

Received the school newsletter this morning.

John Ramsey’s account is reprinted in full, together with a photo of him on the front page, giving him as an example to the current generation of Gravesendians.

There’s also a report of David McKeogh’s death. He joined in 1948 and was head of maths when he retired in 1980. He didn’t have the dubious honour of teaching me (Cod Walker did) but I do remember him from cricket and rugby involvement.

Bill

Spring 2004

New members – it was good to see AngusWood’s name popping up on the FRU website. He’s listed as leaving in 1959, and he’s always thought he started at the school in 1952, but I’m sure he was in the same forms as I was. Angus’ smiling face is a long way away in Australia, but he did give me contact email addresses for Peter Curtis and Peter Jarvis. I’ve had several communications with PC, but PJ hasn’t responded yet. Peter Curtis is in Philadelphia and has followed a career in biological research after gaining a BSc from University College, London, and a PhD from Glasgow in 1965. He has three sons, one of whom is a lecturer at UMIST. All three of the aforementioned GGSFB bright sparks were in my Latin group, and are remembered for their prowess on the rugby field, all appearing in Brian’s first XV rugby photo’s from 57/58. Dr Peter Jarvis is senior lecturer in plant science at Lincoln University (www.lincoln.ac.nz) ; I’ve emailed and written to him without result, but I still hope we’ll hear from him in due course.

The club has been rather dormant since we had our reunion at the school last March, and this is perhaps a good opportunity for issuing a list of members to include those who have disappeared (temporarily I hope), and those who have been found but not responded to initial contact. Current members are Brian Bradshaw, Ken Burchfield, Arley Bushill, Mike Chadwick, Colin Cooper, Francis Copeman, Alec Crighton, Peter Curtis, John Dadson, Keith Done, Graham Dyer, John Foster, Horace Gillis, Eric Miller, Paul Mitchell, John Neads, David Potter, John Ramsey, Ian Raymond, Terry Richens, Barry Rogers, Don Rutherford, Roger Shade, David Shadick, Roger Smith, David Thomas, and Angus Wood. I’ve had, but lost contact with Robin Acton, Frank Broad, Charlie Gould, Donovan Kelly, and Tony Webber. The following have been approached without response – John Howcroft, Peter Jarvis, Brian Johncock, Bob Morgan, Charlie Pattinson, Alan Prentice, Fred Reader, and Alan Varnham. All in all, 41 names out of an identified intake of 102 for 1951. There are still a lot out there, and if you know of any of their whereabouts, please let us know.

Website – Arley hasn’t had much data to feed to the website recently, but we’re still missing some ‘then and now’ photo’s for updating the rogue’s gallery. Please email your mugshots to him or to me if you don’t currently appear.

2005 Reunion- this is the year that we all reach official UK retirement age, and a good time for a get-together, assuming we can remember who and where we are at that time. I don’t feel we would benefit from a return visit to the school unless tied in with a general GGSFB reunion, and I’d be grateful for any suggestions as to venue.

Bill – 8, Dale View, Chorley, Lancs PR7 3QJ, phone 01257 261134 (new address)

Ps – Janet & I will be in Kent 12-19 March, hopefully attending the Fleet’s home match on 13th with John Foster. Anyone fancy meeting up?

New members – Colin Cooper, Barry Rogers, and Charlie Gould have joined the group. Colin joined the Royal Horse Guards in 1958 and after leaving the army trained for the Church of England ministry and was ordained in 1966. He served as a curate in North London and then Bermuda, yes, Bermuda, then returned to East Anglia to Gorleston, next to Great Yarmouth where he was Rector for 18 years. In 1994 Colin moved to Virginia where he is Rector of two fairly small parishes in a place rejoicing in the name of Emporia, and also chaplain to a residential treatment centre for teenage girls. Colin and his wife Chris have four girls and two boys, all now over 21, and now have three grandchildren all born to their oldest daughter who is also married to a Church of England, now Episcopal priest, also in Virginia. I have his postal and e-mail addresses. Barry went to Empire Paper Mills as a trainee manager for 5 years, then joined Kent Police. “How I passed the medical with my (then) skinny body, I’ll never know” he says, but stayed for the full 30 years, retiring in December 1991. Served at Folkestone, Chatham, Halling, Sevenoaks, and Tonbridge. On retirement, he and wife Hazel moved to Tenterden, and Barry works every other weekend on reception at Benenden Hospital. No details on Charlie yet, but I’ll wheedle something out of him yet.

There’s still no response from Fred Reader who signed up to FRU, or from Alan Varnham who made contact with Francis Copeman. Ian Raymond got a lead on Michael Box in the Reading area, and we hope to hear from him

Mini-reunion – I’ve now received positive feedback from almost all who attended, and we’ll proceed with trying to set up a larger gathering at the school, probably March/April next year. The new school secretary is Debbie Nurdin – she has promised to feature Ian’s report and a photo in the autumn issue of the Old Gravesendian newsletter, and I’ll liaise with her to fix a suitable date for our next get-together. If any of our overseas members are planning a UK trip, please let me know dates, and we’ll arrange around your visit. Thanks to Ian Raymond for his contribution to the last newsletter.
Website – still missing some ‘then and now’ photo’s, boys, namely

Brian Bradshaw – now
Frank Broad – now
Colin Cooper – now
Francis Copeman – then and now (can’t find you on 1953 school photo)
Alec Crighton – then (ditto)
John Dadson – then (ditto)
Charlie Gould – now (then at FLE3)
Don Kelly – now (then on 1958 prefects photo)
Ian Raymond – then on 1958 prefects photo
Barry Rogers – now (then at FLK3)
Don Rutherford – now (then on 1958 prefects photo)
Tony Webber – now

Retirement Projects – one or two members have expressed an interest in the 1964 Triumph Herald restoration that I’m doing for a client in Preston. This was his late grandfather’s car from new, has done less than 50,000 miles, but has been standing in his garden for 15 years, rusting away – I hope he’s got enough money to pay for it! It would be good to get reports on what others are doing, now that they have time to indulge themselves, e.g. Brian’s pan-Canadian tour, the cycling exploits of Davids Thomas, Shadick, and Potter, and Colin’s refuge for teenage girls (we could have a reunion there, if it weren’t so far away). Please give rein to your English skills learnt at knees of Messrs Richards and Ramsden, and let me have your articles.