"Lucky for some", the bingo callers might say as I leave in my thirteenth year as Headmaster. The luck has been mine in having the opportunity to help shape such a comprehensive school for the bright future. As my teaching career completes its circle, I realise my happiest moments have been with my pupils in the classroom. I shall miss seeing you in my daily rounds of the school but, even with retirement, the trick is knowing when to get off. Goodbye and Good Fortune "GOODBYE SIR" Q. I suppose you always planned a career in
teaching? Q. Were there any times during your training
when your enthusiasm wavered? A. Not at all. Mathematics teachers have always been relatively scarce and I obtained my first job in a pleasant Sussex grammar school. Q. What was life like in a grammar school? Q. Why did you go abroad to teach? Q. What opportunities did you discover? A. Yes. For a few weeks I was a supply teacher for chemistry and physics - a new experience for me! Then my luck picked up. At the end of four years I had progressed through being a Head of a mathematics department, Deputy Headship and then to my first Headship of a boys' school in Orpington. Q. Have you enjoyed being a Head? Q. Why did you want to come to Therfield? Q. Any regrets at leaving? John Wooding A LETTER TO A SECOND [?FIRST] FORMERWelcome to the best school in Surrey. You will find it hard to get around to start with but after half a week you could go round the school backwards. When I came to Therfield I was amazed at the number of computers there were and also that there was a separate room for them. I am in 2W4 so I have Computer Studies on Thursday and enjoy it very much. The second thing I liked about Therfield is school dinners. I know it sounds funny and people say things about school dinners but I really do think the school dinners are good. There are two separate lines, the fast food line and the dinner line. The fast food line caters for things such as pies, hot dogs, hamburgers, buns and milkshakes and many more. In the dinner line you get food such as salads, hot potatoes, peas and beans and a wide choice of fresh things. The next thing I was surprised about was that the school has so many halls. The school I was in before I came to this school had a tiny hall but we have got five halls all for different purposes. We also have rooms for practical purposes. We have metalwork rooms, woodwork rooms and pottery rooms. I like the pottery rooms best because you can make things like men and bowls and pottery houses. Also we have got lots of H.E. rooms where you can make bread and cakes. You will have a big library which you can do your homework in at lunchtime or revise for a test you have in the afternoon, or there are many clubs to join such as hockey, basketball, sailing, debating, Christian Union and many more. It does not matter what band you get into. If you get moved from a friend who you have been going around with in the middle school you can still see them at playtimes which I do. The sports facilities are amazing. You have two lessons of P.E. and the activity you do changes from term to term. You have one indoor sport and one outdoor, so you might have gymnastics and football to start with and change to basketball and rugby. There are no bullies, so you will not get beaten up. There are a couple of people who think they're the best and try to make everyone see their point. You just avoid them. Best of luck to you all. HOVERCRAFT CLUB When the Hovercraft Club was formed its aims were to construct two hovercraft. Now after two years both have been completed. The smaller of the two (The Ugly Duckling) was completed about eight months ago. It is powered by a lawn mower engine donated by Fetcham Mowers. The primary function of this craft is to provide a good base for the preliminary training for the large craft, since it is similar to control.
The large hovercraft, yet to be named, was finished in May of this year. The 250 cc single cylinder engine costing £300 was kindly sponsored by L.J. Dobbe, Woodbridge Nurseries, Oxshott Road, Leatherhead. Four fifths of the thrust produced propels the hovercraft to a top speed of 30-35 knots (35-40 mph) while one fifth makes it float on a cushion of air 8 inches above the ground on its segmented skirt (made up for us by the needlework department); with peripheral jet, it is very responsive and fairly easy to control. It is designed to be amphibious, but hasn't as yet been tested on water. The club meets on Wednesdays at 3.40 p.m. What does the future bring? You could help decide. Nicholas Kerner and Jason Masters
THERFIELD SAILING CLUB The Therfield School Sailing Club is very much thriving and enjoying a large number of members. We have a wide of activities including racing, cruising and maintaining the four school boats. Every week on a Thursday during the season the Club runs a trip after school to the Surrey sailing base in Kingston called Thames Young Mariners (T.Y.M. for short). Here we spend the evening sailing until dark. During this time we have. a few friendly races, and we practise our seamanship abilities, working up towards the big event of the year, our Sail Training Week on tidal waters on the Isle of Wight. Each year in the Easter holidays we go to the Medina Valley Centre at Dodnor, Isle of Wight where we learn or improve sailing skills, right up to Instructor level. If by chance your certificate is not achieved in the week you can complete it at T.Y.M. or on one of our trips to the coast. Another major activity within the Club is racing. Five times a year we have a major Surrey Schools Sailing Association Regatta in which the school boats are entered to race against other local schools. We don't always win but we enjoy the racing! There are many other activities taking place in the Sailing Club, so why don't you come along and try them all out. We meet on a Wednesday lunchtime and everyone is welcome. See you there! R. Davies TO THE BATTLEFIELDSThe 1984 visit to the Battlefields of the Great War was a great success. The purpose of the trip was to visit the battlefields and try to understand the true scale of the fighting during 1914-18. I was amazed at the number of men whose bodies were never found. It was hard to imagine that the country fields were once the scene of a blood bath, with mud covering dead and equipment. On Friday, October 19th we visited the Cloth Hall Museum, a museum dedicated to the men who died. It had exhibits from the battlefields, all painstakingly restored. On the same day we visited the Lone Tree Crater, which was formed by the largest underground mine ever detonated during the First World War. The mine, 60,000 lb of high explosive was designed to blow a hole in the trenches. When it exploded it left a crater 22m deep and 88m wide. Some of the visits were very moving, especially hearing the Last Post played at the Menin Gate at Ypres. The whole visit was a complete success and very enjoyable for all involved. I enjoyed the whole trip, as I hope future years will also. Simon New THEATRE VISITSTherfield has very close links with the Thorndike Theatre and many of our pupils; are Young Stagers. We were delighted that over twenty of our pupils were chosen to perform in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the theatre last Christmas and are assured that other opportunities are in the offing! Individual pupils have also appeared in professional stage productions at. various theatres over the last few years. All pupils are eligible for Therfield Student Standby tickets which allow them to see plays at greatly reduced prices and are encouraged to attend as varied a programme as possible, with some large theatre parties arranged for Junior pupils. Exam students visit London and regional theatres on a regular basis as part of their CSE or O Level course. Gill Wadmore
"GREASE"
Finally we reached the performances in relative chaos, but in the true tradition we fulfilled the saying, "bad dress rehearsal, good first night". However there were still problems; one of the main characters could not sing, another had a thing about moons, and a certain sign wouldn't do what it was supposed to. Credit must go to those who created "Greased Lightning", the first Mini to have a major part in a school production, even though half of it was missing. On the last night, Marc Willcox, maestro extraordinaire, bravely opened his home to a thirsty hoard [horde] of actors and stage crew, until about two o'clock. All in all this was our most exhausting production yet, but everyone enjoyed it thoroughly, and, as usual, suffered from withdrawal symptoms afterwards. Yes, even now, we still long for those summer nights. Lance Dennard and Saul Peake  from the 1985 Therfield Journal JUNIOR DRAMA CLUB This is held once a week after school in the Upper Hall and is received very enthusiastically. Pupils dress casually and are encouraged to contribute many of their own ideas within a programme of games, mime, stage fighting, improvisation and script work. We hope to extend the opportunities to include lunchtime theatre performances and visits this year and look forward to welcoming new members.
YET ANOTHER FIRST First what? You may ask. Putting a car on the stage in the main hall, I would answer. Before anyone asks the obvious, a car was needed
on the stage as part of the scenery for last Autumn's musical
"Grease". Various solutions to the problem were discussed, but in the time available it was not possible to make a "mock up" that would look convincing. The only course open to the stage management team seemed to be to use all or part of a real car. One of those big, round, pressed steel Yankee jobs from the early fifties would have been ideal but too large and heavy for the stage. In the end, as so many motorists have done when wakening from their dreams, we settled for a mini. This is a little out of period, but not by much, as the mini has been with us for around 25 years and they have certainly been sold in Canada, so why not find one turning up in the U.S.A.? The mini we were given was no ordinary mini; someone had started converting it to a mini-moke. (Remember them? As used by the Dave Clark Five in "Catch Us If You Can". Oh well, never mind). Anyway the roof had been cut off and the side windows removed, leaving just the windscreen above waist level. In addition the driver's door had been welded shut and a semi-circular hole cut to allow the driver to climb in and out. In spite of only being half a mini, so to speak, the car was still too heavy to be easily manoeuvered onto the stage. That was where the fifth form craft group came in. Motor vehicle work is part of this course and so the group was asked to do such work as was necessary to make the car as light as possible. Many members of the group had a hand (or a spanner!) in this work, but some did more than others. Those making notable contributions were Colin Comber, Antony Collins, Jason Tierney, David Rixon, Jason Evans, John Tucker, Daniel Cooper, Dominic Taylor, Neil Haynes and Douglas Frazer. Obviously the engine had to be removed and this required a hoist. The C.D.T. Department had a suitable hoist, but there was nothing to hang it on as roof insulation work had covered up the steel trusses that were once used for this. Therefore, a tripod was made from 1¼" water pipe and this worked very well. While the tripod was being made, other pupils were disconnecting drive shafts, gear linkages and so on to free the engine. Eventually this was lifted out with very little trouble, but much hard pulling on the hoist, and lowered into the department wheelbarrow. At the same time this work was in progress, yet more pupils were clustered around the car removing anything that would not be needed for show purposes. Windscreen, boot lid, back seat, exhaust, drive shafts, petrol tank and piping, radiator and instrument panel were the main items concerned. In the opposite direction, a temporary and non-working steering wheel was fitted to give the appearance of a left-hand drive vehicle. The real steering wheel was missing when the car was driven to the school so steering for manoeuvering purposes was by means of a mole wrench on the end of the steering column. On the Friday before half term, the great day arrived when the car was to be put on the stage. This event had to be preceded by much anxious measuring up of doorways. The widest was the main front entrance so it was decided to use this, although it was clear it would be tight. This was certainly the case as the car went through with the tyre walls brushing the doors. Nothing to spare. What a good job we did not paint it beforehand!
Once there it was handed over to the scenery painters to make it look nice. I wonder what the M.O.T. examiner would think of rust holes patched with masking tape and paint? The next problem will be, I suppose, when the show is over and someone decides the car is no longer needed on stage. Mini, non-runner, suitable for spares, buyer collects: Or should all future productions include a car as one of the stage props? C.V. Joint THE RUSSIA TRIP When one thinks of Russia, the images of vodka, political oppression and Cossacks come to mind. Over the New Year of 1989-5, 24 pupils from the 5th and 6th Form with Mr. Goldhawk, Mrs. Hack and Mrs. Kinloch went to Leningrad and Moscow for a week to discover the facts and form opinions for ourselves. Russia: "All grandiose buildings; a scale of immensity; short, overcast days; the magnificence of the Hermitage; the grim passage through customs; the utilitarian city outskirts; compulsory national service; the wide streets of Moscow; simple red, neon lights; the speed of the underground; the heat of the hotels; the lack of colour; the sombreness of the people." Naturally, it is the personal memories that are outstanding, such as the spectacular folk evening, the giant Moscow circus, celebrating both Russian and English New Year, the awful food (never mention meatballs again!). The quiet guide 'Gulia' and the constant persuasion by our teachers in order that we could go where we wanted to. Comment of the week was, "Rather chilly!". At the time an icy wind was blowing and the temperature was - 20°C. I am in no rush to go back, but it was an experience, showing a different philosophy to life and helping to explain why East and West do have so many troubles in communication. Adam Masters
CAROLS AND CABARETS The day after the Carol Concert, Therfield's Orchestra went along to the Swan centre in Leatherhead to play Christmas Carols to the Christmas shoppers. All the instruments and musicians nearly froze to death, and the music was flapping around all over the place. Some shoppers were brave enough to stand and listen to us (not because we were playing badly but because they were so cold). "Us", a 3rd Year music group, played a couple of separate items, to give a break between the carols. Apart from the cold, everyone enjoyed themselves! On Friday 9th July at St George's Hall Ashtead the Orchestra and Swing Band gave a grand performance in the Cabaret Evening. First was a more serious side of music, giving soloists a chance to show their musical talents on instruments ranging from a French Horn to an Accordian, to their voices, and a Honky-Tonk piano!! The Orchestra played some exciting pieces, especially "The Spirit of Pageantry". During the interval the audience tucked into their Ploughman's Supper , washing it down with various bottles of wine. In the second half, the Swing Band gave their special performance, making some of the audience get up and dance. Everyone who performed and watched the Cabaret had great fun, and I am sure that there will be another one next year. Robert Chalmers
MARCH CONCERT 1985 With the many problems this school year has faced, the musical side of the school has tried to keep running and the best example of this was the March Concert. After much hard work and practise on the part of the Swing Band, the Orchestra, the Choir, the Horatio Choir and the Soloists, they put on a Concert in the main hall on Friday 15th March. The Orchestra played many pieces including 'Habanera' from Carmen by Bizet, Mendelssohn's 'Nocturne' from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Berceuse' from the Dolly Suite by Faure and 'The Entertainer' by Scott Joplin. The Swing Band played 'Chatanooga Choo Choo!' and 'When I'm Sixty Four'. The Choir sung 'Zadok the Priest' by Handel and the Horatio Choir sung a 30 minute rendering of 'Hip-Hip-Horatio'. Amongst the soloists were 3W/B Music Practical who played 'Yellow Submarine' and 'Scarborough Fair' and 3R Music Practical who played pieces composed by themselves on a basic theme. Mr. Pratt also played a solo on the piano - 'Prelude and Fugue in A flat Major' by Bach. The evening was a great success for those performing and for those just watching and was a good experience for everyone. Toby Smith
THERFIELD SWING BAND For the first time in many years the Therfield Swing Band has been strong enough to participate in three out of school engagements. Mr. Pratt issued the Swing Band with many new pieces which were arranged by himself. We all enjoyed playing these pieces and we played them at the Lions' Carnival, the Fetcham Scout Fête and the Rowan Fête. Such pieces as 'Chatanooga Choo Choo' and 'What a Wonderful World', 'Moonlight Serenade' and 'When I'm Sixty Four' sounded out at these events where the Sing Band played for the different causes. The highlight of the Swing Band itinerary this year was the Caberet Evening where the efforts of the Band were, at last, made regarding [sic]. The Swing Band (made up of saxophones to flutes, trumpets to tambourines) was very pleased at the success of these events and it is hoped that they will be repeated again next year. Toby Smith
ALPINE VILLAGE PROJECT '85 It was 6.30 a.m. on Friday morning at Therfield School, that the Alpine Villagers left for Gatwick, for an 8.55 flight to Salsburg, Austria. It was the second time for me, and I was not feeling as worried as I did the first time, I was just. tired! The flight was peaceful, except for the landing when we hit rather a lot of turbulence. Snow was on the ground, but it was raining and carried on right through the coach journey to our village, Ellmau. The hotel, St. Christoph, was large and newly built, but was kept in the typical Austrian style. The rooms were fairly spacious, includiny a bathroom and separate toilet. The food was different, but in general, although the portions were small at times, they were quite good. After a year of not skiing, I had not forgotten the routine, but the 'Baby Lift' was new to me. it was a rope of wire with a plastic handle coming out of it, which you were supposed to put behind you and let it push you up. Well, when it was my turn, I waited, grabbed the handle, went a metre or so, and I fell over flat on my face. The second time, I grabbed hold of the handle which almost pulled my arms out of their sockets, but I managed to stay on all the way to the top. A couple of days later, my group, with our Instructor, Andy, went up the funicula by the mountain railway. At the top you could not see a thing, and the falling snow made visibility even worse. As we ski-ed down the mountain, the snow became icy. This I did not like, as controlling the skis was almost impossible. One girl bruised her arm and Matthew Hill actually broke his arm, all because of the ice. (But they survived all right.). There were various activities during the evening; we went swimming twice. There was an indoor pool, a heated outdoor pool and an icy cold pool (outside of course). I stayed in tha heated pools but others, somehow, managed to fall in or paddle in the outdoor, unheated pool. A Tyrolean evening was quite enjoyable, with some locals dressed in the regional costume. On a couple of nights there was a disco, so this gave a chance for the break dancers to show off their talents. Another great evening was the ni m• pin bowling. Several of the team members scored a strike but the best hit I got was seven. Yet again the Alpine Village Project was a tremendous success with everyone who went. It was great, an experience I will never forget. Robert Chalmers
HOUSE REPORTS LEITH HOUSE 1984/85 This has not been the most active year for the House but nevertheless the spirit of generous and competitive participation remains. In the Autumn term, the House performed well in the Football competition securing the second place; the same was true in the boys' Basketball where we also came second to our rivals Norbury. For the girls it was third in the Netball competition, but a commendable first in the House Cross-Country Championship. In the Spring term the girls continued their dazzling performance in the Basketball competition coming first, while the boys did their best to come second in the House Cross Country event. These sporting achievements were followed by Leith's win in the House Quiz competition, a new house event for 1985. Norbury pushed our teams all the way, but it was our Third Year team who clinched victory by one point over Norbury. At the time of writing a new event is being planned, the House Tip and Run competition and this will be followed by Sports Day in July, rounding off what is hoped will have been another successful year for Leith. The house charity has been active this year raising over £100 towards the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Appeal, so many thanks to our generous supporters. Finally on behalf of Mrs. Willcox and myself, I would like to thank all members of Leith and especially the House Captains who have always been willing to help or participate in many ways this year. S. Bell (Head of House)
JUNIPER We have had some very good efforts with our House Charity this year. Many pupils were involved and it was good to see individuals and small groups devising their own fund-raising schemes. The spirit with which our teams took part in the Inter-House competitions was most encouraging. Many teams bettered their previous performances. Special congratulations should go to the Girls' hockey and netball teams for some outstanding results. E. Griffiths (Head of House)
POLESDEN HOUSE It's been a time of change in Polesden. No sooner had we wept buckets of tears as Mr. Dyer's athletic figure faded into the distance than the equaIIy dynamic Mr. Hutcheson was departing as welI! Mr. Dyer will be remembered for his enthusiastic support of House Sports and his enterprising fund-raising for St. Ebba's. Mr. Hutcheson will be remembered for his streamlined committee system and his knees. The Knobbly Knees Competition was undoubtedly the highlight of the winter term. Dressed in full Highland garb he even upstaged the knarled knees of the winner, Mr. Beck. The event raised nearly £60 and with money from other events a cheque was sent for £100 to Save The Children for the Ethiopia Famine Appeal. They will both be sorely missed. Our super new Head of House, Mr. Cummings, has begun to introduce some of his whacky wheezes already. We have done fairly well in the new Inter-House Quizzes, winning the 4th Year event, and have enjoyed mixed fortunes in the Sports events, with our individual successes including wins in the Cross-Country by Michael Norman and David Chierighini. We look forward to success in the future. Mark Bennett and Howard Jones.
NORBURY HOUSE ACTIVITIES 1984/5 Despite the unfortunate, but inevitable curtailment of House activities in 1985, the year as a whole has been one of outstanding success. Norbury House has supported "Save the Children Fund" for the last 3 years, and with the vast-scaled famines of the last year or so, notably in Africa, we have, naturally enough, responded by concentrating our efforts on fundraising. Our first big event was a Penny Race in November, raising £173. 2NHY's raffle raised £15, and Bernadette Williams (4NTO) raised £67 by sponsored gymnastic movements. In December we continued our tradition of holding a toiletries and stationery stall at the Christmas Fayre, raising £78. We are indebted to Mr. Candel for a marvellous supply of toiletries to sell, and his daughter Louise (5NFO) for managinq the stall with Laura Smith (Lower Sixth). In a sweets competition 2NYR raised £5. In January Michael Doswell (Lower Sixth), much to my amazement, swam 100 lengths of Leatherhead swimming pool and still looked fresh enouyh for another 100 lengths when I stopped him. He raised the marvellous sum of £114 by this event. Norbury also contributed to a grand total of £411 raised by January's Mufti Day, and sent off to the Ethiopia Appeal. In the same month Susan Wignall, Ruth Phipps and Lorraine Read (5th Year) raised £32 on a sponsored cycle. Wendy Whiting and Vicky Smith (3NSH), wishing to demonstrate how strong they have become, proved the point one February luchtime by throwing a rounders ball much further than I could have believed possible and in the process raised £42 - I won't tangle with them in future!
In the area of competitions, Norbury has had one of its most successful years ever, winning the soccer, boys' basketball, boys' cross country and "Slog 'n Hop It" competitions. In other events we have usually been runners-up. It should be said that these achievements have only come about through a lot of hard practice, and not necessarily because we have the most talented boys and girls. We are indebted to a number of 5th and 6th Form pupils for theri enthusiastic help in running housebasketball practices. The standard of many players has improved greatly as a result. S. Wilson (Head of House)
Vesuvius looms surreptitiously in the background at Pompeii, dormant but ever present. The gases and ash smothered the city and killed nearly all the inhabitants. When there were excavations the tortuous positions of a choking death were revealed. On a happier note, though no less tortuous is the narrow, winding road of the Amalfi Drive. It affords constantly changing views of enchanting landscape, wild, fantastically shaped rocks plunging vertically into an empty, crystal clear sea. The towns along the coast are perched precariously on the rock cliffs, terraced into the hill face. Another wonder of Italy is the sheer number of fountains. The fountains of Villa d'Este at Tivoli represent the most intricate gravity waterpipe system in the world. This is not hard to believe having seen the magnificant splendour of over three hundred natural fountains on the slopes of one single garden.
P.S. Thanks to everyone concerned once again for a wonderful trip and good luck with the trip to Greece next year. Laura Smith
Once the track is laid, maintenance becomes an important requirement. A railway cannot be left for long periods without the track moving slightly, so realignment, further ballasting and levelling are required at regular intervals. Fixing points at the sleepers and the fish plates need oiling, in our case with old engine oil, to allow expansion and contraction to take place with changing temperature. Weeds grow between the ballast and so a twice yearly dose of weed killer is also required. Fences need repairing and painting from time to time. All these tasks will need to be carried out this summer in addition to laying the new track, so there is plenty for the club members to do, apart from running trains and maintaining the rolling stock. The club took its portable track to four fêtes last summer when a total of 438 passengers were carried during 11½ hours operating time. So far this year (September '84 to August '85) we have attended Therfield Christmas Fair (103 passengers in 3 hours) and Mead School Spring Fair (251 passengers in 22½ hours) with three more invitations accepted for the summer term. As well as our miniature railway activities, we have had at least one visit per term. In October we visited the Kent and East Sussex Railway. In January we visited the Model Engineer Exhibition at the Wembley Conference Centre and in March the London Transport and Science Museums. The summer visit is yet to be arranged. A very welcome aspect of our activities is the support the club receives from parents and other staff. Several staff and parents have accompanied us on our visits and, we hope, enjoyed themselves whilst so doing. More are always welcome. We have also received valuable assistance in various ways from Mr. Clark who has helped at fêtes, Mr. Crawforth who has helped with track construction and as "our man at the Bluebell Railway", Mrs. Crawforth who has provided edible goodies at the Christmas slide show, Mr. Smith, who has helped us with the transport of ballast, and Mr. Roger Cruse and friends at the Bluebell Railway Locomotive Department. R.E. Wakeford last updated 15 Aug 2010 |
