16th Reigate Scout Group
N E W S S H E E T
Number 200
June 2006
It is very sad that we should have to open our 200th News?Sheet with the news that Mike Holmes, our founding Assistant Scout Leader, died on 10th May, after a long battle with cancer.
I first knew Michael Holmes in the University Scout Group, when
we were at Cambridge. We were together in the British Headquarters service
team at the Seventh World Jamboree in Austria, 1951. Then, almost by chance,
we met at the bus stop outside School when he came for an interview at
Reigate. He began teaching History here in January 1954, and was immediately
involved in helping me start the Scout Group.
Our first summer camp was near Bexhill, and it was Mike who did a 'recce'
of the site, gave us a history lesson at Battle, and also assured us that
the opponents of Essex County Cricket Club were always 'on their backs'.
It was Mike who suggested that we should invite a patrol of German Scouts
to join our 1955 camp at Great Tower, Windermere. The next year he had
acquired a ciné camera, and we still have the film he made of our
summer expedition to Wiltz, in Luxembourg. His last camp with us was in
1957 at Morecambelake, in Dorset, where the attached photograph was taken.
I cannot remember whether it was actually his idea, but he was certainly
most encouraging in the matter of running a Group Concert. It was definitely
he who suggested we ought to include some Gilbert and Sullivan. Indeed
he was most supportive of all the mad activities in which we indulged.
He moved to Reading School where he again helped with their Scout Group.
He also married Gill there in 1963. After a few years as Deputy Head at
Chichester Grammar School, he was appointed Headmaster of The Crypt School
in Gloucester, from where he retired twenty-one years later. He was involved
on the County scene in Gloucestershire Scouting, was a magistrate, a cricket
umpire, and a golfer, among many other interests.
Four of us, Tom Lockett, David Mundy, John Mowlam, and I, were able to
go to an excellent service of thanksgiving for Michael's life on 19th
May. He was in Reigate for less than four years, but quite a number of
our readers will have known him. We all send our heartfelt condolences
to Gill and the family.
R. H. B.
News received since January, from other Old Scouts, is here, this time
in the order we received them.
Stuart Morley wrote at the beginning of February:
Many thanks for sending another News-Sheet. I was particularly interested
to see that Ashlin has now retired, and in news of Ross Letten and Mike
Pupius.
Our daughter, Caroline, who married five years ago and lives in York,
produced our first grandchild, a girl, at the end of October. Ian, having
obtained a Chemistry degree from Bristol, spent two years teaching English
in a school in Japan. Since his return, he has been working in Worthing,
but is now based in London. He seems to be working very long hours, but
enjoying it.
I continue to play badminton twice a week, though as most of the other
players are also starting to age, it is not as vigorous as once it was.
I now have time to play bridge again; I believe I first learnt at Gilwell.
We continue to enjoy walking and travelling abroad. We have booked a trip
to Egypt to see some of the antiquities. We booked one several years ago,
but unfortunately a few tourists were shot just before we went, so it
was cancelled.
You may be interested to know that my Mother continues to live in the
same house in Redhill. She came up to York with us just before Christmas
to see the new baby.
I hope all is well with you, and I look forward to the next News?Sheet.
Best wishes.
Paul Davoren e-mailed on 25th February.
Further to your note, here's my old news! Sorry I haven't kept in touch
- I am famously bad at that! I am now living down in Cornwall, which has
always been my favourite part of the country - I've fallen on my feet
you could say! I live in St Agnes, which is a lovely little ex-mining
village on the north coast, about 15 miles down the coast from Newquay.
It's a great little spot, which luckily does not suffer the summer tourism
as much as some. I qualified as a doctor from London in 2000, and apart
from six months of accident and emergency in Swansea, my base has been
Cornwall. At the moment I am back at the Hospital in Truro, but in August
2006 I will be starting the second six months of my 'GP Registrar' year.
Once I have finished this training year in general practice I should be
a fully-fledged GP. The plan would then be to look around for a practice
in Cornwall that is seeking a partner, and offer my services! Given the
great sailing opportunities down here, I must admit to not having taken
advantage as much as I should. A good friend has a 44-foot 'moody' yacht
which needs much attention, and we are currently fixing it up with the
hope of getting it in the water for the summer. He has taken the yacht
across the Atlantic, so the odd trip to the Isles of Scilly should not
be too much of a challenge! Another favourite pastime from my Scouting
days was hill-walking. At college I was a very keen climber/mountaineer,
although this has also fallen by the
wayside somewhat. however, I do still occasionally make a trip 'up country'
to North Wales or the Lake District in pursuit of the mountains. A recent
trip to Snowdonia was unfortunately (and unsurprisingly) very wet, but
enjoyable nonetheless. I would like to hear from any old friends who wish
to get in touch by e-mail
- mine is vpauldavoren@hotmail.com Best wishes to all!
Paul Davoren.
ps..I'm not sure if you are up to date as far as my address is concerned.
Whilst I am living in St Agnes at the mo, I may be considering a
move soon. It would be best to use my parents' address. When I have an
address for personal use I will let you know. Many thanks.
A brief e-mail from Giles (Vince) Day came on 3rd March :
Since the Re-union two years ago, Val and I have settled in the village
of Pissouri, South Cyprus. Time is taken up largely walking, golf, running
a business, becoming a grandfather, etc. etc. . .
Duncan Wesleyand Wendy came to visit us last year, which was nice.
All Best Wishes.
Simon Lomas-Clarke said in the middle of March :
The job is still in software but working for a firm which produces an
accounting package. The company is called Systems Union and the main software
product is Sun Accounts. It has been a difficult decision for me to give
up the City life but the hour and a half commute made the decision a bit
easier. I am always looking for a challenge in a job and I think that
I had got about as far as I was going to go at my old company. Anyway
I'm enjoying my week off doing lots of jobs and a bit of mountain biking.
Still sailing lots in my Fireball (despite the cold weather) and looking
forward to the competitive regattas that start in a few weeks at Grafham
Water in Cambridgeshire. All a build-up to the European Championships
in Brittany in September.
Hope you are keeping well.
Peter Emery sent at about the same time :
I have just got round to reading the latest news Sheet. Thank you for
keeping it going. I can confirm that this is still the correct e?mail
address for me and that I am happy for it to be made known to others.
< emeryp@blueyonder.co.uk >
I have recently been promoted to Professor, so am now Professor of Nutrition
and Metabolism. I have been Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
at King's College London for the past five years. Headships of university
departments usually rotate fairly regularly these days, but this one keeps
rotating back to me!
I still live in Worcester Park with my wife, Caroline, who teaches and
plays the double bass. Our daughter, Frances, now 16, is at the Yehudi
Menuhin School where she also studies the double bass. Our house can feel
pretty crowded when there are lots of basses as well as bodies around.
We also have a boat which we keep in Woodbridge, Suffolk, on the river
Deben. Apparently the word Deben is a corruption of "deep one",
which is a bit surprising since the river is actually very shallow. The
main challenge of sailing round there is keeping off the mud, then finding
your way out of the estuary between shingle shoals which move every winter.
Some years I seem to spend as much time anti-fouling and doing routine
maintenance as actually sailing, but it least it gets me out of doors.
Best wishes to you and all who read the News-Sheets. Keep the news coming
!
Peter Carpenter's e-mail came by special request :
I met Robin for the first time in years at the pre 1960 leavers reunion
at the end of April and within a few days there was an E-Mail asking for
a contribution to the 200th edition of his Newsletter. After such dedication
I felt I had to do something in spite of my failing memory.
I had a great time in the Scouting Movement having started as a Wolf Cub
when I was eight and continuing until I was twenty when trying to make
a career for myself took over. I have many happy memories of those days,
and the New Year we spent at Gilwell when the embryonic RGS Troop was
starting up won my prize for being the COLDEST I have ever been while
Camping - in spite of our being in the Gidney Cabin. We were a mixed group
from the school and some people from Robin's previous Troop and worked
well - but was it cold !! That really was my outstanding memory of Gilwell
Park.
The Summer Camp near Bexhill was better since it was somewhat warmer and
by this time the 16th Reigate was really up and running. I helped out
as a sort of Troop Leader and slept in a one man tent on the site. One
day Robin decided that I should disappear overnight and have everyone
else try to find me - an excellent tracking exercise. At dead of night
we pitched my tent and erected it about half a mile away in the woods.
The idea was for me to move out early next morning leaving the tent and
an "escape" message plus a Trail to follow. Well I was up and
away pretty early leaving various tracking signals for the Scouts to follow.
I went to the local village and had breakfast and wandered around for
a while before making my way back to the Campsite approaching carefully
so as not to be seen. To my amazement everyone was still there since,
although they had been up for some time, they had only just noticed that
my tent, and I, were missing. That told me that Scouts are not very observant
first thing in the morning, and that I was pretty insignificant anyway!
But they were great days and many lessons I learnt while Scouting have
stood me in good stead for many years now.
All our readers enjoy reading the news, even of those they did not know
at School. So please send us more; - anecdotes of camps, concerts, wide
games, or other activities. Any memories or appreciation of Mike Holmes
would be particularly welcome for the next edition.
For our 100th edition of the News-Sheet, we had a crossword puzzle. I
could only knock up something more childish for the 200th, - a 'Wordsearch';
but I shall not tell you what words to search for. There are about 28
words which have some particular significance for our Group. You might
find another dozen short ones for which you could make some obscure connection
with our activities !
T U B L A C K I T H T
K E R U T N E V E R H
E B E X H I L L N I A
S E R E M R E D N I W
T C A M I K E A A F K
R A H B T I N U G A B
E M F O R E S T Y L E
L P T U O C S A A C E
P A T R O L K L W O B
L N W G P O O H N N B
Robin H. Bligh, 39, Monks Walk, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0SS.
< robin@reigategrammar.org > 01737 - 248135.