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.