Graeme Rudd

I was proud to have attended Shene from 1969 - 1975 after amazing myself and probably parents to by passing the 11+ examination.

I wasn't particularly academically bright and left with a measly 4 O levels, thankfully including Maths (probably by a 1% pass margin) and English. My main achievement was to be a weekly regular in the 1st team at Rugby throughout the 6 years I was there. I have fond memories of home matches at Barn Elms but mainly enjoyed the away games where we used to arrive at the school gates to meet the coach taking us to various other schools elsewhere around the south London area. These were always my favourite as they usually put on a better "spread" of sarnies/snacks/drinks afterwards. 

A few fellow players I recall were Peter Budney (prop), Jeremy Huxtable (fly half), Greg Stephens (captain) I think, "Wobbley" Walters (centre) whose first name I can't remember but nickname was for his mesmerising swerves).

Russell Batten was my best mate at the time and near neighbour to me in Ham.

1975 saw my dad retire to York and I went up there beforehand to stay with an Aunt, to start my A levels at a York school, rather than move mid term.      

This proved a seismic change in my life which was for me jack in school altogether after a couple of months and walk into a full time job the following day at a York supermarket. I didn't settle at this new school and figured I'd be far better off just getting on with life as an employee, rather than the scholar that I never really was. 

I spent the next 6 months applying for a "proper" job and was successful in joining the Civil Service. Life was all about girls, motor bikes, beers and then punk. To me, life was great. 

Then in July 1977, still just 18 I had a near life threatening bike crash (by then my wheels were a Suzuki 750) in which I broke my back leaving me completely paralysed from T4 (upper chest) downwards. What a bummer! After 3 1/2 months in Pinderfields Hospital Spinal Injuries Unit, Wakefield, I was back home and luckily, was able to go straight back to work. I retired a couple of years ago after 42 years service with barely a few days off sickness that entire time. I changed departments a couple of times, moved to Northampton on promotion on one occasion, then back to York after divorcing from my then first wife. I retired on a lowish to mid ranking Management grade, but I'm quite happy with my achievements. I never did really enjoy staff management! 

I remarried 26 years ago and am quite happy now, doing a range of voluntary roles - supporting a couple of charities, the CAB and York Central Library. My wife is ex British Airways long haul senior crew so I've enjoyed many, many travels to all corners of the world, surprising a lot of people seeing me in my wheelchair - pushing along the Great Wall of China, through a jungle in Borneo, in a sidecar in Vietnam, scuba diving in Grand Cayman, safaring in Sri Lanka a couple of weeks before UK Covid and many other fond memories. 

Oh dear......I'm aware this has been more about me than school/teacher memories. To be honest, I can concur with many others comments all of which have been done with better details and eloquence than I can manage.

That said one memory not replicated by anyone else I see, was my and others occasional lunchtime trips down into Shene, dressed in an older boys coat "borrowed" from the cloak room. We used to go to and get get served with beer/cider or lager amazingly!!, at a pub called The Hare and Hounds, it's still there, I've just googled it. God knows how we got served, at 16 I reckon I looked nearer 14! We'd have a couple of halves and play bar billiards before returning to school, probably bragging about where we'd been, and in an ideal world, would have had double French, scrapping over who got a front row seat in one of Miss Ryde's (spelling.......but who cares?) classes, she of the impossibly shapely legs fame, commented extensively elsewhere on this site!

On that note I'll end my lengthy reminiscing and wish all former pupils and teachers all the very best. 

Happy, happy days. 

Graeme Rudd (House - Fife), West.....I think 

Graeme Mitchison - 1944 to 2018

26th August 1944 to 13th April 2018

Greame Mitchison, who died of an aggressive brain cancer aged 73, was a Cambridge mathematician and scientist of extraordinarily wide interests; as well as publishing in fields such as neuroscience, physics and molecular biology, he was a gifted pianist and an elegant writer credited by the novelist Ian McEwan with “reverse engineering” a spoof Nobel Prize presentation address for the appendix to his tragicomic novel Solar (2010)

He attended Shene Grammar School and won a county scholarship to study Mathematics at New College, Oxford, graduating in 1965. (extract from a long four column obituary in the Daily Telegraph 13th July 2018)

Dick Strevens.

Dick Strevens............ 4th March, 2006.........The long history of the School is a splendid piece of work and I read it with a great deal of interest.   It reinforces my considered opinion that HH Shephard laid very firm foundations for his pupils.   What a great scholar and Christian gentleman he was.  We all owe him a very great deal

I can recall a prayer that he used regularly at assembly that included the wish that 'we should be kept free from pride, vanity, boasting and forwardness'.   This was followed by 'and give us the air that......' 

I'd be glad to hear from any Old Boy who can refresh my memory.

John Carey

Listen in to John Carey on Radio 4 tomorrow, Tuesday 30th November, 2004 at 3.45pm.   John was at Shene appx. 1944-50.

The Photo Gallery now includes a cutting from Saturday's Daily Telegraph Radio and Television guide and this explains all

Editor's Note:   A lot of people were interested in this and have written to me.    A few samples......

Derek Corless................................Thank you for details of the re-union and for the advice of John Carey's talk on language. I was in St Mary's Barnes church choir with him back in 1952-3, he had a way with words even then, I remember some puns that were worse than mine.

Ray Theodoulou.............................. I think John Carey was at Shene rather later than you mention. I recall that he took my year 1952-58 on our first cross country run in the Park. We were small boys...second year perhaps. I remember the occasion well because I came in first but only because he stopped the runners half way round to ensure that nobody had got lost. I suspect that I must have had an advantage when the race restarted because I never came anywhere near winning such a race again. When we were coming out of those dreadful showers Carey asked who had arrived at the winning post  first and I proudly raised my hand.   Our Latin teacher told me that John was the only pupil he had ever taught who never forgot anything he was told.   He also wrote poetry for the school magazine in the style of TS Elliot.   Clearly a most remarkable man.

Mike Collett...........................................................Unfortunately, we were out, and I missed it!   Carey (John) sat behind me in our last year at Shene and we were all asked to submit a poem or an essay for the school magazine by Mr. Bryant the English Master.   Mine and Carey's were selected! I can still remember mine but not his!

I remember him saying to me (obviously highly envious of my undoubted literary talent) that my poem did not 'scan'. I couldn't understand his, because it was blank verse. I like a poem that rhymes, don't you?'   It was called 'End of the Drought" and began with:-

"Splashes appear and widen in the pools caused by the pre-descended rain,
while ducks waddle joyfully across the yard"

... and so it went on in the same pulsating, gripping manner.   Makes yer weep, dunnit?   I only wrote a poem because it was quicker than writing an essay"

Hugh Riley

Hugh Riley..................................a letter written to David Richardson 7th September, 2005 by Mrs. Riley in response to the Reunion 2005 invitation

"I regret to say that Hugh is now in Sheltered Housing and unable to drive.   He is unable to take public transport after suffering a stroke following a heart operation in July 2003.   He is fairly mobile but has great difficulty with speech also writing sentences.   He did have a lot of speech therapy and has achieved a great deal in 2 years but opinion is that he will always have problems making himself understood and he also has problems with the written word." 

Vaughan Stone

Vaughan Stone "Life At Large" is my first book of poems - a mixture of South African
satire from way back, nature verse and gently Christian themes running
through; also some fun poems.  Available from independent booksellers, price
£4.99.  ISBN: 0-9551 431-0-1 .  Also available from me direct.

'Through The Apartheid Keyhole'.................................written by Vaughan Stone is an autobiographical account of his adventures during 6 years in South Africa.   Obtainable from independent bookshops (Vaughan says you will need to be persistent with them) by quoting the Publisher's details or, of course, directly from the Publisher:

Maoildearg, Editor, David Green, 47, Rue du Pont Lottin, 62100 Calais, France

Mark Stimpson

A note from David Richardson on 16th May, 2006.........Mark Stimpson (m.stimpson@btinternet.com) the Treasurer of Shene Old Grammarians Football Club was recently in touch.

He told me about their own website www.sogfc.org. which now has a link that takes it back to our own site www.sheneob.co.uk

The Football Club is apparently the only surviving component of the old Association and membership is open to all comers. less

John Hopkins......................They still appear to play in Old Gold shirts with quite a similar badge also. A much more practical badge than in our day when I seem to remember mine was attached by poppers so that it could be removed before washing.

I recall the change from white to Old Gold, I was on the committee and may have been Club Captain I am not sure. This relative new and young intake was trying to salvage the club playing fortunes, after relegation from what I think was the Senior Division to the Intermediate. Players used to turn up wearing any old shirt that could loosely be described as white. So we thought we should try to look like a team even if we found it difficult to play like one. We were heavily influenced by the team of the moment - Wolverhampton Wanderers hence the colour which seems to have stuck. We were reasonably successful thanks mainly to not so much the strip but a certain evergreen Sid Walpole who swapped his centre half role for centre forward for a while.