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THE ALLEYNIAN / SUMMER 2011 No. 698

CONTENTSCONTRIBUTIONSTRIPSCHARITIES +COMMUNITYSERVICESPORTDRAMAMUSICCREATIVE WRITINGART + DESIGNOAsLETTERS

Theatre practicals [Benji Walters]MS house drama [Kathryn Norton-Smith]LS house drama [Ed Reid]National Youth Theatre [Eddie Elliot]

Piano Competition [Timothy Barratt]House Music Competition [Ben Kavanagh]Jazz Evening [Charles Carey]All Saints’ Concert [Ho Ting Chan]Southwark Concert [Ben Kavanagh]

Ben Beardsley [Ben Beardsley]Pottery Project [Barney Mills]Oscar’s Desk [Oscar Salandin]Art Exhibition [Alastair Trevill]Assorted Year 11 Work

Spanish Translation [Anamay Viswanathan, Rhys Wellington, Charlie Meeran]Middle School House Poetry [Ed Downes and Dominic Povall]Extract from novel [Simon Middleton]

Croquet [Andrew Mushett Cole]Rugby [Josh Vallance & Sam Howard]Rowing Pictures [Freddie Reed]Rowing Camp [Tom Mountain]Basketball [Matt Burdekin]Fencing [Jess Smith]Football [Nick Brown]London Cup Final [Matt Wisdom]

Lake District Writing Trip [Marco Alessi]Lake District D of E [Angus Lam]Berlin History Trip [Tim WingardBattlecraft Weekend [Harry Millen] Berlin Trip [George Cowan]Tubingen [Felix Rees]La Rochelle [James Hamilton]Pamplona trip [Josh Vallance]Florence [Mark Schunemann]Siena [Harry Nightingale]Tall Ships [Ed Downes]Valencia [Matthew Wisdom]Iceland [Oliver Daniel]

Charity in the LS [Andreas Chitty, Tohid Ismail, Jonathan Wolstenholme, Peter Dodwell, Miles Dee, Amos Edwards, Jack Theophanous and Hamish Lloyd Barnes, Buzz Robb]Blind Date [Jesse Roberts]Rock Alive [Henry Monksfield]Muslim/Hindu charity match [Vithu Satkunarasan]Day Boy / Boarders Basketball [Benton Lau] Song + Marathon [Haig Didizian and Haiyang Yang]Langbourne Primary [Saugata Sen]Activenture [Ennan Mwendwa & Carl Okunubi]

Staff ValeteOA overseas Geography project. [Matthew Clark, Ed Downes, Anamay Viswanathan, Rhys Wellington]OA News

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E d i t o r i a l p l u s l i s t o f s ta f f l E av E r s d u lw i c h a n d m E [ J o n at h a n W o l s e n h o l m e , B a r n e y m e d l a n d , m i l e s d e e , e d d i e e l l i o t t ] r E l i g i o u s d E b at E [ t i m W i n g a r d a n d a n t o n i o s h i n e B o u r n e ] m E at [ a n g u s i m r i e & d e n i s e C r o n i n ] l ay o f f t h E l i b d E m s [ h a r r y m i l l e n ] i n t E r v i E w w i t h t h E m a s t E r E t c [ g e o r g e n e i s h ] g u i d E t o s u r v i v i n g d u lw i c h [ h a r r y B e l l e n B e r g ] i n t E r v i E w w i t h t h E m a s t E r p l a n n E r s [ e n n a n m W e n d Wa ] c h i n E s E n E w y E a r [ s a i r a J P u v i n at h a n ] c h i n E s E at d u lw i c h [ W i l l i a m m i lt o n , s a n g W o o d o h ] o v E r s E a s s c h o o l s [ J o s e P h s P e n C e ] p h y s i c s s a f E - b r E a k i n g c o m p E t i t i o n [ t o m K i r K ] s t y l E [ B e n J i Wa lt e r s , ta l a l C h a l l a h , m a r C o a l e s s i ] t h E f E l l o w s ’ l i b r a r y [ r o B e r t W e av e r ] s t u d E n t b l o o p E r s [ a d r i a n B a r r e t t- g r e e n e & a n d r e a s C h i t t y ] c c f [ r i C h a r d m a s o n ] yo u n g E n t E r p r i s E [ h o l ly e t h e r i n g t o n ] s t E m E v E n i n g [ e l i z a B e t h s o a r e ] s c o u t s E x h i b i t i o n [ J o n at h a n W o l s t e n h o l m e ] b a n k s i d E r [ m at t h e W W i s d o m ]

CONTRIBUTIONSNO 698

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PUERIALLEYNIENSES

MCMXIV MCMXIX

If one tries to determine precisely what the purpose of The Alleynian is, one quickly discovers that there is no simple answer. Most would agree that it should be a record of the school year, but also represent the opinions and experiences of individuals. It should be a record of the daily, working lives of students and staff, but also a chance for them to give free rein to their imaginations. It should be a careful document which alienates and offends no one, but also a site of challenge, debate and even gentle controversy.

With Issue 697 we – a student-staff committee of inexperienced editors – attempted to reconcile these very different demands. Inevitably, the attempt could only be successful to a point. We certainly encountered reservations, but were ecstatic that so many of the responses were positive. Most importantly of all, though, was the fact that The Alleynian provoked conversation, and the news that lessons had been devoted to mature, insightful, heated discussions arising from the magazine’s content left us enormously satisfied.

The Editorial for the 1994 issue boldly asked the question: ‘Who reads The Alleynian anyway?’ Well, it seems to us that Issue 697 was not only read by a great many current and Old Alleynians, but also carefully reflected upon. If, in any way, with an emphasis on thoughtful journalism, staggeringly beautiful student designs, and tasteful production values we can contribute to the ‘cultural revolution at Dulwich’ prophesied by Old Alleynian John Hewitt Jones, then we would be enormously proud. John’s

response, along with several others, can be found on our Letters page, an attempt to keep discussion open about the issues raised in the magazine; we hope that pieces in this edition will stimulate just the same kind of interest and that the next Letters page will be even more full of opinion, dissent, and subversion.

But, as the cliché has it, all good things must come to an end. School generations pass so quickly, and this will be the last issue to be produced by the present committee. The intrepid journalism and rigorous editing of the students has been remarkable. Most importantly of all, the design work of Victor Hwang, Oscar Salandin and Sairaj Puvinathan remains overwhelming. That such a glorious publication could be produced by school students is not only tribute to the remarkable work of the Art and Design Departments here at Dulwich, but also a modest indicator of just what these young men will achieve ultimately. We, as design illiterates, remain endlessly grateful to the boys for their commitment. The next issue will be in the very capable hands of Senior Prefect for The Alleynian Benji Walters and the team of bright and dedicated Sixth Formers developing around him.

We are grateful to the Master for his continued support in the production of this magazine. He has, on a number of occasions, quoted Peter Gilman’s editorial from Issue 697, and his words remain a fitting way to end and a sound statement of our conviction: one of the higher functions of journalism is to cause trouble. We hope that you enjoy Issue 698 and that it causes just a little bit of trouble.

Beatrice Riddiford Benedict Morrison

Editorial

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Dulwich and Me

I joined Dulwich College in Year Three. Eleven years is probably far too long to be at any institution, but since joining I’ve never doubted that it’s the right place for me. Aside from the academic life, two things at Dulwich will leave a permanent impression my life. The first one is the music that Dulwich has to offer, my first few years here were crucial in allowing me to develop to the point that I’m at now, going off to study music at the Guildhall next year. Playing a concerto at the school’s All Saints Church concert was probably the high point of my whole time here. Without getting weepy and sentimental about things, the second thing is of course my friends here, characters of all types and from many backgrounds. I’m looking forward to moving on next year (about time really), but I’ll never forget Dulwich College…

I have been at the college since September 2009, and the last two years have been the greatest of my life. The trip to Wales really helped bring my class together, and after a few weeks the whole school seemed natural to me. I quickly joined the chapel choir, second orchestra and Intermediate Wind Band, along with the Scout Troop. During the year I got quite involved in cultural house competitions (for Howard) and joined the drama club and pupil librarians. Last Founder’s Day I found myself in about three places at once, singing the school song, acting in a drama club play, helping at the Scouts’ BBQ and playing house Big Sides Cricket.

This year has brought even more fun, with a production of Kafka’s Metamorphosis, and many more musical events. My time at the college has developed and challenged me mentally and as a person, and I have enjoyed every bit of it.

Barney Medland Year 13 Miles Dee Year 8

Eddie Elliot Year 13

Jonathan Wolstenholme Year 8

Having been a Dulwich boy for near to a decade, you would think that I would have had enough by now. But the reality is if Dulwich was a university, I would be its resident scholar. I am so lucky to have gone here, to have walked down that foot way, passed those red brick cloisters, run across those fields, jumped onto that stage and to have had sheer, irrefu-table fun for the past ten years of my life. The col-lege has accepted my flaws, embraced my blemishes and has encouraged me to stride forward in the chal-lenges and obstacles that have come knocking at my door. Having been a House Captain, Senior Prefect, drama scholar and the theatre editor for The Alley-nian, I can genuinely state that to be leaving the Blue and Black jungle after so long is a daunting task for me. However, as an Old Alleynian, I feel ready to face what’s beyond this home of mine, to step outside of those black gates and to maintain a Dulwich mental-ity in all of my future endeavours; Keep cheerful, be honest and never stop trying.

When people ask me what Dulwich means to me, I often say that it is a place where everyone can do what they love, whether you are particularly sporty or very good at Maths or enjoy Music and the Arts. It wasn’t until Mr Jolly approached me and asked me to be in the Lower School play, Tribe, directed by the fantastic Ned Bennett, that my passion for drama shone through . Tribe was fantastic and it showed me that, even if you have a smaller part in a production, you are just as important as the hero or the evil mastermind . When I entered year 8 I thought that this year was going to be work ,work and more work but I was soon corrected as the Drama Society had decided to take on the brilliant Metamorphosis by Kafka . This time we had the help of Mr Trevill. I was trusted to write a script for Marlowe House for this year’s Lower School House Drama; the theme being “transformation”. I decided to combine physical and mental change with the story of Jekyll and Hyde. As well as enjoying drama, I have been in and out of the music block, learning to sing and play the drums. These experiences have made me think about my future; I am considering going into directing or possibly studying acting at RADA, but I don’t want to grow up to soon because I like it at Dulwich!

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During my seven years at Dulwich, the issue of multiculturalism has not plagued my thoughts, and quite possibly it’s not an issue that weighs on many of your minds on a regular basis. Every day, when we come into the College, we are immersed in a vast array of cultures and beliefs.

A case can be made that Dulwich is not representative of the wider spectrum of society; we are all in a privileged position to have the means to attend the school, and I am aware that being in such a position does not reflect the wider economic situation. However, that is the extent of the exclusivity. All religions and creeds are catered for within the school. At lunch, halal options are provided for Muslim students; the Islamic Jumu’ah prayers run on a weekly basis; students are allowed to take leave for religious holidays such as Yom Kippur. From a young age we are taught about different cultures and the history of other countries - a decent effort for a traditionally Anglican school.

Our assemblies, in particular those held in the Chapel, are the only aspect of school life which has an overriding Christian theme. This is, in my opinion, not something to be discouraged. I hold no strong affiliation to any religion, although my family does have Jewish roots, but for most people at Dulwich who do, it is to Christianity. Our religious assemblies are simply catering to the wants of the

masses. For us non-believers, it is true that there is less poignancy in these occasions. However, we can still take something from them. While many assemblies are, if we are honest, dull, the lessons contained in religious texts on compassion and generosity are applicable to all, regardless of whether or not the source is biblical.

Even more importantly, the school is right to acknowledge that part of its responsibility is to educate us in the traditions of Western culture. Whether one is religious or not, it would be philistine and reckless to underestimate the unique beauty of the Bible or its central significance in the art, literature, music, politics, law and ethics of our society. While religion should not be dogmatic here (or in any school), it is crucial that we know what the origins of our cultural ideologies are. As the 400th anniversary of the King James translation of the Bible is celebrated, it is right that we should recognise the text’s continued value and the lessons we can learn from it.

Diversity and inclusiveness are all around us at Dulwich. This is not inhibited, but complemented by the long-standing principles our school was founded on. Traditional teachings along with multicultural ideologies allow the benefits of both to be experienced by student and teacher alike.

In favour of Christian AssembliesAntonio Shinebourne

Two essays on the tricky subject of religious observance. They have been written in response to the quiet disbanding of non-Christian religious and humanist assemblies and the return to a more traditional Anglican practice.

religion2.indd 1 13/06/2011 15:21

Dulwich College was founded on Christian principles and its customs are steeped in the practices of the Church of England. This is an unavoidable fact, and it has also created a heritage that we should celebrate. Nevertheless, I and many students feel that we are moving in the wrong direction in terms of faith and religion. To put it bluntly this school is retreating from its once multicultural and Humanist stance towards a homogeneous position that is not reflective of the wider community.

Great strides have been made over the last decade in terms of inclusiveness and tolerance. Events such as the Hindu/Muslim football match and the annual celebration of Chinese New Year, as well as more mundane occasions such as the Jumu’ah prayers every Friday, recognise the importance of minority faith groups (especially within the Boarding House). Most significant of all was the introduction of alternatives to the explicitly Christian celebrations at Christmas and Easter, and it is disheartening to see that these appear to have been abolished. Furthermore, traditionally secular occasions such as the Master’s Assembly have developed an Anglican focus as a result of being relocated to the Chapel, rather than the Great Hall.

Some may question why Christian assemblies are contentious. Indeed, for non-believers they may simply appear

to be devoid of relevance and meaning. However, students of strong alternative religious conviction can be made to feel uncomfortable by the overtly Christian slant of these assemblies. I have spoken to several students who object on the grounds of faith to aspects of the service such as the singing of hymns and the recital of the Founder’s Prayer. From a Humanist point of view, the emphasis in these assemblies on authoritarianism, traditionalism and conformism are also somewhat disquieting (though incomparable with the conflict of conscience felt by those of faith).

Furthermore, Anglicanism simply is not relevant to the majority of the student body. National figures show that around only 1.1 million people out of the UK’s population of 61 million attend weekly Church of England services. This is reflected in our school. Using my form as an (admittedly limited) sample, I discovered that eleven out of thirteen students claim to belong to a religion other than Anglicanism.

This school has a duty to move with the times and continue to recognise the diversity of belief which we are so fortunate to have at Dulwich. We have made much progress, but we cannot allow ourselves to be held back by unnecessary tradition.

In opposition to Christian AssembliesTim Wingard

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Meat!“Jeeves lugged my purple socks out of the drawer as if he were a vegetarian fishing a caterpillar out of his salad.” Taken from The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse, this simile skilfully suggests Jeeves’ revulsion at the idea of purple socks; put simply, they are as unpalatable to him as the idea of eating an inch of flesh is to a vegetarian. A committed herbivore myself, I find Wodehouse’s fastidious vegetarian easy to identify with, but are the pair of us unusual in having as our chief concern the caterpillar’s welfare?

People abstain from meat for many reasons: ethical, health related, religious, political, environmental, cultural, aesthetic, economic. It is estimated that 3% of UK citizens are vegetarian, which puts us way behind countries such as India where 42% of the population are. This can be explained in part by religious difference, as two prominent religions in India, Jainism and Hinduism, both endorse vegetarianism, while the Christian scriptures do not contain any such guidance.

Perhaps some are dissuaded from taking the plunge into a meat-free diet by the myths surrounding vegetarianism in this country. When I first told my dad that I wanted to be a vegetarian, he was concerned about how it might affect my work. Not even my argument that Albert Einstein was a vegetarian could convince him that academic failure was not necessarily my fate. Others believe that a vegetarian diet does not provide the right protein needed to perform at a high

by Angus Imrielevel in sport. However, all of the evidence suggests otherwise: the famous body builder Bill Pearl became a vegetarian at 39, and won the Mr Universe title two years later at the grand old age of 41. Here at the College, I consider myself well provided for and enjoy the vegetarian options and salad available every day. However, lunch conversation is sometimes less straightforward as it is so difficult to avoid speaking about the benefits of vegetarianism to my friends over the meal table. I really want to make a significant difference and have not made this choice simply in order to salve my conscience. To this end, I propose that we at the College follow the example set in China, Germany and Belgium, where the concept of once a week ‘veggie days’ has been introduced. Think of the benefits to pupils: eating meat every day is unnecessary and perhaps even unhealthy, while a plate of vegetables with pasta or rice is a dietician’s dream. It would be good for all of us to be reminded once a week that this is how most of the world’s population lives, as, for most, meat is a luxury rather than a staple. Then there’s the cost. It might even be possible to reduce the price of school lunches if one day in five is meat-free. Finally, think of the animals spared. It is their welfare, after all, which prompts most of us to opt for a meat-free life. But that’s another story…

I wonder how many Alleynian readers know which National Week was celebrated in the UK between Monday 23 and Sunday 29 May this year. To be honest, National Vegetarian Week went under my radar too, so I am very grateful to Angus for his excellent article celebrating vegetarianism and in particular for drawing attention to the innovation of “Meatless Monday”, which inspired me to undertake some investigation into catering at the College.

The meat-sourcing policies of the Catering Department at Dulwich already put us ahead of many schools: we have moved from serving exclusively Halal meat to offering Halal products only to Muslim pupils and teachers (50 out of 800 meals each day). In addition, although the cost implications of sourcing all our meat locally are prohibitive, at least efforts are made to buy British. Thus, our pork comes from farms in Norfolk and Suffolk and our beef comes from Scotland. As for the chicken, some of it comes from the EU, but the majority of the birds are reared on a farm in Hemel Hempstead. Is this good enough? Does it matter, for example, that the chicken served here is neither organic nor free-range, but is instead meat from intensively farmed birds slaughtered at only six weeks, deprived of natural light and fresh air and brought to maturity prematurely by the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics?

We have the opportunity here to take seriously Angus’ invitation to dine more responsibly. His suggestion certainly

by Denise Cronincomes with good credentials: In Baltimore, “Meatless Mondays” were adopted last year, since when the city’s 80,000 school children have all foregone meat at school once a week. Some European cities are looking to follow suit, although none has yet been quite as bold as Baltimore.

I’ll put my cards on the table at this point: I really admire the vision of those Baltimoreans who decided it was time to educate their young about the ill-effects on the environment of massive meat production and the potential health problems to which meat consumption can contribute. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, meat production accounts for 18% of annual greenhouse-gas emissions. Another statistic offered is that for each person who goes meat-free just one day out of seven, the lives of 100 farm animals are spared per year. If these facts were not incentive enough for us to take seriously Angus’ idea, an independent school just six miles west of Dulwich introduced “No Meat Monday” earlier this term. Proposed by an English teacher and fully endorsed by the pupil council, the scheme has met with no opposition and has certainly not led to an exodus from the lunch-hall. Having given Angus the opportunity to voice his views, I hope that Dulwich College is now ready to debate this issue and perhaps even see fit to follow where others have led.

Two members of the Dulwich community ruminate on our attitudes to the production and consumption of meat.

meat/lib dem article 13/6/11.indd 1 16/06/2011 11:08

I needn’t explain that the Lib Dems aren’t too popular at the moment. The electorate has made this all too clear with the Barnsley by-election, relegating the party to sixth place, behind UKIP and the BNP. Couple that with devastating losses in Council elections, the overwhelming No vote in the AV Referendum, and feathers ruffled by backtracking on their election pledges, and you have a perfect illustration of the Lib Dems’ current popularity. Meanwhile, Chris Huhne was planning to usurp Clegg as leader (a move akin to taking charge of a sinking ship) until that business with the speeding points put an end to that. Red Ed would have us believe disgruntled Lib Dems are flocking to Labour in a mass exodus, while Dave and George (Cameron and Osborne, that is) rub their hands with glee that the heat is off them. But should we really hate the Lib Dems so much?

Let’s put things into perspective: no party gained a majority at the last election. As a somewhat rare event in British politics, Westminster in the days after the election was filled with MPs walking around somewhat unsure of what to do, while the Civil Service scratched its bureaucratic head and the Conservative and Labour leaderships scrambled desperately in the political pig sty, trying to bring the Lib Dems onto their side. The Lib Dems had three options: side with the Tories; side with Labour; or bury their head in the sand and hope this black cloud of no outright majority would go elsewhere (preferably back to the continent where they’re somewhat more familiar with such events). As it happens, they chose the first and most democratic option. The Conservatives were, and are, the largest party in the Commons. Therefore they have the largest claim to a mandate to govern and so can be considered the ‘winners’ of the election. However, minority governments are famous for being rubbish; hence they needed a party to enter coalition with. An alliance with Labour was a little unlikely, so enter the Lib Dems. Whilst Brown and Cameron vied for the Lib Dems’ affections like a pair of love-sick youths, Clegg, having lost seats, was suddenly catapulted into a position of influence. Not since who-knows-when have the Liberals exercised any power to speak of and now was the real opportunity to be in government. Yes, Cabinet posts and

all! So is it any real wonder they entered into a coalition?

At first it was all quite amiable. Here we had two chaps (Dave and Nick), quite similar, laughing away with each other in the Downing Street rose garden, a couple very much in love. Labour MPs, on the other hand, were at each other’s throats as the place of Party Leader came up for grabs. It was quite rosy for a while. Then of course it went a little downhill… Clegg’s turning round and telling people that actually he was going to support a raise in tuition fees, despite saying he wouldn’t, raised quite a few hackles (a couple of hundred thousand actually). But then, so what? The Tories said in their manifesto they’d scrap Inheritance Tax, which they didn’t. No one, bar a few members of the aristocracy complained about that, yet the Lib Dems got it in the neck over tuition fees. Truth be told, I find the continuous criticisms of the Lib Dems quite tiresome. Rather than viewing them as a lying, untrustworthy bunch that deserves to be sent to the political equivalent of a leper colony, let’s congratulate them on their pragmatic approach to politics. Yes it ain’t great that tuition fees are about the same amount as the annual wage in Albania, but then we haven’t got any money. We spent it all invading places and creating financial quagmires that no one really understands. (By ‘we’, I mean successive governments, starting with Major, who started this trend of spending loads of money without actually putting any aside; the sort of financial policy one would expect a six year old to adopt.)

I don’t know the future for the Lib Dems. If they’re as popular at the next election as they are now, then perhaps we’ll see a repeat of the great Liberal tradition of fading away into the political wilderness. If, however, this government can achieve economic success, then perhaps we’ll take a different view of the Lib Dems, as the party willing to step into the breach for the sake of the nation, having to forsake some of its principles but taking the flak with good grace. Or we could just go on hating them, which I expect we probably will.

by Harry Mil len

Lay off theLib Dems

meat/lib dem article 13/6/11.indd 2 16/06/2011 11:08

How obsessive would you consider your admiration for Benjamin Britten? Is it more or less so than Dr Spence’s admira-tion for Cardinal Newman?

That’s an interesting question. I think that doing a PhD on a subject can lead to, even require, a degree of obsession and, as I said in the address I gave at Christmas, when you read hundreds – thousands, in my case - of somebody’s letters and you really get ‘inside’ them, to an extent you do become obsessed; but what I would also say is that this form of obsession developed from a very real admiration for the person and his music, and I can say that having spent three, if not four, years of my life writing about Britten I always felt it was a privilege to work on him, which just about kept me normal. So, I would slightly question the use of the word ‘obsession, ’ although perhaps it was at the end!

I can’t really comment on Dr Spence’s admira-tion for Cardinal Newman, and, in any case, I think that Newman is a very different figure from Britten, because he was somebody who wrote extensively and was also one of the great-est nineteenth-century thinkers. So how Dr Spence may feel about Newman and how I feel about Britten are perhaps not entirely the same, because they are very different people.

You are a role model for many of your students. How seriously do you take this important responsibility?

I am touched to hear that you think I am a role model, George. I take my responsibility to the Upper School and to every member of the Upper School very seriously indeed. It’s very difficult to say this without sounding contrived , but I try to be humane, consistent, approachable and a

figure who represents values which are tolerant and civilised. So in that sense I do take it very seriously. On the other hand, some of what I do is primarily administrative and quite a lot of it is informed by humour as well. A number of situations I deal with are humorous - I’m not sure one sees them as humorous at the time but in retrospect there is quite a lot of humour in the Upper School which is a rather nice antidote to the more serious side of things.

Humane and humorous?

Yes, and I hope compassionate and fair. The other thing I would say is that the relationship I have with members of the Upper School I think of as on-going. When you see people go into the outside world and develop in different direc-tions, and they want to keep in touch, that is also a very fulfilling, even humbling, part of the role.

So you think that part of the school’s role is to provide not just academic qualifica-tions but also in the moulding of charac-ter?

Yes, but I don’t know if I would use the word ‘moulding’ because that sounds as if we are try-ing to produce a certain sort of person and I do think that a good school should give individuals the space to become themselves and develop. There is a quotation I’m going to use on Leavers’ Day used by the Bishop of London at the Royal wedding. ‘Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire’, and I think that - whether one is religious or secular - this sug-gests something about what a school can do, in particular at Sixth Form level - to give people the space to be themselves and also to inspire them to maximise their potential, in an environment which is humane and civilised.

IntervIew wIth the Leaders

This summer, current Year 13 student and resident controversialist George Neish tracked down three of the College’s most powerful and subjected them to rigorously probing questions. The results go some way towards

revealing the men behind the myths…

dr CaMerOn PYKe

interview with leaders.indd 1 13/06/2011 15:28

You are currently in the process of choosing your successor; when can we expect to see white smoke over the Cen-tre block?

What a good question! We are waiting. We have someone in mind and we are just waiting to see whether that person will accept and then we can announce who it is.

What do you look for in a Chaplain?

Two things really: someone who will fit in, and be able to understand the nature of Dulwich College and someone who sees Dulwich College as a spiritual entity, who doesn’t just think in reductionist terms but can actually see it as a whole and from obviously a Christian perspec-tive as it is our foundation.

To what extent would you see yourself as Thomas Beckett to Dr Spence’s Henry II?

Nice one! Not at all sadly – it would be nice to dramatise oneself. Mainly because Dr Spence – there is no comparison with him – no paral-lels at all and therefore I am not a Beckett figure equally – we work very well together.

Do you see the College’s first Catholic Headmaster as a blow against English Reformation?

No, the Reformation is a very important point in our history but that’s the point – it’s in our history and so far from it being a problem or an issue it is actually seen by people like me as a plus – because he supports a Christian founda-tion and many of the issues that divided Catho-lics and Protestants have in fact been resolved in practice.

As the shepherd of a diminishing flock, what role do you think the Chaplain has in this school that is largely without faith – in terms of the student body?

Okay, I have to question that characterisation; far from being a diminishing flock my flock has grown whilst I’ve been here, because before the Chaplain didn’t have a very high profile so therefore it was very difficult to see where the flock was – if you couldn’t see where the Shep-herd was – and therefore far from it being di-minishing, it seems to have grown and now I am Chaplain of the whole College whereas before when you were all divided up into denomina-tional groups (I don’t know if you were aware of that) and before I came, there was no compul-sory Chapel, there was no compulsory Religious …it was awful for many people…

Awful being robbed of compulsory chapel?

Absolutely; thankfully things are being put right. So now my flock has expanded from a rather small group to the whole College.

Do you see your role as Chaplain of the whole College? Seeing as there are very many people who are of different faiths?

The Anglican Church, because of its historical development, is the main church of the Eng-lish speaking people, and, rightly or wrongly sees itself as Chaplain to the whole community regardless of religion, race, colour, gender. I am available for everyone. It is not an issue for me if someone wants to talk to me about anything do with spirituality, or their lives, that’s why I’m here. That’s what I am paid to do. What I see my vocation as. It’s a very inclusive role and one that I am very comfortable with – I am not comfortable with sectarian Chaplaincies, I don’t think they are appropriate in a multicultural so-ciety. That is why I stopped separate assemblies, because they were becoming unnecessarily divided and I thought this was not the right way for a very diverse community like ours to go. So I feel, not to adopt too grand a title, that I am the spiritual ‘enabler’ of the community regardless of what they think of me.

rev. stePhen YOUnG

interview with leaders.indd 2 13/06/2011 15:28

As well as being the Master, you are also a playwright and historian. Do you feel that the term ‘Renaissance Man’ is ad-equate to describe you?

I feel a bit of fraud listening to those titles now because it’s a long time since I wrote any sub-stantial history or indeed any plays. I manage to write short pieces now, often literary criti-cal pieces rather than substantial works and libretti for music rather than full-length plays. But even when I was doing that I think I would hesitate to take on the term Renaissance Man, I think those elements of what I call my vocation; being a historian, writing creatively and being a Headmaster actually play, perhaps to a greater extent than people might realise, upon the same aptitudes, and I feel quite narrow compared with many boys and many members of my staff who I think far more deserve a title such as a Renaissance Man or woman or youth.

How far would you say that personal style, or the establishment of a public persona is important in leadership?

Very, in the sense that I think we are increas-ingly able to see through leaders who put on a style which isn’t natural to them and we always have some admiration whether we agree with what they do or not, for people who one feels are showing stylistically what they really do believe. So I would pray that whatever style I seem to be adopting, its purpose is to carry the messages, the vision, in which I really believe.

Do you choose the topics of the Master’s Assembly based on what you want to talk about or that you think we should hear about?

That’s a lovely question. I think – I hope – I meet you half way. There are many things that I would like to talk about but I think are prob-ably too esoteric so I am a bit cautious there, but equally I think I have a duty to carry you into territory that you might not find yourselves. So, I think I try and find that middle course. I am very taken also, with the idea of myself being on a road of discovery as to where we have come from, so that sense of feeling it’s my duty to tell you something about the Alleynian heritage from Edward Alleyn through all the other emi-nent Alleynians and through stories of ordinary Alleynians too I think is very important to my mission and my duty.

You have given a few assemblies on Car-dinal Newman; how do you think your ad-miration for Cardinal Newman compares to say, Mr Pyke’s admiration to Benjamin Britten?

I am delighted to be able to say, this very morn-ing, that you are actually referring to Dr Pyke now and he is a far greater expert on Britten than I am on Newman. I am interested to hear how often you say I have referred to Newman. He is there in a sort of pantheon of people I believe have interesting things to say about edu-cation, a moral life, what it is to be human and I remember referring to a very important text he wrote about the idea of university. I was arguing that it was a place, not so much preparing you for the world to come, as giving you a last bit of solace to think about things of the mind before you get taken up in the business of life. But I have really deep admiration for the way Dr Pyke can make interesting to you what is interesting to him.

Mr Able has is own article on Wikipedia but you do not – does this annoy you?

No, I think that perhaps I could put it like this – if I carry through all I’d like to do at Dulwich then I could imagine that would be newsworthy beyond Dulwich, but for now I am very happy to be concentrating on what I think we need in Dulwich College in SE21 and I am only con-cerned that our immediate constituency of boys, parents, staff, OAs and this very strong commu-nity know what we are about rather than that we’ve made ripples that would attract the world beyond.

You have spoken in a number of your assemblies about the importance of tradition, but often this can lead us with an unpleasant legacy from the past, how would you respond this problem?

I hope I am a true radical and this means going back to roots and re-growing from there rather than just starting afresh. So, I would be the first person to acknowledge that if there is dead wood from the past then we can afford to lop it off, but I bet we find from the roots of the past the green shoots will grow that we need to tend and therefore I would say that my job is to use what is great in our tradition, our beginnings with a dedication to the education of poor scholars, our commitment to a ‘holistic education’, love of sport, and cultural and adventurous activities and allowing boys to run their own societies and school magazine. These are Dulwich traditions that I want to protect, nurture and promote and there are no doubt many that we should let fall to one side. Perhaps the most controversial in an essentially secular age is that I have restored Chapel to a place at the heart of the school life, not because in any way I am proselytising, but I do see it as my duty to put before boys what the ethical underpinnings of our foundation were.

dr JOsePh sPenCe

interview with leaders.indd 3 13/06/2011 15:28

From the day you enter this fi ne establishment right up until your last week you may be asking yourselves several questions. Did Edward Alleyn, our Founder, really own several brothels? Do the teachers laugh about their students in the teachers’ Common Room? Who is stealing all the locks from the toilet cubicles? And, most importantly, how do I survive in Dulwich College?

You arrive, in Year 7, daunted by the enormity of the campus. In your fi rst two years you will rarely stray from the confi nes and safety of the Lower School but you must still keep your wits about you if you are to fi nish the term with the contents of your pencil case intact. Worse still, if anyone fi nds out the code for your locker, they may be inclined to change the combination whilst you aren’t watching! So – keep your pencil case with you in times of trouble and remember that a Year 7’s locker is his castle. If you manage that, you will fi nish the Lower School triumphant, ready for the trials and tribulations of the Middle School.

These are the years when you are able to express yourselves as an individual, when you can choose what subjects you want to study for GCSE, when you get to explore the rest of the school. This may seem daunting and will lead to the less geographically able boys getting lost during their fi rst few weeks!

The three years in the middle school are a great opportunity to get to know the teachers. That’s right: teachers can be your allies, and you will defi nitely need their help over the next few years with university applications and getting the right exam results. So – laugh at their awful jokes, interrogate their ideas (showing real engagement with their subject), think up plausible reasons why you have not done your homework, and practise your “banter”. Get integrated in the sporting scene at this point. If you are a masochist, this is the perfect opportunity to take up rowing. It is o� ered from Year 9 and will suit you perfectly if you decide that you like early morning training in the cold...

Then, after those wonderful GCSE results, you fi nd yourself in the Upper School, preparing to make University applications and eventually leave the College. Inevitably you panic about not having anything to say on your personal statement, and so immediately embark on a year of extra-curricular activity. You haphazardly enter the society system at school, join the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, raise money for charity, volunteer at a community research project and read around your desired university subject so as to sound like you know what you are talking about. The only useful words of advice anyone can give

you are “Don’t panic and don’t mess it up”.

After this fun is over and you have secured a place at university, you can get back to enjoying the privileges of being at the pinnacle of your school career. For one thing you are now entitled to wear a waistcoat as part of your school uniform which (if you pride yourself on being smartly dressed) you will embrace with both arms. You also have your very own common room in which you can while away your “Unsupervised Study Periods”.

If you are lucky enough to be liked by your year group and teachers then you may fi nd yourself wearing a blue shirt in your last year at school. You have made it. You are a senior prefect. This entitles you to several privileges but also a great deal of work. Finally, if you make it through your last two years of exams, hard work and waistcoats you come to the end of your time at the College and hopefully, like me, you think that amidst the chaos and craziness of it all you have thoroughly enjoyed your time and are glad to have experienced the adventure that is going to Dulwich College.

A GUIDE TO SURVIVING DULWICHHARRY BELLENBERG

Surviving Dulwich.indd 1 13/06/2011 15:38

INTERVIEW WITH THE MASTERPLANNERS

School Captain, Ennan Mwendwa, along with Union Secretary Harry Bellenberg, consider the plans currently being put in place for the next stage of Dulwich College’s physical development and talk to the architects responsible for creating them.

Last October, Dr Spence invited twelve architects to view the school to see what changes and improvements could be made to the physical environment. After presenting their plans to thesenior sta� , John McAslan & Partners were chosen. However, Dulwich has had something of a mixed history with architects, ranging from the structurally-sound Barry buildings to the questionable foundations of the post-war Science Block. To reassure us, the architects put their Masterplan on the intranet (tucked away in the top right corner of the MyDulwich homepage) to be viewed and critiqued by students and teachers alike. Despite this, some ofus still remain concerned that this might just be another architectural plan that would remain half-fi nished. Since the last architectural plans included a music school (with a two hundred seat auditorium) which never materialised, perhaps we could be excused for being sceptical.

What makes this Masterplan better than previous architectural plans?‘This Masterplan gives us an opportunity to put the problems on the table and gives a proposition for change,’ said Mr Aidan Potter, an architect from John McAslan & Partners. ‘It is a process and we want to give the school community a chance to express their views. Currently, we are in the most interesting time in education and schools must think carefully about what they o� er and must be more e� cient. Whilst we will prioritise the big issues, we will also sympathise with the little things and clarify small features. Dulwich is a unique place so we need to fi nd the right solution for Dulwich and work with what we have; not just bring in ideas.’

Dulwich is certainly a unique place. It is described as ‘ruggedly handsome’ in the Masterplan, which also acknowledges that the college ‘...does not make the best use of what is an enviable site.’ Of course, those of us who regularly attend the school as students, teachers and operational sta� may have little time to stand and stare at the architecture and so might be forgiven for overlooking the visual problems and assuming that the College is fi ne as it is. One such problem is the large

number of car parking places. ‘There is at least 2 hectares of tarmac which is just full of cars,’ Mr Potter remarked. ‘It is an unstructured endless car park with rogue parking that needs to rebalanced. We need to defi ne spaces with what students want to do and this can be split into three categories: games (during break- and lunch-time), teaching and informal/formal activities. The ‘spaces between’ are important and although Dulwich has loads of almost good spaces, it is short of useful space.’

Whilst the ‘spaces between’ are a concern, many of us are curious to know what will be done with our Science Block, which is in urgent need of attention. The original Science Block was designed by Charles Edward Barry (whose father,

Architect Interview.indd 1 13/06/2011 15:43

Charles Barry Jr, had designed and built the Barry Buildings) and was built in 1908 (where the current Shackleton Block is). It su� ered damage when it was hit by a V1 rocket in 1944 and was demolished in 1950 to make way for a new Science Block (based on the Barry Buildings) which would be funded by the War Damage Commission Fund. Unfortunately, there was not enough money to fund the original plans so the Science Block that exists today was built in 1952. Since then, many questions have been raised including ‘Why does it have such bad foundations?’ and ‘What is the point of the courtyard?’

‘The courtyard is unloved and has no meaning,’ Mr Potter told us. ‘A third of the Science Block is falling down and the labs do not look like a cutting edge environment for learning at Dulwich College (which has a fantastic reputation for teaching science). It’s almost as if, in spite of this poor environment, the school is still able to do well. So we think there is a real need to celebrate and improve the core facilities for science as well as repair the bit that is falling down by building another bit. Of all the projects that the Masterplan has presented, fi xing, improving and advancing the environment of science is core.’ Mr James Dixon, another architect from John McAslan & Partners, then went on to explain some of the ideas for the Science Block , ‘One of our ideas is to keep the ‘chassis’ of the Science Block and try and use

that. It’s called adaptive reuse and we aim to retain what we have, to reduce waste (by not demolishing) and reuse the large spaces. The courtyard does not work and we want to enclose it with an ETFE (the same material used on the domes of the Eden Project) and o� er more space (possibly for lockers or even a social area for pupils). Furthermore, we want to get rid of the cars and create space around the building, making it more useable and inviting. Mr Potter adds ‘You get the feeling that there is a lot of space but how much of the space is useable? There is a di� erence between a space and a place. A space is just a space but a place has a dimension that is to do with people, activities and quality and we need to convert these spaces into places. ‘

The Barry Buildings were designed and built by Charles Barry Jr (whose father designed the current Houses of Parliament) from 1866-1870. Although there are fewer problems with this building than with the Science Block, the classrooms have been deemed unsuitable by the Masterplan. However, Mr Potter enlarged on this when he said, ‘I don’t think the classrooms are unsuitable but the problem is that they are cluttered. Over time, they fi lled up and there is no particular unifi ed structure or character to the rooms. Whilst this is a gorgeous historic building, nothing is precious. The school has a functional attitude towards the use of everything, including the Barry Buildings,

which is great because this is not a museum, it’s a school.’

Since the 1950’s, every decade (with the exception of 1970’s) has produced at least three new buildings for Dulwich; each one responding to the immediate needs of that particular generation of students and leading to its current seemingly haphazard layout. Over the next decade, the school will be undergoing a series of changes to prepare it for its 400th anniversary in 2019 with the help of this Masterplan. Unlike previous building plans, it hopes to add ‘order to the College’s built environment’ and make its decisions based on advice from students, teachers and operational sta� . Although this is a di� erent approach to tackling Dulwich’s architectural woes and, in many ways, better than previous attempts, I remain haunted by the memories of previous half-completed constructional plans and so will continue to be sceptical until this Masterplan come to fruition.

Architect Interview.indd 2 13/06/2011 15:43

CELEBRATING

THE BIRTH OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE RABBIT

20112011

Chinese new year (Sairaj).indd 1 13/06/2011 15:51

东方，西方 － 学中文最棒！

E a s t , W e s t ,Learning Chinesei s b e s t !

Dulwich boys around the world refl ect on the experience of learning Chinese.

Three years ago, I was shocked when my parents told me our family was relocating to China. Although there were many things that worried me, the most intimidating factor was the language. For the first six months, the only Chinese I could say was ‘ni hao’. I really had not bothered to learn Chinese, because I went to an international school and thought studying the language involved intensive memorizing of Chinese characters. However, one class in my school made my attitude toward learning the language change.

Studying Chinese this year has not only been great fun, it has also given me a very good insight into China and its culture. We have learnt a lot over the year and I was fortunate enough to be able to go on the Beijing trip. Beijing was an amazing place and completely different from anywhere in Europe. We went to beautiful ancient places such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. In a sense, Chinese is twice as hard as any other language as you have to learn the characters as well as Pinyin. But the grammar is really easy as there are no tenses to learn and the endings of words don’t have to agree with the subject as in Spanish or French. Chinese is a very interesting, relevant and important language in the world today. There are over a billion Chinese speakers worldwide and increasingly it will become more important when doing business with China. I have truly enjoyed learning Chinese.

Will

Milt

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11

, D

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, Bei

jingIn my English class, my friend and I loved

to hear our teacher’s funny anecdotes which were related to learning Chinese. Most of the episodes referred to bad pronunciation which resulted in misunderstanding, because our teacher is American. One of the most amusing mistakes occurred in a Chinese restaurant. Our teacher had gone with his wife to a Chinese restaurant to try out some new dishes. It was the first time that he had been to the restaurant without his Chinese friend, so he mimicked the friend and said ‘qing wen’ to the waitress. However, instead of stressing the ‘wen’, he mispronounced the word, and what he actually said was ‘Kiss me’. After that, he saw that waitress looking very strangely at him before leaving the table.

After hearing such a funny story, every student in my class laughed until they were out of breath. It really changed my perspective toward Chinese and now I enjoy learning it.

I hope I continue my Chinese learning experience in Dulwich Beijing until my graduation.

1.

2.

17 - chinese at dulwich.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:10

I asked myself, as I embarked on

my first tour of DCMI’s schools in

October 2010, whether there is a

shared Dulwich College ethos which

means something across the family of

schools. I found the spirit that inspires

so many of us in Dulwich College

London is alive and well in all the

schools that bear its name abroad. This

has most to do with the management of

DCMI and with everyone I met in the

Schools themselves: the proud Heads

and their senior staff, the committed

classroom teachers and, of course, the

lively, curious, happy pupils.

That we have a special relationship

that can benefit us all and that we are

united in what has the potential to be

an exciting educational partnership, I

am certain. We will have to work hard

and to think creatively, clearly and

honestly if we are to make the most

of the opportunities our partnership

provides. I am most interested in the

quiet work that will be done whenever

In the wake of a first visit to Dulwich College Management International’s schools in China and Seoul, the Master reflects on “the Dulwich Ethos” and our shared responsibility for its flourishing in the decade which will see our foundation, the College of God’s Gift at Dulwich, mark its 400th anniversary

any two or three of us – Heads,

teachers, administrators or pupils –

find time to talk about our shared and

different experiences.

A world class school – or cluster of

schools – needs to have at its heart an

underlying, often unspoken but readily

understood, educational philosophy.

For me the Dulwich family of schools

has to retain a belief in what I like to

call the Total Curriculum. At Dulwich

College London – and in our partner

schools – there will always be an

understanding of the need to educate

the whole person (mind, body and

spirit); no concession needs to be made

in terms of academic excellence and

intellectual engagement, but all the

Dulwich Schools must be united in

a belief that a good deal of learning

goes on beyond the classroom – in all

that boys and girls do in their sporting,

cultural, charitable and adventurous

activities.

DULWICH COLLEGE & DCMI

Western Heritage

Eastern Promise & DCMI & DCMI

18-19 overseas schools.indd 1 13/06/2011 15:53

We also need to prepare our pupils to play

their parts in an inter-national world, to excel

in life in a fast-changing global village. This

is the area in which we can most confidently

expect the Dulwich schools to help each other,

be it through educational visits, or gap year

and career opportunities. I am very proud that

Dulwich College has one of the largest alumni

bodies of any school in the world. I believe that

greater association between our schools will give

the former pupils of the Dulwich Colleges of

Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and Seoul access to

9000 Old Alleynians around the world and the

pupils of Dulwich College London a privileged

window on the world. We look forward to a

growth in exchanges – of pupils and teachers –

and to a growing number of educational, cultural

and sporting tours to and from each of our

schools. Additionally I hope to see the sharing of

our best ideas and learning practices.

My tour of our Chinese schools was an excellent

preparation for the main event of my visit, the

superbly managed official opening of Dulwich

College Seoul on the 20th October. I feel a special

bond with our newest school because a delegation

I met from Seoul in September 2009, led by Mayor

Park of Seocho, was the first foreign delegation

I entertained at Dulwich upon my arrival as

Master. What came through strongly from that

visit was the Koreans’ understanding of the

value of education and its power to transform

lives. This augured well for the sort of school

DC Seoul would become.

In my speech at the opening of DC Seoul, I said

that if one were to try to define what Dulwich

stands for in terms of educational excellence, one

would find it difficult, for our alumni thrive in

every field. I related that I am particularly proud

of the fact that, for generations now, Dulwich

College has been seen as a cradle of writers.

I was able to relate that, beyond the plethora

of writers, we have equally illustrious alumni who have

been explorers (Ernest Shackleton), politicians (there

were, probably uniquely, Alleynians among candidates

standing for five political parties at the 2010 British

General Election) and leading businessmen. Innumerable

sportsmen, scientists, actors and musicians had also started

their careers and found their vocational inspiration at

Dulwich London and I expressed my confident hope that

the new Dulwich Colleges will provide the same platform

for the transformation of lives as the original foundation

has done over the last four centuries.

I spent a fascinating morning at the school and enjoyed

the enthusiastic pioneer spirit of the lively young staff,

under the benign leadership of Daryl Orchard, at his

happiest surrounded by his beaming pupils. As in Dulwich

Beijing, in Seoul every space has been brought alive by the

children’s artwork and here there was additional proof of

excellence in the arts in that the opening ceremony was

enhanced by the impressive music making of the school’s

precocious but utterly unpretentious pupils. And if I had

to declare a highlight of my whole trip it would have to

be the chance to learn how to braid with Seoul’s engaging

Form 1G. In good schools the good news always begins

and ends with the pupils.

For the full article and to read about Dr. J Spence’s visits and praise for the DC schools, exciting preparations for DC London’s 400th anniversary and more please browse to our website: www.dulwich–management.com.

“new Dulwich Colleges will

provide the same platform

for the transformation

of lives as the original

foundation has done over

the last four centuries. “

18-19 overseas schools.indd 2 13/06/2011 15:53

To enter this competition, we needed to design and build a safe which could only be opened by solving the Physics puzzles contained within it. This involved several weeks of meetings to gather the best of our ideas, followed by atempts to compile them into a workable safe. In the end we voted on what we felt were the best principles to work with and so the Curie temperature of a magnet and total internal reflection along a beam of water became the principles behind our safe. We tested the ideas thoroughly and set out to find the equipment we would need for the job - the plastic cups we chose to use, in particular, had to be of a very specific size and volume. After a few weeks of failed attempts and general procrastination, we finally started to make some headway, with the casing itself and the main arm being completed in quick succession. About a week before we left, completion of

Weizmann Physics

comPetition RePoRt

the safe was within striking distance, and only the circuitry and paint job remained to be perfected. We then wrapped it up in copious amounts of bubble wrap and newspaper, before packing it into the amusingly labelled “live fish” box we had been so generously provided with. Flying to Israel, one of the most security-conscious nations of the world, with our “baby” was an entertaining experience, but we did manage to get it onto the plane without it being searched too many times. Upon arrival, to take our mind off the imminent competition and avoid thoughts of the horrors that might have befallen our safe on the plane (and might still befall it if anyone were to break a key component of the safe), we started our sightseeing in

earnest. We first visited the ancient fortress Masada. As a Roman tower and stronghold, Masada was not developed to be easily accessible to those going for a casual stroll, as we discovered while we trekked up the long and steep path to its entrance.

After a quick pause for breath, our tour guide showed us around, telling us of its historic significance for the Jewish people as we went. It was fascinating to see the vast structures the Romans were capable of building when they put their minds, and slaves, to it. In the huge building, every floor and wall would have been covered in mosaics. Unfortunately only a very few have survived to this day, but they gave us a grasp of the intricate and beautiful patterns which would have been employed throughout the building. We then visited the Dead Sea, where we effortlessly floated in the extremely dense salty water and coated ourselves in exfoliating mud, which happened to be the very same mud as was available for extortionate prices in the gift shop next door. We are particularly grateful to the Friends of Dulwich College, whose generous support made this amazing day trip possible.The competition itself was run at the Weizmann Institute, and all

March 2011thomas Kirk*

Physics COMPLETE.indd 2 13/06/2011 15:55

international teams also stayed in accommodation there. The Institute serves as one of Israel’s top universities, much like Oxford or Cambridge in the UK, but only for sciences at a postgraduate level. It is found in Rehovot, a suburb of Tel Aviv (on the medeterreanean coast), and is set in about twenty acres of dense parkland. Patches of orange grove and lush palms are broken only by the occasional particle accelerator or cryogenic facility, making for an odd feel to the place. Around one thousand five hundred postgraduates are studying at the Institute at any one time, accompanied by about five hunred technicians and support staff to help their projects. Nearly all speak English fluently (all lectures are given in English), and they were happy to talk us through the research they were doing. Some were more blasé about their work than others: one student, after showing us the 30nm circuit board he had spent a year building and six months cooling to a few milli-kelvin above absolute zero (-273C), told us with complete honesty he foresaw “absolutely no practical use” for his work. Other areas of the Institute were thankfully more accessible to the layman than this. In particular, the “science garden” was a favourite amongst the team, a park that served as a hands-on outdoor demonstration of all the most interesting bits of Physics. The Institute was a hospitable, serene and fascinating place to stay, and had time not been so tight we would have liked to see more of it. Our safe relied on simple Physics principles; it was the execution that provided the challenge. To gain access (a feat no-one achieved successfully) the contestants were provided with a few cleverly disguised items: olives on cocktail sticks, water, cups and candles. The first puzzle was solved by retrieving a key suspended magnetically within the safe. Physical access was blocked, though items could be placed on an arm which

We really enjoyed the practical part of the competition. Going round and trying to crack other teams’ safes was really good fun, and it was amazing how many different ideas people had come up with. We were delighted with the response we got to our safe during the competition. Although no team managed to crack it, they thought the ideas were very elegant, and, happily, the judges agreed. We had to leave Israel on the night of the award ceremony (ironically, so we could sit an A-level Physics exam…), but the Institute managed to get hold of us as we boarded the plane. Miss Malloch tried to keep the good news until we had cleared security, but Arthur, who could lip-read Miss Malloch on the phone (and read her smile as well), was already in the know. We had won the tournament! The trip was an intense and, at times, nerve-racking experience, but all who took part enjoyed it immensely. Winning first place was almost a sideshow to what must surely be one of the most diverse and enjoyable opportunities Dulwich has to offer. Thanks go to the Friends of Dulwich College and to the Weizmann Institute UK whose financial support made the trip possible. Thanks also to Miss Malloch and Mr Williams, our ever-patient Physics teachers who put up with us and always left us with the utmost freedom to make our safe how we saw fit, and finally to the entire DT department who lent us materials, tools, and above all, time.

revolved within the safe. To get the key to the exterior of the safe, one of the candles had to be placed on the arm, which could then be rotated to directly beneath the key. As the magnet keeping the key in place heated to its ‘curie point’, the aligned electron spins started flipping randomly and magnetism was lost, allowing the magnet to drop, and the key to fall out of the safe.Next, this key was used to turn on a laser, so that a beam of red light shone down the axis of the aforementioned arm. When a cup was placed on this arm the laser beam would shine through it, and the teams needed to trip a light sensor with this beam. However, the sensor was positioned well away from the path the laser beam followed. The teams had

therefore to redirect the beam, using a cocktail stick to puncture a small hole in the cup (filled with water) at the level of the beam, causing it to totally internally reflect down the thin stream of water from the puncture. The stream served as an optical fibre, and hence any successful teams would have to successfully “bend” the light to the sensor.

tommy Lai (sRc), Johnny Ribeiro (mFRB), arthur Wolstenholme (sRa), sean Burton (sRa) and thomas Kirk (sRa)

Physics COMPLETE.indd 3 13/06/2011 15:55

One’s teenage years are often a time for finding an identity, and deciding upon

one’s style is an integral part of this process. However, whilst experimental

haircuts and impossibly tight jeans – or indeed nonchalantly full tracksuits – may be a glorious form of expression on the weekends, the school week is a little different. By its very nature a

uniform restricts clothing choices and it could be argued that this cruelly

quashes the Dulwich boy’s potential for individuality. We would, however,

be inclined to disagree with this, as particularly among the Middle and

Upper School boys at the College it is easy to see that certain students have a knack for constructing aesthetically

appealing outfits within the constraints of the uniform rules. We have examined

just a few highlights for this article, although there is evidence throughout

the school of boys painting a unique mark on the potentially dull canvas of

convention.

Firstly, Year 12’s Harvey Austin puts his own spin on that

favourite of many an Upper School student, the black

Topman suit. Whilst swathes sport its narrow trousers

and lapels, Austin fully embraces its Mod credentials

with a narrow collared shirt and, most importantly, black

Chelsea boots. His shortly cropped platinum blonde hair,

whilst not adhering to the Mod archetype, only serves to

add another layer of individuality and interest to his take

on the uniform guidelines.

Another fashion plate from the ever stylish Year 12 is

Seb Petragallo. Whilst some believe the uniform rules

of the College are there for a reason, fortunately, for the

onlooker, Petragallo feels they are there to be broken.

However, iconoclast though he may be, he cannot be

faulted on his infinitely classic and often equestrian

inspired style. Here a timeless navy blazer – complete

with nautical echoes heard through its brass buttoned

embellishment – is combined with grey flannels which, in

turn, rest on that bastion of British menswear the brown

brogue to create an all together luxurious ensemble that

brings to mind the Dulwich College of old.

Finally, everyone – particularly the young - needs a

source of inspiration to draw upon, and whilst the

authors rarely step foot in the Shackleton Block any-

more, we certainly appreciate the sartorial excellence

of the Maths Department’s latest addition, Mr Rosslyn

Smith. From the ruler straight line of his parting to the

knife sharp crease in his frequently fastidiously tailored

trousers, he is every inch a master of precision dressing.

In fact, it would appear that the mathematically inclined

mind is aptly prepared for a well-calculated outfit and

one would certainly be forgiven for thinking he had just

strolled off a spread of GQ.

style

Benji Walters (writer)Talal Challah (photographer)

and Marco Alessi (style consultant)

Hopefully then, we have demonstrated in some shape or form that uniform

rules and the watchful eye of senior staff members need not crush creativity or

put an end to individuality. They simply make the journey that little bit more

challenging and, therefore, interesting.

style.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:42

1 2 3

style.indd 2 13/06/2011 16:42

‘The only decent thing to come out of a committee - a dangerous volume from the Fellows’ Library...

If this book fell on you from a height of only five feet it could brain you. It being a religious tome one could be forgiven for thinking it embodied the concept of muscular Christianity. It looks the business with stout wooden boards, lethal brass

metal cornerpieces and at ten inches thick and weighing in at nearly ten kilos it is hefty and not only physically, as I will endeavour to show below. It lurks fittingly on a bottom shelf within the College archives but its influence has been major over the four hundred years of its existence and the probable three hundred years that it has been in our collections at Dulwich. This anniversary year celebrates across the English speaking world the 1611 first printing of this the Authorised version of the Bible, one of the most important books in the language, and hugely influential not only in England but across the Pond, for in the USA it formed a base for speeches by Martin Luther King (‘I have a dream…’ ) and President Kennedy and its sentiments of freedom from slavery in the Book of Exodus inspired Negro spirituals (‘Let my people go’). King James himself was no mean politician in commissioning the book, for its use of language is careful, subtly reflecting his wish for harmony, not rebellion, in his realm - there is no mention in its texts of ‘tyrants’ etc later to be used by regicides of his son Charles. Here in England ordinary people would officially be able to hear this Bible as God’s Word proclaimed in the common tongue at services (as opposed to secretly, with banned earlier versions such as Wycliffe’s) . Our copy was intended as part of this first issue to be used from a lectern, hence its imposing folio size, some sixteen inches high. It contributed (through its borrowing of the earlier Tyndale version of the Bible) a host of expressions used still in everday language: ‘the powers that be’;’fight the good fight’ ‘the apple of his eye’; ‘a man after his own heart’;’ the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak’;signs of the times’; ‘broken hearted’. It would have been familiar to Shakespeare and his contemporary actors including our founder Edward Alleyn and a local link is provided in that one of his Southwark neighbours near the Bear playhouse towards the end of his life would have been the head of one of the ‘companies’ of translators Lancelot Andrewes (buried

in the present cathedral there) who resided in style in his London town house on the South Bank as Bishop of Winchester. He was responsible for the first section of the Old Testament work, Genesis to the books of Kings. It has to be said that despite the improvement in knowledge of oriental languages which flourished at Oxford and Cambridge with greater travel in the seventeenth century there are still textual inaccuracies eg. the Hebrew of Genesis 1.1 is ‘heavens’ ie ‘cosmos’ not the Bible’s insistence on ‘Heaven’ ; thus later translations such as the Revised Version were needed as biblical study kept in tandem with literary and linguistic scholarship in the age of Darwin and his biblical challenges.How did our copy arrive here? Despite its overlapping date it does not seem to have been among the books Alleyn owned and bequeathed to the College, although he certainly would have known of it and heard it used. It may be the English Bible recorded in the 1686 list of books bequeathed by James Cartwright son of one of Alleyn’s acting contemporaries. It does not surface in the early eighteenth century library catalogue compiled by James Hume, one of the more energetic teaching Fellows in the somewhat supine Old College foundation, located before 1868 down College Road as part of the Chapel complex. But given its battered state (pre 1985 repair) it may have served as a lectern Bible in chapel and thus escaped record as a library volume in the designated chamber next door. However fragmentary its Alleynian history, what remains is that we are the proud custodians of a seminal work of religious and historical importance which has not only also influenced key political figures but major writers as disparate as Milton, Bunyan, Wordsworth,D H Lawrence, Whitman and TS Eliot, to only scratch the literary surface. Exhibited for Founder’s Day in the Wodehouse Library, when it returns upstairs it must remain an icon for present and future generations to study and wonder at.

1611 Authorised Bible AnniversaryRobert Weaver, Keeper of the Fellows’ Library

one of the ‘companies’ of translators Lancelot Andrewes (buried

’

1611 Bible.indd 1 13/06/2011 15:58

Histor y Howlers The fi nest exam bloopers from Dulwich Boys

For twenty years, Mr Barett-Greene has stood as the champion of the much-celebrated Dulwich College History department. A man of many talents, he can often be found practising his golf strokes in room forty fi ve whilst simultaneously recreating the creeping barrage from the battle of the Somme. Revered as one of the most passionate history teachers in the school, for two decades he has stunned staff and pupils alike with his never-ending obscure tie collection. But alongside his unique celebrity impressions and his dramatic teaching style, Mr Barrett-Greene has been carefully recording, copying and archiving the greatest exam bloopers in Dulwich College history. In a cupboard above his History offi ce desk lies a box fi le containing the most amusing exam scripts he has ever marked. Now, for the fi rst time, he is ready to release them to the world! (NB: Mr Edge does emphasise that these disastrous errors are not representative of the general quality of written exam paper responses….)

by Andreas Chitty

“Charles I is a crazy fi gure….he appointed some crazy man to become Archbishop.”

Crystal Palace: “It had a prehistoric swap with model

dinosaurs in it.”

On the Origins of the First World War: “Lots of Russians were

Henry II….”ran off venting his boiling wrath.”

English Civil War: “The royalists were a little bit messy at times and did not reorganise quick enough.”

“The Holy Land was guarded by the Knights Hospitally.”

Wha

t sor

t of w

arfa

re in

volv

es

wea

ring

dow

n th

e en

emy?

“N

utri

tion

al w

arfa

re.”

Brunel: “What he had done for railways were speed.”

“The kilt is practical in battle as it can

be easily used as a blanket.”

“Cromwell destroyed people’s Christmas

dinners.”

“Mar

y w

as a

thor

n in

El

izab

eth

I’s b

acks

ide.

”

System of land ownership introduced by the Normans: “the fuddle system.”

Edward the Confessor’s closest relation: “His great niece Edgar.”

Battle of Bannockburn: “Now the average Scottish peasants charged.”

Difference between a monk and a friar? “Friars did not live in the tapestry, they lived like the people.”

also Serbians.”

Henry II….”ran off venting

be easily used as a “Mar

y w

as a

thor

n in

El

izab

eth

I’s b

acks

ide.

”

Battle of Bannockburn: “Now the average Scottish peasants charged.”

Histor y Howlers The fi nest exam bloopersfrom Dulwich Boys

For twenty years, Mr Barett-Greene has stood as the champion of the much-celebrated Dulwich College History department. A man of many talents, he can often be found practising his golf strokes in room forty fi ve whilst simultaneously recreating the creeping barrage from the battle of the Somme. Revered as one of the most passionate history teachers in the school, for two decades he has stunned staff and pupils alike with his never-ending obscure tie collection. But alongside his unique celebrity impressions and his dramatic teaching style, Mr Barrett-Greene has been carefully recording, copying and archiving the greatest exam bloopers in Dulwich College history. In a cupboard above his History offi ce desk lies a box fi le containing the most amusing exam scripts he has ever marked. Now, for the fi rst time, he is ready to release them to the world! (NB: Mr Edge does emphasise that these disastrous errors are not representative of the general quality of written exam paper responses….)

by Andreas Chitty

25 - history howlers.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:10

All about: The CCF by Cdt. Sgt. MasonThe DCCCF is one of the oldest organisations at Dulwich, and also one of the least understood. I, as senior NCO in the RAF section, see it as my duty to explain this little known area of the school to you. It may, or may not, surprise you to know that it’s not just dressing up on a Tuesday after school, in fact a whole smorgasbord of experiences await those who join up.

We should start with the basics. We don’t all want to be in the army. Some people do want to join the forces, but most do it because they enjoy it. Busy members of staff, including teachers, give up their time to ensure the smooth running of this organised madness. The North Block cellar is the real HQ of the CCF, and also the premises of one of the finest military museums this side of the Imperial War Museum. (If you think I’m kidding go and look for yourself one day!)

When you first join you are asked which section you want to be in: the Army, Navy or RAF. During Tuesday night sessions divisions are not absolute; the obvious inter-section banter is never far off. After an initial recruits’ camp you become a fully-fledged cadet. From there on you can become a Junior NCO and then a Senior NCO and help lead the other cadets. Each year three of the best seniors, one from each section, take charge of their respective section and most are promoted to Cadet Warrant Officer, the highest rank a cadet can achieve.

The average Tuesday night starts off with a parade of all the sections. Now the real training begins: anything from drill practice to rifle training, navigation to field craft. I would like now to dispel the myth that the ‘guns’ are fake. This, my fellow scholars, is a fabrication! There are two rifles that we use; the wooden rifle is the No. 8 rifle, an adapted version of the Lee Enfield rifle used in WW1.The other is the SA80 A2 and is most definitely real, it’s so real they are using it in the Middle East as you read. Field-craft training is exactly the same as they teach the regulars and is one of the best parts about doing CCF. At school we practise for when we will go on camp and get to fire the rifles for real, which may explain the banging that echoes around the south gravel as we have to make our own sound effects.

Every section has a Battlecraft weekend and a week long Summer Camp where the real action takes place. We go to real functioning Army, RAF and Navy bases, Saint Martin’s Plain and Longmoor being particular favourites. Activities include Assault Courses, live-fire ranges (yes, that’s real bullets) with both rifles, DCCT range and overnight exercises. You might not consider a day in the countryside with a rifle, cooking your own food and sleeping under a poncho, all with the constant threat of being attacked, fun, but we do. It’s rather like playing a computer game, just far better because you’re actually doing it, only there’s no spawn point! A few years ago, the RAF section were lucky enough to be granted a tour of Typhoon, Tornado and Harrier squadrons and their planes. Overseas expeditions take place in Cyprus, Morocco and China.

Each section has different courses and experiences for the cadets. The Navy section keeps tradition afloat and does a lot of sailing and scuba diving. The RAF section live up to their high expectations and throughout the year cadets are offered days of powered flight and unpowered gliding. Some cadets even get the opportunity to earn a flying or gliding scholarship. The Army have their feet on the ground doing practical courses in first aid and leadership. All of these activities help greatly when it comes to writing your CV. Each year sees an Annual General Inspection, alternating between a high ranking officer visit to the College (the only time we shoot in school) and an expedition to an army base. The sections compete for the Christensen Sword. So there we go, the CCF is not only fun, but also practical and its activities not as pointless as they might seem. These boys in blue, green and black never regret joining and anyone is quite welcome to enlist. And, if after all this, you still think it’s idiotic then too bad, because we aren’t going anywhere! Over and out.

26 CCF ALLEYNIAN FINAL 2.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:10

This year, as part of Liberal Studies, five DC boys joined with four JAGS girls to establish and run a new company from September to June. In the second week each member of the group gave a short presentation about themselves, so we could make a judgement about who might be best suited to each role. After we had decided who would fulfil which role, we set about discussing potential product ideas.

It took a couple of weeks before

we had agreed as a group on what our product was going to be, and a name for the company soon followed – ‘Sorted.’ In the end we decided to create a product based on the idea of laminated customisable calendars: starting with a ‘Family Organiser’.

With two different designs available for people to buy, we were very successful at our first selling opportunity, managing to sell out at the Dulwich Christmas Fair. Our products proved to be very popular, particularly because we offered a ‘free’ pen with each of our organisers, which we sold at £6 each. We made over £200 at this fair alone.

After this we fell behind because of the Christmas holidays, and we found it difficult to get back up to speed when we reconvened in January. However, once we were back in the swing of things, we decided to expand the range of products to include a small selection of learning aids for children. Eventually we succeeded in creating three different double-sided designs to help children learn to read, write, count and tell the time.

Next we faced the tough task of selling at a Young Enterprise Trade Fair at the Wandsworth Southside shopping centre, directly competing against other Young Enterprise companies. Fortunately our sales team were so good that we received the prize for best Customer Service! Our planners and learning aids sold well again, and we made just under £200.

Unfortunately we had considerably less success at the Area finals of the Young Enterprise competition a couple of weeks later, where, despite receiving the award for Best Presentation, we failed to get through to the next round, leaving us feeling slightly aggrieved.

Throughout the year, everyone learned a lot about the practicalities and the intricacies of running a successful business, and some of the group have even decided to keep going with the business outside of the Young Enterprise bracket. Overall it was an extremely valuable experience which I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in business and thinks they would benefit from learning to operate a successful company.

Finally, my thanks must go to our dedicated business advisors Malcolm and Melanie who gave essential support and advice throughout the year, and also to Miss Etherington, who coordinated the process so effectively.

Richard Clancy

young enterprise.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:10

THE

UNIONTHE

UNION

THE

UNIONLent term was a busy one for the members of the Debating Society, with no fewer than four major competitions. The season kicked off in earnest with the first round of Cambridge Schools’ Debating Competition, held at Putney High School, with three teams competing: Dulwich ‘A’ comprised of Sam Collier (HRS) and Patrick Kenny (11C); Dulwich ‘B’, Will Cook (10B) and Louis Collier (10B); and Dulwich ‘C’, Aidan Patrick (11B) and Arnav Kapur (10C). Two of the three teams progressed to the second round, with Dulwich ‘C’ only narrowly missing out, having come second in their room - an excellent result and a great start to the competitive debating season.

Next was the regional round of the International Competition for Young Debaters 2011, held on Saturday 29th January in Oxford. The team of Will and Louis came top of the team tab and won the Regional Final debate on the day. The team of Arnav and George Dunn (10C), came 12th out of 64 teams on the team tab, an especially impressive performance as this was George’s first debating competition.

Little rest was to be had as the regional round of the Oxford Union Schools’ Debating Competition was held at the College on Monday 31st January. Sam Collier and Patrick Kenny progressed from the regional round of the to Finals’ Day, held on Saturday 12th March in the Oxford Union. Following a 3rd place in the first round, the boys came 2nd in the second round, 1st in the third and 2nd in the last round, finishing on an average of ‘straights’, a very respectable performance, especially considering Patrick’s relative inexperience as a first-year competitive debater. At this year’s Finals’ Day, there was no semi-final round, meaning only the top 4 teams, out of the 92 teams who made it through the regional rounds, broke to the Grand Final,

making this the most challenging competition of the year.

Following on from the promising performance at Oxford Finals’ Day, eight members of the Debating Society travelled to Durham University for a weekend of debating on 19th and 20th March. Even though we took a relatively young and, in some cases, inexperienced group, Dulwich debaters really made their mark.

Some of the normal debating teams were swapped around, with Sam and Will comprising Dulwich ‘A’; Patrick and Louis, Dulwich ‘B’; Angus Tayler (SRA) and Aidan, Dulwich ‘C’; and George and Arnav, Dulwich ‘D’. The team of Louis and Patrick progressed to the semi-finals where they debated very ably, with many believing they should have progressed to the Grand Final. However, this notwithstanding, our debating coach, Ben Jasper, who knows virtually everyone and everything about the debating world, said that he is reasonably sure that a year 10 breaking at a major schools competition has not happened more than about once in the last decade. He also could not think of anyone who had started debating just a few months previously, as Patrick Kenny has, breaking at a major schools competition - a virtually unprecedented achievement.

The team of Sam Collier and Will Cook came 12th on the team tab, a fantastic result but somewhat unfortunate considering they received a 3rd in round 2 when they should have received a 1st, which would have easily put them into the semi-final round. The ‘C’ team placed a very respectable 69th on the team tab and the ‘D’ team 66th out of the 108 teams who entered the competition.

The last competition of the season was Finals’ Day of ICYD, held on Saturday 7th May in the Cambridge Union, with three rounds of debates followed by the semi-finals and then the Grand Final. Both teams performed exceptionally well, with the team of Louis Collier and Will Cook progressing first to the semi-final round, having come second on the team tab for the first three rounds. Unsurprisingly, they found themselves in the Grand Final for the second year in a row – no small feat – to debate the motion ‘This House believes that religion is a force for good in the world’. A tricky motion to debate at the best of times, Will and Louis were in with a good chance but ultimately the Branksome Hall team from Toronto, Canada were named the winners. Regardless of the result, the boys should not be disappointed with such impressive performances.

A final bit of good news arrived as three members of the Debating Society were selected to join the Development Squad for the England team. The development squad programme aims to provide intensive training in the World Schools Debating Championships format to young debaters currently in Year 12 or below, mirroring the training process used for the England team. Only 12 pupils have been selected, so it is a real honour for Sam Collier, Louis Collier and Will Cook to have been chosen.

Congratulations go to all the boys for an exceptional year of debating. We look forward to new members joining the Society in September and for the fine tradition of debating at Dulwich to continue.

MElIssa scHraMM

DEBaTING

union section2.indd 1 13/06/2011 17:13

THE

UNIONTHE

UNION

THE

UNIONThe Poultry Society has gone from strength to strength over the last year since it was founded. A year and a half ago, the Poultry Society was little more than an idea but now is one of the largest societies in the union.

We have doubled the number of chickens being kept, and now have over seventy five members, compared with only a handful a year ago. We had a hugely popular stall at the union fair in September, which led to an increase in interest in the society . A committee has also been set up, with such positions as Head of Lower School Poultry and Head of Chicken Care. This allows the burden to be shared around the school with Lower School members taking a more “hands on” role. I have also begun to take the chickens along to DUCKS, to educate the younger children about chicken care.

The society also has grand plans for the future. We are currently in the process of building a new coop for the chickens, and in the weeks leading up to Easter, we plan to hatch some chicks. We also have plans to keep ducks on the pond near the PE centre.

The Art Society was launched at the Union Fair earlier this year, and since then we’ve had a variety of people come in to talk. First was Scott Massey, an art student at Chelsea talking about his instruction-based and sculptural work. Next was prominent sculptor Peter Randall Page who talked about his art, which is centred around natural form.

After that we saw a short documentary by Ben Lewis looking at interesting contemporary artists, which helped to introduce us all to some of the less well-known artists around the world. Most recently, we were treated to a very enjoyable talk from John Cake and Darren Neave (formerly known as The Little Artists) who make almost all their work in Lego, recreating famous contemporary artworks in miniature.

At the end of last year we were approached with the idea of creating a society whose aim was to bring together people who enjoy the outdoors and the Duke of Edinburgh scheme to do something slightly off the beaten track. Being outdoor enthusiasts, we took on the challenge and the Dulwich Mountaineering Society was born. Our aim was simple, to share our passion of the outdoors and adequately train individuals to experience it for themselves.

As a mountaineering society, we felt that our biggest challenge was to arrange activities that advertised the outdoors. The only way to truly live up to our society’s name was to go outside and summit great mountains such as Everest, however due to the limits of our insurance we unfortunately were not allowed. As this was the case we decided that our focus would be to go indoor climbing with the aim of successfully training individuals to climb outdoors safely, for a planned summer expedition outdoors. Like many societies, it started small with only a few people going to the climbing wall to enjoy the art of bouldering; this progressed and moved to greater heights with top roping where we learned the art of belaying (basically holding your friend’s life in your hands!)Our first chance to stand out as a society came when, on Sunday 28th March, the Dulwich College Climbing Squad, formed from the Dulwich College Mountaineering Club (DCMC), went to Surrey Sportspark in Guildford to participate in the annually held Inter-School Rock Climbing Competition. It was the first time Dulwich College had ever entered into any such competitive

climbing event and though we were confident in our skills, we lacked experience and we did not know the level of climbing ability of the other schools.

Overall, we faired quite well although we did not win the competition, we were complimented by the teachers of our competitors on our climbing ability and we left the judges impressed with our level of climbing skill and plan to return next year stronger than ever.

All in all, it has been a great year and with Alex Tolstyakov taking charge, together with the two Eds, it looks to be a successful society and we all hope to see it flourish as the years go by. Who knows, we may even get our own DC climbing wall one day…

POUlTrY

WIll MarsHMElIssa scHraMM

arT

HENrY PaGE

MOUNTaINEErING

cONraD MaNNING +MIcHaEl cHaN

union section2.indd 2 13/06/2011 17:13

On 28th of January 2011, at four thirty five, I was standing in the Lower Hall handing out sandwiches to a huge crowd of Dulwich College scouts, past and present. It was very interesting to hear all of the snippets of information about how the troop was many years ago. There were some people I recognised (such as Peter Evans, the current Troop II leader, and Dr. Black, one of the College staff supporters) but many whom I had never seen before.

Then the general hubbub of many overlapping conversations died down and the Master announced that, as it was five o’clock, it was time to open the exhibition. Dr. Spence made his speech and then quickly passed on to Calista Lucy, who thanked Peter and Sylvia Ford (for loaning their amazing collection of old scouting memorabilia, including uniforms from both the First and Second World Wars), and the troop (for donating camp logs and trophies dating back to when the scout group was set up eighty years ago). Then came the big moment: it was time for Ennan Mwendwa to open the exhibition.

Slowly at first, people started to go up the stairs into the Archive and soon it was full of people marvelling at the wonderful camp logs and ancient uniforms, which would have been such a familiar sight to everyone at the College in their time. There were some amazing people there, with fascinating stories. Jeremy Wilkes told me of the times when there were four troops within the twenty fifth Camberwell, which inhabited the entire upstairs of the PE Centre, our purpose-built headquarters, constructed in 1967. These were all run by staff except Troop III which was led by OAs. Furthermore, he told me how there was another nearby scout group in Camberwell with two troops which were also run by OAs. Hearing things like that, it seems that the troop has declined a lot in the last forty to fifty years, even though the troop is completely full with a long waiting list now. He also recalled memories of when he was a successful Patrol Leader for the Martens.

There were many fascinating documents there, including a camp log book from the 1930s with stories from the time of Bill Hall: I particularly remember seeing a car (belonging to Ivor “Gippo” Gipson) covered in various descriptions of toilet roll. There was also a wooden plaque with details of all of the inter-troop competition placements in the 1960s. It was really interesting to see (especially as it seems that Troop II won most of the time!) and I finally learnt what the bison-horn trophy that has been lingering in the troop room for years is actually meant for. It was the prize for the overall winners of the troop competition.

Ninety-seven Upper School boys made their way to the Dulwich Picture Gallery on the evening of 11th May where the Careers Department had invited specialists from the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) to meet with boys over canapés.

Each of the boys had received in advance the biographies of the experts with links to the websites attached to their organisations and current projects. Once the Master had introduced the guests, each of the boys had the opportunity to meet the specialists of most relevance to his current studies, potential degree courses and future careers and to ask informed questions.

The following day, many boys visited Careers to offer their thanks and inform them of kind offers of help made by the experts, for example with regards university departments and work placements. Guests also got in touch and were clearly impressed by the progress pupils had made, even over the course of the evening, to introduce themselves and to learn about the wide variety of complex specialisms.

The Dulwich Picture Gallery was the perfect venue and all were grateful that the event could be hosted there.

The STEM Careers Evening at Dulwich

Pic ture Gal ler yby El izabeth S oare

30-31 stem and scouts.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:13

On 28th of January 2011, at four thirty five, I was standing in the Lower Hall handing out sandwiches to a huge crowd of Dulwich College scouts, past and present. It was very interesting to hear all of the snippets of information about how the troop was many years ago. There were some people I recognised (such as Peter Evans, the current Troop II leader, and Dr. Black, one of the College staff supporters) but many whom I had never seen before.

Then the general hubbub of many overlapping conversations died down and the Master announced that, as it was five o’clock, it was time to open the exhibition. Dr. Spence made his speech and then quickly passed on to Calista Lucy, who thanked Peter and Sylvia Ford (for loaning their amazing collection of old scouting memorabilia, including uniforms from both the First and Second World Wars), and the troop (for donating camp logs and trophies dating back to when the scout group was set up eighty years ago). Then came the big moment: it was time for Ennan Mwendwa to open the exhibition.

Slowly at first, people started to go up the stairs into the Archive and soon it was full of people marvelling at the wonderful camp logs and ancient uniforms, which would have been such a familiar sight to everyone at the College in their time. There were some amazing people there, with fascinating stories. Jeremy Wilkes told me of the times when there were four troops within the twenty fifth Camberwell, which inhabited the entire upstairs of the PE Centre, our purpose-built headquarters, constructed in 1967. These were all run by staff except Troop III which was led by OAs. Furthermore, he told me how there was another nearby scout group in Camberwell with two troops which were also run by OAs. Hearing things like that, it seems that the troop has declined a lot in the last forty to fifty years, even though the troop is completely full with a long waiting list now. He also recalled memories of when he was a successful Patrol Leader for the Martens.

There were many fascinating documents there, including a camp log book from the 1930s with stories from the time of Bill Hall: I particularly remember seeing a car (belonging to Ivor “Gippo” Gipson) covered in various descriptions of toilet roll. There was also a wooden plaque with details of all of the inter-troop competition placements in the 1960s. It was really interesting to see (especially as it seems that Troop II won most of the time!) and I finally learnt what the bison-horn trophy that has been lingering in the troop room for years is actually meant for. It was the prize for the overall winners of the troop competition.

The Opening of the S cout Exhibit ion

On 28th of January 2011, at four thirty five, I was standing in the Lower Hall handing out sandwiches to a huge crowd of Dulwich College scouts, past and present. It was very interesting to hear all of the snippets of information about how the troop was many years ago. There were some people I recognised (such as Peter Evans, the current Troop II leader, and Dr. Black, one of the College staff supporters) but many whom I had never seen before.

Then the general hubbub of many overlapping conversations died down and the Master announced that, as it was five o’clock, it was time to open the exhibition. Dr. Spence made his speech and then quickly passed on to Calista Lucy, who thanked Peter and Sylvia Ford for loaning their amazing collection of old scouting memorabilia, including uniforms from both the First and Second World Wars, and the troop for donating camp logs and trophies dating back to when the scout group was set up eighty years ago. Then came the big moment: it was time for Ennan Mwendwa to open the exhibition.

Slowly at first, people started to go up the stairs into the Archive and soon it was full of people marvelling at the wonderful camp logs and ancient uniforms, which would have been such a familiar sight to everyone at the College in their time. There were some amazing people there, with fascinating stories. Jeremy Wilkes told me of the times when there were four troops within the twenty fifth Camberwell, which inhabited the entire upstairs of the PE Centre, our purpose-built headquarters, constructed in 1967. These were all run by staff except Troop III which was led by OAs. Furthermore, he told me how there was another nearby scout group in Camberwell with two troops which were also run by OAs. Hearing things like that, it seems that the troop has declined a lot in the last forty to fifty years, even though the troop is completely full with a long waiting list now. He also recalled memories of when he was a successful Patrol Leader for the Martens.

There were many fascinating documents there, including a camp log book from the 1930s with stories from the time of Bill Hall: I particularly remember seeing a car (belonging to Ivor “Gippo” Gipson) covered in various descriptions of toilet roll. There was also a wooden plaque with details of all of the inter-troop competition placements in the 1960s. It was really interesting to see (especially as it seems that Troop II won most of the time!) and I finally learnt what the bison-horn trophy that has been lingering in the troop room for years is actually meant for. It was the prize for the overall winners of the troop competition.

by Jonathan Wolstenholme

30-31 stem and scouts.indd 2 13/06/2011 16:13

1/8Drawn By Robin Tudge [OA]Author of The Bradt Guide to North Korea

Twenty boys, accompanied by Mr. Jepson and Mr. Davidson, boarded the Eurostar on the morning of Sunday 17th April.

After a brief stop in Paris (for a picnic in the beautiful Jardin de Luxembourg)we made our way on the TGV (which used to be the fastest train in the world) all the way to La Rochelle. There we met the families with whom we would be spending the week and they took us home and gave us dinner.

On Monday morning we walked to the picturesque Vieux Port, where we visited the three towers of La Rochelle, the Tour St. Nicolas, the Tour de la Chaîne and the Tour de la Lanterne. We bought lunch in the traditional old market and ate it in the attractive

park. In the afternoon we walked to the language school where we had two hours of French lessons before our families came to pick us up. Tuesday followed the same pattern but with a visit to the La Rochelle aquarium in the morning, where we saw sealife from all around the world, including enormous sharks.

On Wednesday we took a coach over the 2km bridge to the Île de Ré, a beautiful island resort just off the coast. We drove all the way to the end of the island and visited the old lighthouse, the Phare des Baleines. We drove past the salt marshes (where, for some reason, Zach Newmark bought a kilogram of salt), the vineyards and the old town of Ars-en-Ré. After lunch at St. Martin-de-Ré, a beautiful little port town, we spent the afternoon on the beach nearby, where some of us played touch rugby, some football, and others swam in the Atlantic.

Thursday morning was spent shopping for gifts and souvenirs. Just after lunch we went bowling, where Mr. Jepson had a triumphant victory. Matthew Seneschall had the highest score of the boys! The afternoon was again spent in the language school.

On Friday morning after breakfast, we went straight to the port to find the boat which would take us to Fort Boyard, a medieval fort and prison which is now famous internationally for the TV show which is filmed there. During the journey out, some

of us managed to build a metre-long, ten centimetre-wide stick of chewing gum (unchewed, of course). That afternoon we had our last day of school and returned to our families for our final evening together.

The next morning, after an exhausting week, we returned to England on the TGV and the Eurostar.

Thank you very much to everyone who helped organise the trip, including Mr. Jepson, Mr. Davidson and Mme Geay, our helper in La Rochelle. Most of all, thank you to the families who gave us such a fantastic welcome in France. We are also very grateful to the Friends of Dulwich College who provided vital funding for our trips to the Île de Ré and Fort Boyard.

LA ROCHELLEJAMES HAMILTON*

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very difficult. Having arrived, slightly bedraggled, we enjoyed the crisp fresh air for a moment before marching across the city to the ‘Piazza del Campo’ where we learnt in more detail about the ‘Palio di Siena’, a horse race around the outer edge of the shell-shaped Piazza. It is incredibly dangerous, due to the cobblestone and the almost right-angled corners, but has become a great local tradition.

We then visited the ‘Palazzo Pubblico’, home to many true masterpieces of Sienese art, by the likes of Vecchietta, Simone Martini and Sodoma. The frescoes depict stories of Italy’s first king, and those by the Lorenzetti brothers of the juxtaposition between a moral life, and a life of treachery.

After a quick break for lunch, in one of the many Pizzerias that inhabit every corner of Italy, we left for the Duomo. From the 12th to 14th centuries, Siena flourished – it was one of the great artistic hubs of the world, boasting many outstanding monuments including the Duomo itself. The city’s artists planned an extension to the Duomo, but a catastrophic plague wiped out almost three fifths of the population. Arguably, the city never recovered. As we arrived at the Duomo, it was clear to see that although it is gargantuan, there is a chunk missing. Walls were built as a casing for the rest

of the construction, but were then abandoned when the funds ran out. Regardless, the Duomo is a stunning piece of architecture, the intricate green and white designs drawing the eye to every crevice of the structure, exposing its grandeur. Inside the wonder continued. Golden stars ordained the dome in the centre of the ceiling, contrasted with a deep blue background, climbing further and further up into the dome until vanishing altogether. The immense octagonal pulpit made of granite, green marble and porphyry is a magnificent work of gothic art, conveying the doctrine of Salvation and the Last Judgement by Nicola Pisano. And the

views from the lofty top of the building were so amazing that it was hard to leave.

After a whirlwind tour of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana (the world famous Music School), the ‘Piazza Salimbeni’, and a final quick ice-cream we walked back to our coach. I was not alone in my sorrow at leaving such a beautiful city, the only consolation being that we were returning to an equally stunning one! Our thanks to the Friends of Dulwich College, without whose generous financial assistance this trip would not have been possible.

Drawn By Robin Tudge [OA]Author of The Bradt Guide to North Korea

FIRENZE FLORENCEMARK SCHUNEMANN*

The Florence trip in the February half term was without doubt a life-changer.

Although most articles in this magazine reporting on school trips will express similar sentiments, Florence really is such a special place.

Our arrival at around midday at Pisa airport was followed by a two hour coach journey. The initially flat landscape with the mountains rising up in the distance was the view for the first half hour. Then it changed, morphing into the rolling Tuscan hills, so beautifully and idealistically depicted by Leonardo da Vinci. On entering Florence, we toured the magnificent Duomo, a lovely Gelateria and the British Institute (where we would be having our Italian lessons). In the first restaurant of the week we had medium rare ‘Bistecca alla Fiorentina’ and pasta for starters –a delicious beginning. Dr. Barron had carefully selected different restaurants for each evening, all meant to show us different aspects of Italian cooking.

On Monday we enjoyed a lecture in the British institute on the History of Art. The speaker told us about the epic change of thinking which was the Renaissance – a change, not only from a geocentric to a heliocentric view of the universe, but also from a God-orientated world to an anthropocentric world view. He explained how this was highlighted in the different backgrounds used in portraits in medieval and Renaissance times: medieval icons used gold leaf but this changed to a rolling Tuscan countryside, as seen in da Vinci’s annunciation. After this we went out for lunch and then back to the institute for a two hour lesson.

We went to an Italian secondary school – il Liceo Machiavelli - on Tuesday and spoke in Italian to people our age, which was helpful for getting our pronunciation and accuracy to a higher standard. After this we went to Santa Croce, the largest Franciscan church in the world, also known as “The Temple of Italian Glories” on account of its containing, among others, the graves of Michelangelo, Rossini, Machiavelli and Galileo Galilei. Next to this epic construct, as part of the friary, was a small building specifically designed to have the most ambient and long-lasting acoustics. These, no doubt, aided the otherworldliness of the Franciscan’s Gregorian chanting – I played my Jew’s harp in there and it created an intense sound which lasted for a good few seconds before dissipating into the walls. At the Uffizi

gallery we were blessed with an informative speaker who took us through a few carefully selected pieces of art and explained their significance.

Walking around Florence after nightfall was when I truly fell in love with the city – the silent reflectiveness of the darkened streets, and the way the Palazzo Vecchio was lit. We went to the Ponte Vecchio (a bridge dedicated entirely to jewellery shops) and looked off into the water for a long time. A friend told me that this trip had made him respond to art in a way which nothing and no one had before. I agree.

Seeing the three famous statues of David (the first two at Museo Nazionale del Bargello and Michelangelo’s most famous at the Accademia) was breathtaking. Although we had seen a replica of the most famous “Davide” in its original standing place, outside il Palazzo Vecchio, seeing the polished marble in the Accademia was something else entirely.

Florence 2011 was fantastic; I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Barron, Mrs. Briggs and Mr. Clark for helping organise such a wondrous school trip. Grazie mille!

On the third day of our wonderful ‘vacanze’ to Florence, we took a coach to Siena. As we slowly wound through the narrow streets, Dr. Barron explained how Florence and Siena were, and still are, fierce rivals, their rivalry dating back to the time of the Medici, who once conquered Siena. Mementoes of this heritage, the Medici emblem (six balls arranged on a shield), are scattered around the city.

As Siena is built on a hill, with a vast valley running through it, the roads are on different levels and navigating is

SIENA VISITHARRY NIGHTINGALE*

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In the Hythe Range Complex near Folkestone lies a mock village where troops bound for Northern Ireland could train in

preparation for their deployment, complete with church, petrol station, houses and its own permanent inhabitants. DC CCF was lucky enough to take part in a series of exercises inside this village – a rare privilege for cadets. Thirty five of us took part, billeted in Park Farm, outside Folkestone: officers occupied the farm house, we cadets the less luxurious pig pens, where the rat traps and dead bat provoked mixed reactions.

Having been issued a rifle, we immediately launched into training in preparation for our time in the village, as well as for night patrols that evening. Having completed the training, our first big challenge presented itself in the form of cooking. Although army ration packs simply require heating in water, the wind was such that the fuel blocks were only successfully lit though dogged determination. After dinner, we split into two groups, each going on a reconnaissance patrol of a suspected enemy position and a potential ambush site. Despite the dark, due to good navigation both patrols found their way to their intended locations, with only thick mud hampering one patrol and an endless number of fences the other.

Saturday saw us taking the short journey to the village. There, we were split in to groups of four, known as ‘Bricks’. Patrolling in an urban environment was an entirely new experience for us, even the senior cadets. As a result, each Brick’s first patrol through the village was not the smoothest of actions. The claustrophobic nature of the village is reinforced through the use of sound effects, a woman screaming, breaking glass, and the sound of a mob all creating an eerie atmosphere. At the police station each Brick was given a set of tasks, as dictated by a group of talking dummies with whom we were supposed to communicate – a novel experience. Whilst completing these tasks, the Brick would come under fire, at which point they would have to withdraw back to base.

As the multiple cameras, recording us throughout the exercise, enabled the Directing Staff to advise us on how to improve, the second patrol for each Brick proved much more successful, the drills

slicker and more tuned. Ultimately, the village was a very enjoyable experience for all who took part, proving challenging to every cadet, each of us having to make individual decisions, as well as putting into practice the skills we had learned.

Saturday evening was spent preparing for an ambush, which to our disappointment was cancelled. Little did we know that a surprise was in store, and early on Sunday morning, we were woken by the sound of shots and thunder flashes, while the senior NCOs ordered us to extract to a nearby field. There, magazines were loaded with blank ammunition and a platoon attack was launched to retake the farm. Despite one section commander trying to storm the farm head on à la Zulu, losing half his section in the process, the attack was ultimately successful. Then – after hectically picking up fired rounds, taking every unfired round out of the magazines and cleaning up the litter – we boarded the coach back to Dulwich, still covered in fresh mud.

Despite the advanced nature of the programme, every cadet performed excellently and every activity was carried out with minimal fuss. We would like to thank all members of staff for giving up time to ensure the smooth running of the camp. Special mention must go the School Staff Instructor, CSgt Scott Swalwell, for organising an excellent series of activities which proved to make for a very enjoyable and challenging camp.

BATTLECRAFT WEEKEND HARRY MILLEN*

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Heathrow, Terminal Five, the first day of the Easter holidays. Eleven GCSE German students assembled for the short flight

to Stuttgart, in southwest Germany. From the airport, we were met by the families of our exchange partners, who had visited Dulwich in October 2010, and were taken to where we would be staying - a small, picturesque university town just south of Stuttgart. The first evening gave us time to settle in and get to know the families of our exchanges.

On the first day in Tübingen, we met at the school of the exchange students, the Kepler Gymnasium, similar to an English grammar school. There we met the headmaster and were given a talk about the school in German. Following this, we were set an activity involving questions about the history of certain buildings in the town including das Rathaus (the town hall) and die Stiftskirche (the church). Most answers could only be found by testing our language skills and asking the local people! By contrast, our afternoon activity was far less pressured. Ritter Sport, a famously square German chocolate bar, is made just a little outside of Stuttgart. Not only were the factory and museum buildings square, but inside the gallery the art was also made up of squares! The most exciting part of this visit was when we had the chance to make our own chocolate, choosing our own fillings.

We spent the weekend with our host families, although most of us met for the boat ride along the Neckar River, and the subsequent basketball match - Tübingen Walter Tigers against rivals, Göttingen. Although the result was not a victory for our ‘local’ team, we were all engulfed by the spirit of the crowd.

On Monday we entered the school as actual students. Our first lesson was in English, easing us in – although we did not expect students of our age to be discussing the American Dream in their second language! The second lesson (Maths for some, German for others) allowed everyone to learn something new. In the afternoon we played sports, choosing between Fußball (football) and Klettern (climbing). As we wanted to leave Germany with dignity intact, and were unsure about a clash on the field with the German students, most of us chose climbing. But is was not as safe a choice as we

thought. A nasty overhang on one of the walls saw more than one of us experience a dramatic fall. Fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt despite one student endlessly claiming that climbing was a complete death trap!

On Tuesday, we went on our second outing outside of Tübingen to a water park. Badkap Schwimmbad is home to one of the longest water slides in Western Europe. The appropriately named Wildwasserfluss is an incredible 96 metres from top to bottom and full of tight corners and white water. It became clear that England takes health and safety rules far more seriously than Germany, and collisions on the slides were common!

On our final full day, accompanied by our exchange partners, we took the short train journey to Stuttgart, Germany’s sixth largest city. We visited the Mercedes-Benz museum, learning that the Germans are very proud of their cars! The afternoon approached, and we were given some free time to wander along the shopping street, Königsstraße, which translates as King’s Road! This provided ample opportunity for souvenir and present purchasing.

We met early on Thursday morning at the Busbahnhof (bus station) to take the bus to the airport. Check in, customs and two china chicken gifts later and we were on the flight home.

On behalf of all students involved, I would like to thank Miss Bower and Miss Kay- Russell for organising and accompanying the trip. I would also like to think that all involved have made friends in Germany who they will stay in contact with and I hope that the Dulwich-Tübingen annual exchange can continue for many years as it truly was an excellent week.

GERMAN EXCHANGE TO TUBINGEN FELIX REES*

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necessarily covered in our A-Level course, along with German vocabulary, grammar and advice on pronunciation. The climax of the lessons came with a heated debate in German on the topic of language being the key to community and communication, in which many interesting points were raised. I think we all surprised ourselves with how much we had picked up, now able to express ourselves fluently in a language so different from our own.

Mr Read and Mr Jepson, having had a rest during our lessons, were just as excited to be in a city with so much potential, and had planned thoroughly for our days to be filled. The pinnacle of these plans was a visit to the famous Olympiastadion, built for the 1936 Olympic Games, a symbol of the power of Hitler. Even the most sceptical of us were amazed at the splendour and size of the stadium, now used by Hertha BSC.

This trip was one with many highs, and very few lows, and Berlin is a place which I would love to return to one day, to use my newly-improved language skills. I would recommend it as a destination to anyone who is interested in history, culture, and grand architecture.

BERLINGEORGE COWAN*

On 19th February, a group of Remove and Upper Sixth students, accompanied by

Mr Read and Mr Jepson, embarked on a five day German trip to Berlin. Not only is the city full of historic significance, it is also a fantastic and contemporary place to visit, whether or not you are a German linguist.

Upon our arrival, we all felt a great sense of relief upon finding out that the hostel which we were to stay in had radiators to help us combat the sub-zero temperatures outside. Our spirits rose further as we were told that a meal in a restaurant not far from the hostel was already planned with, it was remarked, ‘true German efficiency’.

Our first morning began with breakfast and, once fuelled for the day, we took a tour around Berlin. Our first stop was the legendary ‘Checkpoint Charlie’, the best known Berlin Wall crossing from East Berlin to the West, located at the junction of Friedrichstraße with Zimmerstraße and Mauerstraße. After this we visited the ‘Panoramapunkt’ where we took an elevator up twenty four floors in thirty seconds. From the top, as the name suggests, we had a panoramic view over Berlin, including several places we were later to visit, such as the Reichstag. We could also see the Tiergarten stretching out beneath us for what seemed like miles. In the afternoon we proceeded on our tour, which led us to the Holocaust monument, the Holocaustdenkmal. This was one of my most treasured moments of the trip as it was such a strong image for me, having only previously read about the effects and repercussions of the Holocaust on those involved. To see the number of people flocking earnestly towards the overwhelming grey slabs of stone was a truly moving sight, and I am sure it is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

For the remaining three days of our trip we had lessons in the mornings at the Goethe -Institut, a short walk from the hostel, where we learnt about topics which are not

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HISTORY TRIP TO BERLIN TIM WINGARD*

After touching down in Berlin, still feeling the effects of a 4.30 am start, we visited the concentration

camp at Sachsenhausen. The mood was sombre as we learned about the hundreds of thousands who had been interned there. We visited the memorial to a number of Allied commandos who had been executed at the camp, including the uncle of an O.A. After leaving the camp, we explored the centre of Berlin including the Brandenburg Gate, the Tiergarten and the Holocaust Memorial. To round off the evening, after our first experience of the infamous Bratwurst and Sauerkraut, we visited the museum at Checkpoint Charlie, which told the story of the bravery and ingenuity of those who escaped from the former DDR.

The next day, we visited the former Stasi prison at Hohenschönhausen. Its gruelling story was told to us by our guide, the daughter of a former inmate. Hohenschönhausen was, for me and many others, the high point of the trip. By way of the beautiful Charlottenburg Palace and its grounds, we returned to the city centre and dispersed for lunch. Our next destination was the ‘Story of Berlin’museum, which gave a broad overview of the city’s history and where we were able to visit the adjacent Cold War-era nuclear bunker. After such a fruitful day, it came as a disappointment to find that our intended visit inside the Reichstag had to be cancelled due to ‘security measures’.

Saturday proved to be the most exhausting day, but also arguably the most interesting. We took the S-Bahn to Potsdam on the outskirts of Berlin, passing through the rustic Dutch quarter to Cecilienhof, site of the Potsdam Conference at which the Allies carved up the remains of post-war Germany. Beautiful Sanssouci Park and the Neues Palais were our next destinations. Nevertheless, after many hours on foot and having visited two extensive museums we were in need of sustenance! We were therefore very grateful when Mr. Smith surprised us with coffee and cake at a local café. This kept us going until the evening meal, which consisted of Schweinhaxe (traditional German ham hocks) - thankfully there were no vegetarians in our group or they would probably have starved, such was our carnivorous diet over the four days in Berlin.

On the morning of our last day, we visited the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall, now an open-air art gallery. Amidst the socialist realist magnificence of the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park, Ben Kavanagh impressed us with his translation of the German inscriptions quoting Stalin and glorifying the Red Army. Finally, we visited the remains of the gigantic flak tower and bunker complex at Gesundbrunnen. It was sobering to learn that German civilians in the Second World War experienced bombing raids arguably worse than those exacted on the British.

Although I’ve visited Berlin before, this year’s trip illuminated sides to the city I’d never appreciated before: beautiful architecture, delicious food, a fascinating past. I’m sure that this will not be my last visit. On behalf of all the boys, I would like to thank Mr. Smith and Mr. Trussell for making the trip so entertaining and informative. I would also like to thank the Friends for their generosity. The funds which they provided enhanced our trip immeasurably.

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March 18th marked the start of the yearly Dulwich-JAGS trip to the Lake District to learn about Wordsworth and Romanticism

amongst the hills and trees that inspired them.

By the third rest stop and the second repeat of The Dark Side of the Moon through the stereo, it would’ve been a lie to say I wasn’t feeling some anxious presentiment about the weekend that lay ahead. However, our eventual arrival in the fresh, unpolluted air of the mountainous countryside quashed these fears.

First scheduled was a trek up Nab Scar that proved triumphant for all, albeit a staggered triumph as, panting and profusely sweating we reached the peak and were treated to a panoramic view of the lakes as the sun sunk on the horizon.

That evening we enjoyed to a delicious home-cooked meal in Rydal Mount, the final residence of Wordsworth, now owned by the family of our very own Mr Bennie, a descendant of the poet. All of us satiated, we gathered in the living room for a fireside group analysis of a number of Wordsworth’s poems, including ‘Expostulation and Reply’ and ‘Alice Fell’. Discussion about the poetry was interesting and fuelled by contributions from almost everyone, even if dominated by the outnumbered, ever-competitive Dulwich boys. During our conversation, what I personally found most interesting was Wordsworth’s consideration of nature’s ability to teach and inspire, best articulated by Donald Gertmenian during a moment’s digression in his essay ‘Rereading Howl’. He describes the Movement as a quest for ‘transcendence by reaching out to something in the world beyond self’ and states that ‘once with the thing, the poet’s imagination is freed from self limitation. But freed imagination finally returns enriched of that which the poet sought to escape, of his mortality.’ The trip was a greatly beneficial experience as an introduction to a poetic genre that I would not have considered reading before but have since enjoyed.

Saturday promised a walking tour of Wordsworth’s houses and the nearby scenery. A guided explanation of the garden of Rydal Mount

showed how Wordsworth insisted on remaining in symbiosis with nature in every respect, even refusing to conform to the symmetrical landscape design that was in vogue in the seventeenth century and keeping the layout of his own grounds largely as they would have been without human intervention. Rebecca Moore (JAGS) gave a delightful reading of ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ before we set off on the scenic Old Coffin Trail. Along the way we visited Dove Cottage, an earlier Wordsworth residence that contained various curiosities of its time, including a nineteenth century equivalent of a passport belonging to the poet and a pantry kept cool by an underground river. The lower ceilings and lack of lighting were immediately noticeable and perhaps explain Wordsworth’s love of the outdoors.

An attempt to write poetry of our own, inspired by the gardens of Dove Cottage, resulted in various degrees of success including an ‘Ode to William Godson’ and the heartfelt, epic-length response that was ‘Ode to Ben Farzenah’.

The Wordsworth Museum provided us with the opportunity to learn more about Wordsworth’s childhood and various other Romantic poets, as well as thumb through some intriguing early copies of Frankenstein and Paradise Lost from their extensive archive of rare and old editions.

The path back to the bunkhouse wound around the picturesque Grasmere Lake on what was a gloriously sunny day and, after we had freshened up, Mrs Bennie cooked us another tasty meal in the form of a chicken and ham pie with a crispy topping. That evening we were visited by Helen Mort, Dove Cottage’s poet-in-residence, who joined in our poetry reading and recited some of her own poetry. Her insights into poetry writing and her answers to questions about her inspiration and how she feels about unintended reader interpretation were fascinating. If rumours are to be believed, mulled wine may have complemented the discussion before we prepared for the journey back the following day.

It was an enlightening trip that, beyond being educational, was also greatly entertaining and a pleasure to have experienced. I would like to thank Mr Bennie on behalf of all those who went for both organising the trip and, in the evening, hosting us in his own home. Thank you also to Dr. Edwards, Miss Evernden and Miss Quarmby for giving up their weekend to accompany us.

WRITING IN THE LAKE DISTRICT MARCO ALESSI*

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WALKING IN THE LAKE DISTRICT

ANGUS LAM*

The six days I spent in the Lake District was one of the best trips I have ever

had in this beautiful country. We – the twenty members of the “never second” team - walked across valleys and hills; there was much laughter, argument, joy and frustration along the way, but by the end, we had become a better team with stronger leadership skills, bags more confidence and a rucksack full of great memories!

Good weather is always key to enjoying the most scenic walks in the North Western area of the Lake District. Luckily, the entire six days were sunny and only slightly windy. We mostly lay down on the grass and enjoyed the sunshine. With the help of my team mates, I kept studying the map trying to memorise every hill we climbed. Whilst the walk never reached the lofty heights of a Scafell or Helvellyn (the highest point is Dale Head at 753m) the views were magnificent, particularly towards the Skiddaw and Blencathra massifs in the north east. We chose several spots to rest, where Jack taught everyone the “special” ways to cool down – embrace the wind and let it blow the heat away.

Although the walk aimed for ridges as much as possible, most of the routes we took were undulating circuits with many separate ascents and descents such as in the Newland Valley. Most were easy, apart from the first ascent and last descent on the third day which took a lot of determination to conquer. The effort was worth it though and if you are in this area and the day is set fair then I recommend you take the walk. The awesome views will just blow you away!

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Over February half term a group of twenty of us from the college visited the northern Spanish city of Pamplona, famed for the

running of the bulls. We left school at midday on Thursday and departed for the airport, all eager to get to sunny Spain. The flight to Bilbao airport was full of amusement, and the plane journey really did fly by.

On the first evening, we spent our time at a cookery class where we were lucky enough to try making (and eating) paella, tempura prawns and profiteroles. Justin Cheuk proved to be quite the chef, unlike Antonio Shinebourne who made rather a meal of it! On

Saturday, we visited the seaside town of San Sebastián where we were unfortunately met with an overcast, grey sky. This, however, did not dampen our spirits, as we enjoyed the entertainment of the aquarium and were quite content to still visit the beach.

The following day we were given the chance to explore the town and most of us spent our time sampling the wide variety of tapas restaurants on offer. Later on we were fortunate enough to watch a Spanish La Liga football match, experiencing the famous Spanish atmosphere and the remarkable 4-0 home victory for Osasuna against Espanyol.

Throughout the week in Spain, we spent a lot of time in the Pamplona Learning Institute where the incredible teachers managed to inspire us. The excursions provided by the school were also incredible; a personal favourite was the visit to the local school and an enthralling football match, where Jamie Whiteford had a real goal to impress the watching ladies.

Many thanks to the teachers who ensured the trip was a real success, and in particular to Miss Etherington who organised this fantastic expedition. ¡Lo pasamos bomba!

PAMPLONA JOSH VALANCE*

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VALENCIA MATT WISDOM*

St Augustine famously said that “The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”

With that in mind, on 9th April, twenty of us, ably led by two teachers, congregated at Gatwick airport at a remarkably civilised hour to travel to Valencia, not only to turn the metaphorical pages of St Augustine’s world textbook, but pages of the A-level syllabus that would help to conquer the forthcoming exams.

The first evening included an introduction to the host family who would be looking after us for the week. After a much-needed meal, an early night was necessary before the “action-packed” day that the tourists had in store. The warm sunshine was not only reflected in our upbeat and positive mood, but also the inter student/teacher relationships that were blossoming on foreign soil, with many a joke or anecdote being shared. The decision to pack sun cream was already paying dividends, and some of the group had sported the popular “wife-beaters” in pursuit of an impressive sun tan and the attention of the locals. Perhaps the display of teenage muscle was appropriate as the word “Valencia” derives from the Latin word meaning “strong”.

The ordinary Dulwich school boy is perhaps not traditionally a “culture-vulture”. However, it was impossible not to be impressed by the modern science museum that had many interactive displays. The following visit to the aquarium and dolphin show was equally interesting. The penultimate activity was a 3-D film followed by a trip to the ancient “Mestalla” stadium to watch Valencia thrash local rivals Villareal 5-0 at the football.

The next day began with a trip to the beach, and included fiercely competitive beach volleyball, a sport that some of the students were extremely keen to get tickets for at the forthcoming London Olympics. The afternoon included the gruelling, yet useful, 3h 20 minutes of lessons from the two young Spaniards who were to become extremely popular over the course of the trip. One teacher, Alejandro, in particular never grew tired of having Lady Gaga’s hit single “Alejandro” chanted at him at regular intervals.

The following day involved a trip to the fascinating Old Town, including visiting various landmarks in the city before a football match with other students. With both Spanish and Dutch players present, spectators had perhaps expected “Round Two” of the recent 2010 world cup final in South Africa. However, while the sweltering conditions and mutual lack of fitness resulted in a game of slightly less technical quality, the players also displayed far less raw aggression then in the actual cup final. Hugh Rowly-Conway’s heroics ensured a victory for his team. Wednesday began with visiting the enormous local market, giving an invaluable insight into daily life in Valencia, as well as providing us with the opportunity to converse with locals before language lessons in the afternoon.

Thursday’s cycle ride was eagerly anticipated and, despite a false start in a closed rental shop, we were soon in the saddle and in good voice, singing Queen’s “Bicycle”, “Jerusalem” and, of course, the School song. Then the beach was once again the destination, and we took the opportunity to relax in the sand before returning to afternoon lessons. This was the final night of the trip and, in high spirits, we enjoyed what the establishments around the city had to offer.

After touching down at Gatwick, all of us were hugely grateful to Mr Nash and Dr Devlin who had invested such time and effort in organizing such a successful trip, and many of us are certainly hoping to return to Valencia in the future.

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At 6a.m. on Thursday morning, ten boys arrived at the South Gravel to depart for Southampton where we boarded the ship

Stavros S. Niarchos. Once on board, we were assigned to one of the three colour-coded ‘watch-teams’ and each given a number. This number was associated with a hook on which we hung our harnesses when we were not using them; I was assigned Red 4. Each watch also had its own sleeping quarters where we put our bags for the duration of our time on board.

Having been joined on board by pupils from Kingston Grammar School, the Captain welcomed us all and briefed us on standard rules. The Liaison Officer’s briefing came next, where we were

taught about the sails and how they move, which was very interesting. Being a novice sailor, this was all new to me. After the talk we returned to the dining area for very welcome bacon butties.

Having put on our harnesses, we then prepared for Up and Over. For the uninitiated like me, this

is where you climb up the rigging, onto a platform around the mast and then come down the rigging on the other side. This was great fun and a fantastic challenge that was rewarded with an amazing view across The Solent.

Once we were safely back on deck, the ship left the docks and headed out to sea where we started our morning activities which consisted of training, bracing the yards and sail setting (pulling a lot of ropes until you have opened the massively heavy sails and then pulling the wooden yards around the mast). When the sails were up I quickly realised that our endeavours had been in vain as sadly there was very little wind, despite the aching in my arms! Whilst the first sitting were having lunch (this sailing business makes you rather hungry!) anyone else who wished to either had a go at helming the ship, which was quite an experience, or once again donned their harness and climbed up the rigging. This time we went right out onto the yards where I was one of the first on the edge so was right above the water which was exhilarating. I could see for miles and was surprised to see the sea so calm. We then climbed down from the yards and were greeted by a much-needed lunch.

After a sail around The Solent, with sustenance and harnesses in place, our next job was to stow away the sails. We returned the yards to their original positions and some of us went out onto the front of the boat on the bowsprit with the water not too far below us; eat your heart out Kate Winslet! The sail stowing and re-bracing the yards consisted of pulling heavy sails, the mast and wooden yards with ropes. This was an exhausting business which silenced us all. Once completed we returned inside for afternoon tea and scones and then prepared for the final berthing.

Overall, the Tall Ships trip was a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable day so a huge thank you to Miss Lofts for organising it. Having never sailed before, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to experience so much in such a short space of time. I would definitely go again and, if possible, stay on board for longer.

TALL SHIPS ED DOWNES*

trip section.indd 11 13/06/2011 16:30

ICELAND OLIVER DANIELS*

The Geography trip to Iceland was the experience of a lifetime: incredible landscapes, awe-inspiring views, erupting geysers, staggering mountains. In Reykjavik, we were struck by the beautiful scenery, the rolling mountains, ash-covered plains and magnificent icy glaciers in the distance. Berglind, our guide, was always on hand to explain the amazing place.

On the first morning we visited Hellisheiði, a state-of-the-art geothermal power station from which the whole of Reykjavik is heated. Then our encounter with South Iceland really began. We passed fields mantled by the ash from the recent eruption of Eyjafjallajökull (one of the hardest words I’ve ever pronounced!) We could see the guilty volcano but its spectacular eruption had ceased, sadly for us (happily for aviation). The ice cap of the same name no longer glistened white but looked decidedly dirty.

We went to a number of beaches where the sand is entirely black from basalt ground down by glaciers and the sea. In the cliff face at Reynisfjara we climbed basaltic column formations and, on a farm dwarfed by similar columnar crags, we saw ancient grass-roofed houses built into the hillside. At Jökulsárlón we were stunned by a glacial lagoon at the foot of Breiðamerkurjökull, an expansive glacier, and took a boat trip on the lagoon navigating our way around the treacherous icebergs, admiring their beauty, and drinking water melted from glacier ice. A farmer took us by tractor across salt marshes and sea shallows to a puffin colony on ancient volcano Ingólfshöfði. Here we evaded aggressive skuas, found carcasses and eggs as well as puffins.

We visited the Skaftafell National Park where we walked to Svartifoss, a magnificent waterfall made from basalt. From Hotel Skaftafell, we were able to walk to Svínafellsjökull, a glacier only a few minutes away. We stood on top of the terminal moraine and looked out over the chaos of crevasses stretching out before us. We ventured inland to Laki to scale the highest cone and when we reached the top we were greeted by breathtaking views for miles. Despite constant buffeting from the wind we stayed on our feet long enough to marvel at the majesty.

We couldn’t have visited Iceland without taking the tourist route of the Golden Circle to watch the geyser Strokkur erupt: how amazing this natural phenomenon is. It erupts every five minutes without fail, day and night, whatever the weather. This was almost topped by a visit to the most impressive waterfall I have ever seen; Gullfoss was huge, and standing on the edge you could feel the force of gallons of water cascading down as the Hvítá River hurls itself into the gorge. After that, we travelled to the edge of the Eurasian plate and walked across “no man’s land” to the North American plate, standing in cracks in the ground that had been created by the two plates ripping apart. On our final day, we were honoured to have a special visit to Iceland’s Parliament after which we went whale-watching. We saw not just whales but also bottle-nose dolphins and harbour porpoises.

The trip was incredible and really enhanced by our great guide, who taught us so much, telling us that most of the population believes in trolls! I could not urge anyone more strongly to go and experience Iceland for themselves.

trip section.indd 12 13/06/2011 16:30

Later on that month, Lower School boys in Year 8 demon-strated the personal nature of charity. Raising money for a cause very dear to the class’ hearts’, the boys decided to organise a sponsored run. But this was no ordinary run not least because spectators were treated to a rare glimpse of Mr Tanna running in his favourite frock.

“On the 23rd of March 8L held a Charity run in aid of Bone Cancer Research trust. It was held outside the Lord George building where a track was made out of the pat-ball courts. The runners were Felix Allocca, Charlie Dee, Hamish Lloyd Barnes, Justin Park, Nick Thompson, Harry Warren and 8L’s form tutor Mr Tanna. To add to the matter all the runners had to run dressed up as the girls of St. Trinians! The runners ran a whopping 52 laps round our track and earned over £1000 from sponsors alone. Next to the track, Jack Theophanous and Thomas Franchi had organized a Krispy Kreme, sweets and drink sale which brought our total to an amazing £1,500 which smashed the lower school record for the most money raised by a single class! The motivation for this was Rose Allocca one of our classmate’s siblings who sadly passed away recently due to this disease. This event was a great success due to the help of each and every member of 8L including Mr Tanna.”

It has been said that charity starts in the home and it therefore seems appropriate that the Lower School, home of new Alleynians, should have been the scene of so many new charity events and initiatives this year. It is the school with the biggest intake of pupils and where the talents and skills of year seven and eight boys are discovered and nurtured. A love of and dedication to charity work, developed in the Lower School, will often stay with an Alleynian throughout his time at the College.

Mrs Crossley has been a welcome addition to Lower School charity. She modestly explains that it is the boys’ eagerness to give their time and money to worthy causes that has driven the various charity events and competitions in the Lower School this year, but it is no coincidence that she has attended every event with enthusiasm and encouragement for all those involved.

A quick glance at the Charities page on the Dulwich website shows that the Lower School has organised the overwhelming majority of charity events this year. In this article I have tried to compile a list of many of the initiatives that have taken place. I am very grateful to all of the Lower School boys who have helped me with this feature and I apologise to all those I have not mentioned but I implore all lower school boys to get involved with the magazine in the future.

ChaRIty RUN JaCK theoPhaNoUS aND

hamISh lloyD BaRNeS*

loWeR SChool ChaRIty aNDReaS ChItty*

2/8Written By Russ Kane [OA]Chief Barker and trustee of The Variety Clubof Great Britain

community service section.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:32

Before Christmas, diners were treated to a musical accompaniment to their lunches

“It occurred to me that we could do some busking for charity in the lunch hall just before Christmas. The next step was to decide a charity to give the money to. I decided that the event should be for the Dulwich Explorer group, specifically for their expedition to Argentina over Christmas, which my brother and many other boys from years eleven to thirteen were involved in. Sadly, because of snow-created confusion, we were not able to have a two day event, with other people performing, as we originally would have liked. When the big day finally came, after the struggle of bringing five music stands over from the Music School, it all ran fairly smoothly. Our final total was an amazing £111.45. For an event that did not feature Krispy Kremes, I thought this was a decent sum!”

At the annual Lower School Christmas fair boys raised money for HMSA, a charity which supports those suffering from painful Hypermobility Syndrome.

“For the Lower School Christmas fair we did a number of fundraising activities in the Raymond Chandler Library. Overall it was a huge success and we raised £174.65. The main stall, which I was running, was the Bring and Buy stall, which alone raised over £70; money which, like in any other charity, can go a long way. I thank everyone who helped in any part in this event; but there is reason behind this fun festive Lower School fair.”

Friday 18th March marked comic relief and a lower school charity initiative for the cause in the Raymond Chandler library. Year 7 boys challenged Dulwich’s budding comedians to perform their funniest jokes to the ultimate judge of humour, Mr Barrett Greene.

“7L held a jokes and impressions competition and in my view it was an absolute success. There was a sweet sale on the side and overall we made a fantastic total of £125.43.”but there is reason behind this fun festive Lower School fair.”

Charity in the Lower School began immediately as term did. One of the first events was the hotly contested form football competition in aid of Macmillan. Year 8 forms braved the elements to fight for the coveted title.

“In the Michaelmas term, Tohid Ismail, Matthew Verri and Brian Obiri hosted a football tournament between the forms in Year 8. The harsh English winter caused many delays but after several matches the final was between 8C and 8W. 8C came up with a strong attack and were victorious with a four goals to one win. Altogether we raised £120.36 for Macmillan Cancer Support who have helped and are helping people with the illness.”

On Wednesday 31 March, the boys of 7R held a sponsored silence during their lessons. They successfully maintained a disciplined silence throughout the day, much to the delight of their teachers! These efforts raised a fabulous £554.12 for Age UK.

“Towards the end of last term 7R took part in a sponsored silence. We had to be quiet in every lesson, but we were allowed to talk between lessons. We were given a whiteboard and a pen so if we needed to say something we could write it down. Isaac raised over £170 - that’s a lot of money! In total raised over £550 for our selected charity, Age UK. We got the idea of Help the Aged from our English lesson. From everyone in 7R we are really grateful we had the opportunity to help you.”

On Saturday the 12th February Charlie and Miles Dee gave up their weekend to sell cakes and bric-a-brac at their house. They decided to raise money for an important cause all Alleynians recognise, The Henry Fraser Trust.

“There are several ways of creating money for a charity, I thought to myself as I sat in front of the TV watching Countdown. I could do a cake sale at school or I could do a large raffle with some great prizes. To tell the truth I was amazed at the amount of money we raised from all of the cakes baked by Penny Pardon and Jane Dee and all of the bric-a-brac provided by various members of my neighbourhood. Both were very popular and we had various people from the college come and see what was happening in the small garage. The day was a great success and I am so happy to have pulled it off. Charlie and I were especially pleased to have received our charity badges in the Great Hall assembly at the end of the Michaelmas term. We had raised £470

BUSKING JoNathaN

WolSteNholme*

ChRIStmaS FaIR PeteR DoDWell*

JoKeS ComPetItIoN amoS eDWaRDS*

FootBall tohID ISmaIl*

SPoNSoReD SIleNCe BUZZ RoBB*

CaKe aND StUFF Sale mIleS Dee*

Written By Russ Kane [OA]Chief Barker and trustee of The Variety Clubof Great Britain

community service section.indd 2 13/06/2011 16:32

The 2011 Easter term witnessed an eighties resurgence as students and staff alike clamoured to be involved in Charity Blind Date. The charity in question was the Buwembe School in Kenya. The host for the evening was the College’s very own “Cilla Black”: Mathew “the Wizard” Wisdom. Our ever-affable orator promptly launched into a mirth-filled tirade of punnery and innuendo. Wisdom’s opening speech contained no risqué remarks and accusations.

Amid the barrage of badinage, with which he handled the (not insignificant) crowd with commendable proficiency, Wisdom eventually announced the first-round contestants: Ed Palmer, Jesse Roberts, Max Warren and Eddie “the Oracle” Walter. Concealed behind the traditional wall was the female contestant, the lovely Holly Waylen. Following the ensuing smut, grotesque one-liners, competitive, masculine posturing and less-than-charming chat-up lines, the most worthy contestant, Walter, was crowned the victor. He left the stage, beaming, with his prize blushing to the envious glares of the female portion of the audience.

This nail-biting contest captivated the salivating audience and prepared them for the next round of entertainment. Wisdom introduced the second-round contestants: Naa Acquah, Emily Scorer and Sophie Trotman. As is common on episodes of “Blind Date” the concealed contestant was a less-than-remarkable specimen, in this case, Alex Turnbull. At the end of this heated contest Turnbull eventually chose Emily Scorer, to the dismay of at least one spectator.

Next, the audience was treated to a look at how dates involving the couples from “last time” panned out. The compelling footage of a game of mixed doubles tennis and another separate date was projected onto a screen. The slapstick comedy and thinly-disguised deception at the tennis proved popular. Elsewhere, hopeless romantic Felix Truckel had organised a delightful evening, involving a trip to the theatre and an award-winning violinist, but unfortunately no company. The revelation that his date would not be attending prompted a particularly amusing breakdown, complete with tears and high-pitched whimpering.

Following a short break which provided only momentary respite from the breathless excitement of the proceedings, the final round began. This round was unique as all the contestants were Dulwich College teaching staff. Economics stars Mr. Fyfe and Mr. Threadgould found themselves in competition with Upper Sixth Head of Year Mr. King for the affections of languages teacher Miss Wiedermann. The staff indulged themselves in the spirit of the evening, offering their own comic witticisms to match those uttered by the students, and their attempts were well received. Mr. Theadgould was the eventual winner. This round was a delightful end to an evening much enjoyed by all present, both audience and participants, and the relentless applause was a testament to this.

BlIND Date JeSSe RoBeRtS*

The 2011 Easter term witnessed an eighties resurgence as students and staff alike clamoured to be involved in Charity Blind Date. The charity in question was the Buwembe School in Kenya. The host for the evening was the College’s very own “Cilla Black”: Mathew “the Wizard” Wisdom. Our ever-affable orator promptly launched into a mirth-filled tirade of punnery and innuendo. Wisdom’s opening speech contained no risqué remarks and accusations.

Amid the barrage of badinage, with which he handled the (not insignificant) crowd with commendable proficiency, Wisdom eventually announced the first-round contestants: Ed Palmer, Jesse Roberts, Max Warren and Eddie “the Oracle” Walter. Concealed behind the traditional wall was the female contestant, the lovely Holly Waylen. Following the ensuing smut, grotesque one-liners, competitive, masculine posturing and less-than-charming chat-up lines, the most worthy contestant, Walter, was crowned the victor. He left the stage, beaming, with his prize blushing to the envious

Next, the audience was treated to a look at how dates involving the couples from “last time” panned out. The compelling footage of a game of mixed doubles tennis and another separate date was projected onto a screen. The slapstick comedy and thinly-disguised deception at the tennis proved popular. Elsewhere, hopeless romantic Felix Truckel had organised a delightful evening, involving a trip to the theatre and an award-winning violinist, but unfortunately no company. The revelation that his date would not be attending prompted a particularly amusing breakdown, complete with tears and high-pitched whimpering.

Following a short break which provided only momentary respite from the breathless excitement of the proceedings, the final round began. This round was unique as all the contestants were Dulwich College teaching staff. Economics stars Mr. Fyfe and Mr. Threadgould found themselves in competition with Upper Sixth Head of Year Mr. King for the affections of languages teacher

BlIND Date JeSSe RoBeRtS*

community service section.indd 3 13/06/2011 16:32

Following the success of Rock Alive 2009; myself, Rob Newcombe, Saagar Naresh and Sam Payne decided it was time to do the whole thing again, with the hope of raising more than the £1800 we managed two years ago. So, on 7th May, the audience in the Edward Alleyn Theatre were deafened by five fantastic bands. The evening was hosted by Rob, who introduced each act and, with considerable charisma, did a wonderful job of keeping the evening flowing between acts. First up was Pet My Lemon, featuring two of the College’s own (Max Frean and Sooyun Chai) who played three original songs and also told the audience where their rather original name originated: “It’s an anagram of unemployment”. The night took a turn for the mellow as Sam Payne and Joe Guppy from London Oratory took to their stools to perform an acoustic set; with singer Joe wooing the audience and persuading the crowd to sing along to the soft guitar strains of their acoustic version of “Fireflies”. It was certainly a popular act. The Bubble Act was up next, which included Oscar Salandin on guitar - for one night only! Their progressive rock feel shocked the audience with the highlight of their set being an original song, entitled “ Hoodies and Kitchen Knives ”.

After a short interval the audience was treated to what has to be the highlight of the night: the teacher act. Calling themselves “Pantaray”, they stormed the stage with guitarists, violinists and horns. “Car Wash” was most definitely the most accomplished piece of the whole evening and Mr Lock’s vocals on “Honky Tonk Woman” were superb. To finish the night, three of the four organizers (myself, Sam Payne and Saagar Naresh) came on with Old Alleynian Will Ellis and our two sound engineers to finish with a bang. The theatre shook to the opening riff of Led Zeppelin’s Rock ‘n Roll as it blasted out of the speakers, and the audience were treated to a cover of a more recent song: Elbow’s “Grounds for Divorce”. To follow tradition, we ended the night as we had the first time, with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” by the Rolling Stones - or at least that was how we expected to end the night. However, after little deliberation we gave into the audience’s shouts and screams and gave them one more, a short punk song entitled “Know your Enemy” by Greenday.

The evening was a huge success our final total came to just under £1200, all destined for the Buwembe Secondary School in Uganda which the college has been supporting and where the £1800 raised from Rock Alive 2009 went. Special thanks go to Carol Morris for lending us the use of the theatre and providing us with fantastic lighting on the night.

RoCK alIVe heNRy moNKSFIelD*

community service section.indd 4 13/06/2011 16:32

The annual Hindu and Muslim charity football match has been a long-running tradition at Dulwich College. Over the past six years the Muslim team has remained victorious; last year they won 1-0 thanks to the renowned Kamal Gilkes’ bicycle kick over the keeper’s head. This year the Hindu team went in to break the chain of losses and win the game for the first time in six years.

With ten minutes before kick-off the Hindu team had warmed up and was ready to go. However on the other side of the pitch only four green shirts were visible, one belonging to the star striker Omar Parvez and another to Captain Eman Arashan. Nevertheless, a full squad was just about ready in time for the 1.30 start. Following Eman’s kick off they charged deep into the Hindus’ half allowing a shot from Omeed which struck the crossbar, and subsequently fell at Omar’s feet. Standing several yards from the keeper, Omar nervously went for glory but the ball rolled safely into the keeper’s hands. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme for Omar as he managed to miss three times in front of goal.

The Hindus put up a good fight and managed at times to outplay the Muslims until they came up against Mohanned Al-Jalawi who stopped any further movement both on the ground and in aerial threats. On the opposite side Felix Coid, Falgun Patel, Neale Roy and Viraj Patel disrupted frequent Muslim attacks and made sure the score remained level. This led to a half time break with goals yet to be seen. The fans on the sideline cheered on both teams as they raced out to start the next half. The kick off made a promising break through with Waynelan Skantharajah pacing up the wing and crossing the ball in to Mahesh Karunairetnam. His shot at goal was obstructed by the hands of the Muslim defenders and the whistle blew in favour of the Hindus. From the edge of the eighteen-yard box Mr Athey pointed out a free kick. Duleep Vasudevan stepped up to the

pressure of taking the free kick and placed the ball on the spot. As he walked in to take the shot the Hindu strikers were waiting for the rebound, and the fans were waiting for this to open the score line. Duleep curved the ball around the wall and converted the free kick into the top left hand corner of the goal, way above Shams Kabir’s reach. The supporting fans ran onto the pitch to join the celebration of the opening goal, with last year’s manager Kushal Patel waving the Indian flag.

The celebration was short-lived as the young Muslim strikers, Omeed and Hassan, broke through and managed to beat the keeper, equalising the score. The Hindus had seven minutes to score before penalties began and they attempted a breakthrough, which resulted in a counter attack and another chance for a Muslim goal. This was however stopped by Krijinan and the ball was cleared. To the Hindus’ misfortune, the Muslims had a chance to go ahead following a foul on Halim. Although not as close as the Hindus’ spot kick, Nicholai Panahpour went for a direct free kick. His strike swerved over the Hindu wall but Nalin Patel strove forward and the captain of the Hindus got a fist to the ball and sent it for a corner.

With two minutes of play left the ball broke through to Saugata Sen who paced up trying to find a striker in front of him. He lofted the ball over Halim and too far ahead of the striker, Vithu Satkunarasan and nearer to the keeper. The fans on the sideline watched eagerly as the ball bounced in front of the keeper and then over the his head, hitting the inside post and into the back of the net, putting the Hindus a goal in the lead.

The final whistle blew shortly after the goal and the Hindus came out on top with the score-line reading 2-1. The game was enjoyed by not only the players but also the people who watched and donated generously donated £200. We would like to thank Mr King, Mr Weaver and Mr Fox for their support on the day of the match, and Mr Athey for refereeing the game. The donations have been sent to the Cystic Fibrosis ward at King’s Hospital.

hINDU VS mUSlIm FootBall matCh VIthU SatKUNaRaSaN*

community service section.indd 5 13/06/2011 16:32

The highly anticipated Annual Boarder versus Day Boy charity basketball match took place on Thursday 5th May, with all the proceeds from this year’s game going to the Hassan White fund.

There was a strong matchup this year between boarders and day boys. Boarders led by senior players Alvin Cheung, Tommy Park, Benton Lau and Angus Lam took on challenges from the day boys, as rising young stars Josh Proctor, Nam Le and first-team captain Abel Carter would compete hard to defend their title.

The game started well for the Boarders, as the six-four Korean centre Park dropped two hook shots from the paint, giving the boarders an eight to four lead. The day boys responded immediately, quick passes and excellent player movement tearing the Boarders’ defence apart, allowing day boys to score an easy basket. After an eight-to-nothing run from the day boys, the game tied at 20-20 with 30 seconds till the end of the first quarter. During the

last play, day boys guard Carter took on a one-on-one challenge from the six-one forward Cheung. Using his speed and agility, Carter dribbled off his defender and completed a tough fade-away jump shot at the low block. Day boys led the game at 22-20.

As the second quarter began, day boy centre Josh Proctor stepped up his game, turning into an unstoppable offensive force. With his strength and size, the 190 pounder dominated the paint with several offensive boards and second chance baskets. Together with forward Michael Deniran, he formed a ‘twin tower’ and dropped over fifteen points in the second quarter alone. The boarders tried to come back from the 18-4 run from beyond the arc, as Cheung was draining from downtown with two three-pointers. However the day boys were proving too much for the boarders. Point guard Nam Le provided several well-timed assists, creating transition baskets which gave the day boys a 40-25 lead by the end of the quarter.Proctor continued his dominance in the paint when the last quarter began. The game turned into an exhibition match with five minutes to go as the day boy’s twenty points lead made it clear which side would be the final winner. The boarders continued with a total fresh look, letting all five Orchard young stars Taylor Yu, Nick Chan, Hunter Li, Justin and Nelson make their presence felt. The final score was 47-29 to the day boys who have now managed to defend their title again.

Special thanks to Oscar Butcher and Mr Burdekin for organizing this excellent and meaningful event.

Day BoyS VS BoaRDeRS BaSKetBall

BeNtoN laU*

community service section.indd 6 13/06/2011 16:32

My name is Haiyang and I am currently a remove student in Dulwich College. I come from a small town in China called Hangzhou and I am one of the few amongst my friends who had the opportunity to study abroad. I’m grateful that I was given the chance to travel. I’ve learned a lot here in London, not just from the school but also from the people around me. Charity is something I’ve encountered before but never really taken part in. People always tell me you have to look for a cause that you could relate to, this way the cause itself is worth fighting for. Running the Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon to raise funds for the INCTR (International Network for Cancer Treatment Research) is definitely a valuable cause as I can relate to it on a personal level.

Cancer is no stranger to me; my grandfather died of lung cancer a few years back; my grandmother was torn apart by the news and she was later diagnosed with kidney failure. She underwent surgery and is now stable but she is still being monitored for her conditions. My grandfather was an honourable person; he was educated, one of the few lucky ones to go to school. He studied medicine with his father and left home when he was 15 to start his own business. Unfortunately back in his days, China was undergoing the Cultural Revolution. With the current situation he could not become what he hoped to and was arrested simply because he was educated. As the punishment, he was sent away from his hometown to the countryside to do manual labour. He settled down there and married my grandmother, but they divorced when my father turned 16. Life back in those days was tough, my grandfather had four kids to look after and so he worked hard and did all sorts of jobs to provide for his family. He cut hair in a barbershop, worked on the land and also did accountancy jobs. His whole life was all about giving himself to his family. When my father finally graduated from university and started his own company, he wanted Grandpa to retire; so that he could finally have a chance to relax, and enjoy life. But that was the point at which things started to get worse; Grandpa started to have difficulties breathing and he coughed blood from time to time. My father took him to the hospital for a full body scan, but never did we think it was cancer. Grandpa kept a clean sheet when it came to health - he never smoked, nor did he drink. My father was shocked when the doctor told him that Grandpa had lung cancer, and it wasn’t just a minor infection. The doctors were really helpful but despite the chemotherapy, the cancer had already spread. Grandpa died on February 14th, 2001. I didn’t get a chance to visit him again because he was sent to a better hospital in Beijing.

Grandpa is the reason why I have the privilege to be where I am today. He is the kind of person I hope to become, selfless and strong. Therefore I did this run in remembrance of him, I really hope the INCTR organization can keep up with the good work and continue their research on the treatment of all types of cancer.

Every person has one thousand wishes. A cancer patient only has one and that is to get better. You can still help out now by donating online at my page. Do it for those who have died of cancer and those who are still fighting. 

I started singing when I was very young and I wrote and recorded songs for fun, even if they weren’t the best lyrically. However, after teaching myself the basics, I started singing to my family and friends and they encouraged me to record a song. So I began to practise writing and singing in my spare time. After about a month, my class mates volunteered me to write and record a song for charity. So I thought about it and eventually I carried the idea through and started writing.

I spent two solid months writing and configuring the tune of my new charity single, and after non-stop work I finally recorded my song and it later became available to purchase.I remember seeing the Cystic Fibrosis Presentation in a Friday assembly, and I thought that it would be a great idea to donate all of the money to them. I do know that it was a big risk whether people would like it or not, but at the end of the day, people will always criticise the song saying it’s auto tuned or the lyrics are bad, but as I once heard from a very influential figure in my life, “there will always be negative comments, but you must believe that you are good at what you do, and eventually your critics will stop criticising you.”

I really enjoyed the making of this song and I hope you enjoyed the final result. However, knowing that it’s for charity makes it even better.

Haig’s song ‘I love you’, has raised a total of £3833.46 for the new Cystic Fibrosis Unit at Kings.

maRathoN RUNNING haIyaNG yaNG*

my INSPIRatIoN haIG DIDIZIaN*

community service section.indd 7 13/06/2011 16:32

CommUNIty SeRVICe

I still remember my first day of community service at Langbourne. A large group of us, many of whom, like me, had never undertaken

such an activity before, were thrown straight into the deep end, helping large classes from different year groups with their reading skills. Four years on, I am coming to the end of my time at Langbourne and at Dulwich, and looking back, it has been an experience that I have especially treasured.

I originally signed up for Langbourne in order to help younger children develop and enjoy their reading. It soon became clear to me that there was a large gulf in reading abilities in certain classes, and that I needed to develop new ways of helping them get the most out of the sessions, paying particular attention to those whose reading capabilities were weaker. As the weeks went by, my enjoyment grew. I would walk in every week and a chorus of shouts would break out saying ‘Sir! Sir! Can I read again?’ The feeling that my presence was appreciated made me regret that I could only do this once a week and want to make the most out of the short period of time.

In my second and third years, I started to be recognised by the teachers more often, and I soon felt like a veteran. I began to specialise in helping Year six students read every week. Just to see them wanting to read with me every week gave me endless satisfaction, as all I had initially hoped for was to complement the in-class teaching. My four years also gave me the opportunity to see the school itself develop. From new playground equipment to new teaching assistants, I was glad to see the investment Langbourne had taken to further enhance the education they provide.

What I have enjoyed the most about helping at Langbourne has been seeing children move on up through the school, and make progress with their reading. It was hard only to be able to come once a week, but I always felt that as long as they enjoyed their time with me and engaged with their books, then the session had been a success. Now, as I prepare for my final few weeks here, I couldn’t be happier with what I have experienced and learned about working with younger children, and it has encouraged me to continue my volunteer work beyond the College community service schemes.

It has also been a pleasure working with different volunteers from the College each year. Their enthusiasm and commitment are commendable. I cannot thank the College enough for this opportunity; the experiences will stay with me for a very long time to come.

FoUR yeaRS at laNGBoURNe SChool SaUGata SeN*

community service section.indd 8 13/06/2011 16:32

Easter holidays are usually a time for chocolate, revision and, this year, lovely weather. For Carl and me, it also meant spending a week in Ashdown Forest volunteering with a project that organises residential adventure weeks for young people with impairments (referred to as guests). This project, Activenture, has been running for over forty years, more recently under the leadership of Di Churchill MBE and, during the school holidays, provides activities for between twenty and forty guests, at either Hindleap Warren (in East Sussex) or Woodrow High House (in Amersham). The guests are split into groups of six and each of these groups will have a number of volunteer helpers (who help with the guests’ day-to-day care) and up to three adult leaders to supervise them. In addition, the helpers encourage the guests to take part in a wide range of activities.

We were first introduced to Activenture last year when it was offered as a new Community Service project. Since attending the induction day (where we were given training in areas such as wheelchair management, handling of the guests and sign language), I have helped on three Activenture weeks and Carl on four (serving as a leader this Easter).

This Easter was my first time as a leader, which was both challenging and a rewarding experience. I went into the week with much optimism but also anxiety as being responsible for the well-being of others is quite daunting. The week started off with a briefing for all the staff members regarding the disabilities and the special requirements of certain guests.Later on we were introduced to the parents and were then shown how best to care for the children. As leaders our main job is to help helpers help so, occasionally, we would step back and oversee helpers interacting with guests and forming friendships within the group. In addition, we had to ensure that the group was always prepared for the next activity and that we knew where they are at all times. We also took a proactive role by encouraging guests to participate and ensuring they enjoyed themselves (usually at our expense). For example, I and other leaders had to be completely covered in paint for the amusement of the guests!

On the penultimate day, the leaders met to assess all the helpers in their group based on their performance over the week, considering their strengths and weaknesses, anything they could improve on for next time and how they coped with the week. I thoroughly enjoyed the week, met a lot of new people and learned so much in such a short space of time. I will be attending another week in August where Ennan will join me as leader.

eNNaN’S StoRy eNNaN mWeNDWa*

CaRl’S StoRy CaRl oKUNUBI*

aCtIVeNtURe

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a tyPICal Day at aCtIVeNtURe

0730: helpers wake up 0830: Guests wake up. each day, the helpers look after a different guest and today, I am with Ben, who has Cerebral Palsy. he has restricted movement in his limbs and uses a wheelchair. Normally, a leader and I would hoist him into a shower chair to wash but as we are going swimming this morning, we wipe him down with a flannel, change his pad, get him dressed and hoist him into his chair. 0900: Breakfast. Ben needs to be gastronomically fed with a tube into his stomach so we go to the nurse to connect him to his food-bag (which is attached until the evening) 1000: morning activity. We go kayaking in the swimming pool at hindleap; there are kayaks that can be adapted for guests who may need support. Unfortunately, Ben refuses to go in the pool so one of our leaders looked after him whilst I help the other volunteers with their guests in the pool. 1300: lunch. as it is a hot day, the nurse hydrates Ben by removing his food tube and injecting water through the hole in his stomach. 1400: afternoon activity. the team Challenge involves orienteering around the forest using clues to direct us to certain areas where there will be a team-building task to do. to get Ben into the forest we put him into an adapted wheelchair which has four small fixed wheels that can handle rough terrain. 1630: Rest hour. a day at activenture is fun but can also be tiring and this is an opportunity for guests and helpers to relax and have a nap before the evening activity. as we are putting Ben into his bed, we also change his pad. 1800: Dinner. after waking Ben up and hoisting him into his wheelchair, we take him to the nurse to replace his food-bag. 1930: evening activity. this evening’s karaoke sees each group doing a song (including a beautiful rendition of ‘‘I’m a Believer’ by our group!) and a number of solos and duets from the guests. 2100: Bedtime for Guests. the nurse removes Ben’s food-bag and we hoist him into his bed. there, we wipe him with a flannel, change his pad and apply medicine on his legs before lights out. 2200: helpers and leaders meeting - every evening we have a meeting to discuss and record how the guest have been and any problems they may have had so we can tell the parents at the end of the week. 2300: Bedtime for helpers

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We don’t know what you do on a Wednesday

afternoon but we stride forth, croquet mallets in hand, with such concentration and gusto that sweat drips off the brow and our knuckles stand out white under the strain. We are referring, of course, to the Herculean struggle that is croquet, where heroes ascend meteorically and are ignominiously cast down.

Sensational is the only word appropriate for describing this year’s house croquet. The first round commenced with three capital, if predictable, results with victories from Spenser, Drake and Marlowe and one surprising upset for Howard when Jonathan Ribeiro managed to overcome the favourites for the game to bring Jonson into the semi-finals, where they played Marlowe. Things would go from bad to worse for Howard; a superb shot by Sidney’s Arthur ‘The A-unit’ Seaward caused them to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Grenville surpassed

Raleigh to progress to the final of the losers’ bracket.

Meanwhile, an epic battle had erupted between Spenser and Drake for a place in the final, with each side seeming to get the better of the other, only to have the other regain the advantage. Despite excellent leadership from Spenser’s Thomas King, Drake’s consistency and strategy led them to be the victors on the day. A slightly more comprehensive semi-final was played on pitch one; Marlowe’s team of Andrew Mushett Cole and Declan Farrell showed no mercy as they overcame Jonathan Ribeiro and Matthew Walters playing for Jonson, setting the scene for the titanic clash that was yet to come.

The final was carried off in typical nail-biting fashion accompanied by an excellent

soundtrack provided by Barney Medland, and refreshments provided by the catering department. The game itself attracted many spectators, which was no surprise owing to

the high octane action that was unfolding. Marlowe took an early lead and despite Drake’s valiant efforts to draw themselves level on the fourth hoop, a tremendous shot from Andrew coupled with Declan’s tenacity gave Marlowe the advantage it needed to take the game. Drake’s team of Samuel Franklin and Tom Spence deserve high praise for their impassioned play. All in all an excellent competition with its zeniths and nadirs, triumphs and upsets, ups and downs, Catholics and protestants, salts and peppers, men and women, tea and coffee, PCs and Macs, herbs and spices, oranges and lemons, cats and dogs, apples and pears, but the real victor of this year’s competition was Croquet itself.

HOUSE CROQUET THOMAS KInG & AnDREW MUSHETT COLE*

3/8Written By Bill Athey Dulwich College’s cricket professional and Yorkshire and England Test batsman.3/8

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RUGBY RETROSPECTIVESAM HOWARD

GIBRALTAR RUGBY TOURJOSH VALLAnCE

The season started back in the 7s season when Dulwich entered more

tournaments than ever before. The U16s got to the semi-final of the All England competition losing to the eventual winners, RGS High Wycombe, after disposing of perennial 7s favourites Millfield in the previous round.

 The 15-a-side game is totally different and we have some outstanding sides coming through the school; the U16As lost only one game, the U15As reached the last 16 of the Daily Mail competition and the U14As won the Kent Cup.  Just as encouraging is the quality of rugby being played by all the teams in each year group. High coaching standards enable every team to play with an exciting style and high level of skill.

Although not particularly renowned as a rugby centre, Gibraltar played host to

the 2011 “Sevens on the Rock” international rugby tournament, a competition featuring talent from all corners of the globe. The College took boys from all age groups from Year 7 through to Year 12, which is rare for a school trip but worked wonderfully. All three participating teams from the College had enjoyed fine spells in the British tournaments, most notably the U16 team’s impressive trip to the final of the Rosslyn Park National Sevens Tournament. However, most expected the real test was to come against the might of European rugby and potentially some southern hemisphere foes. The first day of rugby did not quite meet expectations with some of the “big guns” of world rugby that organiser Deta X had promised failing to appear. In fact, it was a day of domination for the College who played rugby with both skill and aggression, unfazed by the Spanish, other English and Gibraltese teams. The day ended with all three Dulwich teams having won their groups. We had put at least thirty points on every other team, not through bullying our opponents into submission but by playing sophisticated sevens, a feat to be proud of.

Aside from the scintillating rugby, we were also fortunate enough to experience some of the incredible wildlife of Gibraltar. The dolphin tour looked set for disaster after an hour of disappointment, when suddenly another tour boat stopped amid screams of joy from the people on board. We followed and quickly found an abundance of dolphins that immediately began to swim around our boat. Another highlight was the trip onto the top of the rock where the group were able to get close to the famous monkeys that inhabit Gibraltar, whilst also visiting the amazing caves on the island.

The final day of the tournament saw the unexpected arrival of fellow English school, Hutton Grammar. Despite perhaps having a physical advantage over Dulwich, the Hutton side proved no match for us and the U17 team won in a thrilling final which saw typical Dulwich defence. The U15 and U13 teams also enjoyed success in their respective finals and credit must go to both the boys and the dedicated coaching staff who have aided their teams all year. Special thanks must go to Mr Howard, Mr Thomas, Mr Greenaway and Mr Ellis who made such a brilliant tour possible.

 As always the season had its fair share of tours with the senior tour taking nearly fifty boys from Years 10, 11 and the Remove to Australia and the U11s and 3XV visited Cambridge on separate occasions.

Sadly we were without Ian Martin for the season and I would like to thank him for all the incredible hard work he put into Dulwich rugby in almost twenty years and we wish him well in his retirement.

 Congratulations to Jeremy Reason on his selection for the England U16 squad. Jeremy was outstanding for the U16A team in their early games and continued to shine when promoted to the 1st XV. It is pleasing to witness Dulwich boys representing their county at all age groups; further congratulations go to Funsho Olaleye (Surrey U15), George John (Surrey U16 and U17) and George Winstanley (Kent U18).

I would like to use this platform to thank Jamie Hamblen for being an excellent 1st XV captain in 2010. He earned the role after his outstanding performances in Australia and these continued throughout the season. I am sure Jamie would join me in wishing Dan Beese all the best as his successor next year.

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CRAZYGOOD ROWING PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY FREDDIE REED. MANY THANKS.

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AMSTERDAM TRAInInG CAMP TOM MOUnTAIn*

BASKETBALL RETROSPECTIVE

MATT BURDEKIn*

As ever, the Easter camp began with a ludicrously early start as seventy-two boys arrived at the south gravel,

bleary eyed, at five am. After a long journey we arrived at the lake, which, according to Mr Fyfe, is the oldest man made rowing lake in the world, an example of his teaching of “power” (knowledge being power) that became a fixture of the camp. After unloading and rigging the boats we went to our hotel to discover spacious rooms and, more importantly, an all-you-can-eat buffet three meals a day, including chicken nuggets for breakfast.

For most of the squads the first few days were spent doing selection races to form crews. The J14s meanwhile spent this time learning to row in single sculls, which coincidentally gave them a lot of swimming practice after capsizing. After the eights were selected, training began in earnest for the summer regattas. In general we would do two sessions in the morning before going back to the hotel for lunch and a few hours’ revision or sleep. Then we would go down to the lake for another session at about four o’clock.

A welcome break from the gruelling schedule came in the form of an afternoon spent go-karting. There was a lot of tactical speculation, betting and psychological warfare regarding who would set the quickest lap time. The winner, James Jarratt, was a dark horse, having come second last on last year’s trip. And, much to his distaste, Mr Croucher was defeated in his annual battle with Mr Keat.

For the first time ever our basketball season commenced with a tour with senior players visiting Malta for six days’ training and three fixtures. After defeating Malta’s Under 16 National Squad, match two against a local side proved useful in giving our younger players plenty of court time in a huge win. The final match, against the Under 20 National League Champions, proved by far the hardest. A narrow victory brought us home with an undefeated tour.

Another first this year saw our Under 13 set up go from purely developmental to competitive with an extremely promising and sizable group of players. By the end of the season a regular group of fifteen boys were working hard towards their three fixtures against Alleyns.

Our Under 14s had a difficult start to the season, suffering a series of defeats after a

The culmination of the camp’s hard work was a two kilometre time trial (one kilometre for the J14s and the senior four) in the boats we will be racing this summer. The crews were set off at intervals so that if everybody did the time their coach expected of them they would all cross the finish line at the same time. The racing was competitive from all the crews, and gave us a chance to practise over the distance of the major regattas this summer.

At the end of the week we returned to London tired but expectant of a successful season.

lack of early commitment. However, some sterling work from their captain, Janaum Rao, in mustering the troops, saw a far more pleasing end to the season.

This year’s Under 15s prove the point that with hard work and commitment incredible results can be achieved. After a disappointing previous season, eight wins from ten fixtures is an incredible turn around. Furtheromore they have also become the first DC team in many years to win their League Final.

Our Under 16s once again fell victim to teams dropping out of their league. At the start of the season we looked forward to ten fixtures, ending up with only six. That said, a record of four wins and two losses is encouraging, with many players soon to be senior basketballers.

Once again the seniors have set a record in terms of the number of matches played this season. A record of ten wins and four losses in the LISBA League and Cup, was hugely pleasing. These young men also had an excellent run in the Cup ultimately being runners up to the City of London School.

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FEnCInG RETROSPECTIVE JESS SMITH*

FOOTBALL RETROSPECTIVE nICK BROWn*

This past year has seen a greater number of boys from Dulwich College entering

fencing competitions than at any time in the last decade, and not just locally but across the country from Bristol to Coventry. Boys have competed from Year 7 to Year 13, some building on their established success and others taking their first tentative steps towards open competition.

Following a successful ‘warm-up’ sabre match against King’s College Wimbledon - DC “A” (Jan Szopinski,  Adam Troszczynski Van Genderen,  Aidan Patrick) 45 hits to 31; DC “B” Michael Huang,  Hendrick Ehlers,  George Muffet) 45 hits to 30 - the season continued with a series of successes at sabre, Adam winning the Surrey Senior Sabre and Aidan the Surrey Novice Sabre with Michael Huang and Henrik Ehers sharing 3rd place.

At the same weapon, Nick Howes took third place in the county under 14s and later took fifth place in the Leon Paul Junior Series (LPJS) in Bristol. His greatest achievement came at the end of the season with second place at Camden LPJS against a strong field including some foreign entries.

Year 8 boys including Josh Nicholson, Oscar Smith, Kayan Dave and Jamie Gulland made their debuts at either county or regional events, their moderate success boding well for the development of a future junior foil team.

Thirteen boys represented Dulwich College at the Public Schools Fencing Championships (PSFC) held annually at Crystal Palace. Tommy Curran-Jones retained his epee title whilst Jamal Barnes

An extended Lent term has enabled us to enjoy 285 competitive matches. We were somewhat blessed

this year with new additions to the coaching staff, however, sadly we say goodbye to Clare Malloch who has been a terrific support to football at the College over the last 7 years. We also say goodbye to Nick Ellis who has worked with great enthusiasm for seven years, and Saturday mornings will be a quieter occasion without him!

It has been a quiet year on the representative front although Alex Kelly (U14) deserves a special mention. Alex was invited for an extended trial at Fulham FC, but was released towards the end of the season; he has since been snapped up by Charlton Athletic FC. Billy Borten (Year 4) is the only other boy who is currently linked to a professional club.

The 1st XI had a successful season. However,

and Adam Foster took third and eighth places respectively within their age groups. This was a considerable achievement for a competition that regularly has over one hundred competitors in each event. Tommy and Ned Tidmarsh, having qualified through the region, went on to take third and eighth place at the British Youth Championships.

Team captain Andrew Chau has been very supportive of the younger fencers and encouraging to senior games and club fencers. At the PSFC he reached the fourth round, fencing with a technical ability and confidence far above that with which he came to us at the beginning of last season. It is especially pleasing to see that boys such as Andrew, Adam and Jan who come to us in the Senior school can achieve so much in such a comparatively short time.

Another newcomer to the school was Eric Wu (year 9) who joined the team for the British National Youth Team Championships at Brunel University in March. After clear wins against St. Benedict’s (Ealing), RGS Guildford and Lycee Francais the team of Eric, Tommy and Ned met Abingdon School in the final and in a tense and exciting final triumphed 45 hits to 35 hits.

The season is not quite over as we look forward to the England Youth Championships in June and the hope of more success to round off the school year.

disappointingly, they did not manage to win any silver wear. KCS Wimbledon proved their nemesis, beating them 2-1 in the Trinity Cup semi-final and 1-0 in the London Cup final. The Dulwich College 3rd X1 enjoyed a remarkable unbeaten season, with Jonny Tovey captaining the “Invincibles” to immortality.Hosting touring sides is something of a tradition at Dulwich and always provides a cultural experience, as well as an opportunity to play an international fixture. The 2nd XI took on one of the most successful Japanese school teams and produced an excellent performance, winning 3-1.

The U13s again won their mini London league, with the U12s just missing out. One highlight I should mention was the U13A XI’s response to being beaten by DCPS. They turned round a 3-0 defeat to a 4-1 victory in their penultimate match of the season. Keith Blunt deserves particular praise for the work he has done with this age group.

Once again we ran our U10 schools tournament, hosting 18 local primary and prep schools. This was a great occasion and displayed considerable young talent from the local area.

sports section.indd 5 13/06/2011 16:21

As the warm up commenced, we were greeted with an increasing noise of drums and chants from the direction of Lordship Lane. It built up for five minutes or so, before it entered the ground in the form of KCS fans. Unfazed by this, we continued to prepare, waiting for the arrival of the Dulwich Firm – they did not disappoint. Soon enough the game was under way, with both teams unable to take early chances. The atmosphere was overwhelming, with frequent renditions of the school song and others from the hymn sheet produced especially for the occasion. Dulwich’s discipline let them down in the first half, however, allowing KCS too many needless free kicks. Nevertheless the teams went down the tunnel at half time on level terms, with Dulwich looking the stronger in every position. 

The second half saw the tension building, with some superb football being played from the home team. We came close on several occasions with Richard Walker hitting the bar with an outstanding effort from a tight angle, but ultimately we failed to take our clear-cut chances. Despite the lack of goals, the crowd did not let the atmosphere drop in the slightest. Unfortunately it was during one performance of the ‘Poznan’, whereby the Dulwich fans link arms with their backs to the pitch, and bounce from side to side, that Dulwich conceded the only goal of the game. It summarized KCS’ football perfectly: scrappy, lucky and lacking any real ambition. The term “daylight robbery” springs to mind.

Despite the score line, it was an unforgettable night for all involved. Most importantly, over £1000 was raised for Hassan White and his ongoing recovery after being involved in a car accident in October. On behalf of the 1st XI, I would like to thank Mr Brown for all his hard work, particularly for taking us to the final in what was a mostly successful season.

LOnDOn CUP FInAL SAnDY SUTHERLAnD*

Dulwich College XI Football has enjoyed mixed fortunes in terms of cup competitions in recent seasons. The 2008 Trinity Cup final will never be forgotten after Dan Sargent OA slotted home a hat-trick in front of the loyal “Black and Blue Firm”. With memories of this great day in the London sunshine still lingering, the current Dulwich team were desperate to win another piece of silverware. This year the London Cup Final was fiercely competed. Teams such as Latymer Upper School and Hampton were a few of the big names taking part, but the Dulwich boys were undoubtedly in contention. Having recorded an extremely impressive 2-1 over Latymer in the semi final, we were drawn against rivals KCS Wimbledon in the Final. The venue wasn’t quite on the scale of Charlton’s “The Valley” of 2008; it was East Dulwich’s own theatre of dreams at “Champion Hill”, Dulwich Hamlet’s Ground, a mere stone’s throw away from the College.

Going in to the final, it was probably fair to say that Dulwich were favourite. So far in the season, the record vs. KCS was Played Two, Lost Two. One loss 3-1 came at the beginning of the season, where an inexperienced Dulwich 1st XI had its worst performance of the season. The other came away in the semi final of the Trinity Cup, where the KCS mob asked us to play on a pitch which would frankly be too small for the U11 C team with a 2-1 loss being the result. However if this trend continued, it would see KCS score one goal less, and Dulwich one goal more. Match prediction: Dulwich College 2-1 KCS Wimbledon. 

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lower school house drama

edward reid*

Lower School House Drama has always been one of the most eagerly awaited

House competitions in the Lent term school calender. Every year all 8 houses work tremendously hard to produce some truly fantastic performances and this year was no exception. The theme for the House Drama this year was ‘transformation’, a theme that has almost endless possibilities and allowed the directors to get really creative. The theme also inspired the Lower School Drama club who put on a splendid performance of Kafka’s Metamorphosis. After over a month

of brain-storming, casting, scripting and rehearsing, the plays were ready.

Howard took to the stage first with their brilliant take on Beauty and the Beast. Danny Norton-Smith played the glamorous Beauty (a performance that would win him the joint Best Actor award), while multi-talented Finn Lanchester wrote and directed the piece and took the role of the Beast, going on to win the joint Best Director award). The original fairy tale was reconceived, and in this version Beauty has to fight to get

her anti-social prince turned back into the loving Beast.

Second came Spenser, who would go on to be the proud winners of the competition, and whose play was written and directed by Hamish Lloyd-Barnes and Alfie Davies. It revolved around a group of nature TV documentary makers trying to film the hatching of three of the world’s greatest butterflies. However, with crazy forest people and hungry birds, the whole project becomes a recipe for disaster.

4/8Written By Ned Bennett Director in Residence and director of A Butcher Of Distinction, a new play by Robert Hayes4/8

Drama 2.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:44

Third up was Grenville, whose interesting play was written and directed by Will Nash and Matthew Zeffertt (winning the best director along with Finn Lanchester). William Nash played a boy who mysteriously transforms into a cat overnight. The audience saw life convincingly shown from a different perspective as he encountered many different friends and foes...

Fourth was Sidney, written and directed by Edward Reid. Their play told the tale of a bully named Lance, played by Joe Riordan, who bullies a boy named Mickey with his gang. But somehow Lance swaps places with Mickey and has to spend a day in the life of an underdog. But if changed back will Lance have learned a valuable lesson..?

The fifth production, written for Raleigh by Harry Hogg and directed by Samuel Stopford, was about a spoilt princess who, when faced with the simple task of kissing a frog, objects, plunging her whole kingdom into danger as the angry FROGZILLA goes on the rampage.

Conceived by and starring Thomas Baldachin, Drake’s production told the story of a spoilt young man whose popularity rested on his money. When his parents tragically die in a car accident he loses everything: his money, his mansion and his friends. The script was developed by Shehzore Adil, Will Thain and Thomas Baldachin and directed by Krishshan Gobalakrishnan.

The eagerly-anticipated Johnson came next, proud winners of the 2009 and 2010 House Drama competitions. Their very interesting story focused on the dangers of animal testing and more daunting experimentation on humans. When three scientists come up with a drug that has yet to be tested, they use two human volunteers to participate in the experiment, little realising that it will turn them into temporary cannibals! The Johnson House Drama production was written by Oliver Spillett and directed by Oliver Laurie.

Marlowe provided the final spectacular production, directed and written by Miles Dee. It followed the story of Jekyll and Hyde and how world famous Dr.Jekyll has created a drug that will help people adapt to tricky situations helping them focus and survive. But with nobody willing to try his new concoction, he tries his new drug with disastrous results. The use of physicality and mask work in this production was astonishing, and the director should be congratulated for his vision.

With real depth and breadth of talent currently in the Middle School across

all three years, Middle School House Drama promised to be one of the fiercest contests in years, and the event certainly lived up to its promise.

There simply weren’t enough cups.

Particularly impressive was the diversity of scripts chosen and performance styles adopted. There was bold, stylish direction and performance work from all boys who took part and a real ownership of the material. From sensitive direction by Grenville’s Zooey Gleaves’ of Simon Stevens’ piece of contemporary realism, On the Shore of the Wide World, to inventive mask work in Drake’s ensemble Bacchae and Elliott Horton Stephens’ deft direction of Maria Aitkin’s pastiche of 39 Steps for Marlowe, we were treated to moving, provocative and hilarious theatre.

Boys are also increasingly confident and assured in integrating technical elements into their pieces, with clear ideas for lighting, sound and design to enhance the theatrical effectiveness of the pieces, particularly of note in Spenser’s impressive West by Steven Berkoff which employed symbolic saturated colour and neatly choreographed movement to suggest the bruising gang encounter on the Hackney Marshes.

Where boys had taken a more unconventional approach, the adjudicator, who awarded the cups and prizes to work that was evidently polished with a clear idea of the impact of the work for an audience, applauded this. Best actor cup went jointly

to Charlie MacVicar & Dan Whitlam, (for their roles as Hannay & Mike respectively) with commendations to Archie Vaughan-Williams, Patrick Fincham (for their roles as the two clown in 39 Steps) George John (for his role in Two Gentleman of Lebowski), Luke Bliss (for his individual and mature performance as Hector in The History Boys) and Ronak Khujneru for his utter command of the stage in the gloriously anarchic Deadbeat.

The award for best direction went jointly to Dan Whitlam & Jamie Campbell Warner (Spenser) for West, with a commendation for Angus Doughty’s direction of Alan Bennett’s History Boys (Raleigh).

The Mason cup for contribution to Drama during his time in the Middle School went to Alex Maxwell (Howard) who is an unfailingly generous and accomplished performer and an asset to any ensemble.

middle school house drama

Kathryn norton-smith*

Drama 2.indd 2 13/06/2011 16:44

Can performing within an ensemble ever truly mark out an actor out as an individual performer? The heated rivalry between ‘me’

and ‘we’ surrounds us. It is a feud that emphasises the competitive nature of life and the human need to be both an individual and a team player. But can an individual successfully assert themselves as top dog in a heated capitalist society under a recession, whilst successfully working with and for others? From singers deserting band mates to fulfil solo careers to football players abandoning their loyal club members in order to receive a more illustrious salary elsewhere, it is evident that an individual within an environment where everybody surrounding them is desperate to ‘make it’, only does so by deserting the flock. But in ensemble theatre, desertion is not an option. If an individual actor does manage to stand out, it implies that either the rest of the ensemble is feeble or that the actor himself is doing something wrong or selfish.

The word, ‘ensemble’ is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as, ‘A unit or group of complementary parts that contribute to a single effect’. The term does not exclusively apply to theatre and can be seen throughout society. The best way to explain how the idea works is by imagining a working machine within a factory. This functioning machine is a ‘single effect’ created by the numerous cogs that twirl within its metal casing; these are the ‘ensemble’. Inside this working ensemble, everything is equal and is vital to the single effect created. One missing piece can result in a broken machine or, in my case, a terrible play.

The National Youth Theatre’s ‘S’Warm’ project has been described by ‘youththeatre.com’ as “breathtaking”. Reviewer Jake Orr stated that ‘there [was] no way to describe the 45 minute presentation... in any other manner than epic’. This was an enormous ensemble production that I was fortunate enough to be cast in this summer,

hoping to meet hundreds of other young actors and participate in something completely fresh and innovative. Our stage, described by The Independent as ‘a windswept grey dustbowl at the foot of the derelict, brick cliff-face’ was to be a composite set, at the front of London’s famous Battersea Power Station. Incorporating an ensemble of over three hundred young actors, ranging from 14 to 23 in age, I naturally believed that attempting to stand out within this massive production would be futile and as such I should immerse myself in the cast, appreciating the tricks and challenges that ensemble theatre had to offer.

On just the third day of our two week rehearsal schedule, however, it was revealed to the cast that ten individual actors would be selected to shape the expressionistic show, each with individual dialogue and separate choreography from everyone else. This group of ten actors would be named ‘The Navigators’ and it was up to them to really explain the message of ‘S’Warm’ to the by-invitation audience of press. Suddenly, the impact of the team building exercises and ‘everyone is equal in an ensemble’ lectures were thrown out the window, and the hunt for ‘Navigators’ commenced, with actors preparing monologues, dance routines and short sketches in an attempt to ingratiate themselves into the elite team and out of the ensemble.

I must admit, I was no exception to the increase in effort. Fortunately, having doubled my energy levels in both rehearsals and team exercises and being selected partly due to my particularly wild hair at the time, I was indeed fortunate enough to be granted a place on ‘The Navigator Team’. “Fantastic”, I thought to myself. “Surely now the competitive side of the process has reached its climactic end.”

I was mistaken.

me and weeddie elliott*

Drama 2.indd 3 13/06/2011 16:44

It appeared that each ‘Navigator’ was desperate to read the most lines and be blocked in the most prime locations on stage. Even our director, Paul Clayton, an established professional actor who can currently be seen within the cast of Peep Show, told us to snatch the opportunity by the horns and grind those surrounding us into the ground. Within three days, it appeared that I had gone from catching my fellow actors in trust exercises to being actively told to take out the competition.

It is of course no secret that an actor must indeed stand out in a production if they are to have any chance of being recognised, scouted or auditioned for further jobs. An actor, after all, is only as good as his latest role and when a thespian finds himself surrounded by hundreds of other actors all with same intentions, it can be extremely difficult to be marked out, especially if your job is to morph into a total unison with the several other actors surrounding you on stage.

Although my experiences with the National Youth Theatre perhaps taught me differently, I do, however, believe that an actor can stand out in the midst of an ensemble. It takes gumption, focus, determination and total concentration to the job at hand but it can be achieved. The strongest evidence I possess for pleading this case is that when the National Youth Theatre directors were assembling their team of ‘Navigators’, they did not hold auditions or interviews, they simply selected performers from the masses of actors. Simply enough, those directors selected individuals out of an ensemble and thus undisputedly proved, in my eyes, that it can be done. It is focus and energy that are the key tools in standing out, both as an actor amidst a working ensemble and as a young person heading out into the world.

Drama 2.indd 4 13/06/2011 16:44

One sultry evening in Spring, parents and friends of the A-level Theatre Studies

students were privy to two plays that astounded with their intense physicality and purposeful performances. The practical section of the Theatre Studies course is always a highlight of the College’s crammed dramatic calendar and this year proved no exception.

The AS boys performed well-selected sections of Steven Berkoff’s West, an exploration of the rougher side of London. The beautiful verse of the script was juxtaposed by the students’ wonderfully restrained aggression, as they portrayed Crombie-coated thugs going about their business. More striking than the dialogue, however, which was delivered in a remarkably consistent East End vernacular, was the intense physicality of the piece. Hospital beds and cramped tube trains were conjured out of a spartan set of wooden chairs through the boys’ creative use of their own bodies. The highlight for me, and

much of the audience, was undoubtedly a painstakingly well choreographed display of stage combat in which all the cast danced a violent yet graceful display.

Sportsman-cum-actor Harvey Austin, who had assured me all year that he was both “an athlete and a thespian”, did not disappoint as, on one of his maiden voyages onto the stage, he had huge presence as the gang’s leader. Robert Double, too, was highly noteworthy for the way in which he held his gloriously grotesque expressions and positions of fright, drunkenness and violence. Lastly, as always, Angus Imrie deserves utmost praise for the focus and skill that he brings to the Edward Alleyn stage. The fact that any time one looked at Angus, he was completely focused and utterly convincing is testament to his talent.

Although the AS boys were successfully ambitious in their performance, the A2 students chose something even more daunting. Despite the remarkable difficulty

of the enterprise, they did it absolute justice. Inspired by a short story written by Argentinean Julio Cortázar, the students wrote an original and mysterious script. Telling the tale of a troubled photographer who is obsessed with a couple, and especially a woman who he took a secret picture of, the short play was most notable not for its plot, but its ingenious acting and highly creative use of a simple set. By utilizing only chairs and moveable wooden frames as well as intense and eerie lighting, the boys created genuinely chilling scenes of a disturbed individual which made for a striking theatrical experience.

In a similar way to West, it was the pupils’ acting that was most admirable. With absolute commitment to the expressionistic style of the piece, whole scenes and atmospheres were created purely by the boys’ movements on stage. Undoubtedly the finest section was when, in wide legged flannel trousers, the students created an eclectic, period Paris. They nimbly

PracticalsBenji walters*

Drama 2.indd 5 13/06/2011 16:44

transformed from high spirited young bucks on the prowl to heavily made-up women of the social scene, before hobbling to the boulodrome to portray leather-skinned old men, all the time with the utmost conviction.

As always, it is extremely difficult to pick out anyone in particular for praise as all deserve it in spades, however Richard Garret’s undeniable presence and Jonty Lovell’s convincing cries of frustration are both worthy of celebration. Finally, gracing the stage at Dulwich for what is tragically one of the last times, Eddie Elliot did not fail in living up to his reputation as a fine actor, through the breadth of his gestures and expressions and his ability to transform successfully into such a wide range of characters. Finally, Felix Truckle’s direction displayed immense talent as his use of a minimal set and lighting teamed with what I can only imagine was inspirational instruction to his actors was remarkably ingenious.

The examiner clearly recognized the same high quality that the audience did as Eddie Elliot was awarded full marks and the other actors all achieved impressively high scores. The AS boys excelled just as remarkably, with Harvey Austin, Angus Imrie and Robert Double being given maximum marks and the other cast members gaining excellent appraisals. It was, in the opinion of this audience member, a wonderful and memorable evening.

Drama 2.indd 6 13/06/2011 16:44

Choral ConCert at all saint’s ChurChho ting Chan*

The annual Choral Concert took place on Sunday 27th March and

the evening’s performances provided a splendid feast of music. The fi rst piece was Sir Hubert Parry’s ‘Blest Pair of Sirens’. The choir produced a full sound that fl ourished throughout. Mr Mayo kept the music fl owing expressively, avoiding the tendency such a grand piece might have to slow down and drag.

The next piece was, in my opinion, the highlight of the evening. The soloist in Chris Brubeck’s Bass Trombone Concerto was Barney Medland, currently in Year Thirteen, who will be accepting a scholarship to study Bass Trombone at

the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He gave an excellent performance, fi lled with liveliness and energy, as well as demonstrating the less well-known lyrical side of the Bass Trombone in the slower second movement. Barney’s performance was received appreciatively by the audience, and the piece rounded off the fi rst half of the concert.

After the interval, it was the turn of Miss Larkum and the Chamber Orchestra to perform Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. This piece shows off all the capabilities of a string ensemble, and the Chamber Orchestra captured its emotion very effectively. The solo quartet of Thomas Pinsker and David Young on the Violin, Patrick Murphy on the Viola and

Dominic Coelho on the Cello sang out over the main strings, doing justice to the magnifi cent melody.

The fi nal piece of the evening was Gustav Holst’s ‘The Hymn of Jesus’. Mr Mayo remarked that this piece is ‘underperformed’; I agree that it deserves to see more performances. The choir sang with passion and clear enjoyment; the orchestra produced a rich sound to accompany throughout. Overall, the piece was a fi tting end to the concert which demonstrated the hard work and effort put in by all the boys and staff.

5/8Written By Dr Andrew StoreyDirector of ICT, conductor and organist .

Music.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:43

The Annual Piano Competition, now in its fifteenth year, attracted seventy six aspiring players from all years and

standards ranging from beginner (one performer had been learning for only 4 weeks) through to diploma level. The general standard of playing throughout the day was excellent and each of the six classes, which were arranged according to standard (rather than age) attracted some memorably fine performances.

The adjudicator, Ruth Gerald, FRCM (former Head of Keyboard – Royal College of Music) is no stranger to Dulwich, having adjudicated the competition on three former occasions. In addition to the written feedback for each performer, plenty of food for thought was provided by her wise, pertinent and

encouraging verbal comments. Some points stressed included the importance of thorough practice, clear listening and the exploration of all of the composer’s musical detail in order to make a performance ‘live in the moment’.

My congratulations to all the boys who took part, and to their teachers for excellent preparation work. It was an exciting day with much good music making.

Piano ComPetitiontimothy Barratt*

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On 18th March 2011, the Great Hall played host to the second annual Jazz

evening. The audience sat at tables and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere whilst being entertained by the various acts. The evening presented an opportunity for the less well-known groups, whose main musical focus is jazz, to show off their capabilities. The total sum of money raised by the evening was £221.66, which went towards the Japan Earthquake appeal. Many congratulations go to Mr Dan Ludford-Thomas, who organised the evening.

The College’s Big Band, led by Mr Barry Graham, kick-started the evening with a lively and harmonious performance of ‘A Tribute to the Duke’, a compilation of three of the legendary Duke Ellington’s most popular compositions by Sammy Nestico, with a brilliant trombone solo from Chris Jones. This was followed by Count Bassie’s ‘Secret Love’, continuing the American style of jazz so often played by Big Bands. This was a very cheerful piece that featured solos from each of the

DulwiCh College Jazz evening

Charlie Carey*

trombonists in the Big Band. More work from Sammy Nestico followed as the big band played ‘Lonely Street’, a slower, more romantic tune in which Sam Woods dazzled all with his emotive solo on the alto saxophone.

The Alleynian Blues, a group mostly consisting of sixth form students from Dulwich College and JAGS, followed with their rendition of various modern classics including Stevie Wonder’s ‘They Won’t Go When I Go’, which saw Mr Ludford-Thomas move from behind the conductor’s banner to join the singers.

After that, most of the Big Band left the stage to make way for the Dulwich College Jazz Ensemble. This was led by the College’s own Jazz piano teacher, Mr John Turville and included John Bardsley on tenor saxophone, Barney Medland on bass trombone, Zachary Fox on alto saxophone and piano, Chris Bowie on drums and Charlie Carey on bass. The classic piece, ‘Nostalgia in Times Square’ by Charles Mingus was the first tune played by the sextet.

Unusually, it was played in the irregular time signature of 5/4, making the piece particularly interesting. ‘Tones for Jones Bones’ by Chick Corea followed. This was a challenging piece to play as a group because of its quick chord progressions and hasty tempo. However, in the end it was a great performance. The last tune before the interval was ‘Jelly’. Each of the performers enjoyed the opportunity of playing this piece, written by Ludo Hashemi, who left the College last year. It featured solos from John Bardsley, Barney Medland and Charlie Carey.

After the interval, the new barber shop group formed this year, The Black and

Music.indd 3 13/06/2011 16:43

Blues, took to the stage. The group included students from the Middle and Upper School. They sang ‘Slow Motion Time’ by Guy Hopper, an enjoyable and impressive performance.

The stage then gave way to the College’s senior saxophone quartet, featuring Ben Kavanagh, Ben Parsons, John Bardsley and Sam Woods. They played the first movement of Paul Wood’s ‘Three Improvisations for Sax Quartet’.

The Dulwich College Jazz Ensemble then returned to the stage and played ‘Spain’, a Chick Corea piece. This was fast, lively and emphatic, as is so typical of Corea. This was followed by ‘Palladium’, by the famous 1970s group, Weather Report. Stylistically, this was more contemporary than the previous pieces. The Jazz ensemble’s final number was a Joshua Redman tune called ‘Jazz Crimes’, which provided an energetic end to their performance.

The Big Band returned to the stage and played ‘500 Miles High’ by Chick Corea, a very tricky, Latin piece, quite different from the American style of Jazz which dominated the Big Band’s repertoire. Edward Vineall and Michael Higgs impressed with their solos here. Next to be played was the popular piece, ‘Better Get a Hit in Your Soul’ by Charles Mingus, which was thoroughly enjoyed by both players and audience. There were eight solos in total due to its twelve bar blues format.

The Alleynian Blues then took over from the Big Band and sang some more classics for us, including the Beatles’ ‘Lady Madonna’. Both Tim and Ed Palmer entertained us with delightful solo performances.

The evening ended on a high as the Big Band and the Alleynian Blues joined together to play and sing a medley of music from the legendary musical, Chicago. The collection included ‘And All That Jazz’, ‘Jailhouse Tango’ and ‘Roxie’.

Music.indd 4 13/06/2011 16:43

The annual House Music competition has always been an event that promises diversity. Considering past entries, there

have been a multitude of genres and songs covered by the house choirs: ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, ‘Is this the Way to Amarillo?’, and ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ to name a few, and those are just from my own House. I have always tried to be involved in this event every year, simply because it is unpredictable. That is why I jumped at the opportunity to co-lead the Spenser House Choir with Douglas “Master of the Organ” Tang.

It was not easy to pick a song. The key to winning House Music is picking something that is both lively and relatively easy to sing. We spent much time making the right decision. We considered a plethora of tunes, varying from Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, to ‘Vatican Rag’ by Tom Lehrer. In the end, we turned to Mr. Mayo and the Music Department for help, but we still had difficulties. Luckily, in a moment of sudden brilliance, Doug suggested Michael Bublé’s swing version of ‘Feeling Good’, a song with repetitive lyrics, simple melody and a lot of energy. Finally with our song chosen, and with no time to lose, we set to work creating a masterpiece.

Five weeks, seven rehearsals, several incidents of clashing music lessons/lunchtime football sessions/detentions/forgetfulness, fifty lyric sheets, an exhausted photocopier, and an overall total of three hours of shouting later, the night had arrived. Waiting in the Lower Hall with four other House choirs, there was excitement in the air. House Music is one of the few house events of the year that installs in pupils a real sense of loyalty to their House. This self-conviction is needed in order to deliver a great performance. I used these last valuable minutes to hone my bowler hat skills and quickly recite the lyrics to myself. I must have looked very strange, repeatedly putting on and taking off a hat and mumbling to myself, typical symptoms of an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

It is fair to say that by this point the nerves were starting to kick in. The Spenser choir prepared itself in the Lower Hall to the sound of Howard singing ‘Teenage Dirtbag’. We quickly moved upstairs to listen to one more choir before taking to the stage. In the words of another great swing singer, it was time to face the music.

As if the agony of watching six other Houses before me wasn’t enough, I also had to wait for the choir to assemble on stage before I could even get up there myself, thereby prolonging my last minute nerves. Anyone who has had experience in performing on a stage in front of a large audience will agree that this moment is possibly the worst feeling imaginable: a sense of urgency and fear combined with the clear inevitability of the task ahead. It is at this point that many people lose their nerve and pull out of a performance, but I did my best to hold it together, and took to the stage for the big moment. I turned to the choir, meeting the gazes of fifty nervous boys who were finally realising why I had been shouting at them for the last month. I

house musiC 2011Ben Kavanagh*

told them to smile and enjoy themselves. All eyes were on me as I fumbled with my bowler hat, creased after to my last minute rehearsals downstairs. There is no real way to describe the feeling of having a room of over two hundred people waiting for you. However, I blocked this out of my mind, and off we went.

It was over far too quickly. The choir showed real enthusiasm, and Doug accompanied us expertly from the organ, which was not an easy feat. The arrangement of ‘Feeling Good’ involved a lot of footwork for the emphatic bass line, but he kept his cool and maintained a steady beat. After leaving the stage I was greeted with congratulations and compliments from teachers and pupils alike.

I can’t say that I wasn’t disappointed with the results. Like all the other conductors, Doug and I had spent a lot of time and effort over the previous month running rehearsals and putting together performances suitable for a packed Great Hall. Despite this, the worthy winners of the competition were Drake and Jonson. Their performances were truly professional and the choirs had been rigorously trained. I would like to thank Mark Shepherd on behalf of everyone involved for his thoughtful and considered adjudication.

The evening was once again successful, and thanks should go to the Music Department for the hard work they do organising this competition every year. From swing to rock to gospel, the competition was once again diverse, and I don’t think anyone can say they didn’t enjoy it. I guess it is time for me to lay down my bowler hat and look forward to great things next year. I can only speculate, as to what next year will offer. ‘God Save the Queen’? ‘Jerusalem’? ‘Billie Jean’? Or a swing version of the school song perhaps...

Music.indd 5 13/06/2011 16:43

Music.indd 6 13/06/2011 16:44

southwarK CatheDral ConCert

Ben Kavanagh*

This concert is a new addition to the musical calendar. The last time the

College had played at the cavernous venue of Southwark Cathedral was in 1994, so it was definitely high time to revisit it. As well as the Symphonic Wind Band, Brass Consort, Chapel Choir and Symphony Orchestra, the audience was also offered solos from three musicians in the Sixth Form. It is therefore fair to say that expectations were high.

Opening the concert was the Brass Consort, playing ‘London Minatures’ by Gordon Langford, a series of movements that sum up musically the characters of certain areas of London. These were executed with confidence and style by the consort, and set a high standard for the rest of the evening. Next was the first soloist of the evening, Ben Parsons with Debussy’s ‘The Girl with the Flaxen Hair’. He delivered the melody of this piece passionately over the sound of the Wind Band; this is an impressive feat, bearing in mind the beautiful simplicity of the main tune.

Once Ben had returned to his position in the Wind Band, it was time for a different perspective of London life by Eric Coates. Suite “London” (London Every Day), much like Langford’s work, devotes movements to various notable landmarks in London. The Wind Band adapted well to the dynamic demands of this suite, becoming suitably quiet for the haunting second movement that includes a re-enactment of the chiming of Big Ben near the end.

It was the role of Douglas Tang to finish the first half. It was rather disconcerting for the audience and musicians alike to hear this organ solo as if from nowhere, as Doug’s beautiful playing of ‘Sonata Eroica’ by Joseph Jongen reverberated round the cathedral. This sonata, which was apparently written by the composer in only five days, is one that requires stamina and much finger work. I believe everyone present would agree that Doug exceeded the high standard that this piece requires.

The Chapel Choir sang two hymns to start off the second half: ‘Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace’ by Samuel Wesley and Herbert Howells’s ‘A Hymn for St. Cecilia’. These pieces, which both contain complex harmonies as well as haunting melodic lines, were particularly appropriate given the religious setting, and the choir sang them with sensitivity and conviction.

The final soloist of the night was Thomas Pinsker, playing ‘Romance in F Minor’ for the violin by Dvorak. Tom displayed his experience and mastery of the violin through his delivery of the piece, playing with both clarity and expression. The Symphony Orchestra were now responsible for a majestic close to the concert, achieved through two movements from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Symphony No. 2 in C Minor’, “The Little Russian”. Creating an impressive climax to the concert, the orchestra concluded what had been a musical evening to remember.

Music.indd 7 13/06/2011 16:44

Music.indd 8 13/06/2011 16:44

Dulwich College prides itself on a strong relationship with the arts, and many writers began their creative lives within its walls. In the spirit of this grand tradition, each year all boys are invited to

It is the colour of the skiesand the colour of the seas.The colour of his tearswhen my brother skins his knees.It is the colour of the bluebellthat is growing in the wood.The colour of superstitionand the colour of a mood.It is the colour of a football teamand the colour of the College;it is the colour of the cornflowerthat we associate with Dulwich.It is the sadness in a melodythat echoes in a song.It is the shade of complete miseryand a feeling when we’re wrong.It is the colour of the planetwhen observed from outer space.And is the colour of the plaquesthat mark the person and the place.It is the colour of the flagon the beaches when they’re clean,and the colour of the bleachthat kills the germs that are unseen.It is the colour of an alcopop,the colour of a movie,it is the music sung in jazz barswhen you are feeling “groovy”.It is the colour of deep sadnessand the colour of the deep.It is the colour of the desperate,whispered secrets that I keep.

compose original pieces of poetry on a common theme or subject. This year, the subject was ‘blue’, and the poems showed enormous ingenuity in their responses, eschewing the obvious and instead, as good literature always should, inspiring and transporting the reader with their reflections on profound truths. Reproduced here are entries by runner-up Ed Downes for Spenser and overall winner Dominic Povall for Marlowe.

HouSe PoeTRY

Blue eD DoWneS*

6/8Written By Dr Joseph SpenceThe Master of Dulwich College and playwright

creative writing.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:40

Sitting silently at my deskquietly contemplating the work in hand.

Blue, blue, why blue?Scratching my brown hair with my pale fingers.

Writing on a white screen in black text.Nothing blue.

Then I think, really think.It’s obvious, or is it?

The sea, the sky, the walls of the very room I sit in,all blue. Yet there is no link, no connection.

“The Conservative candidate was very depressedand gazed at the sky whilst floating in the sea”

isn’t exactly a masterpiece in the making.Novelty and nonsense just to fill the page.

Blue films, blue whales,Blue beard, blue tit.But these all change.

The seas dry up.The sky turns black.

The room gets repainted.The films are censored.

The whales die with the birdsand eventually disappear.

The Conservative may change his political views,or die with the whales and the once warbling birds.

But then again, so does everything else.But blue, something forever blue?A blue moon? Blue sky thinking?The closest you will get to forever

and they aren’t even real.Here I stand, forlorn in a line of those

made impoverished by colours.Failing in a fanatical frenzy of desperation,

just to describe a single hue.I must think blue, and nothing else.

Time for blue.

Blue Dominic Povall*

creative writing.indd 2 13/06/2011 16:40

The inaugural Spanish poetry and translation recital competition took place this term in assembly. Boys had to read out a Spanish poem in the original language and then read out their own translation of it. The standard of the ten competitors was very high and the event was adjudicated by Dr Devlin.

The Winners, who were awarded with a Spanish tie, were:

overall winner: anamay viswanathan, with a translation of “Hijos del sol y del viento” by mohammed ebnu

Joint best translations in english: Rhys Wellington, with a translation of “a una nariz” by Francisco Quevedo and charlie meeran, with a translation of “mis ojos sin tus ojos no son ojos” by miguel Hernández

Best reading in Spanish: alex mccaffrey, with a recitation of “masa” by césar vallejo

“Hijos del sol y del viento” by Mohamed Ebnu

Aún vivimos en las esquinasde la nada

entre el norte y el sur de las estaciones.

Seguimos durmiendoabrazando almohadas de piedra

como nuestros padres.

Perseguimos las mismas nubesy reposamos bajo la sombra de las acacias desnudas.

Nos bebemos el té a sorbos de fuegocaminamos descalzos para no espantar el silencio.

Y a lo lejosen las laderas del espejismo

todavía miramos, como cada tardelas puestas de sol en el mar.

Y la misma mujer que se detienesobre las atalayas del crepúsculoen el centro del mapa nos saluda.

Nos saluda y se pierdeen los ojos de un niño que sonríe

desde el regazo de la eternidad.

Aún esperamos la aurora siguientepara volver a comenzar.

“Children of the Sun and Wind” translated by Anamay Viswanathan

We still live,On the edge of insignificance,Between the north and south of the seasons.

We still sleep,Embracing stone pillows,Like our fathers.

We still follow the same clouds,Resting in the shadows of bare thorn trees.

We still drink tea with sips of fire,We walk barefoot so as not to disturb the silence.

And in the distance,On the slopes of the mirage,We still watch on countless evenings,The sun plunge into the sea.

And the same woman salutes us,As she waits and watches for dusk,In the midpoint of the map.

She greets us, then is lost,In the eyes of a child,Who smiles from the lap of timelessness.

We still wait,For a fresh dawn,To appear once more.

SPaniSH PoeTRY comPeTiTion

creative writing.indd 3 13/06/2011 16:40

“A una nariz...” by Francisco Quevedo

Érase un hombre a una nariz pegado,érase una nariz superlativa,

érase una nariz sayón y escriba,érase un peje espada muy barbado.

Era un reloj de sol mal encarado, érase una alquitara pensativa,érase un elefante boca arriba,

era Ovidio Nasón más narizado.

Érase un espolón de una galera,érase una pirámide de Egipto, las doce Tribus de narices era.

Érase un naricísimo infinito,muchísimo nariz, nariz tan fiera

que en la cara de Anás fuera delito.

“A Man with a Big Nose” translated by Rhys Wellington

There was a man with a nose stuck to his face,There was a superlative nose,There was a half alive nose,There was a bearded man with a bad sword;

He was the watcher of the bad sun,There was an upside down elephant,There was a nose that could write and type,The bigger nose of Ovidio Nason,

There was a spur in the galley,There was a pyramid in Egypt,There were twelve tribes of noses,

There are infinitive noses,An archnose shudder and a frightnening maskA monstrous chilblain that is purple and fried

“Mis ojos, sin tus ojos, no son ojos” by Miguel Hernández

Mis ojos, sin tus ojos, no son ojos, que son dos hormigueros solitarios,

y son mis manos sin las tuyas varios intratables espinos a manojos.

No me encuentro los labios sin tus rojos, que me llenan de dulces campanarios, sin ti mis pensamientos son calvarios

criando nardos y agostando hinojos.

No sé qué es de mi oreja sin tu acento, ni hacia qué polo yerro sin tu estrella,

y mi voz sin tu trato se afemina.

Los olores persigo de tu viento y la olvidada imagen de tu huella,

que en ti principia, amor, y en mí termina.

“My Eyes without Your Eyes, Are Not Eyes” translated by Charlie Meeran

My eyes without your eyes, are not eyes,They are but two lonely ant hills, and my hands without yoursare like a bundle of painful thorns.

I am nothing without your red lips,That fill me with the sweetest tune,Without you my thoughts are living hellCovered in spikenards and parched fennel.

My ear hears nothing without your voice,Nor do I know where to go, without your guiding star. And my voice, when not speaking to you, looses its virility.

The scents of your breeze I chase, And the forgotten pattern of your footprint,Which begins with you and ends with me.

creative writing.indd 4 13/06/2011 16:40

 The ancient sign swung slowly and creaked in the cool, gentle wind above the wooden door to Ikmalion’s Ironmonger’s. The splendid shop had been there since The Great War of 1914-1918 and had also been a favourite place for Freddie’s father, Colin, to visit when he was a boy.

Freddie stopped and looked above the vast, black, shiny door that towered above him to the gold letters, displaying the words ‘Established in 1889’ embedded in the thick glass, and shining ever so brightly. The store had been in the Ikmalion family since its doors were first opened when Queen Victoria was on the throne and the keys had been passed down the generations from father to son. Freddie could sense the history as his hand reached up to the words than ran across the shiny glass and, as he read, his excited index fingers gently stroked the cold letters. Just before he stepped onto the curved stone step that had been worn down over the years by customers, Freddie stood and looked at the shop front. He loved the store. There were two giant windows either side of the door and above them were three smaller windows with the curtains that were always drawn. Across the shiny glass were the words, again written in the same polished gold.

Ikmalion’s Ironmonger’sThe finest store in the world

For all of your household needs

Incasing the windows was a pattern of red brickwork, and hanging down each side were two jet-black drainpipes. Freddie took a deep breath. This place was a private sanctuary for Freddie, a domain where the demands of daily life almost seemed to stop and a boy’s dreams and fantasies could play havoc and run wild. He simply adored the place. There were no boring adults or his parents to tell him what to do and nobody to curb his bubbling enthusiasm.

To many boys, a plain and simple old ironmonger’s was simply a place where your Dad went to buy screws and nails. For Freddie though, it represented escapism from the shackles of being a boy, controlled by others in their adult world.

He stepped up to the front door and his small hand reached up, grabbed the brass doorknob, gave it a slow, quarter turn and he waited for the delicious tired creak of the old brass hinges as the door seemed to awake. Next came the small tinkle of the bell above his head. He stepped over the thick, shiny, brass footplate and shut the door behind him. He was in – the first customer of the day - and the shop was his magical playground for an hour or two.

The famous old store, Ikmalion’s Ironmonger’s, also had a very strange effect on certain people and for this particular boy, it was the only place on earth where Freddie was the ‘model’ child, perfectly behaved and amazingly polite. His life was normally filled with mayhem and chaos, planning all sorts of tricks and jokes on the local residents but in the safe confines of the ironmonger’s, this boy could have been an angel. Freddie looked over to a dark corner behind the counter and saw the curtain twitch. It could only be one person! The old figure shuffled over to Freddie, looked at his watch hanging from a silver chain and placed it back in his rather worn waistcoat pocket.

‘Morning Mr Ikmalion’.

‘Hello master Freddie. Holibobs nearly over then?’

Freddie tried to disguise his filthy cringe as he heard that annoying word again but rather like having to drink cold prune juice or having his Gran plant one of her monster kisses on him, he expertly acted his way through, with a rather curt reply.‘Very soon Mr Ikmalion and then I have to go back to school. Really looking forward to it as well,’ Freddie lied.

Freddie had a feeling of dread for what was coming next, as his eyes looked away from the old man and down to the counter where a small paper bag lay open, and bulged with bright yellow and pink striped sweets. The same offer was always made to the young boy and he never seemed able to avoid it.

‘That’s the spirit,’ said Mr Ikmalion, as he spotted the hint of sarcasm in Freddie’s answer and the way the boy was eyeing the goodies. He bent down to offer Freddie a sweet from a bag.

‘Would you like a sugar-coated jaw cracker?’

Freddie and the Key to the 19th Case was written in 2005. It was performed on stage by the Junior School

in 2006 with an original screenplay by Francesca Southern and original score by Colin Spikesman. It received media coverage in New Zealand (where the

book was completed) both on radio and newspapers. A publisher is now being sought for 2012.

The illustrations are by Mr Middleton’s cousin, Tom

Morgan-Jones, an award winning illustrator based in Cambridge.

His website is www.inkymess.com

Freddie Hendrix is a rather confused and frustrated boy with a wicked sense of adventure. His life revolves around creating silly adventures, bullying, playing tricks and making the lives of others unpleasant. After a visit to his favourite store, the wonderful Ikmalion’s Ironmonger’s in the high street, Freddie makes an amazing discovery beneath the old floorboards: the ancient key needed

to unlock the 19th Case. The ultimate prize, the Banda Diamond, can only be discovered and controlled when Freddie becomes a better person. Freddie and the Key to the 19th Case, follows the twists and turns of the boy’s journey out into a world of excitement and intrigue.

Freddie and the Key to the 19th CaseSimon Middleton

creative writing.indd 5 13/06/2011 16:40

The two-year GCSE Art course, which I have recently completed, forms the most valuable

part of my artistic education so far. Consisting of two coursework projects and the one exam project, we had the freedom to lead a starting theme in suitable new directions, whilst recording observations with a range of media and expanding our studies by the use of artist references. In Year 10, we discovered the initial titles of our coursework units and first approached ‘the Artist’s Studio’ with the aim of fulfilling criteria and chasing those A* grades. However, our work quickly grew into something much more than a straight, boring path to a good GCSE. Though we did not know it at the time, the difference in all our projects at the end of Year 11 would be astonishing.

We started our coursework in similar ways, making drawings of objects you might find in a studio and likewise, for our ‘Portraits’ projects, we began with pure observation. I too joined the struggle to make eyes look like eyes and old paint tubes look like old paint tubes and was becoming increasingly pleased with the resemblance of my drawings to the original photos. However, after one particular pen drawing, I noticed my finished pieces looked oddly flat and unbelievable. Researching Van Eyck’s portraits allowed me to discover the solution, as I learned not to concentrate on making a nice drawing, but rather that I should attempt to record every last detail in order to, without thinking, bend space backwards to form a 3D sculpture on the 2D surface of the paper. This lesson in

looking focused my ‘Portraits’ project on the idea of intensity and, with an illuminating visit to the National Gallery, my Final Piece became inspired by Caravaggio’s ‘the Supper at Emmaus’. Working in acrylic, I completed my best painting to date and I am shocked at the extent to which my skills have improved in just these two years. I will also remember the simple fun of rearranging furniture in the

house to create the scene for this painting.

My ‘Artist’s Studio’ project progressed in a similarly fascinating manner. I played with many ideas, experimenting with small, intense work and flamboyant abstraction, but found inspiration for my Final Piece from Gilbert and George. I was guided by the idea of ‘dusty corners’, which continued my interest in close detail but educated me in a new style of art. Digital work allowed me to incorporate colour and text into more and more experimental pieces and I started to offer ambiguous messages in hostile words and bleak imagery. I renamed this entire project after the title of my Final Piece. The front page now controversially reads ‘I Hate Being an Artist’.

The Art exam arrived unusually early for us and there was a definite rush to meet the basic criteria before the deadline. Nevertheless, there was still time to explore some interesting ideas and produce some valuable work. I decided to approach the topic of ‘Similarities and Differences’ by studying the differences in the colours

created by lighting effects, and I especially enjoyed trying out an impressionistic style of painting in response to Monet. However, it was Cezanne’s artwork that formed the basis for research into my chosen topic because I desperately wanted to link his beliefs about geometry into my initial idea. I sculpted simple geometric shapes out of clay and took a number of photos

under an angled desk lamp to try to understand the importance of his revolutionary paintings. The result of my studies was another acrylic painting, though much larger and contrasting in style. Again, I am very proud of this piece, in many ways because it was nothing like anything I had attempted before; and I feel that my exploration into new areas of the borderless Art World has been the most significant part of this GCSE. I not only hope to emerge with an excellent qualification, but I know that, from now on, I will see things in a slightly different way, due to the lessons in looking, feeling and understanding I have received from the course. Even if I have only learned a better appreciation for the shimmering reflected light from a discarded crisp packet, lying as rubbish on a cracked, eroded pavement, I will remain glad for the experience.

LESSONS BEYOND THE CLASSROOMBEN BEARDSLEY*

7/6

Written By James Jarvis [OA]Illustrator and vinyl toy creator

Written By Stephen Finer [OA]Artist

looking focused my ‘Portraits’ project on the idea of intensity and,

Illustrator and vinyl toy creator

7/6

art section.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:23

MY POTTERY PROJECTBARNEY MILLS*

At the beginning of the Lent term, my form switched groups to join their new Art teacher. This gave

us the chance to see more perspectives in Art as we gradually move on in our studies.This term, my form (7S) and I had Ms Doherty teaching us, which meant we were doing pottery (and that I didn’t have to be taught by my dad!) Our task was to make our own urns, which, if we were lucky enough, would be displayed at the Dulwich Picture Gallery to mark their two hundredth anniversary. We were given Karl Blossfeldt, an early twentieth century photographer who was particularly known for his images of plants, and Sir John Soane, the architect who designed the Picture Gallery, as our influences both on design, and structure of our urns.

When we got our assignment, saying “You Must Make An Urn In The Style Of Karl Blossfeldt And Sir John Soane” I was apprehensive because the task sounded very difficult. But actually, with some help along the way from our teacher, the form got the hang of it within a couple of lessons! Before we actually got down to making our pots, we planned it all out and produced our individual designs, drawing from the artists’ work.

This is how we made them:

First of all, we had to make the main body of the urn. To do this we had to roll out sausage-like shapes, (which as you can imagine, made a few members of my form giggle) and put them on top of each other to make a 3-D oval shape. Once this had been done, you had to “merge” the individual coils together to make a whole new shape.

Next, the lid. This was probably the most difficult procedure. This time, the coils were thinner, and had to match the lip of the body. And once again, we had to merge them altogether. As our assignment suggested,“in the style of Karl Blossfeldt” meant that the top of our lid had to include some evidence of his influence. Most people in our form, including myself, put our own spin on one or two pictures. A prime example is Martin Phiu’s, who created a beautiful tree, with very delicate leaves on top of the main body. It was one of Blossfeldt’s best works, but Martin didn’t copy it “word for word.” He brought his own style to the work.

After that, we created bases. Unlike the other steps, we didn’t use coils but just our bare hands and carving knives. We got a lump of clay and basically sculpted it. This wasn’t easy due to having to think about the weight of the body. Once we had done that, we stuck the body to the base using ‘slip’, (a mixture of clay and water). Then we covered the pots in a white glaze, carving our Karl Blossfeldt-influenced design into it. After Ms Doherty had fired the pots, it was time to make the handles. This was the easiest task. We had to roll the clay into more sausages and make a stylish handle that was able to fit onto the body. Then it was time to paint! This was my favourite part. We had a wide range of colours and just got stuck in! Although it was fun to do, you had to be careful because if you went over the lines or merged two colours together it would look messy. One more firing and it was finally finished! I am very proud of my work, and even though I had fun, I leaned a lot!

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A LEVEL ART EXHIBITION REVIEW ALASTAIR TREVILL*

A trail of paper aeroplanes describing a stop-motion account of a journey into a waste-paper bin beckoned me in to this extraordinary display of young talent here at Dulwich. So fascinated was I by this transformation from the ordinary into the sublime that I almost forgot to stop and look at a series of small photographs expertly aligned along the walls, photographs of bizarre natural forms, steep gradients, lost and desolate beaches. Here, already, was a moment of stillness and contemplation that was touching in amongst the happy noise of proud parents, stutteringly eloquent students and staff queuing excitedly for free wine. At last! Free wine.

I was informed that the planes belonged to Oscar Salandin and the photographs to Freddie Reed. I never got to speak to them, to congratulate them; but I suppose part of becoming a young artist is allowing your work to enter the public domain, to let it, as they say in that curious phrase, speak for itself. One boy who did speak for himself, eloquently rather than stutteringly, was Victor Hwang, whose sculpture of identitical, anonymous clay houses was striking in its reference to and commentary on modern art. I reflected that it

had a feeling of Antony Gormley’s little men, to be discovered dotted around the South Bank in comic, deadpan poses a couple of years ago. Victor countered that his houses were inspired by the inside-out Rachel Whiteread house that won the Tate in 1993. We both looked again at his creation. Some of the houses had been piled up together, like bricks in a derelict building site; perhaps simply a comment on overcrowding, possibly a criticism of cramped and crippled lives. One thing I noticed was the sheer spectrum of interpretation forming on people’s lips and brows.

In another room, mobiles, that at first glance reminded me of coloured set squares from my own schooldays, dangled in ever changing light, transforming shadows into architectural forms on the walls. Here was New York and Singapore projected and implied. Lengthy conversations followed with Percy Preston and his teachers over the genesis and progression of boys’ ideas, which seemed to twist, turn, disappear even, only to re-appear in another form and coalesce, sometimes at the last possible minute (scarily for the staff!) into the powerful statements that they all became.

Ms Jenkins and all the staff of the Art Department should be extremely proud of the quality and diversity of the work on show; clearly so much perspiration and intelligence had gone into creating it. Equally, I applaud the boys: I came away from this show inspired, elated and began to look at the world ever so slightly differently from the way I had before.

art section.indd 3 13/06/2011 16:24

D&T A-LEVELOSCAR SALANDIN*

Almost as soon as the AS examinations are over, the D&T students have to select and begin what will be their final project

at the college. There were some interesting ideas floating around for projects such as axe trolleys, fire pits and fishing rod holders. All of which were, of course, designed with the common man’s everyday needs in mind. At this stage of the design process we were all trying to out-do eachother with more and more off-the-beaten-track ideas. This is all before we have even spoken to the teachers about it, who then bring some of us back down to earth. I started out thinking that I was going to design a useful waterproof speaker system before I was told that there were no marks for electronics work, however I must add that there also no marks for style. This did not give me the greatest enthusiasm as a student that wants to go on to design stylish electronic products. After many of us had revised our ideas for projects, I decided that I would make a desk instead.

To begin the project, we each needed to choose a (pretend) client. The client is the one who has the need for you to design a product. These were almost all family members and for many of them, their only participation was having a photo taken of them for the client interview page and one at the end looking at the finished product. Once we had established a cover story for the product that we actually wanted to build for our selves, and written up what was essentially an interview with our selves, the next stage was to gather research on the subject of the product. This involves writing

up pages about products that are similar to what you want while avoiding doing any analysis on the product you copied the idea from. All of this invaluable information that has been gathered is then compiled into the dreaded Product Specification. This specification is one page which means you have to repeatedly state the obvious throughout the whole of the rest of the project by explaining how your product meets this specification every other sentence, as Mrs Angel will tell you.

Finally the Design stage arrives and the Initial Ideas section gives you the opportunity to express on the page the idea that you have kept bottled up for all this time and are so eager to make with pretty pictures, and then draw out a few other half baked ideas that you already know will not make it past this stage. This is one of the most enjoyable parts of the course, second only to the making stage, as the Initial Ideas section offers endless ridicule at each other’s impractical contraptions that we each indivually thought would work or, in Theo’s case, revolutionise the way in which people transported axes by rolling them around in barrels. Through the development process, we then tweak out product until we are really happy with the way it looks and confident that we will be able to make it. This is before the meeting with Mr Ward, where you have to really think over your product as he pointed out that my sheet steel desk would take a crane to lift. It is not all negative feedback here as Mr Ward pointed out that the wheels on Theo’s product would make it easier to put in the skip. The next meeting with your teachers is the one where you modify your product for maximum marks. From what I know about Product Design, a Designer will try to reduce both the number of materials and processes so that it will be more cost effective and more importantly less harmful to the environment, however to gain as many marks as possible on this exam board, you have to force in as many processes and different materials as possible to the design and then explain that it is sustainable because some of the materials might be recyclable. It is here that you have to dodge Mrs Angel’s attempts to attach Vinyls to your product for extra marks. The Vinyls are a Mrs Angel’s stickers of shame that

art section.indd 4 13/06/2011 16:24

says you have given up your taste for easy marks. The product that I had decided to build was a desk for creative students and it’s main feature was that it could save space by sliding away the bottom half under the top. It also has a scooped area into which you can just shove all of the mess on your desk and deal with it later. I gave it the Scandinavian (IKEA) look so that it would blend in with the furniture in my room. I chose Blue as a colour for the top because so much of my room is blue since it is my favourite colour. To add contrast, I added Orange to the scoop and inside of the drawer because it is opposite to Blue and so makes both colours seem brighter.

Satisfied with the design, you can now move on and begin to build the product. This is a lot of fun if you have thoroughly gone through each part of your product deciding how to build and attach it, otherwise it is a nightmare and it’s all your fault. I made my desk from MDF with an Ash veneer because it is strong, and is a cheap way of getting the look of a nice wood on your product. The upper desktop is Acrylic because it allowed me to get the colour and shape that I wanted and the lower desktop is MDF with a Melamine veneer so that it can be wiped clean. The most important part of the desk’s structure is the corner bracing at the back, which is made from Aluminium sheet and keeps it strong without the need for ugly bracing across the desk.

I had a wonderful time doing D&T for A level and I would reccomend it to anyone because there are elements of all different skills. I am glad that the desk turned out well and it was great to have a piece of furniture designed specifically for your room and your needs but if the exam board asks, it was for my brother.

art section.indd 5 13/06/2011 16:24

This year saw another class of year 11’s hand in their final piece, alongside their 2

years worth of sketchbooks, hoping to gain a much coveted A* for their Art GCSE.

This year it is likely that more will make it than ever. The following couple of spreads

showcases just a fraction of the stunning work being produced.

WILL WAREBORN

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CARLOS CORTIGLIA

art section.indd 7 13/06/2011 16:24

JAMES LLOYD

art section.indd 8 13/06/2011 16:24

CHRIS CHAI

art section.indd 9 13/06/2011 16:25

ANGUS JOHNSTON

art section.indd 10 13/06/2011 16:25

ALEX JOYNSON

art section.indd 11 13/06/2011 16:25

Tony Logue (34-37) was the son of Lionel Logue, the Australian speech therapist at the centre of the recent film The King’s Speech. His son Mark collaborated with journalist Peter Conradi to write The King’s Speech (Logue & Conradi, 2010), precisely timed to hit the bookstands simultaneously with the film.

David Thomson (51-59), leading author and film critic, took a personal journey through how cinema has changed both him and us in Life in 24 Frames on BBC Radio 4. On 3rd February he was heard discussing the works of Raymond Chandler (1900-05) in A Coat, a Hat and a Gun, a reappraisal of the life and legacy of the man from Upper Norwood who invented the private investigator as we know him.

Gavin Stamp (59-67) will give a lecture at the Dulwich Picture Gallery on 21 September on London Churches by Nicholas Hawksmoor.

Brian McHenry CBE (62-69) has been appointed the Vicar of All Saints Parish Church, Orpington.

Stephen Browett (69-77), chairman of Farr Vinters, is one of the new owners of Crystal Palace Football club.

Professor Andrew Sherry (73-80) has been in the news explaining the background to the current nuclear crisis in Japan. Andrew is Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at The University of Manchester.

Jez Nelson (74-80) is the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s Monday night contemporary jazz programme, Jazz on Three. He presents the pick of today’s jazz recorded live in concert, talks to the leading players, reviews new CDs and revisits the tradition through in-depth features.

Lt Cdr Gregory Davison (78-86) is currently serving with the Australian Navy as a rotary wing test pilot.

Paul Campion (79-86), the award winning short film director, has just completed shooting his first feature film The Devil’s Rock, a World War Two horror film set in the Channels Islands on the eve of D-Day. Filmed in Wellington, New Zealand and featuring special makeup effects by Oscar-winning makeup effects company Weta Workshop, the film will screen in the Marche du Film at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Paul also worked on the visual effects for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Rupert Penry-Jones (82-89), former star of Spooks, recently appeared in the legal drama Silk on BBC1.

Nigel Harman (86-89) is currently starring alongside Amanda Holden in the West End production of Shrek the Musical. Nigel plays Lord Farquaad. According to The Daily Telegraph “Audience reactions suggest that Amanda Holden’s heroine is at risk of being

outshone by the stumpy bad guy played by co-star Nigel Harman and his artificial two-foot tall legs.”

Chiwetel Ejiofor, OBE (90-95) plays troubled detective Jonah Gabriel in The Shadow Line - a sophisticated seven-part drama series for BBC2.

Andrew Sheridan (90-98), of Sale and England, has also found time to record an album called Where Do We Go From Here?

Jamie Campbell (96-01) was among the musicians who performed at the Royal Wedding in Westminster Abbey on 29th April. He is a member of the London Chamber Orchestra, as well as leader of the Solstice String Quartet.

Ruel Brathwaite (03-05) has been signed up by Durham County Cricket Club. Bradley Goldberg (07-10) has been signed by Charlton Athletic football Club.

Stephen Finer’s (61-65) portrait of Lord Shawcross (1996) has been acquired by the University of Sussex.

OA nEWS

David Bowie by Stephen Finer

8/8Written By James Rosslyn-Smith [OA]Maths teacher and OA.

OA's.indd 1 13/06/2011 17:24

Lieutenant Mark Evison, from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, who died in May 2009 from injuries received while on patrol outside Check Point Haji Alem in Helmand province where he was serving as a Platoon Commander, is mentioned in the book Dead Men Risen: the Welsh Guards and the Real Story of Britain’s War in Afghanistan by Toby Hamden. The book was first printed last year, but the Ministry of Defence had the whole print run pulped at a cost of £150,000. In the new edition some fifty words have been removed or changed.

On the 8th March it was announced that Sale Sharks have signed Northampton Saints number eight Mark Easter on a two-year contract. Mark, like his brother Nick was at school at the College. This move means that he will leave Tom Mercey OA (1994-2005) behind, but he will be joining Andrew Sheridan OA (1990-1998).

Royal Marine Captain Jack Anrude OA (98-03) received the Military Cross after he carried a badly wounded Afghan soldier to safety despite himself being shot in the head and arm. Leading a patrol of special forces into a village in Sangin, suspected of having links to the Taliban, Anrude – along with one of his men and one of the Afghan soldiers – were ambushed by a gunman, but despite serious wounds Anrude managed to carry the heavily bleeding soldier back to the vehicle. Jack paid tribute to the marines in his troop, including two who died during last year’s tour, saying he wouldn’t have achieved his honour if it hadn’t been for their professionalism and courage. Lt Col Paul James, the commanding officer of 40 Cdo, had high praise for the officer. “Jack Anrude was hit in the arm, in the head and legs yet he still carried on commanding his troops. He personally evacuated the Afghan soldier by carrying him up a hill. It was an extraordinary act of courage and he did all that while he was wounded.”

Henry Worsley has published his account of his journey with Will Gow and Henry Adams to complete the walk to the South Pole, abandoned in 1909 by Shackleton. During the Nimrod expedition 1907-1909, Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley and Jameson Boyd-Adams were ninety seven miles from the South Pole, when they turned back because they did not have enough food to complete the journey. One hundred years later the three descendants of the original team completed the walk with Ernest Shackleton’s compass to guide them.

Rupert Penry-Jones appeared in the BBC’s new drama series Silk, starring alongside Maxine Peake. Both played barristers in the same chambers applying to become Queen’s Counsel, a process also known as ‘taking silk’. Rupert has worked for the BBC before; he was for many years the star of the spy drama Spooks, as well as taking the part of Richard Hannay in the re-make of The 39 Steps. He has also worked for ITV making a version of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion in April 2007.

MARK EviSOn(1995-1998)

MARK EASTER(1996 - 2001)

JACK AnRudE(1998-2003)

HEnRy WORSLy RuPERT PEnRy-JOnES(1982 - 1989)

Written By James Rosslyn-Smith [OA]Maths teacher and OA.

OA's.indd 2 13/06/2011 17:24

This year, Year 9 Geography students were challenged to write a fictional article as part of a unit on the Old Alleynian diaspora. The brief to the boys was to imagine they were living overseas (each boy was allocated a country) and were president of the OA club in their respective countries. In the article, they were asked to write about who they were, why they decided to locate there, why other

OA’s ACROSS THE GLOBE

I am the Chairman of the Alleynian Club in Argentina, the place that I am now proud to call home. Argentina is a vibrant and beautiful country and has very close ties with the U.K., as the English helped build the Argentinean railways after the Spanish left in the nineteenth century.

The country is renowned for its physical beauty and natural landscapes. If you’re searching for the perfect day out then why not try visiting Perito Moreno, one of the last advancing glaciers in the world. The towering ice walls are enough to leave you speechless; it’s like an everlasting cloth of glistening white crystals. Then, for an afternoon’s entertainment, and in contrast to the glacier, you can enjoy the beauty of the Quebrada de Humahaca, which are salt flats with gorgeous green valleys and cactus forests. You could also experience Argentina’s great history, through the amazing and fascinating Cueva de las Manos Pintadas which is decorated with a form of ancient graffiti, using prints scattered across a cave in perfect formation.

I moved to Buenos Aires nearly a year ago now. I was intrigued by the work opportunities; it seems the recession has not affected Argentina’s commercial exploits at all. The largest percentage of Argentina’s GDP comes from services such as tourism, although agriculture is still very much rooted in the culture of the people and Argentina also holds a rich resource in minerals such as silver, hence the name. This excited me, as well as the economic growth rate of over 1%, even in a global recession. The potential Argentina and South America as a whole possesses is huge. My firm specialises in leasing farmland for short term purposes such as growing very seasonal fruit or vegetables.

I was astounded to hear, soon after arriving, that there were another five OAs living in Buenos Aires, not too far from myself. We decided to set up our own Alleyn Club. Our first evening was organised at the hotel of one of the members in Buenos Aires. Over dinner we discovered more about each other and our motives for moving here. Some OAs moved for an easier, more relaxed life, others to make the most of a growing economy and cheap cost of living as well as a strong work force. Most OAs set up their own businesses such as a hotel and restaurant chain, a string of vineyards, investment banking firms and healthcare clinics. Others joined global organisations specialising in the exportation of agriculture or mining metals such as silver and copper. Soon our Club grew to an impressive twenty-two members and we organised a monthly Polo match. Argentina has been world champion in Polo for the past sixty-one years. The Alleyn Club allows us to socialise with one another and relax with the family. It is also a great way of making strong contacts with important people, to further enhance your career. For someone like me, who is only starting in business, having good contacts is crucial.

LivinG THE vidA LOCA MATTHEW CLARK*

LifE On THE SiLvER COAST AnAMAy viSWAnATHAn*

OA's.indd 3 13/06/2011 17:24

OAs might wish to move there, and what kinds of activities they organised in their role as president. The articles were a combination of imagination and geographical fact, supported by research carried out in the library about their particular country. Below are extracts from the winning entries.

I love Thailand and have lived there for many years, and I am now the newly appointed president of the Old Alleynian Club here. We organise many different activities annually such as a dinner twice a year at New Year and in High Summer. We also have a cricket team and we play against four other clubs in a round robin systemThailand has an excellent climate so if you visit you won’t have to bring a jumper (but maybe a mac if you’re going hiking in the jungle!) Even in January it has highs of thirty degrees celsius. Thailand has many other things to commend it such as its brilliant festivals, like Songkran, (Thai New Year on April 12-14th). At Songkran many people gather to enjoy a huge water fight, so if you plan to attend, bring spare clothes! Another great festival is Vsakha Bucha, which is the celebration of the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. Thailand also has a rich and varied culture. Why not go and see a play? The first time I went to see the Khon play I was absolutely blown away, not only by the story, but by the passion and effort that the actors put into the performance. Or why not go and see some Thai Boxing? It is very popular in Thailand and one of the national sports.

The Alleyn Club that we have in Thailand is one of the best in the world, and is a great way to get reacquainted with your old school fellows, and also meet new people who went to our glorious school! The Alleyn club has a meeting once a month, and holds at least three activities a year. If you would like to come and live here, we would love you to join, and you could even perhaps come up with an idea for a social event. I think that living in Thailand has been the best decision of my life and I hope that you join me out here in this wondrous country.

After a history of wars with the British in the 1800’s and surviving the Japanese invasion in 1942, Burma finally gained its independence on 4th January 1948. For years there has been civil unrest and during the late 1980’s the Burmese Military Government took over the running of the country. Burma remains a very poor country after decades of economic mismanagement even though it is rich in resources. I am lucky enough to live in Chaung Tha Beach, which is located forty kilometers to the west of Pathein and is covered in dazzling white sand. It has crystal clear, bright blue water and is surrounded by coconut palms and casuarinas trees. The most special place for me, in all of Burma, is Bagan. It is an ancient capital in the Mandalay Division and its ruins spread over forty-one kilometers squared. It is over one thousand years old, built between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries and has been the capital of many ancient kingdoms. I am at the moment campaigning to make it a designated World Heritage Site. My last application was turned down because some of the temples and buildings have been restored ignoring the original architectural styles and using modern materials. However, some of the Pagodas and temples date back more than fifteen hundred years and it is criminal that this amazing capital is not protected. The best time to see Bagan is at dawn when you can really see its true majesty. The ruins of Bagan cover an area of sixteen square miles and it is full of ancient architectural designs, paintings, precious frescoes and stone inscriptions.

WHy nOT TRy THAi? RHyS WELLinGTOn*

BuRMA (MyAnMAR) Ed dOWnES*

OA's.indd 4 13/06/2011 17:24

The following members of staff are leaving us at the end of this academic year and we wish them well. Accounts of their time at Dulwich College, together with details of their respective destinations, will be published in the next edition of The Alleynian.

Kim Eyre (arrived September 1979)

John Cooper (arrived September 1992)

Anne Dawson (arrived August 1997)

Susan Evans (arrived September 2000)

Simon Bennie (arrived September 2001)

Bridget Downing (arrived September 2001)

Aaron King (arrived September 2001)

Stephen Young (arrived September 2002)

Nick Ellis (arrived September 2003)

Samira Obed (arrived September 2003)

Clare Malloch (arrived September 2004)

Julia Barron (arrived September 2005)

Alex Tate (arrived September 2007)

Peter Claydon (arrived September 2008)

Gemma Jamieson (arrived September 2008)

Jenny Mackay (arrived September 2008)

Amelie Rouselle (arrived September 2008)

Nadine Winandy (arrived September 2010)

Richard Delacour (arrived January 2011)

Susan Worthington (arrived April 2011)

STAFF VALETE

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ONE HORSE FOR ONE BIN

LETTERS We are enormously grateful to everyone who took the time to write with comments and suggestions concerning Issue 697 of The Alleynian. As editors of a Bridge Issue, we expected a range of responses, and were delighted that so much of the feedback was positive. Despite uncertainty on the part of some readers, in a magazine that establishes as its philosophy that ‘one of the higher functions of journalism is to cause trouble’, we have decided that thought-provoking and even challenging opinion pieces still deserve a place. As the responses to last issue’s article on Gay History Month demonstrate, this style of writing will provoke debate, a sign of enormous health in any community. We hope that the readers of Issue 698 will find food for thought in the discussions of religion, animal welfare and the state of contemporary politics, as well as the records of the remarkable doings of this extraordinary school. As always, we welcome all responses.

The content and presentation of the latest issue of the magazine could not be faulted and, as a parent and a Governor, made me proud and grateful to be associated with such a diverse and vibrant community.   Jayne BlackParent Governor

I love the new look – very fresh and mod-ern! As a parent of a non-sporty boy here it is great to see it less sports-driven, with more focus on other areas of the College.Bronwen NugentMiddle School Secretary and parent

I envy you your opportunities these days but on the evidence of the last issue you are well placed to seize them. Good luck, and enjoy yourselves. As I found, it is an experience which has stood me in good stead ever since.Hector McLean, OAFormer secretary for The Alleynian edito-rial committee (1952/3)

I just felt I had to send a quick email to say how fantastic the new Alleynian is. Passing through the DC website today, I happened to have a quick glance, and was absolutely stunned by how professional it looks. May it be the start of a cultural revolution at Dulwich!John Hewitt-Jones, OA

I have just downloaded a copy of The Al-leynian from the website, and was really delighted to see how the magazine has, as its editors say, returned to its roots, and trusts the boys to comment intelligently on their lives at school. I found writing for the Alleynian a stimulating and fantastically interesting thing to do.Adam RothwellFormer DC teacher

The Alleynian no. 697 is very stylish and I have enjoyed reading it. I am pleased it cel-ebrates the wide variety of activities that take place at Dulwich. As time progresses,

I am sure we will see even more articles from boys throughout the school. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts as to how we could get the Lower School boys more involved.Nick Brown

Note from the editors: it remains a priority for us to include an ever-greater range of student voices. We have striven to include the work of more Lower School students in this issue.

Although I, personally, found that in trying to read the magazine, one was constantly at war (!) with the stiff pages, in summary, my conclusion is that The Alleynian is very well edited, very excellent (as usual) in its coverage of all variety of School events.J.H. WitherowSqn Leader (Rtd)

Note from the editors: we are very grate-ful for all comments on the design and production of the magazine. Although we have decided to stick with perfect binding for now, we hope that more consistent font sizing.

I was delighted to read The Alleynian. In particular I was moved by the contribution of Peter Gilman, which set off something like a small bomb in my head. Professor Robert Gildea FBAProfessor of Modern HistoryWorcester College, The University of Oxford

The Alleynian has been reclaimed by the boys themselves with imaginative edit-ing, bravura design, elegant writing and stunning photography. One article says everything about Dulwich. Andreas Chitty writes of his visit with a multicultural group of College boys to the Wings of Hope School in India, for which they had raised money. As a modest Alleynian Andreas fails to mention that this group had won

the national Wings of Hope Achievement Award.Bernard BattleyPresident of the Alleyn Club

I am writing to say how much I like the new look and feel of The Alleynian. I’m proud to keep it on my coffee table stack. I especially enjoyed the piece on gay history month and commend the writer and those in the college who support him for such an impactful and inspiring position.Stephen Morallee, OA

Your article states that GHM is not just about history but also ‘about how we use that remarkable queer legacy’. I am not sure what a ‘queer legacy’ means. And is it really true that everyone’s ‘contribution’ is of equal value? Some may feel side-lined because they have a religious faith. Inter-estingly, although ‘sex, race and sexuality’ get a mention, religion does not.Rachel Edwards

Note from the editors: the article (and The Alleynian generally) is certainly not intended to be exclusive, and we hope that our discussion of religion in this issue will address the omission.

I was surprised and delighted to see the latest issue highlights gay history month, even more so to read that Dulwich today is ‘a place of diversity and free expression’ which ‘prides itself on tolerance’. Given the continuing sensitivity this issue can raise around children, I hope the school will take (or even took?) this opportunity to de-velop its own understanding of the experi-ence of gay kids and to communicate this to parents and governors.David Morris-Johnson, OA

letters.indd 1 13/06/2011 16:25

DESIGNERS

EDITORS

CONTRIBUTORS

PRINT MANAGEMENT BY CANTATE

Victor Hwang ricHard Mason sairaj PuVinatHan oscar salandin

Marco alessi Harry BellenBerg talal cHallaH andreas cHitty eddie elliott Benedict Morrison ennan Mwendwa carl okunuBi

will reid Beatrice riddiford antonio sHineBourne saugata sen Benji walters tiM wingard MattHew wisdoM

tiMotHy Barratt Head of keyBoardadrian Barrett-greene History teacHernick Brown Head of year 8Matt Burdekin Pe teacHercHarles carey 11BHo ting cHan 9wdenise cronin englisH teacHered downes 9wHolly etHerington Modern language teacHersaM Howard Pe teacHerangus iMrie HrtBen kaVanagH H6XtoM kirk sraBarney Medland H6ucHarlie Meeran 9dsiMon Middleton Head of year 7Harry Millen HrPBarney Mills 7swilliaM Milton 9dtoM Mountain Mf6Bandrew MusHett cole H6Bgeorge neisH H6ekatHryn norton-sMitH draMa teacHerdoMinic PoVall 10sfreddie reed Hrted reid 8wjess sMitH fencing coacHelizaBetH soare Head of careersjosePH sPence tHe Masteralastair treVill englisH teacHerjosH Vallance HrsanaMay ViswanatHan 9wroBert weaVer keePer of tHe arcHiVesrHys wellington 9sjonatHan wolsenHolMe 8esang woo doH year 11 student, dc Beijing

credits page.indd 1 14/06/2011 10:26

‘Infrasonic Flute’ by Miles Dee

back page cat.indd 1 16/06/2011 11:05

Recently, a group of Upper School students took part in a project with Dulwich Picture Gallery and some older Londoners to recreate photos from their childhood, as well as work together on creating a set of portraits. The front and back of this issue of The Alleynian showcase some of these.

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