Winter
2013
28
29
OMT
News
Contact:
Dan Hassell (1978-1983)
completed the
New York marathon in 3.59.41 just scraping
under the all-important 4 hour mark. He
would like to thank all those who supported
him in raising nearly nine thousand pounds
for The Cure Parkinson’s Trust.
Robert (Bob) Hurran (1957-1963),
having almost completed his role as one
of the two War Memorial Trustees, took
over as Chairman of the OMT Club at the
AGM in March. His challenge is to find the
younger, more active OMT volunteers to
lead the Club in the future and make the
most of the new facilities for the enjoyment
of the greatest possible number of OMTs.
Meanwhile, aiming to move to Chalfont St
Giles next year, Bob has temporarily moved
to Northwood.
Chris Norland (1970-1975)
is living
just outside Chichester. He writes: “I have
bumped into Mr Hull a couple of times
over the past 10 years or so, who taught me
Geography while I was at MTS. Mr Hull (we
always used to call him “Charlie Hull”... he
was a really lovely guy, and a great teacher)
now lives in retirement quite close to where
I live inWest Sussex, and last time I saw
him a few weeks ago (outside Waitrose
in Chichester), we reminisced about a
Geography field trip I was on that was led
by him, down to the Arun Gap in the South
Downs, pretty close to where we both have
ended up living.”
Stephen Oxlade (1956-1964)
writes: “I have a wealth of memories from
MTS: excellent teaching from very able staff (there were three Wranglers in the
Maths. Dept.); rugby matches in the lower teams; the start of the Sailing Club;
cross-country matches at home and away; CCF Field Days at Portsmouth; the
Field Club and Summer Camps organised by David Chivers; Scout Camps and
expeditions to Scotland and the Pennines; fishing in Hampermill Lake; and
many more.
After Natural Sciences at Cambridge, I did my teacher training at St. John’s
Oxford, and entered a very interesting career as a teacher of Chemistry,
Geology and Physics, in five different schools. Coaching a variety of sports, I
specialised in rowing and ran the boat clubs of three. I still act as an umpire
for rowing; sit on a Committee for Recreational Rowing, and am the Coach of
Juniors for the England Home Countries team. Sports-wise, I now sail an X One
Design at Parkstone Yacht Club and belong to Leander Club (Rowing).
My brother, Edwin, (3rd. Form 1957) is a Doctor of Botany and has lived in
Belfast for 30 years. Now retired, he lectured at Stranmillis College, Queen’s
University, and has written two books on genetics, and a recent book “Fifty-five
years Running”, which starts, of course, at MTS. Also a resident of Co. Sligo,
Eire, he writes widely on gardening, and trout and salmon fishing, and travels
to Norway, Iceland, and mainly Russia to pursue this interest. His best fish
weighed 35 lbs., caught in Russia three years ago.
A life-time friend is Andrew Alchin (3rd Form with me and Head Monitor
1963-4), and he organised a team, “The Prembroke Globetrotters”, from
Pembroke College, Cambridge to take on the Eggheads on BBC 2. This was
in 2009 and we managed to defeat the Eggheads in a close contest. Andrew
worked for IBM, mostly in Europe, and then for the British Library. He lives on
the Edgware Road and would welcome contact with old friends.
Ian Parsley (1988-1995)
returned to live in Northern Ireland in 1999 and has
remained there ever since; he runs a small PR company and married Paula in
2011. He has been involved in democracy promotion/conflict resolution both
there and, on behalf of a number of organisations including the Council of
Europe, as far afield as Moldova and Estonia; closer to home he served for six
years (to 2011) as a local councillor. He is also a qualified football referee, though
no longer practises.
Charles E.L. Price (1949-1954)
is the new secretary of the Rollers Dinner
Club. 2014 will be the Diamond Jubilee of “The Rollers” famous prank whereby
they rigged a series of devices in the roof of the Great Hall, sending toilet roll
cascading down during a school assembly. It has been celebrated every year
since by the responsible members of the Classical Sixth of the time. Some of
the Rollers are pictured below with Head Master Simon Everson.
