On 10 June the philosopher, politician, author, broadcaster and major figure in the arts world Bryan Magee (Ba A 41–48) was interviewed in The Times about his memoir Clouds of Glory: A Hoxton Boyhood (Jonathan Cape, £17.99). The interview’s main focus was his deeply painful relationship with his (unloving, amoral, violent) mother, though he insisted she had not blighted his life. His interviewer agreed, finding him “cheerful, erudite and courteous, with no obvious sharp edges, and there is no disputing his success.”

Simon Baker (La A 83–90) played Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in September. The Times thought him “ideal in the role, a disconcerting, androgynous presence whose richly piercing counter-tenor worked beautifully with Timothy Dean’s well-controlled orchestra.”

As President Bush’s state visit to the UK began, The Guardian invited sixty contrasting people to write him an open letter. One of them was the Warden of New College, Oxford, Alan Ryan (La A 51–59, Almoner), who focussed on Bush’s “atrocious record as governor of Texas, when you upheld death sentences passed by corrupt and biased courts on illiterate, incompetent and all-too-frequently innocent defendants. Many of the protesters think you are a mass murderer; you certainly have form as a serial killer.”

Using his alter ego of ‘William Shepherd’, Peter Etherden (Ba A 57–64) sent an open letter to Lord Hutton’s inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Dr David Kelly’s death, asking why it was ignoring relevant material on the internet such as the suspicious recent deaths of a dozen world-class microbiologists and Dr Kelly’s known concern about the prospect of DNA-sequenced “Passover Weapons”.

An article in The Physician and SportsMedicine in May examined the connections, highlighted during the war in Iraq, between military medicine and the sports variety. Among those quoted was Lt Col Ian McCurdie MD (Pe B 71–77), a rheumatology and sports medicine specialist with the RAMC, who has seen his work at a military rehabilitation centre evolve from treating peacetime military training injuries to managing battle casualties, while many of his physiotherapists have been deployed with field hospitals and hospital ships. “In exactly the same way that any sports medicine support team would work to ensure that all squad members were fit to compete, we apply all of the same principles and practices to get our soldiers, sailors, and airmen fit to fight.”

On 2 June The Times reviewed Rambert Dance Company’s performance of Living Toys, with music by Thomas Adès. ‘Praise must go to Rambert’s orchestra, London Musici, and its conductor, Paul Hoskins (Col A 77–84). They find all the fizz and odd harmonics embedded within this mesmerising music.’

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This year Sussex won the county cricket championship for the first time. Coverage in The Times referred to the Sussex tradition of fast and fast-medium bowlers such as the former England star John Snow (Th B 51–59) and spoke to the club’s ex-chairman Robin Marlar. “Pointing to the 100-strong Christ’s Hospital band playing with gusto and precision in the tea interval, he said: “I’ll say one thing for this club: we’ve always done things in style”.”

Saint-Gobain Pipelines has appointed Paul Minchin (Pe A 71–78) as managing director of its Access Covers and Gratings Business Unit. He has extensive experience in the water and gas utilities industries (at one time he was UK sales director of Glynweb Pipe Systems Ltd) and has also worked in the building services and industrial markets.

At Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario (where Sir William Hamilton Fyfe (Headmaster 19–30) was Principal from 1930–36) Frederick Lock (La A 63–67) received the Prize for Excellence in Research in 2000 and was appointed last year to a Research Chair in the English Department. He specialises in Restoration and eighteenth century literature, politics and intellectual history. Meanwhile Richard Greenfield (Col A 64–74) has become Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Queen’s.

Lost in TV Ltd, which began trading in July, has three directors, one of whom is Nick Micouris (Pe B/Pe A 89–96). They specialise in audience research and recruitment for television comedy and entertainment shows; that’s to say, they recruit the exact demographic (Based on age, occupation, interests and hobbies) that will best suit the programme in question.

Solicitor Edward Hickman (LHA 80–85), dubbed a “rising star” by the UK Legal 500, left the Hong Kong office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer two years ago to join the securitisation team at Shearman & Sterling in London.

Another National Theatre triumph for Roger Allam (Pe B/Th A 64–72) who as West German Chancellor Willy Brandt in Michael Frayn’s Democracy gave a complex performance, “indecisive, impulsive, warm, aloof, innocent yet shrewd, and broader of mind and deeper of soul than the colleagues murkily manoeuvring around him” (Times, 11 September).

Rear Admiral David Bawtree (Mid A 47–55, Almoner) is leading the project to build the largest education and adventure training sailing ship in the world, to be in commission on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar (21st October 2005).

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Mark Newson-Smith (Mid B 75–83) has developed “the world’s lightest golf bag”, the A Frame, which holds between two and fourteen clubs and spreads the weight evenly, reducing strain on shoulders and back. “It has excellent branding space for companies and we are seeing good demand from companies who wish to give it away at corporate golf days or for Christmas presents.”

At Liverpool University Robert Choa (Ma A 92–99) recently passed his finals in medicine. He is not yet a doctor as he has taken a sideways step and is doing a BSc in Anatomy, which will be very helpful if he chooses to do surgery. His sister Alex Choa left CH this year and has acceptances from various universities to do Archaeology, with or without Anthropology.

Thomas Aveston (La B/Th A 93–99) is working for McKinsey’s, the management consultants.

Geotechnical engineer Alistair Cadden (Pe A 77–82, Senior Grecian) is South American sector representative for the mining services company Golder Associates.

Last autumn Laura McFall (Hertford/Ba B 84–91) directed an English-language production of Peter Kárpáti’s Everywoman at the Baron’s Court Theatre for the Otherwise Silent Theatre Company. In January she was at the Hungarian Cultural Centre reciting the traditional Hungarian folk ballad Clement Mason’s Wife as part of “Hungarian Women in Focus”. She has appeared on BBC Radio 4 in Oldest Member and has played Goneril in King Lear with Two Way Mirror, among numerous other credits.

Accy Yeats (LHA/Mid A 79–86) is the drummer in the Ana Gracey Quintet, who were very well received at their first gig at Pizza on the Park, Knightsbridge, in August.

Real estate and facilities management consultant Marcus Bowen (Th A 76–?82) qualified as a chartered building surveyor in 1989, has since acquired an MBA in construction and real estate and the RICS diploma in project management and is a partner with GVA Grimley, the specialist independent property adviser.

After completing his Navigator’s course Lt John Causton RN (Ma A 91–96) has been serving in HMS Bangor.

Mike Mather (CH c. 76–83) is developing a property syndicate in Spain.

A Times article on 3 September explored the working relationship of the headmaster of the Yehudi Menuhin School, Nicolas Chisholm (Th B 61–68), and his PA. Her view: “Working for Nicolas is interesting and stimulating. He has bags of energy and is easy to approach.”

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After the death of Dr David Kelly Hugh Sacker (Col A 35–43) wrote to The Guardian: “Dr Kelly’s integrity was publicly compromised. He seems to have preferred death to dishonour – and in so doing has given us all a lesson we could surely best learn in silence.”

“I was a pupil and I think it is a brilliant school” wrote Elizabeth Llewellyn-Smith (3’s 46–53) in the Daily Telegraph (7 July) recommending CH to parents seeking financial help to send their bright offspring to an independent school. She added that many Oxbridge college heads – herself among them – have been former CH pupils. The Telegraph’s verdict: CH “certainly deserves to be better known.”

On 6 September The Economist marked the bicentenary of the birth of Berlioz, ascribing the revival of his reputation to biographer David Cairns and to Sir Colin Davis (Th B 38–44), the leading interpreter of his music. In August Sir Colin and the LSO performed the monumental Les Troyens, normally a two-day work, in one “absorbing”, “enthralling”, “electrifying” seven-hour Prom.

Saga Magazine for June published an email from Edward Johnson (CH c. 1939) responding to comments about CH in the March issue by chemist-turned-barrister Sidney Ross (Rosenberg, Ba B 42–50). Outlining his own career – sent to CH by London County Council; organic chemistry at Oxford; then to the Medical Research Council after a spell with Anglo–Iranian Oil; plus plenty of archaeology and music – he denied that CH under-valued its budding scientists or was “elitist”: “I think it was as egalitarian a school as would have been possible in those pre-war and early-war days.”

The Telegraph spotted our former Treasurer Professor E J Kenney (Col A 35–43, Senior Grecian) attending a memorial service for his fellow Cambridge don George Guest in May.

Christopher “Des” Lockyer (Mid B 68–75) is now teaching at Dover College and the Rev Gary Dobbie (Horsham Staff 84–02) is chaplain of Shrewsbury School.

In August Ben Ashton (La B/Mid B 97–02) took part in the National Smallbore Rifle Championship at Bisley and came seventeenth in the under-21 competition.

Our Channel Islands Renaissance Man Geraint Jennings (Col A 77–84) is – among numerous other roles – chairman of the Jersey Pedestrians Association. The people of St Helier have elected him three times to the Roads Committee, where he has been trying to solve the problems of a lane which is officially nameless by formally conferring upon it the name “La Ruette Sans Nom”. Reasonable enough.

Richard Youdale (Horsham Staff 82–88) will retire in August after twelve years as Headmaster of King’s School, Ely.

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Mr Stephen Mallinson is researching the life of Brinley Newton–John, who was on the Horsham staff in about 1936–38, known simply as “Mr John”. After the war he achieved distinction in the academic world, first at Cambridge and then in Australia where he helped to found a university. He died in 1992. Mr Mallinson wishes to hear from anyone who remembers him and can shed any light on the subjects he taught, together with any anecdotes or stories. He can be contacted at smallinson@yahoo.com. And yes – to answer the obvious question – Brinley was indeed the father of the singer and actress Olivia Newton-John.

“Latest Wills” in The Times on 3 October said the pioneer of medical photography Peter Hansell (Ma A 31–38) had left £500 to CH.

“A glowing advertisement for education at Christ’s Hospital” was how the July edition of The Cricketer described the late Lt-Col John Stephenson (Col A 39–48), who was Secretary of the MCC in succession to Jack Bailey (Ma A B 41–48). “All his life he was a shining example of the team player… As a young athlete the nearest he came to leadership was on the rugby field where, year after year, Christ’s Hospital produced number-eight forwards and pack leaders of distinction.”

In a Guardian article on 23 November Michael Aylwin told of the last match he played with the Second XV of the OBRFC (“renowned as being the only established rugby club in the country that insisted on its players not training”). His collarbone broken, he left the field, as did two other injured Old Blues, and though the OBRFC had no substitutes the visiting team refused to lend any of theirs and insisted on playing the rest of the match, winning by 80–20. They had, it transpired, been denied the previous season’s Second-XV league title on points difference, and didn’t want a repeat. “I can safely say that barely a handful of our team knew there was even such a thing as a Second-XV league, let alone believed that anyone should be bothered about winning it.” This set him musing on the changed ethos of rugby since professionalism was initiated at the top. Thirty thousand players, Aylwin among them, have dropped out of rugby, but “there are a few guys in the bar at the Old Blues who won’t give up the heritage of the casual player quite so lightly.”

And during the Rugby World Cup it was noticed that television commentators were calling a pass which bounces before reaching its intended target a “Barnes Wallis pass”!

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