The sight of several tons of liquid concrete being poured into the foundations of 17 Dean’s Yard last summer gave cruel tongues an easy opportunity. Had we been built on shifting sands for the past three centuries? This reassuring strengthening of the foundations has not yet been accompanied by the kind of interior transformation likely to grace the front covers of House and Garden. But there are serious plans afoot to do a Tate Modern on our own scruffy enclave.
In Play term we welcomed Dr Kevin Walsh as the new head of Physics, Tom Kennedy (Maths), Lisa Newton (Economics) and Jane Richardson (English). Jo Ahier, on maternity leave with baby son Lysander, has been replaced temporarily in Geography by Ross Hunter. After three years distinguished service as President of Common Room, Rod Beavon has handed on the seals of office to Richard Pyatt. Grant’s will have a new housmaster in Autumn in Gavin Griffiths, and Geran Jones will replace him in Ashburnham.
On Friday 28 April the entire school ambled (like a very dislocated crocodile) across Westminster Bridge to the Millennium Wheel (sorry, the British Airways London Eye), to ride it en masse. Impeccably masterminded by Eddie Smith, the smoothness of the operation was not only exceeded by the enjoyment - and heartfelt gratitude - of the school community. The weather was not ideal, but that did not diminish the impact of the photographs taken.
Jonny White came to Westminster on the retirement of Valerie St. Johnston in 1996 from The King’s School, Canterbury. In a very short time it was clear to his colleagues that here was a man of real stature and individuality. Jonny is an immensely gifted and dedicated teacher, a ‘natural’ in the sense that his personality is injected into, and animates, his teaching. Nobody prepares harder for his classes, but in the last resort it is inspiration and charisma that carries him (and his audiences) along. With the gift of the spirit he can make all things new, fresh and vital. Underpinning all this is a genuine and instinctive humaneness and generosity of soul. He cares deeply about his pupils’ progress and welfare, and they in turn appreciate a relationship of mutual respect in which they can engage on equal terms. He has the gift of making History interesting and fun whilst brandishing an uncompromising academic rigor. His carefully drawn and intricately colored board maps are memorable in their own right.
At Westminster he has managed artfully to maintain his independence whilst at the same time throwing himself whole-heartedly into a bewildering variety of different activities and interests, from Squash to Sailing and Hockey, from Debating (where the high standards set by his illustrious predecessor have been carefully safeguarded and maintained) to St. Botolph’s. For one who leads life to the full, it is remarkable how unfailingly generous he is with his time and effort in attending to a multitude of individual needs and collective causes. As a colleague and friend he is loyal and supportive, patient and forbearing, inspiring and eager, tirelessly bubbling over with ideas and initiatives, sound in judgment and clear-sighted in his objectives, reliably good-humored and genuinely funny. It is a very sad loss for us, but an exciting challenge for him, that he leaves to take over as Head of History at Elliott’s School, a comprehensive in south-west London, and we wish him every success and good wish in this opportunity. Chocks away, Biggles! We’ve profited enormously from having you here, Jonny, and the School will be a poorer, duller place for your departure!
Giles Brown
It seems barely credible that Damian has been at Westminster for seven years – barely credible because his energetic enthusiasm for all aspects of School life is as fresh as it was when he first arrived. The list of his accomplishments and pursuits is as long as the list of his personal qualities.
As a teacher of Chemistry he has excelled; slightly self-deprecating in manner, always ready to appreciate the humour of things, he has carried his pupils along with him through his sheer exuberance and interest. One of Damian’s many virtues is his adaptability, his constant readiness to enter into the spirit of things and to oblige, and this is as evident in the classroom as elsewhere; it is no surprise to find him turning recently to the teaching of Biology, nor to find him offering General Options ranging from Experimental Psychology to a course on How To Be Cultured. Outside the classroom he has been equally energetic and diverse. For many years he took fencing lessons alongside the boys and girls until he decided to learn the skill of competitive punting – a Station he now runs with a devoted pupil following. LSAs have been equally varied – from Diplomacy to croquet via chemistry projects and shooting – and he has supported the expeditions programme with great loyalty, indeed running the Expeditions Society for a number of years. He is a skilful bridge player and has helped to manage the School team, and above all, perhaps, is a most accomplished bass, participating in the School Choir and the Henry VIIth Singers, as well as widely in choirs around London. All this activity has not gone unnoticed by the pupils; they appreciate very deeply Damian’s preparedness to engage both in them and in the whole life of the School, an approach to teaching which is symbolized by the constantly open door to his flat. It should be added that despite the intrinsic stresses of the job, and despite the fact that Damian has added to this job so considerably, I have not once seen him even irritated, let alone angry.
As colleague and friend he has been exceptional – supportive and amusing, unfailingly modest but with a wealth of recondite interests. His three years as Common Room Secretary were characterised both by the understatement of his manner and by the effectiveness of his administration; a huge number of activities were organised with unflappable efficiency, but living next to him in Busby’s I was one of the few people to appreciate the amount of time he spent on this, a devotion to duty which went largely unnoticed and unsung. Nor could one have wished for a more successful House Tutor; he is flexible, accommodating and wholly reliable, and his approach so light but firm that one can confidently leave the House in his care, in the knowledge that it will be both happy and safe.
His years at Westminster have seen Damian turn into a very fine school-master. He is wide-ranging, he is dependable, he is enthusiastic and he is civilised. The pupils have been fortunate to be under his care, and we have been fortunate to enjoy his professionalism and his company. To whom can we now turn with our questions about heraldry?
Charles Low
Anne Carman retired in April 2000 after thirteen years at the hub of Westminster’s life. The Head Master’s Secretary has to assume a multitude of roles, which involve not just the capacity to handle huge quantities of paper or deal patiently with all those who tramp up and down the staircase of 17, Dean’s Yard. Anne, rightly, interpreted her position as going far beyond the merely secretarial. She had a particular gift for detecting those who were truly troubled, both adult and adolescent in and beyond the School’s community, and she devoted immense care to their help either on the telephone or seated across the desk in her office. The trouble which she took at those critical moments when exam results came through in the summer will linger in the memory of generations of Westminsters. There was indeed a soft heart beneath what may have seemed to some a formidable exterior. She cared passionately about the School and for its reputation and well-being. She was fiercely loyal and not in the least afraid to take up the cudgels if she felt that either School or Head Master might be under attack; in fact, she was a tremendous fender-off of the uncomfortable telephone call (certainly this Head Master took cover shamelessly under her protection!) and never shirked the often challenging responsibilities which came her way. She loved so much that the School could offer, not least in terms of drama and music, and she was a shrewd and perceptive critic in artistic affairs, just as the thrill of Westminster’s successes at Henley or the enjoyment of sharing in the study trip to Greece meant so much to her. Like so many of us, she felt strongly the unique atmosphere of a School with the Abbey as its Chapel and set in such astonishing surroundings. For my family and myself she became much more than Secretary: cheerfully tolerant of the invasion of small feet, solver of problems both mathematical and emotional, wisest of counsellors, most devoted of friends. Westminster has been tremendously fortunate in so many who have served the School down the years; Anne Carman deserves a place of high honour amongst their number.
David Summerscale
Most Old Westminsters do well at University and then relatively easily find congenial and lucrative employment. For a few sad figures, however, who do not possess the sunny disposition necessary to be accepted as traffic wardens, or whose lack of Maths O-level stops them getting a responsible position behind a supermarket checkout, we operate a charitable scheme whereby they can return to the School as teachers for a few years before being returned to the community (though in some cases the doctors have decided that this will never be safe). Of course, many of them have to be given senior positions to keep them out of the classroom, but on the whole the good done by this scheme for those it benefits outweighs the disadvantage to the school. Amongst OW teachers, however, Robert is different. Oh yes.
He first came here as a Sixth Form entrant (with two Maths A-levels already to his credit) and studied Physics with Sharon Newman and History under Valerie St Johnston: it is on these figures from the days when Heads of History were Heads of History and Physics teachers were real men that he has modelled his teaching style, or at least his dress sense.
When he was interviewed it became apparent that he had illegible handwriting and spoke too fast to be understood by a normal human: it was on this slim evidence that David Summerscale decided that he would make an excellent teacher, but in fact this has proved to be the case and in the three years he has been here his vigorous style has persuaded many reluctant pupils to work harder at Mathematics and his own evident pleasure in mathematical ideas has encouraged many of them to enjoy it too.
Robert has always been of a somewhat theatrical disposition, advertised by his habitually lurid ankle and neck-wear but resulting in an acclaimed production of Cyrano, an unforgettable two-hander (which unfortunately I have forgotten) and Rigaud’s House Centenary play (which is best forgotten). He has also been the impresario of the Film Club which he founded, offering large screen showings of his favourite movies (so a lot of science fiction B pictures) to an appreciative audience of boarders and a web site providing what could be described as brief, pithy reviews of future showings written in plain English, except that that would be a lie.
Robert has run the school’s Community Service program on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, building up links with local Primary Schools which he has also developed by running lunchtime board games clubs for them with Upper Shell boys as helpers. It is remarkable that he has managed to find, let alone tap, a thin vein of altruism in this year and many suitable volunteers have been found – they have to know, for instance, what to do if your opponent bursts into tears if you do not let him win (answer: don’t play Mr Wilne next week). Another of his innovations was the introduction of Junior John Locke lectures, at which Adam and Joe (OWW), for instance, seemed to enjoy themselves almost as much as their audience.
Robert has been attached to Rigaud’s as resident Tutor, and self-proclaimed heir-apparent should John suddenly pass away in mysterious circumstances (to be arranged), and it his work in the House, to which he has given a tremendous amount of time, where, perhaps, he has had the most uniquely beneficial effect on individual pupils and for which he will be most affectionately remembered.
Robert’s most impressive characteristic is the extraordinary energy and enthusiasm with which he has approached everything he has done in his relatively short time here, and the Common Room, and indeed the whole school, will be a quieter, but a less interesting and less cheerful place when he goes. He is leaving to become, at an almost embarrassingly early stage in his career, Head of Mathematics at Highgate School and we wish him all the luck he will need there.Michael Davies
