END OF TERM AT ELLESMERE

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The school year at Ellesmere has come to an end and we are thrilled to have experienced all of the festivities that go with it. June 30^th was the last day of the Summer Term, a term that was even shorter than normal this year due the repositioning of Half Term to accommodate Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. We always enjoyed this time of year while we lived at the College and this year has been no exception with a multitude of social events.

When I last attended the Headmaster’s Drinks in 2003 it was for our farewell and always doubled as the final of Common Room croquet. With the short school term, GCSE and A-level exams, expeditions and the inclement weather the croquet has slowly gone by the wayside. However, the drinks are still poured and done so without the stress of watching croquet and listening to tactics being plotted or questioned. It is also the formal opportunity for Common Room to farewell those who are retiring or are moving onto new jobs and challenges. I went along this year to hear Colin Cawcutt’s leaving speech, which also meant I got to hear about eight before his one. I only knew Colin and his family for one term when we lived here but we all hit it off straight away. He and I share a love of sport – rugby, cricket and golf and we enjoyed many a moment on the golf course trying to outdo each other. It is going to be a tough move for them but we have never regretted moving on from Ellesmere when we did. The friends we made at the school are still friends; granted you may not see them as much. However, what we have found is that good friends don’t need to be there all the time. When you are good friends with someone you just continue on as you did when you left them. The seven year gap that we had from our previous visit has felt like a moment. I stood behind the CR Bar the other day and most people said ‘it’s like you never left” – and that’s the nicest thing they can say. And I must admit it has all felt very comfortable!

The last night of term sees the Reffell Tennis Open played. Named after our good mate David it is a league style tournament for Common Room, parents and pupils, and for the first time in years the courts were graced with the sounds and exasperation of Reffell forehands and line calls. It was like Bjorn Borg returning to Wimbledon and the crowds loved it – although his wardrobe choice would never have got past the match referee at SW19. The fairy-tale story was the play of Colin in his last appearance at the College before immigrating to Australia. Our South African buddy’s tennis style mixes Kevin Curren’s guile, Flippie van der Merwe’s strength and court movement and a heavy reliance on his partner’s ability. However, it oh so nearly worked as they marched their way to the Final and looked heavy favourites to clinch the title. There was a taste of Invictus in the air and I could already see Matt Damon playing the part of Colin in any subsequent movie. At 2-0 up, best of three, serving for the match things looked in the bag and I am sure at this time Nelson Mandela would have been roused from his sleep to hear the news that Cawcutt was about to bring the famed prize home. Locked at 2-2, with sudden death deuce, and on second serve the dream died. A sliced return went long and the hopes and dreams of millions of South African tennis fans were shattered. Colin, Kerry and Maddie are off to live in Adelaide in a few weeks so his tennis and cricket commitments will now move to the courts and ovals there; we look forward to meeting up with them later in the year.

It is all very English to attend a school Speech Day so I dressed appropriately. I love my new Jack Wills blazer and it went very well with the day. I have only had good comments since I bought it (maybe one dubious one from home) and Speech Day was no exception. I just wish I had an original Club blazer on like the gentleman sitting near us who had green, blue and white stripes with matching cravat; maybe something for next time. Speech Day begins with an assembly style prize-giving in Big School during which the Captains of School, the Custos and the Headmaster all speak. The two speeches from the students were outstanding and there can be no better advert for a school when students get up in front of their peers and speak from the heart about their school days. The HM speech covers a lot and was Brendan’s chance to report to the assembled parents about the state of the school for the year. It was traditionally timed and came in at 39 minutes although I am not sure who was running the betting book this year. We came away amazed at what pupils in the College are doing and the achievement level of many be it in the Arts, Academia or on the sports fields. There is also quite a European feel to the day now as a lot of German students have come to the College to sit the International Baccalaureate although they may need to work on their exit etiquette from Big School; beating the Headmaster to the door is not the traditional manner.

Before the drinking began at Champagne and Strawberries we attended the Lower School assembly. This was the final opportunity in the school calendar for the LS pupils and parents to gather, and in much the same way as the main school prize giving, to celebrate the pupils who had achieved good deeds and awards during the year. Sharon Owen, the Head of Lower School, did a remarkable job in summing up what the Lower School stood for and what the pupils should aspire too. Both of us came away with a feeling that Ellesmere parents should be pretty thrilled with the way the school is going – as I said to the Second Master later in the day it is good to have a “pat yourself on the back day” every so often. The weather outside while we watched the assembly was awful so we were expecting a wet weather programme to ‘kick in’ but no, in a show of great British spirit we gathered under threatening skies and drank some fizz. Champagne and Strawberries is as much a part of the school year as exams, fixtures and detentions – some may say an even bigger part. We have been lucky to share in a few and this one was just as good.

The Ellesmere Leavers’ Ball is quite different to any other school ball I have experienced. The major difference is the fact that at 12.45pm after Last Chapel the pupils become Old Ellesmerians. Hence they attend the evening with their parents in tow and it is a nice chance for families to gather and enjoy the last night at the College. It also means that most of Common Room can attend in a relaxed frame of mind knowing that they do not need to be on duty – PAW may disagree as he was in charge of the entire evening. We kicked off with drinks at Colin and Kerry’s place before heading down to the champagne reception outside the marquee. There is great entertainment with magicians, caricaturists, dodgems, ice cream sellers, a DJ and a piano bar. Our table was a mix of old and new friends and we were lucky enough to find ourselves fairly close to the buffet – Keith Tomkins looked after us well and the food was some of the best I had eaten at an Ellesmere function. We drank well, we ate well. After dinner we all reassembled back on the terraces for the fireworks. What a brilliant show – one of the best I had seen. It must have gone for twenty minutes and there were lots of oohs and aahs as they were launched into the (thankfully) clear skies. Sadly the sign made out of fireworks that spelt out “Good Luck OEs” was missed by many. After that it was onto the dance floor for some with the resident DJ knocking out the latest hits; I am always pleased to give this part of the evening a wide berth. Dancing and I has never really met in the middle and I would far rather watch from afar with a drink than attempt to pick up the beat and try to get any kind of coordinated dance moves going. In fact there is no attempt of any coordination even if I find the dance floor; Narelle has learnt to accept this flaw in my persona. But only just! The most poignant part of the evening is the singing of Jerusalem in Big School at 1am. By this stage emotions are high and as the 6^th Form Leavers take their positions on the stage emotions are running high. Tears are prevalent with the sudden realisation that their school days are about to conclude. It was a wonderful end to a great night with Pat Wood playing the famous Shultze Organ. After a few final drinks in the CR Bar it was over – I had spent most of the last half hour out on the terraces looking back at the school. It was lit up with lights, the music was playing and I felt right at home. Those of me who know me well will understand when I say how comfortable I am in and around Ellesmere – it is a place that holds great memories for me and has dominated many of my years. I have no idea when I will attend another Leavers’ Ball but I think I gave the place a great send off if it is to be awhile.

Traditionally the Ball festivities finish with a morning trip to The Corner Café in Ellesmere. After a late night the sight of a grease filled brekkie seemed ideal – I am not sure I needed all that I ordered with black pudding, beans, eggs, sausages, mushrooms and hash browns all arriving on my plate but it was fun to sit down and retell the events of the night before. We filled the café and most probably allowed them to shut early for the day – either that or they may have had to restock after we left. It is always slightly emotional as everyone leaves the café and heads in different directions; with it being first day of the holidays some were heading to France, some to a cricket festival in Bloxham, some to North Wales. What we were all aware of was that it would be a long time before this group sat down to a breakfast again but we did promise each other not to leave it quite so long.

It has been another week of meeting up with friends. Most people who live in and around the area cannot believe the amount of people we have caught up with over the last few weeks. We seem to be the link between news getting around the county at the moment. Sunday night was spent with the Slater family on the farm near Market Drayton where we enjoyed that all too rare English phenomenon of a BBQ – this summer has definitely not been for BBQs; June was the wettest on record in over 100 years. I lived at the farm in 1992 when I played cricket at Whitchurch so the night was a great chance for us to relive, retell and embellish many a story. Jonathan’s parents John and Sandra joined us and added to the laughter and the memories. It was a fantastic night and once again we were made to feel so welcome.

I have never been to Warwick Castle and after visiting it on Monday I can still say that I have still never been through the main gates. In hideous weather we set off to catch up with the Saint Kentigern College tour party who were spending the morning at the castle. By the time we got there at 12pm they had nearly completed their tour so we sat in the coffee shop, caught up with all of Alice’s news and watched the rain tumble down. As a lot of the castle tour is outside we decided against spending £30 each to stand in the rain and instead got back in the car and went and played on the M6. The SKC tour sounds a great success and they have also covered some miles. It appears along with the English trip half the school is in Europe for Old Collegians’ dinners, History trips of Greece and Italy or just enjoying the holidays.

We have also had a wonderful catch up with the Antony and Amanda Barrett. They now live near Newport so we had a pub meal with them at The Lamb near Edgmond – just in case anyone is driving through the website is this: http://www.thelambedgmond.com. Their boys Oliver and William are now much taller than the last time we saw them – it’s amazing how seven years changes people! In 2005 the lads had entertained us with an impromptu performance complete with silver space suits – today they were more at home with the darts and the pool table at the pub. Antony and I played a lot of golf and cricket together in a past life and, as he reminded me, seemed to think Kahlua was the choice of drink in 1991. I have no idea why we thought this was ‘cool’ and I think that may have been the last time I touched the stuff! Narelle, Antony and I left Amanda while she put the boys to bed and went and enjoyed a final pint of real ale at the local Sambrook pub called the Three Horseshoes, this time I tried Joules. It may sound like I am drinking gallons of the stuff but I am really enjoying trying the different real ales – and I have not even got close to scratching the surface. I think if I tried them all I would be about 26 stone, dead, or both.

We turned the Peugeot north the next morning and headed up to near the wonderfully named town of Stone in Staffordshire. A few weeks ago we met up with Rachel and Stuart in Brighton and on this day trip we caught up with most of the Pinfold family at their beautiful home in Aston-by-Stone. Mary –Rose, John, and Erica all looked very well and we caught up with a great deal of news. M-R is back living in the area awaiting the arrival of her first bubba. It was nice to reacquaint ourselves with them all and also to hear M-R’s laugh, which is quite possibly the most infectious and fun laugh I know of. The last time we visited Aston Lodge John and Erica were about to do a complete remodel, and remodel they have – the house looks fantastic and has not lost any of its charm. The rain even stopped long enough for us to take a walk along the local canal to sit at the narrow boat marina and to walk off some of the lunch.

We can totally recommend lunch at the Mytton and Mermaid www.myttonandmermaid.co.uk near Attingham Park in Shropshire. It is an amazing spot and the food was excellent – I surprised no one by ordering the scallops! We were treated to lunch here by Ilse and Jeremy Peacock. When we ran St. Aidan’ House, Ilse was our Assistant and we remember fondly how she supported us and kept us uplifted when the days were long. Jeremy was adopted by the girls of the House and he was a great help to us at many House functions where one of his most important duties was ensuring that the House champagne was not pilfered on the last day of term – we were reminded that we awarded him a certificate for his diligent service! After lunch we explored the stately home at Attingham Park. It has been in the care of the National Trust for 70 years and they are slowly restoring the rooms to how they were. Most of the downstairs areas have been completed but it is nice to wander the upstairs floors which are awaiting restoration – the old wallpaper and textiles have been preserved. It was a school after the family moved out and it is remarkable that more damage was not done to the interior. The kitchens were laid out as they were 100 years ago as thankfully someone had the foresight to board everything up when the school got a 20^th Century kitchen. The original range and tiles have emerged from behind layers of plaster board. It is a real treat and one we feel slightly embarrassed that we have driven past a million times. A quick trip down the A5 saw us meeting up with Dee, Chris and James Deakin at The Rectory in Bicton. I am sad that we did not have more of an opportunity to catch up but it was great to see James who now flits between the US and the UK like it is but a small drive. It sounds as if he will settle in the US and put his American Studies degree to good use. He has matured into a tall, confident and responsible young man who is a far cry from the two year old I used to watch pretend drive the family car while seated on Chris or Dee’s knee – for all those thinking that sounds risky it was only in Main Quad on the school property!

Wow, we have covered some miles and seen some people in the last few days. The list is nearly complete and come Monday we will start to head south to begin our French part of the trip. We have seven weeks in France and we are so looking forward to revisiting old holiday haunts. We have the car until the end of August and if the last few weeks are anything to go by we should have put about 10000 km on the clock by the time we hand back the keys at Orly Airport and I will be in rehab.

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