Some 30 Old Blues and their wives attended an enjoyable dinner in Washington, D.C., on October 28, with the Clerk of C.H., Michael Simpkin, as main speaker and the Senior Grecian, Oscar Jenkyn-Jones, as guest of honour. To everyone’s delight, Rob Gauntlett and James Hooper, were also present, proudly displaying the Housey flag they had taken to the summit of Everest in May.

Michael Allen, president of Friends of Christ’s Hospital (FCH), the American alumni group, introduced the Clerk as the CEO (chief executive officer) of Housey because he runs the place.

Mike Simpkin praised the FCH, led by John Doyle, Mike Allen and Lance Reynolds, as leaders of the pack in support of CH. Looking around the world you can’t see a more dedicated group for the school, he said. Christ’s Hospital had received 550 applications for places in 2007 – a figure than broke all records. There was also an inexorable trend toward closer gender balance in the school. He cited an international study showing that Britain and America were well down the scale in fostering social mobility. The UK was well below Mexico in this respect. The British government contracts out to charities to run public services cost-effectively, and CH will be among the pathfinder schools to take children out of residential care and put them on the right path, he claimed. Seventy percent of CH alumni were to be found among the top four working groups in the UK.

Oskar Jenkyn-Jones, resplendent in his Housey uniform, spoke eloquently of his sense of deep fulfilment within the CH community. The school gives us the instruments and we make the music, was his theme. The wonder of CH was that it gave pupils the strength and power of belonging to a growing community. No past pupil was forgotten. It’s good to feel that I’m linked to previous generations of Old Blues.

Traditional toasts were drunk and graces observed. The dinner ended with a rendering of the old School Votum, vociferously led by Mike Allen. Patricia Plaskett, the Washington resident and school Governor who organised the dinner, also arranged a breakfast session with the Everest climbers. They showed slides and film clips of their intrepid feat, followed by a preview of their planned Pole to Pole expedition.

David Shears

Dinner attended by:

• Oscar Jenkyn-Jones – Senior Grecian
• Michael Allen (Ma A 49–57) and Joan Gray
• Bill Band (Ma A 36–44) and Kit
• Jim Bell (Ma A 57–58) and Patrice
• Andrew Fyfe (Prep A, Mid A 48–56) and Jane
• Rob Gauntlett (Ma B 98–05)
• James Hooper (Ma B 98–05)
• Kate Kerr (nee Pugh) (4’s, Ba B 83–90) and David
• Simon Kerruish (Mid A 68–74)
• Kenneth Northcott (Ba B 34–39) and Patricia
• Sally O’Brien (nee Knatchbull-Hugessen) (5’s 70–71) and Tom
• Alexandra Power (nee Szantyr) (6’s 60–66)
• Lance Reynolds (Prep A, Mid B (49–58)
• David Shears (Prep A, Ma B 35–44) and Ursula
• Patricia Plaskett (nee Stockton) (5’s & 6s 49–56) and Roger
• Keith Worker (Col A 71–78) and Laura
• Jon and Linnet McGill (Gilman School)
• Michael Simpkin (Clerk to Christ’s Hospital) and Joy

Top