HaberAske Skylark 2010

…from the Headmaster

I hope this new edition of Skylark finds all its readers in excellent heart. Skylark reflects inti-mately our core aims. They are: to challenge bright boys to achieve the highest standards, to de-velop a sense of community and shared values and to support parents in preparing their sons fora fulfilled life. When you read about the wealth of activity and achievement enjoyed by our pupilsover the past year I think you may agree that Habs is in very fine form and doing just what it setsout to do.

This is an enthralling and uplifting community; it is more than a school, it is an experience. Weare privileged daily to work with and to nurture some of the brightest and most talented youngminds you can find. It is that enlightened regime of academic excellence and extra-curricular vi-tality that allows our boys to take their places with utter confidence on the national and globalstage.

So it is my pleasure yet again to commend Skylark to you all, and I hope you enjoy what youread. Within these pages you will glean a clear sense of what makes this school so special andso different from many others. My thanks go to all those pupils and staff who have captured theHabs experience during the past year in print and in so doing have breathed life into this edition.

With warmest good wishes.

Peter HamiltonHeadmaster

Performing Arts..........................................4

Events ......................................................14

Trips .........................................................23

Originals...................................................38

Features...................................................53

Prep & Pre-prep.......................................66

Clubs and Societies .................................82

Houses .....................................................90

CCF / SCS.................................................97

Sport ......................................................108

The Foundation ......................................128

Old Haberdashers’ .................................133

Common Room ......................................140

The Skylark Team ..................................147

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A37914 HaberAske Skylark 2010:A31822 HaberAske Skylark 26/11/10 09:04

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Performing Arts


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Skylark 2010 Performing Arts

The TrialReview of 'The Trial'

With the chorus swivelling the stairs andgantry in clockwork motion, Josef K. findshimself as if in an Escher drawing or onPenrose stairs, ascending and descendingwithout somehow getting higher or lower,trapped. This was a striking image torepresent the heart of Franz Kafka’scompelling and disturbing novel ‘TheTrial’, adapted for the stage by StevenBerkoff and produced at Haberdashers inDecember 2009 by Tim Norton. 'The Trial'is a challenging piece for any company totake on, let alone a young one, but TimNorton brought an imaginative coherenceto the piece, and elicited such strongperformances from the cast, that this tookits place alongside that remarkable seriesof productions at Haberdashers which arenot merely school plays but genuinelyexciting theatrical experiences.

Josef K. is the aspiring bank functionary,whose breakfast does not appear one morningbut some goonish officers of a mysteriouscourt do - played with relish by Josh Kaiserand James Colenutt. K. finds himself trapped ina legal process, where the charge isunknowable and the legal jurisdiction bothinaccessible and yet empowered with limitlessreach. As he goes on his quest to seekacquittal from what he does not know, K isaccompanied by a chorus of monochromefigures who manipulate stairs, doors, phonelines, picture frames, everything which shouldrepresent a way out or understanding for K andwhich do not. The design and the chorusachieved this brilliantly. The production couldhave worked even without speech, its carefullymodulated and nameless menace rising andfalling, and with its well articulated borrowingsfrom silent movies, such as the mechanics ofMetropolis or the pathos of Chaplin.

In both speech and action the play waspowered along by the performance of ElliottRoss as Josef K. It was a considerable task fora young actor and he maintained an imposingstage presence and dynamism from themoment he appeared from his morning bath atthe start of the play, when the court officialscall to arrest him at his lodgings, until themoment at the end when he has lost both thelegal process and his life - maybe always thesame - and is plunged back in his bath,presumed drowned. In his speech, hecombined a tone of assertion with bafflementwhich deftly captured K.’s predicament. Theremight have been a touch more variety in

expression, but it’s true there’s not much signof it in the text of the play or the novel.

As he moves between different contexts,seeking relief from accusation, K. projects hisphysical desire into what becomes a series ofthree female characters- a fellow lodger, MissBurstner; a laundress employed by the courts;and his lawyer’s maid Leni - lent greatcredibility and warmth by Olivia Rennie whoplayed all three. In her performance, Leni inparticular - needy, earthy, quick-witted -brought an extra human dimension to a playwhich otherwise moves between the abstractand caricature.

Not that there’s anything wrong with caricature,as ably demonstrated by Sam Briggs in drag asK’s landlady, Mrs Grubach, and in full arm-waving, accented Italian flood - spaghetti modeyou might call it - as Titorelli the court painterwho, in supplying images of the court, laysanother false trail in seeking its inner workings.Likewise commanding the stage were AdamPabani as Huld, the monstrous lawyer who alsoclaims, with great gesture but no action, tohave access to the workings of the courts, andTom Herbert as Block, another of Huld’s clients,twisting and snivelling in abject, resentfuldependence on the lawyer. I laughed at theseperformances, and found them chilling. Theywouldn’t have disgraced the League ofGentlemen (who, indeed, have been known torefer to Haberdashers as the Elstree College ofComedy).


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The most difficult figures to make a mark onare the symbols of authority, K.’s father and thepriest in the cathedral, played by Ed Mooresand Jack Finger respectively. Their briefappearance, endowed with gravity from on highby both actors, gives a starting point tointerpretations of the play, about perhaps anindividual stumbling and falling short of theexpectations of an earthly father and aheavenly one. But there are many other lineswhich can be taken. A contemporary of Kafkawas Freud, and the Trial could be seen as K.’ssuper-ego unleashed. There seemed in thestory to be foresight of the totalitarianismwhich was to sweep Europe in the decade tocome after the novel was published in 1924.Kafka’s daily grind at work for an insurancecompany may have inspired a sense of thatmodern managerialism, in full force today, thepower of which is indisputable but which canhollow out the human subject, with 'targets'the only reality. This production wisely fixed noframe of reference on the play but left theattempt to interpret to be like the misleadingups and downs of the Escher drawing orPenrose staircase. As I left the auditorium, Ioverheard another member of the audiencesay, ‘That was amazing. Stunning. Didn’tunderstand a word of it.’. Maybe that was thepoint.

John Lotherington

(John Lotherington is the former head ofHistory at Haberdashers’, a respected authorand is now Vice-President of the SalzburgGlobal Seminar, an international cultural andscientific think-tank and forum.)


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The Tempest

Reviewing Shakespeare is never an easytask. As an English teacher I haveendured far too many productions inwhich well-meaning amateurs stumbleover their blank verse and drown in a seaof iambic pentameter. Worse still are theactors who are word perfect butseemingly have little clue as to what thewords actually mean, mouthingShakespeare as though he were a recipefor a lovely chocolate cake or aparticularly dull shopping list. And theshouting – dear oh dear, don’t mentionthe shouting. It was with these all toorecent horrors in mind that I approachedThe Tempest with some degree oftrepidation. Within minutes, however, myfears were dispelled by a cast whoperformed from start to finish with vigour,passion and, most crucially for thisreviewer, comprehension.

The middle school production of Shakespeare’sfinal play got off to a dramatically impressiveand noisy start, grabbing the audience from theoff with a storm at sea and frantic screams asa ship is wrecked by the eponymous tempest.For the next couple of hours, we weretransported to Prospero’s island, where thewronged duke of Milan has used his magicalpowers to exact a complex revenge on Antonio,the brother who deposed him and exiled him tothe island along with his young daughterMiranda.

A veritable gallimaufry of plots combines overthe course of the play. Miranda falls in lovewith Ferdinand, the son of King Alonso.Prospero’s slave, Caliban, plots a murderousfate for his master along with Stephano andTrinculo, whose drunken antics bring much

light relief to the play. The ever-treacherousAntonio and Sebastian are quite happy tocollude in usurping the King of Naples withsome unpleasant skulduggery. Tying everythingtogether is the all-seeing Ariel, spirit of theisland, as he carries out Prospero’s bidding andensures that nobody is harmed, and leads thewhole cohort of characters to the inevitableconfrontation and denouement.

What is often thought to be Shakespeare’s finalplay defies easy categorisation – it contains alot of comedy, but the bloody revenge of playssuch as Macbeth is negated with a moremature playwright ending with scenes oftouching forgiveness and reconciliation. Whatseems initially to be the Machiavellianmachinations of a bitter and deposed dukeends instead with family reunions all round anda happy ending for all.

Among a uniformly excellent cast, plauditsmust go to Adam Kayani’s portrayal of a nobleProspero and Glenn Edwards as his truculentslave, Caliban, who steals most ofShakespeare’s best lines in the play. ScottGordon’s Ariel was appropriately energetic andthe decision to have him perform bare-chestedcaused several female members of theaudience in the row in front ofme to swoon visibly.

Comic relief in a play initiallylittered with dark thoughts ofbetrayal and revenge wasprovided by Stephano andTrinculo, with both Jo Fraserand Reece Augustin-Spoonerpulling out all the stops towring every drop of humourfrom their wine-fuelledmalarkey with a confused andrapidly intoxicated Caliban.

In performing Gonzalo, Eliot Cohen seamlesslybecame a man four times his age anddispensed wise words of wisdom and supportwherever he wandered, while Rufus McAlisterand Lakmini Wijesurighe as Ferdinand andMiranda gave a poignant portrayal of youngand innocent love.

In a play in which magic plays such a centralrole, it was an evening of wonders, with theentire acting company giving their all, nomatter how large or small their roles. Thestaging was equally impressive, with aproduction filled with appropriate legerdemain.All credit must go Hugh Silver and his technicalteam for the ingenious effects deployedthroughout the night – it was all too easy toforget that I was actually sitting in the dramastudio.

So, my initial worries came to naught. A trulyfantastic tour de force of thespianism. And nota shout in earshot. I left wishing that moreShakespeare productions were produced anddirected with the care and attention lavishedhere by Dawn Morris-Wolffe and her dedicatedcast – it knocked spots off many allegedlyprofessional experiences I have attended.

I Wheeler


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Fool's Gold

The Junior School production for 2010,’Fool’s Gold’ was directed by Mr Cox andinvolved a cast of 23 boys split into twoActs. The first Act included three separateCommedia dell’Arte pieces, the witty andsimplistic improvisation that entertainedItalian audiences in the 15th Century,initially formed through improvisation andsubsequently scripted.

They were performed outside in the Yew TreeGardens behind Aldenham House. TheCommedia pieces utilised the natural set, lentby bushes and trees, as did the streetperformers in 15th Century Italy. The use ofhalf-face masks heightened the sense ofcomedy, especially when used in the twoZannis, played by Chris Combemale and OliSims. As well as this, costumes for the

Commedia pieces, designed and realised bySimone Jones, were incredibly effective and,along with the talented performances, showedthe differences in social classes between thecharacters very distinctly. Each of theCommedia pieces were compact, full of actionand humour as sword fights broke out andMaids became Aristocracy! A particularly strongdramatic image was created the diversity ofboth Josh Harrison and Josh Davis, who werenot only excellent as Isabella and Franceschinabut were able to change character completelyand play several other roles. All of theCommedia pieces were performed with energy,enthusiasm and skill.

The second act was inspired by the Trestlecompany, which was founded in 1981 anddrew some of its influence from Commedia,using full-face masks. However, it differedgreatly to the Commedia dell’Arte pieces. Itwas performed in the Drama Studio with a

ranked stage sloping down toward theaudience. The set was designed by Hugh Silverand represented a museum, highway and evena swimming pool at one point. Because theeleven-strong cast was using full-face masksthe entire piece was performed in mime. Thesound and lighting effects, operated by AaronGelfand, were extremely effective and served toassist the boys using voiceovers, blackouts andeven a laser display. The cast was extremelysuccessful in illustrating the importance of theirrespective characters in relation to the others,a task made more difficult by the permanentexpression on their masks. The Trestle piecewas hugely different from the Commedia andtook its inspiration from the 1963 film ‘It’s aMad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’. However, it stillexuded an energy and excitement from its castmembers. Both pieces were highly successfuland remarkably creative.

Sam Skalla U6


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Battle Of the Bands

With the Bourne Hall plunged intodarkness and a sense of expectation inthe air, HABS Battle of the Bands 2010was ready to start.

As usually happens over the Battle of theBands, there were so many performances thatit was impossible to squeeze them all into oneday, and so the large Bourne Hall was bookedfor two days. However, as all proceeds from theBattle went to charity, many of the generous

students of HABS didn’t mind dipping intotheir pockets to buy tickets for both daysof performances.

All of the acts performed brilliantly, evenwith the usual spattering of oddly namedgroups: “Cake Machine”, “Boo! Cake!”,“The Aenied”, “Delta Force” and“Roadkill” all made appearances, but themost strange name must have been “PeterSpence and the Department of ExternalRelations”, taking its inspiration from our staffitself. The music was as varied as the bandnames themselves, with Michael Jackson andJimi Hendrix, from Dizzie Rascal to AvengeSevenfold, but the one thing that wasconsistent throughout was the exceedingly highquality of music and performance, as thecrowds of about 250 boys and teachers onboth days discovered. In total, over £1500 wasraised for Great Ormond Street Hospital whichwas an even greater total than last years’.

The special effects were, as to be expected,second to none. What was it that caused theeffect? Was it the dazzling lights? Theabsolutely jaw-droppingly good guitar solos? Orwas it just the way that every single actcontained some form of bizarre, yet strangelyenticing dancing? Either way, it’s impossible tosay that the atmosphere could have been anybetter for what was HABS best demonstrationof its musical talent.

Of course, the show would have been nothingwithout the hosts, Mr Hall and Miss Cousens,who kept the show flowing and the jokes bothfunny and incisive. This dynamic duo receivedhuge cheers every time they appeared on the

stage, even from the visiting members of theneighbouring Girls’ School! Thanks to all thestage, lighting and sound crew who allperformed magnificently, despite having one ofthe most difficult jobs, seeing as they often hadto concentrate too hard on coordinating theeffects to be able to watch their own work.Special thanks must go to Sam Freeman andMatthew Anisfeld who organised the wholeevent, from the bands and auditions to theUpper Sixth students, imperiously guarding thefront door to ensure that only those with actualtickets could enter. Finally, the band membersmust receive some mention, if only for doingthe small task of giving people a reason tocome to the event in the first place, andrewarding them massively for doing so.

Stuart LesserlL6


Summer Concert

The evening of the 13th May 2010 saw thenewly refurbished Bourne Hall play hostto this year’s Summer Concert. Always amemorable occasion, the Summer Concertfeatures a wide range of ensembles andperformances from boys of all ages, andfor those in the Upper 6th it is their finalHABS concert.

The Concert Band opened proceedings, settinga high standard of performance with their pieceThe Producers, a medley from the Mel Brooksmusical which they will also play on their tourto the Rhineland in the Summer. The TreblesChoir, with new director Miss Cousens,followed with a beautiful performance ofDankworth’s Light of the World, and Rhythmof Life.

Then came the percussion ensemble, with twocolourful and exciting performances, followed

by the contrasting yet highly enjoyable guitarensemble. The Big Band, having received aplatinum award from the national final of theNCBF Big Band competition in April, closed thefirst half with accomplished and impressiveperformances of their two pieces Count Bubbaand Nutville. The Jazz Band entertained theaudience in similar fashion with a variety ofnumbers during the interval.

Opening the second half was Philomusica,confidently performing Sousa’s Liberty Bell

March then negotiating the challengingrhythms of Take Five. Following this werethe HABS singers, comprising the Upper6th music students plus staff, showcasingtheir versatility in their well-controlledperformances of Is You Is and Let theWords. This was followed by aprofessional-sounding performance ofOscar Peterson’s “l’impossible” from theJazz Quartet, leading the way for the finalitem, Symphony Orchestra. La Giocondaprovided the opportunity for some fun, asthe brass and woodwinds’ choreographedbouncing amused audience andconductor alike. Once again, the leaverswere highlighted as the solo flute melodyto Fauré’s Pavane was passed betweenthe three Upper 6th flautists. TheIntroduction to Act III, Lohengrin proved alively and rousing end to a highlysuccessful and thoroughly enjoyableevening.

Tom Haniff L6

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Percussion Concert

On the evening of the 28th April, theSeldon Hall once again played host to theannual Percussion Concert. Although nothuge, the audience thoroughly enjoyedthe crash bash and smash of a stagepacked with every percussive instrumentimaginable.

The concert was kicked off by the Juniorensemble, who played a lively rendition of theCan Can, which was followed by anaccomplished performance by George Menonperforming a complex Joplin Rag. The audiencewas then treated to a virtuosic guitarperformance by Omar Ali and Max Praisplaying Stairway to Heaven, followed by thefirst of two drum solos by Jake Lewis. MatthewAnisfeld demonstrated his immense skill byplaying Monti’s Czardas on three differentinstruments before the first half was roundedoff stylishly by the Year Eleven ensembleplaying Vampire Weekend’s Mansard Roof,arranged for percussion by our very ownMatthew Anisfeld.

The second half began with Jim Beryl makingway for Sam Freeman to take the stage andconduct an exciting and skilful performance ofa snare drum piece; Strike or Strike Out by theCCF band, stunning the audience back into atruly percussive frame of mind. This wasfollowed by a quieter moment that allowedLeland Hui’s xylophone to ring out. IshwarMahesh then stepped up to display his talentson the drum kit before Matthew Anisfeld andSam Freeman then wowed the audience withtheir dexterous and musical performance ofThe GallopingComedians. They soonmade way for thecombined talents of theJazz Quartet to play abeautiful rendition ofOscar Peterson’sL’impossible, before foursixth-form studentsprovided inspiration foryounger years by playingDebussy’s Day at theFair. This proved to bequiet before the storm as

the senior percussion ensemble took to thestage for the grand finale; Brazilian StreetDance, featuring the school’s new sambadrums. It was a fitting end to a truly percussiveconcert.

Thanks again must go to Jim Beryl and themusic school teachers for providing theaudience with talent, flair and enthusiasm.Congratulations to all involved.

Ishwar Mahesh L6


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Spring Concert

The Spring Concert, on a damp, and ratheruneventful evening of the 25th March2010, saw the HABS Symphony Orchestra,conducted by Mr Muhley, undertake twoof the great works of orchestralrepertoire. The first piece was SymphonyNo.9 “From the New World” by Dvorak inwhich he was inspired by the new andexciting sounds of folk tunes heard on hisfirst visit to the USA in 1892. The pieceopened with a glorious series of trumpetchords, followed by Max Jenkins on theCor Anglais, playing the main melody ofthe piece. The calm first movement wasfollowed by a more lively second, wherethe violins were thrust into the spotlight,playing a soaringly melodious buthaunting sound. Flutes and oboes weredemanded in the next act, and the talentsof School Captain Aaron Taylor andAndrew Rose were more than up to themark. The fourth movement, with the

return of the brass chorus and Max’sindomitable playing, ended with a solofrom Matthew Naughton, one of thewinners of the Annual Sheila WatsonStrings Player Prize, as well as the firstdesks of the cellos, violins and violasserenading the piece to a close. Overall,the Symphony was excellently played byall members of the Orchestra with greatvitality and vigour.

In contrast, the second work of the evening,Poulenc’s Gloria, written in 1959, was inspiredby his Catholic faith and is an emotional pieceof great depth. The piece began with a riotousopening from the strings, brass, and visitingharpist, in the form of ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo’.Following with a somewhat faster and morejovial ‘Laudamus Te’, with various differentlines of verse crossing over each other tomaximum effect. This was followed by ‘DomineDeus’, whereupon the visiting soloist Jessica

Gillwater opened the piece with aheartwrenching solo. The evening ended with afinal movement, using the talents of both thesoloist, the choir and the entire orchestra tomaximum effect. Special thanks must go out tothe Prep Choir, for coming across the road toboost numbers, and of course to Mrs Gillwater,for returning to the school for the first timesince her performance in the Messiah Oratorioby Handel, several years ago.

Freddie Julius L6


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Unplugged, Live on the Quad Wind Concert

The seemingly ever-present snowfall wasat fault for the disruption caused torehearsals early in the year, claimed Mr.Simm. The effects of such disruption wereinvisible; the Wind Band Concert wasflawless, and serves as a tribute to theeffort and talents of those involved thateven England’s infamous weather couldnot prevent a success.

The concert opened with a spellbinding ‘Danceof the Sugar Plum Fairy’ by the Flute Quartet,followed by the newly renamed Incendium,winner of last year’s Young Musicians of theYear award, playing ‘Thriller’, featuring asaxophone solo by Sam Freeman. Big Bandproduced a relentless and excellently conductedperformance of ‘Hunting Wabbits’, featuringsolos from Matthew Anisfeld, Oliver Anisfeld,Omar Ali, James Rose, and Sam Freeman.

The second half of the concert begun with WindSinfonia’s tribute to the King of Pop, playing amedley of Michael Jackson songs.Congratulations must be given to James Rosein abundance, for his admittance into Guild Hallfor the Jazz Piano course, of which there wasonly one space in the entire country! Furtheraccolades were awarded, with the annualWesley Woodage Brass Prize going to BrettBernstein and Andrew Campbell, while theWoodwind prize was awarded to Head BoyAaron Taylor.

The concert was finished with a triumphant‘Superman March’, which finished the eveningin glorious style, and ending no doubt one of themost superbly performed concerts of the year.

Zachary Spiro L6

This year, Unplugged took the levels ofhumour, revelry and sheer musical abilityto new heights, during the sunny, summerylunchtime in which it occurred. The eventwas kicked off with an excellent GideonCaplin from the Lower Sixth, performing onhis guitar, and was hosted and organisedby Miles Coleman, recently elected MP forthe constituency of Haberdashers’, andMatthew Anisfeld, who kept the moodhigh, and the crowds in control.

Gideon was followed by the Haberdashers’Ukelele Orchestra, performing ‘Sweet Child ofMine’. The Orchestra is unfortunately in its lastyear, as both Ben Jacobs and Andrew Shipleywill leave for the vast world of university studylater this year, leaving only Hugo Davidson tocarry on the U.O.’s vast legacy. This act wassucceeded by a guitar duet comprised of EdSchwitzer and Miles Coleman, performing‘Scummy’, with Mr Schwitzer singing vocals.Tom Livingstone shortly followed, and afterapologising for the lack of humour in his act,performed his own composition with the guitarand his voice, named ‘Running’.

Here, the events were interrupted by a smallarmy of morphsuit-clad Year Elevens, but thesight of some twenty or so teachers watchingthe performance turned them on their heads.

Recovering from the interruption magnifcently,Matthew and Miles announced that Olly Foxand Josh Cowan would be the next to performa cover of the Coldplay’s ‘Shiver’, with Olly onthe guitar and vocals, and Josh playing on thedrums. Jordan Walsh, announcing that he wasonly informed that he would be performing thismorning, then proceeded to valiantly performthe Libertines’ ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’, on hisown, playing both the guitar and singing. JoshManasseh and Sam Briggs then gave animprovised rendition of Noah and the Whale’s‘Slept with a Stranger’.

In the final act of the day, Daiyaan Ghani, JoeAttan and Josh Cowan performed LynyrdSkynyrd’s ‘Free Bird’, which was received withrapturous applause by the audience, nowincluding several members of the Girls’ School.Daiyaan then performed two songs himself, thefirst being Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give YouUp’, interspersed with imitations of both membersof staff and other students in his own year, andthe second being a cover of The Lonely Island.

Zachary Spiro L6


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Skylark 2010 Events

Events


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Skylark 2010 Events

HABS win the InternationalSchools’ Mace

The ESU Schools’ Mace competition is thelargest of its kind in the world with teamsfrom England, Scotland, Wales and Irelandcompeting to become the national debatechampions in their own country andgetting the chance to represent theirnation abroad. The contest is a provingground for some of the best universitydebaters of today. Past winners have goneon to become senior lawyers, well-knownjournalists and prominent scientists. It isthe oldest and most prestigioustournament in the country, having runsince 1957.

Almost unique for secondary schools, thetopics are released in advance and thestudents have time to research and prepare.For the competitors, this is a mixed blessing asit allows them to explore many of theinteresting aspects of each debate but alsomeans that the judges have very highexpectations on the knowledge andunderstanding of each student.

Ed and Hasan (who also earlier in the yearrepresented Team England in Qatar for theWorld Schools’ Debating Championships) hadwon the England National Final in April andthus HABS represented England in Glasgow.

‘The flight out was fine, but on the way backthe dreaded ash cloud got the better of us, sowe took the train home’. Hasan says, ‘Food wastypical Glasgow fare (oil, grease, fried food)’, towhich Ed added ‘I ate not one but two steaks inGlasgow’ and that Hasan ‘lost the plot whenMs. Gleeson and I threw crumbs at him’.

They faced the Welsh champions, Ysgol Friars,and debated the topic; ‘This House Believes theUnited Kingdom should abandon its nuclearweapons programme’. When asked about whatpreparation for the debate was like, Hasan said‘Quite intense. We'd been quite lucky with theEngland Final in that, for reasons I can't recall,we had left everything to the last minute but stillmanaged to get through. We didn't want to takeany chances with the International Final,however, so we did a pretty decent amount ofresearch - I remember reading a few CND[Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament] briefings.We then had half-formed speeches which weperfected on the way to Glasgow and during theday. We spent several hours before the debategoing through our speeches in a small hotelroom with Jill and Dr Craig, which was a goodway of calming our nerves before the debate.’

Also fighting for the international title were theIrish and Scottish teams from CastleknockCommunity College and The High School ofDundee. Their motion was ‘This House wouldintroduce a sin tax on tabloid newspapers’. Thedebates offered much scope and involvedquestions of morality, public good and how toapproach such issues reasonably.

The pair said that it was‘quite surreal’ to debate in the‘architecturally stunning’Glasgow University Chapel:‘Shouting point of informationsounds a lot more offensiveand indignant when done in aplace of worship’.

The audience was lively andengaged and after somedeliberation that the judgesawarded the win to theEngland champions, EdwardSchwitzer and Hasan Dindjerof HABS.

The Rt. Hon Charles KennedyMP, the former leader of theLiberal Democrat Party,presented the ESU Silver Maceto them, who said that ‘It[meeting Charles Kennedy] was a highlight forus. The debate was just after the new coalitionhad been formed and we were talking to himabout whether he thought the Lib Dems shouldhave done a deal with the Tories or Labour. Weremember him saying: ‘No-one favours myoption: a Tory minority government.’ The nextday an interview with Charles Kennedy appearedin the Guardian under the headline ‘Charles

Kennedy: Why I couldn’t support Clegg’s dealwith the Tories’ in which he explained hisposition. We were then able to point out smuglythat he had revealed it to us first’.

After the win, HABS boasts the proud record ofbeing the only school to have won this trophy fourtimes in its history: 1977, 1980, 2002 and 2010.

Ameya Tripathi L6


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Skylark 2010 Events

HABSMUN 2010

Given the gauntlet laid down by lastyear’s inaugural Haberdashers Aske’sBoys’ School Model United Nations, the2010 incarnation was always going to bea challenge. However, over thepenultimate weekend of the Lent term,Secretary-General Brett Bernstein and hisextensive team of sixth-formers puttogether an event that will live long in thememory of HABS, de facto the world.

Model United Nations is a simulation of saidglobal organisation, and at HABS it is runlargely by the students, both boys and girls. Aswell as the chairing of the event, security andan administrative team are required, not tomention enormous amount of other business.Preparations for the event began monthsbefore the conference, with Brett and thePresidents of the General Assembly, AaronTaylor, Hasan Dindjer, Casey Swerner andEdward Schwitzer, working together on variouspre-conference tasks. These includedorganising catering for over 600 people,organising a tuck shop which certainly neverhad a shortage of anything, and, of course,inviting delegations from other schools andproviding them with appropriate details for theweekend. 40,000 sheets of paper wererequisitioned for the weekend, serving asresolutions, notepaper and organisationalbriefings.

The last few days before the conference wereones of both excitement and mild anxiety.Meetings were held to prepare all HABSstudents for the hosting of hundreds of guestsover the upcoming weekend. A huge number ofothers helped the so-called ‘Power Five’ of theconference, as well as the teachers to makesure everything was perfect and ready to go for4.30pm on Friday.

The weekend began calmly, with delegatesslowly being welcomed to their committeerooms by the chairs, where they lobbied otherdelegates to sign their resolutions, preparedweeks in advance of this occasion, and askingother nations for what was referred to as theirRoyal Seal of Approval. This was the beginning

of the delegates’ difficult task of representingthe views of their country while persuadingothers of their own opinions.

The conference officially kicked off with anopening ceremony that saw speeches fromBrett, Mr Hamilton, and Keith Vaz, who,appropriately, served as Minister of State forEurope. All parties stressed the importance ofco-operation and communication, and thevalue of Model United Nations in nurturingexcellence in the fields of diplomacy andcompromise. After a performance from the jazzquartet, HABSMUN was open, and thedelegates readied themselves for a busyweekend.

Saturday saw the committee process begin inearnest after the process of lobbying was over.Resolutions were discussed by the hundreds ofdelegates as the Old Refectory, the Old Gym,and the Bourne, Seldon and Aske Halls weretaken over by besuited representatives ofnations from Austria to Zaire. The committeechairs controlled heated debates overinternational issues such as political prisoners,eutrophication, capital punishment, and humanrights in various countries. The wording ofresolutions was discussed in order to ensurethat they were phrased in appropriatelydiplomatic parliamentary language, as well asthe content itself, with firm and decisive actionbeing sought. Wording and presentation was aparticularly important issue for the crucialSecurity Council, a select committee of only 15delegates, chaired by Ameya Tripathi and DavidWoolfman.

The administrative team, headed by AlexisStorey and Anushi Desai, prepared packs foreach delegation, that they might enjoy anengaging weekend without getting lost. Thesterling work of the Admin team extendedfurther in the messaging which can be referredto as Bi-national Communication.

David Stone’s security team was responsiblefor physically setting up the whole school forthe conference and making sure both teachersand chairpersons were happy with how theywere kept. The highlight for many security

team members must have been the ‘eviction’of a delegate, which was generally taken ingood humour, and always made the conferencemore animated.

The Press team, headed by Clare Ludlow andcomprising boys and girls from HABS andguests from the Royal Russell school, producedthe HABSMUN newsletter, ‘Le Munde’,throughout the weekend. This light-heartedpublication was composed of news, views,games, and information about all theHABSMUN officials.

Mr Pauletto spent much of the weekendalongside David Stone supervising the Securityteam, while his counterpart in the Press teamwas Mr Li. Mr McKane was joined by teachersfrom various schools on the ResolutionApprovals Panel as Mr Simm oversaw theentire conference. This quadrumvirate wasinstrumental in preparing for the conferenceand was always there to answer questions andmaintain good relations with advisors fromother schools both before and during theconference.

With the final resolutions having been debated,General Assembly convened on Sunday. Hoursof intense debate resulted in the passing ofnumerous resolutions. Now that the safety ofthe world’s future was assured, an awardsceremony was staged, and the chairs of therespective committees recognised thedelegates whose stars had shone brightestover the weekend. Certificates in hand, theparticipants returned to homes as far afield asManchester and as uncomfortably close asMerchant Taylors’, bathed still in the warmglow that only HABSMUN can endow.

Tom Ough L6Akshay Kishan Karia Year 11

Les Joutes Oratoires - French debating

Friday 26th February saw the final of LesJoutes Oratoires, the L6 French DebatingCompetition organised by our Frenchassistant Nicolas Reynard.

All 36 members of the L6 who study Frenchtook part in the competition and they are to becongratulated on an extremely high level ofargument and language.

The final was fiercely fought between BenPoster and Anthony Meyer who proposed themotion “Les nouvelles technologies rendrontinutile l’apprentissage des langues étrangères”

and the opposition team JoelKariel and Raphael Torrance.Each team produced a veryimpressive performance. Thejudges, The Headmaster and DrKoestlé-Cate, finally awarded thedebate to Joel and Raph, nodoubt thanks to the tutelage ofan exceptional duo in MmesRobson and McKenzie.

Anthony Meyer L6


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Skylark 2010 Events

The Master Debate

Haberdashers’ has a fine tradition in thefield of debating, and it was in recognitionof this that the Lent Term saw theeagerly-awaited Master Debate. The eventsaw Hasan Dindjer and Ed Schwitzer, theschool's senior debaters and WorldSchools’ Championships runners-up,pitted against the Master of theHaberdashers Company, Mr G Pullman,and Mr D Hochberg, a former SchoolCaptain and Mace tournament winner.

In front of a packed Old Refectory, Hasan andEd spoke in support of the motion “THB thatHABS should become co-educational”, to theraucous delight of the boys in attendance.Against them were Mr Pullman and MrHochberg, who argued against theproposition. A debate of the highest standardensued, Ed’s piquant wit providing a suitablefoil for Hasan’s contrastingly calm articulacy,as the students sought to counter theirelders' measured approach. The nature of themotion ensured that hilarity was inabundance, as gender alteration wassuggested and rebuffed, the merits of girls assolutions for boredom in lessons werediscussed, and Mr Hamilton was called toaccount for his (alleged) failure to personallyensure that boys’ classroom temperatureswere two degrees below the girls’.

It was a hugely entertaining afternoon, butthere could only be one winner. With chairsAaron Taylor, School Captain, and SarahEdwards, Head Girl, having conducted aninformal voting ceremony that pronounced Edand Hasan champions, the victory wasconsummated by the senior masters’ decision.Thanks must be extended to the participantsand the organisers for making such anenthralling lunchtime possible.

Tom Ough L6

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ Schooldebating team of Aaron Taylor and MilesColeman won the Grand Final of The OxfordUnion Debating competition on Saturday 13March. Miles also won the prize for thebest speaker in the Grand Final.

This is a hugely prestigious competition withover 800 teams competing, including all thecurrent England and Scotland debatinginternationals and the Canadian national team.So it was remarkable that two HABS Boysteams reached the Grand Final, making up halfof the four competing finalist teams.

The winning Habs team won the Grand Finalwhile arguing for the very difficult motion: Thishouse would replace all age restrictions withtests of psychological competence. “It was avery difficult motion to consider properly whenwe only had fifteen minutes preparation time”,said Aaron Taylor, adding, “but that’s whatmakes it exciting”.

The other team from HABS, Hasan Dindjer andEdward Schwitzer, were members of theEngland School Debating team which recentlyreturned as runners-up from the World SchoolsDebating competition in Qatar.

Success at Oxford follows an equallyimpressive achievement at the CambridgeUniversity competition two weeks ago, whenHABS Boys again had two teams in the Grand

Final, and all four boys came in the top ten inthe individual speaker list.

“I am delighted to learn of this tremendousachievement’, said Mr Hamilton, “but Ishouldn’t be surprised.

Debating has become a real strength of ourschool, and all due credit must go to all theHabs Boys, as well as their long-serving coachMrs Gleeson.”

Ameya Tripathi L6

HABS win The Oxford Union Schools Debating Competition


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Skylark 2010 Events

The penultimate week of term saw theclimax of the Literary Society's Novel-WritingCompetition. On a balmy summer's eveningin the Headmaster's Garden, each entrantread a chapter of their novel to a relaxedaudience of family, friends, teachers, andliterary agent Luigi Bonomi, who was toaward the Novel Prize to his choice of theentries. The readers were also competing forthe Audience Prize, for the best performer onthe evening. After an enjoyable ceremony,

punctuated by an interval of wine and titbits,the winners were announced. HannahMarcus claimed the Audience Prize andcame third in the Novel Prize, which waswon was Deep Ghose, with Willy Thong therunner-up. Thanks must be extended tocompère Mr O'Sullivan and his team ofhelpers for ensuring the smooth running ofthe event.

Tom Ough L6

Philosophy Society welcomesvisiting Professor

It was another coup for PhilSoc as DavidPapineau, Professor of Philosophy of Scienceat King’s College London, spoke on Thursday12th November to a packed Aske Hall.Addressing the theme of humans as merelyphysical objects, he held the hundred-strongaudience in the palm of his hand as hepowerfully advocated materialism. Intellectuallyroused, the attendees asked him as manyquestions as time would allow as lunchtimedrew to a close, and the Professor, anoccasional colleague of HABS very own DrJonas Green at the University, dealt with thequestions confidently. The audience wasilluminated from both scientific andphilosophical perspectives, and the ScienceSociety committee, and, of course, ProfessorPapineau, deserve the heartiest of thanks.

Tom Ough L6

Novel-Writing Award Ceremony Economics-French

On Tuesday 19th January, HABS witnessedtheir first ever fusion between Economicsand French. The discussion was betweentwo of our fluent French speakers, namelyDr Koestlé-Cate of the Economicsdepartment, and Nicolas, our French oralassistant.

The opportunity for those studying the twosubjects in question was too good to miss forthe 30 attendees, including some studentsfrom the girls’ school and a few althoughslightly confused economics teachers.

The discussion consisted of Nicolas asking DrKoestlé-Cate a range of important economicquestions regarding the measurement ofEconomic Growth and Human Development –the latter proving particularly difficult tomeasure as it consists of a wide range ofunquantifiable factors. The topic of thediscussion is being a widely debatedthroughout the economic world today, withlarge disagreements amongst economistsabout what the most important factors are andhow to measure them.

Once the discussion had terminated, theopportunity arose for the audience members toask questions (en français, bien sûr), whichfurther unearthed the difficulties which today’seconomists are facing de nos jours.

Overall, the discussion was pleasant to follow,with both teachers speaking at an appropriatepace, and enlightened economics through themedium of a different language – originally adubious concept to most of us.

Ben Poster L6


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Skylark 2010 Events

Youngest MD Citigroup has everseen visits Habs

On Friday 22nd January, the HabsEconomics Society hosted Mr Paul Miskin,the youngest sales MD Citigroup has everhad, at the age of twenty-nine, and a manwho has worked in the city for over twodecades. He came to talk to about thirtyaspiring Haberdashers on his life storyand how he retired by forty. He wasaccompanied by his colleague Keith, whostudied Economics at Oxford and hasbeen in the stock broking business forclose to thirty years. Mr Miskin was askedquestions about our emergence fromrecession, about the stock market, andeven about the new 50% tax and his wittyresponses made the talk particularlyinteresting

The talk ended with Mr Miskin giving us adviceon how to get into the City. He used theexample of a past job interview where he askedthe interviewee how many beans make five.The interviewee responded “One, two halves,another two, and three thirds”, and Mr Miskinexplained that such a clever responseguaranteed him the placement. Perhaps, it isnot necessarily the grades which will get youthe city job in the future, but the attitude andcharisma.

Nii Cleland L6

The Great North Run

On the Saturday 19th September, fiveeager runners congregated outsideVictoria Coach Station at 11:00 pm on acold evening in order to compete in the2010 BUPA Great North Run.

The five of us (James Edgley, Akash Alexander,Joe Yarwood, David Lawrence and JoeMcCormick) decided to run the half-marathonon behalf of the Percy Hedley Foundation, andwere aiming to raise in excess of £1000 for thecharity that specialises in helping disabledpeople and their families to cope with all typesof disability. Having travelled on what musthave been one of the most noisy and ricketybuses, shattering our dreams of a tranquil pre-race sleep in the process, we arrived wearyeyed at Newcastle Coach Station at 5:30 am tofind that it was pouring with rain, and with nocafes to shelter in, we had to take refuge in theNewcastle Metro- the only lit and warm placethat we could find! Having warmed up andfound amusement at Joe Yarwood being placedin the start section for ‘elite athletes’ byaccident, we boarded the train and hitched alift to the start. On arrival, we packed our bagsonto the bag buses, and headed for the startline, where we waited for a 30 minutes for thestart of the race. Once the race had begun, theatmosphere spurred us on, with not a singlepart of the route not being manned, passingiconic landmarks such as the Tyne Bridge andSt James’ Park whilst overtaking several Stigsand cross dressers! Despite slowing in the lastfour miles, all five of the HABS runners finishedthe 13.1 mile course in under two hours.Following our massage from the Percy HedleyTent, we had to endure a downpour, beforeboarding the metro for the second time in theday. Despite a delayed flight, all runners arrivedback at London Stanstead 23 hours after wehad set off and thoroughly enjoyed the wholeexperience of the day.

Joe McCormick L6

Dr Aubrey de Grey visits Habs

Election Night

As election fever gripped the nation, fiveboys from Years 8 and 9 were invited bythe English Speaking Union to “ElectionNight at Dartmouth House”. After hearingfrom Lord Watson of Richmond (formerBBC reporter and President of the LiberalParty), our team of five had just 30minutes to prepare their own fully costedmanifesto.

After much heated debate as to whether weshould increase unemployment benefit, buildmore wind farms, save listed buildings, or takeone of the many other difficult spendingchoices it was time to present the arguments.Jack Lewy took up the challenge of beingPrime Minister to present the manifesto in justthree minutes to the assembled schools. Likeany good politician, the judges commented that“He made you believe in what he was saying,

On the 19th January, HABS ScienceSociety was privileged to be addressedby Dr Aubrey de Grey, a leading figurein the field of gerontology, the study ofageing. Dr. de Grey has made publicappearances on TV, radio and at manyevents around the world. He is the ChiefScience Officer of the SENS Foundation,which aims to offer solutions to ageing,resulting, in theory, in indefinite lifespans. Of course, he made clear that hewould never be able to offer‘immortality’, as aging is only onecause of death, albeit the largest one.

He elucidated the weaknesses in traditionalapproaches to extending life and suggestedthat periodic repair of accumulated‘damage’, which he defined as theundesirable side effects of metabolism, wasthe only realistic way to accomplish his goal.He has divided the different causes of age-related diseases into seven categories andhas proposed strategies for overcoming eachof these seven major problems. Dr de Greyfocused on the problem of the accumulationof ‘junk’ inside cells and presented credibleevidence for being able to prevent suchaggregations by addition of enzymes to the

cell which could break down these harmfulbyproducts.

Dr. de Grey stated that he believes the firstperson to live to 1000 years old is alivetoday and is only 20 years younger than thefirst 150 year old, thanks to his idea termed“longevity escape velocity”. The audiencewas given a chance to ask questions andsome raised the issue of how sustainable ofa world devoid of ageing would be. Dr. deGrey acknowledged that there would besignificant problems but had little doubt thatthey would not be overcome throughtechnological advances

Matthew Earnshaw L6

he made you believe that he believed in whathe was saying, even though he probablydidn’t!”

Sir Peter Jennings, former Sergeant at Arms tothe House of Commons, spoke to round off theevening. Questions from the HABS Boysincluded “How can you become a Lord?”, “Howshould we reform the Lords?” and “What wouldyou have done differently when the policecame to arrest Damien Green, MP?” Inanswering the last question, Sir Peter was clearthat he would liked to have done thingsdifferently, but he was sure that there wasmore back story yet to emerge!

Jack Lewy Year 9


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Skylark 2010 Events

Teachers Question Time

The second event of its kind in HABS history, Teachers’Question Time ’09 was greeted with enthusiasm fromacross the school. Chaired by Ameya Tripathi, adistinguished panel of teachers consisting of Dr St John,Dr Hyde, Mr Lloyd-Williams and Dr Green were questionedon a selection of topics ranging from the state of theeconomy to the inviting of the BNP leader Nick Griffin tospeak on the BBC. In spite of the allure of a nearby charitycake sale there was an impressive turnout for the event,comprising not only boys eager to see their teachersstruggle with the topical issues of the day but alsomembers of the girls’ school who had arrived for whatturned out to be a spectacular success.

Views expressed by the panel came from right across the politicalspectrum. Among the more controversial opinions were a desirefor the reintroduction of corporal punishment and a belief thatforeign aid burdens third world nations with western values ofmaterialism. The dubious ethical grounds for the invasion ofAfghanistan and the continued NATO military presence in Iraqwere challenged to widespread agreement.

As well as the pre-prepared questions given to the chairman,students were given the opportunity to test their teachers’ politicalbeliefs on the spot as questioning was opened up to the floor.Many of the questions – and most of the answers – proved to behighly witty and amusing as well as erudite and well-informed,and by the end even the most politically apathetic student couldnot have failed to enjoy the occasion.

Christopher Howarth L6

Mencap Funday

Mencap Funday has continued to grownot only in size, but in ambition. Ahighlight of the school year, MencapFunday is a day where children withdisabilities are invited to leave their caresbehind and spend the day with twovolunteer students. Students and teachersalike from both the Girls’ and Boys’school unite to organise and take part inthe day, whilst fundraising events areheld throughout the year.

After a restless night, I awoke at 5.30am onSunday 27th June, surprised to see that suchan early hour genuinely existed. Arriving atschool some hour later, the committee and Idonned our distinctive orange T-shirts andbegan to prepare for what was set to be achaotic few hours. With the campus finallyequipped to receive the influx of populace, thevolunteers began to arrive at the franklyleisurely hour of 9.30am. Before long, thegrounds were bustling with male and femalestudents as well as visiting children. Theweather was on our side, and the visitingchildren and volunteers were soon enjoyingthemselves. Staple activities such as arts andcrafts, the bouncy castle, exotic animals and avisit by a fire engine ran alongside the newactivities, which included a magic show and akaraoke room. After a quick visit to the karaokeroom and a tear-inducing rendition of ‘TotalEclipse of the Heart’, I began my duties as

chairman – to ensure that the day passedwithout incident but also to enjoy witnessingthe proverbial fruits of the committee’s labour.Owing to a timetabling error by FIFA, MencapFunday was rudely interrupted by the Englandvs. Germany match. With the match on displayin the Aske Hall, the less sport-inclinedvolunteers continued with the merriment of theday. As 4pm and the days’ end approached,the committee were thrilled with the enormoussuccess seen by Mencap Funday 2010.

It must be reiterated, however, that such agargantuan event simply cannot take placewithout the tireless effort put in place by theutterly fantastic committee, not to mention DrPerera, whose commitment to the day isnothing short of extraordinary.

All that remains is to thank each and everysingle person who contributed to the fun-filledevent, and wish the very best of luck toAbbasali Manji, who will assume the role ofchairman for Mencap Funday 2011.

Joe Gaus L6


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Skylark 2010 Events

Tiny Iron

Habs played host to the legendary TinyIron, wrestler, actor, bodybuilder andcelebrity bodyguard, last December. Tinyhas starred in several films, including therecently-released ‘Dead Man Running’,and was on the shortlist for the part of BA Barackus in the upcoming ‘A-Team’movie. One of his main claims to fame isthat his biceps are the biggest in Britain,and, to maintain his astonishing physique,he eats three live chickens a day. Thisfact, as well as many others, was afeature of an aggressive publicitycampaign around the school for monthsbeforehand, with corridors plastered withposters by mischievous sixth-formers.Tiny’s face was superimposed ontoLeonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ andan image of the Crucifixion; theHaberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, in anera of strident multiculturalism, had foundits Messiah.

A countdown, facilitated by daily posterupdates for weeks in advance, heralded TinyIron’s imminent coming, and it was rumouredthat he would be coming with an entourage ofsixty-four bodybuilders in order to perform amuscular rendition of ‘The Nutcracker’. With afrenzy being whipped up, the numbers on thecountdown fell, until, on a snowy Wednesday,the great day dawned. Thanks to Adam Landaand the Strouts team, Habs was to play host tothe record-breaking bodybuilder, and, justbefore lunchtime, Tiny Iron arrived.

Flanked by a phalanx of prefects, Tiny strodedown the Quad, his scarlet vest exposing hisrock-hewn musculature to the chill breeze.Although it was lesson time, boys of all agesjoined the procession, jostling to snatch a high-five or even a hug from the great man. Havingbeen given a quick tour of his new stompingground, he was taken to the Bates, bypassingthe queue. Although it had been demandedthat he should have privacy while downing hiscustomary chickens, many sought to sneak intothe dining hall through the rear entrance, andwere rewarded by snatching fleeting glimpsesof chicken, albeit in curry form, being wolfeddown.

Having sated, for the moment, his ravenousappetite, Mr Iron permitted Adam and companyto escort him to the Seldon Hall, in whichswathes of the school’s studentry had alreadyset up camp, in order that they might claim afront-row seat. However, unlike in the case ofTiny Iron, whose gym work commences in thesmall hours, the early bird did not capture theworm – the worm being, as was eagerlyexplained, ‘two tickets to the gun show’ - forthe prefect team dispersed the interlopers, whowere forced to join the rowdy queue filling theSeldon corridors.

An inordinate and innumerable rabble ofstudents, clutching in their hands the requisitepound coin for entry, awaited the opening of

the doors with great excitement. Theattendance of non-Haberdashers, comespecifically to see him, was a mark of TinyIron’s pulling power, or rather the considerablegravitational fields said to be commanded byeach of his colossal biceps. After a seeminglyeternal wait, the queue was harried into somekind of order, but this was quickly dispensedwith when it was suggested that the demandmight allow for a doubling of price to no lessthan two pounds. With sixth-formers manningthe doors and thrusting jangling buckets underthe hordes’ noses, the doors were opened. Instreamed hundreds of Haberdashers,scrambling to secure the best seats. Tinypaced the front of the auditorium, cracking hisknuckles thunderously.

Silence was called for, and an anticipatory hushsettled on the audience. Landa acquainted theonlookers with the esteemed guest, althoughhe needed no introduction to the self-proclaimed Haberdashers branch of the TinyIron Appreciation Society. The floor was givento Tiny, and, in a reverberating growl thatplumbed the depths of his audience’s hearingrange, he began to speak.

“I have never had so much love in my life!”roared Tiny, in reply to which everyone in theHall leapt to their feet and loudly proclaimedtheir allegiance. Moments later, the ‘Biceptor’,overwhelmed by his passionate support,informed his following that they would be takenwith him “when I get to Hollywood”, which, ofcourse, was a cue for more noise and amobbing of the stage. The man once known asAndrew Harrison explained his rigorous body-building regime, his childhood idolisation of thelikes of the Incredible Hulk, Superman and SamSkalla, and his life-long dream of playinglegendary A-Team member B A Barackus.

This was followed by an arm-wrestling session.Dr Craig was the first victim; Tiny allowed thewell-loved Deputy Head to come within inchesof victory, but, with a rowdy crowd cheeringhim on, defeated DC with a swift swivel ofthose famous forearms. Next up was formerSchool Captain Aaron Taylor, nominated by anaudience eager to see the mighty deposed.

“Is this your captain?!” demanded Tiny of thestudents, having looked Aaron up and down,before proceeding to overpower him inseconds.

“Merked!” crowed Aaron’s schoolmates, as heshook hands with his conqueror. After this, thegauntlet was laid down. Anyone in the Hallcould challenge Tiny at his own game for amere five pounds; what chance a famousvictory? The chances, it seemed, were eithervery low or non-existent, as the audiencelearned why Tiny Iron styles himself as ‘HalfMan, Half Amazing’. Having declared himselfto be a ‘philosopher’, it seemed appropriatethat, in true Platonic tradition, Tiny Iron hadbettered all-comers both intellectually andphysically.

Great fun was had all round, and the eventsucceeded in raising a large amount of moneyfor the Just Children Foundation, which helpsdisadvantaged children in Zimbabwe. Tiny’smessage was that we can achieve anything towhich we put our minds; a generation ofschoolboys has hope.

Tom Ough L6


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Skylark 2010 Events

On Sunday 15th November 17 GCSEceramicists were very fortunate to betreated to a workshop day with JohnHiggins who is an eminent Englishpotter and fellow of the CPA. JohnHiggins is well known for his one offceramic pieces with reference toarchitectural imagery so it wasappropriate that our workshop day wasfashioned around the work of theinspirational architect Frank Gehry whodesigned such notable buildings as theGuggenheim Museum in Bilbao and theDisney concert hall in LA, California.This man is so famous that he even gota guest role on the Simpsons!

We began the day with an interestingdemonstration where John talked about thedifferent ways to create the variouscomponents necessary to create a buildingin clay, working spontaneously and freely.He threw pots on the wheel that were thenaltered and in one case cut open and madeinto a slab for later use. Mrs Gleeson hadprepared a huge number of extrusions andslabs which we could use to build ourFantasy buildings and then it was our turn toget our hands dirty.

Three hours and about 250 kilos of claylater we all had our own mini versions of aFrank Gehry construction. We had beenworking with a background slide showreeling through all of Gehrys portfolio andlater the ceramics of Ken Eastman, whichcertainly gave everyone great inspiration fortheir work. The studio was full of flowingroofs and juxtapositioned towers and itmade everyone realise how interesting itmust be to actually design such amazingstructures that actually become iconicbuildings in the real world.

We all thank Mrs Gleeson for arranging suchan interesting and stimulating day for us byinviting John Higgins to school to inspire uswith his work.

Jack Lewy Year 9

Ceramics Workshop Day with John Higgins


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Skylark 2010 Events

Trips


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Skylark 2010 Trips

The History Trip to Berlin andGdansk

Berlin

If I had told somebody I was going on aHistory trip to Berlin, the first image that hemight conjure up is of a Berlin in two parts:booming capitalist West Berlin juxtaposedwith languishing communist East Berlin.But what we in fact discovered was threesides to Berlin, those of the Hitler era, theCold War and the Modern Day. A case inpoint is the Soviet War Memorial inTreptower Park (East Berlin), our first stopafter touching down in Schoenefeld Airportand the epitome of Soviet Communism: setwithin a large, immaculate, police-patrolledpark, the figure of a Soviet soldier steppingon a crushed swastika towers overintricate murals depicting the bravery andtriumph of Soviet Russians over the evilNazi regime. This memorial shows how thedefeat of Hitler was depicted in Russia,how the Russians glorified a ‘people’svictory’ without any mention of the actualpeople who died in the conflict and how,despite Berlin’s modern-day dynamism, thecity maintains this and other memorials atgreat cost in exchange for the locations ofmass German graves in Russia.

Throughout our stay in Berlin, we reacheddistant corners of the city effortlessly withpublic transport from our base at the HelterSkelter Hostel right in the centre, offFriedrichstrasse. Each day was full, in a bustlingcity that, to do it justice, takes many weeks toget to know. With tour guide Gabriel’s love ofBerlin (his hometown), immense knowledge of,and passion for history, he led us through thecity, giving us invaluable and unique insight.

We visited the Holocaust Memorial, the ‘Field ofStelae’, an area in central Berlin made of hugeconcrete blocks placed in regular lines.Standing on the edge, looking out over the tops

of the stelae, I was unimpressed: how could agently swelling sea of concrete possiblymemorialise the Holocaust? But as soon as Istarted to walk between the blocks, the groundsloped down and the sun’s light and warmthwere blocked. All I could see were the cold,impersonal concrete masses towering darklyabove me. How could anyone resist such arelentless, oppressive force; how could anyperson escape the regularity of the unyielding,immovable wave of concrete? As I stepped outblinking into the light, I felt I understood a bitmore of the terror and the helplessness of thepeople who were trampled by the Nazi regime.

The East Berlin of twenty years ago is barelyperceptible underneath the vibrant andthrusting place it is now. The few remnants thatremain are incongruous relics of anembarrassing time in East Berlin’s history: atoken section of the double wall that dividedthe city showed us the daunting reality of afloodlit no man’s land, certain death to thosewho sought to cross; faded crosses are carvedinto the stone by the river bank tocommemorate the deaths of people who had,mostly unknown, tried to swim to freedom inWest Berlin; a few apartments remainunchanged since the fall of the wall, displayingthe scant living conditions of communist EastBerlin. It was, however, the account of a manwho was born in East Berlin that gave us aperspective of what it was really like to liveunder communist rule. X’s story was that as hehad been brought up under the regime, he didnot truly know how different life was, just onthe other side of the wall. He had no interest inpolitics because his parents had no interest: itwas dangerous to be involved in any politicsother than those of the Communist party.

Berlin is now an energetic, thriving, unified city.Its magnificent museums, of which there arealmost too many to count, are testament toGermany’s willingness to move on in the worldwithout forgetting the past. East Berlin inparticular is now the place to be, with art andculture flourishing among the modern andregenerated buildings. In Gabriel’s apartmentblock was a private club, in which we werelucky enough to get a private performancefrom Miss Kenichi, an up-and-coming andtalented German singer. It was an incrediblemodern East Berlin experience.

We all wanted more of Berlin, but we left with thesatisfying knowledge that Hitler’s beloved ReichChancellery has been knocked down in favour ofa greasy Chinese restaurant to help us throughthe twelve-hour train journey to Gdańsk.

Gdansk

Gdansk is an impressive Polish port city on theBaltic Sea, which has suffered much abusefrom armies sweeping through Poland on theirway to conquer Europe. Its history isparticularly intriguing because its rule haschanged so many times during its history.Again, we stayed right in the centre of the city,which prompted many excursions into theexquisite ‘Amsterdam-esque’ streets andreminded me so painfully of my cherishedDutch roots. And, much like Amsterdam,Gdansk has a rich history as a successfultrading port, although its prosperity declined inthe 18th century when change of rule andcompetition further west marked the end of theglory days of a city with coffers overflowingfrom the profits of wealthy merchants. Today,however, Gdansk is an important Polish portand city, of which the beautifully reconstructedtown centre is evidence.

We learned about Gdansk’s pivotal role in theSecond World War: indeed, the war started withthe bombardment of Westerplatte (in Gdansk).On 1 September 1939, the Polish post officewas the scene of a great battle betweenGerman soldiers and Polish paramilitary troops.We heard an inspiring lecture from a Polishwoman, who proudly proclaimed herself to be aGdansker, about the battle and how it cameabout, as Gdansk was at the time a free city,not part of Poland. What I noticed throughoutour stay in Poland is that its people areimmensely proud of their country’s history. Wevisited Stutthoff, the first Nazi concentrationcamp outside Germany, and the man whoguided us through the camp was a prisonerhimself during the war (although in a differentcamp). He gave us an emotional andimpassioned view of the suffering that realpeople felt while imprisoned.

Our final topical theme in Poland was the anti-Soviet ‘Solidarnosc’ (Solidarity) movement andits charismatic leader Lech Walesa. It was herein Gdansk that Solidarnosc starteddemonstrations against communist rule thatspread to the rest of Europe. The movementwas an important trigger for the fall of analready crumbling regime. Lech Walesa himselfended up the Polish Prime Minister, and wevisited the very place where his fame started –the Gdansk shipyard.

In the few days we spent there, it was clear thatGdansk has been a city of huge significance, forPoland and for the whole region.

Ben Oppedijk L6


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Skylark 2010 Trips

Stuttgart Exchange

This was the eleventhtime that HABS had takena group of young Germanenthusiasts to Stuttgartand it was without doubtone of the mostenjoyable.

Admittedly, the mornings werealways a challenge. 6:30amhurts no matter what countryyou are in. The fun filledscheduled days always madeup for the bruising start to it.We were given a taste of what German schoolwas like and then headed into the city. We did acountless number of things in Stuttgart fromtouring the local parliament to shopping. Butspending time with our partners was neverboring, finding common ground was easy and wenever fell short on things to talk about. Learningabout German culture was very interesting.

After spending our first day in school andnoticing many contrasts between ourrespective education systems, we were giventhe opportunity to explore the area around thecity. For many, the highlight of the entireexchange was a trip to Aquatoll swimmingcomplex where we enjoyed zooming down thechutes at high speeds. That was followed byshopping in Heidelberg and a tour of the castle.Our tour of the Ritter Sport chocolate factorywas also a favourite for many. After hearing a

short history about chocolate production, weput on aprons and proceeded to make our ownchocolate bar including the paper wrapping! Ofcourse, there was plenty of time for us to stockup on some chocolate for ourselves and ourfamilies. Later that afternoon, we visited theworld famous Wilhelma zoo.

Other excursions included a warm welcome atthe ‘Rathaus’ where we watched a video aboutStuttgart and then were given a detailed guidedtour of the city, a visit to the ‘Landtag’ wherewe learnt about the German political system,and a trip to a local bakery where we had theopportunity to make our own pretzels. Thesporting afternoon was as successful as everwith all students taking part in a wide variety ofsports, but despite our best efforts, the Germanfootballers triumphed on this occasion.

The Stuttgart exchange was without a doubtthe most fun I have ever had on a HABS Trip.

Going to a foreign country to live with strangerswho don’t speak your language is a lot morefun than one would think. We were all nervousat the start but each other’s company alwayshelped. The fact that I was stopped by airportsecurity for having scissors in my bag didn’thelp, but that’s just one of the countlessexperiences I gained on this trip to look backand laugh about. We got to experience thisamazing opportunity with our best friends andwe made many more when we were there,even German ones. There was a noticeableimprovement in everyone’s German on ourreturn. From the German enthusiasts to themore laid back linguists, everyone excelled intheir German.

Unfortunately for us, a Volcano decided torelease hundreds of years of ash and,therefore, block the view for aeroplanes. Thismeant a 16 HOUR DRIVE BACK TO ENGLAND!!!At first it sounded horrible but now I can seethat there was no better way to round off thisamazing trip then to spend 16 hours with yourfriends on the back of a coach.

Overall, the whole trip was a resoundingsuccess and we are all looking forward towelcoming our partners to England thissummer. However, all this would not have beenpossible were it not for Mr Donaghey, FrauTebb, and Herr Metzger who put in a hugeamount of effort into organising the whole trip.

Year 9 Germanists

Year 8 Trip to Barcelona

In the first week of the October half term, 30excited boys set off to view the many wonders ofBarcelona.We left cold and miserable Heathrowand found ourselves lapping up the joyful air ofBarcelona two hours later. Having dumped ourbags in the hotel, we went on a short walk aroundthe Calella before settling down for the night inpreparation for the week ahead. The followingmorning sparked off a Gaudi themed day,visiting the amazing cathedral designed byGaudi, the Sagrada Familia. This was followedby a trip to another Gaudi building, the CasaBatlló. But the best part of the day wasdefinitely going to the Chocolate Museum,where we even got a taster at the end! Thatnight we went to the Bolera and MissMckenzie’s team won. Everyone was veryexcited on the third day on the way to PortAventura.We refused to let the rains top usfrom enjoying the rollercoasters, Dragon Khanand Furius Baco. That night we went to aperformance of traditional Flamenco Dancing.The penultimate day saw us touring thefamous street La Ramblas and the marketBoquería.We then went to the Camp Nou andwalked around the stadium. In the evening wereturned to the hotel for a traditional Paelladinner, before finishing off the evening with afun-filled quiz on the whole trip and what we

had seen. On the final day we went to the townof Gerona and were given a tour of the town.After Girona we went to the airport and made ourway back to London. The HABS coach arrivedback at school full of tired boys with happy faces;it’s a trip we will ever forget.

Jack Ottman and Nat Myers Year 8


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Skylark 2010 Trips

Russia trip – November 2009

Great enthusiasm was shown by Habs’Russian students when half of all boysstudying the language signed up forOctober’s trip to Moscow and St.Petersburg. That made three of us.

Having been learning Russian for just over ayear in Hertfordshire isolation, we were keen topractise our new skills face-to-face with living,breathing Russian citizens – who seemed asformidable as the language itself. We thereforeboarded an early flight with a mixture ofexcitement and mild apprehension, but thiswas dissipated upon landing: even beforesetting foot on Russian soil, we were struck bytheir love of bureaucracy. Having been told toremain in our seats and allow Russian healthofficials to “record your body temperatures”,looks of ridicule and perverse horror wereexchanged, before the captain announced,

“Ladies and gentlemen, you may nowdisembark. I’m sorry about the delay; there areno health officials present.” Ah, Russia!Minutes into our week-long trip, we hadalready experienced the long, ineffectual andperhaps dislocated arm of the law.

We then spent three days in the capital, seeingthe sights and sampling Russian cuisine everylunch and dinner (highlights included chocolatepancakes with cheese and fried curds withsour cream), then experiencing the abundantcultural events on offer, such as folk concerts,opera and the cinema in the evenings. At first,we were all amazed by the huge differencesbetween East and West: we stared at the hugebuildings, wide roads, wires strung haphazardlybetween lampposts, the policemen with wide-brimmed hats who watched over every streetcorner; we talked with surprise about the straydogs that trotted about this bustling city, thedirty cars with blacked-out windows travellingeverywhere at break-neck speed, the gold-domed old churches that seemed to peer outof the most surprising alleyways, not tomention the cultural differences that seemedevident in people’s outward behaviour. We thenbegan to realise just how lucky we were to beon a school trip to such a distant and differentplace, accompanied by a teacher who hadthankfully spent years here in his younger days

and thus, somehow, managed to make us feelright at home.

Highlights of our time in Moscow had toinclude a visit to Red Square, that most famousyet rarely-visited destination, around which arethe Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’sMausoleum and other major landmarks, allcondensed into one incredible space. A plaquejust outside the square purports to be the verycentre of Russia, ignoring Moscow’s location,and naïve tourists chuck coins over theirshoulders for luck – only to have themsnapped up by ‘resourceful’ old men andwomen. We bought our obligatory Russian hatshere, too, all 10 of them between us. Rufushad an interesting experience that may haveinvolved him ferociously donning his imposinghat, somebody being frightened leaving a toilet,mistaken identity and Mr. Thackrey, but whathappens in Russia stays in Russia.

There followed an entire day on the train inorder to get to St. Petersburg for our last threedays. The train journey was an eye-opener,seeing not just the countryside, with its browngrass and endless birch trees, but also the run-down villages in between. On arrival in St.Petersburg, we saw immediately that it wasmuch more westernised: coffee shops wereinstalled amongst grand Baroque buildings, andeveryone and everything appeared much moretourist-friendly. We took a walking tour aroundthe city, and visited the beautiful cathedralsand palaces that we had read about in Historylessons. Our stay there was great fun, anddoubly interesting because we now had twocities to compare. Landmarks such as theBronze Horseman and the Peter and PaulFortress were stunning, and a great way tofinish our experience of a week in Russia.

Many, many thanks must go to Mr. Thackreyfor being a ground-breaker and taking threeboys out to a very different country on his own,and for organising such a wonderful trip. Wethoroughly enjoyed ourselves on a school tripthat would have surpassed most holidays, andleft confident that we would all returnsometime soon…

Luke Ilott Year 11

Agincourt On 2 July 2010, the History Departmenttook 48 excited and noisy Y7 boys toFrance to see the sites of the battles ofAgincourt and Crecy, the UndergroundCity at Naours and the magnificent 15thcentury chateau at Rambures. This was awonderful way for the boys to celebratethe end of their first year in the school,complementing the Hastings trip withwhich they began the year back inSeptember. They learnt about someinteresting history, they had lots of fun,they ate well, they ate badly, they did notannoy any French people, and they tiredout their teachers.

Matty Desmond Yr 7


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Skylark 2010 Trips

Alpe D’Huez Senior School Ski Trip

2010 marked Mr. Simm and Mr.Thackrey’s baptism of fire as they tookcharge of the Ski Trip for the first time.They were ably supported by Mr. Dathan,Mr. Hardman, Mr. Keenleyside and Mr.Marx. The result was magical.

The adventure began on Sunday 14th ofFebruary at 03:30 am in the school coachpark. Even amongst the heavily bagged eyesand grumbling bed-heads, smiles ofanticipation were universal amongst the 56boys from year 9-12 who were about toexperience a week they will never forget.

With the exception of a hair-raising two and ahalf hour transfer, which included 21 hairpinmountain bends, our arrival at the hotel andthe swift equipment hire saw us settled in tobed early on the first night. Whether throughdreams or excited sleepless nights, everyone’smind was focused on theslopes that night.

The first day’s skiing gave rise to gloriousskies and flawless pistes. It was the firsttime of many that Mr. Simm would suggestthat the group “remember to put on plenty ofsun cream”. It was a case of the pot callingthe kettle ‘red’ as Mr. Simm emerged atbreakfast halfway through the trip with amore than healthy glow about him. Manyaching bodies could be seen enjoying thepool and table football on the ‘Games Night’,

most notably a year 12 individual who hadtaken it upon himself to demonstrate the art ofhuman piste bashing the whole way down ared run.

Day two commenced with the remnants of thegood weather. The ski lesson groups werefinalised and the instructors were introduced totheir groups of able men. This proved to bebizarre for some instructors because SachinHoyle (L6J2), Ben Dathan (L6J2), Gideon Caplin(L6J2) and Robert Marx (L6M2 ) decided todress up as ‘A Red Man’, James Bond, SantaClaus and ‘V’ of ‘V for Vendetta’ respectively.

The elements closed in on the mornings ofdays three and four, although the afternoonsstill provided stunning conditions andmagnificent photo opportunities. As thestudents found their feet on the snow, rumoursof great feats and greater embarrassmentsstarted to spread. These were confirmed onboth evenings when Duncan Grindall (L6S1)was awarded a tour t-shirt for successfullylanding a 360 spin on skis and Max Sinclair(11R2) received a mention for breaking a draglift and for incensing a local slalom coach!

The penultimate day was conquered by theweather. The poor visibility and heavy snow ledto the only ‘lie-in’ of the trip as a group of L6thand two teachers chose not to brave themountain. The excuse for this lay somewherebetween the adverse weather and the eventfulnight beforehand. After lessons, whichconsisted of skiing or snowboarding at a snailspace for fear of getting lost, the group retireden masse. In true HABS style, Mr. Marx calledto order a maths workshop that afternoon.

The final day was approached tentatively asnobody wanted to mar an injury free week by

finishing with a bang ona hazy day. Luckily,despite the unthinkablenumber of falls by the socalled “expert” ski groupon the resort’s famous

and fearsome ‘Le Tunnel’ run, the groupcame in off the slopes after anenjoyable but saddening last day’sskiing unharmed.

Dinner consisted of a rich mushroom andcream sauce on toast to start, succulent roastpork or nut roast for main course and delicatemille-feuille to finish. After dinner, it was timefor the much awaited prize giving.

Mr. Simm addressed the group for the finaltime, awarding the following boys for theirbehaviour and achievements on the trip.

Best novice skier:Josh Morris 11S1

Best novice snowboarder:Jonathan Munger 10S1

Most improved skier:Ben Dathan L6J2

Most improved snowboarder:Andrew Popov 10J2

Men of the tour:James Colenutt 11M1 and Anto Meyer L6H1

Best snowboarder:Guthrie Hill 10J2

Ski King (Best skier):Dominic Edwards L6M2

The lower sixth followed with an impromptuprize giving of their own. Mr. Keenleyside wasawarded some racing wax for being “speedsterof the trip”. Mr. Marx was given an alarm clockfor having fallen asleep on a gondola andsupposedly riding it round three times beforewaking up. Mr. Hardman was presented with awhistle for being “most likely to get lost”. Mr.Dathan was given strepsils for “longest speechmaker”. Mr. Thackrey received a shot glass anda miniature bottle of the local spirit for reasonsunknown. Mr. Simm was gifted some factor 50+sun cream for reasons made evident by the tripphotos. Finally Mr. Thackrey and Mr. Simm wereheralded with champagne and applause allround for organising a truly epic trip.

The trip finished as it had begun with breakfastat 05:45 am. The group departed much as ithad arrived; tired, grumpy but uninjured. AlpeD’Huez will never forget HABS, we will neverforget Alpe D’Huez.

Anthony Meyer L6


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Skylark 2010 Trips

Art Trip to Tate Modern andRoyal Academy of Arts

Back in the spring term of 2010, a groupof about 50 GCSE and A Level Art studentstravelled to the Royal Academy of Arts.The trip was made especially to see thesensational Van Gogh exhibition whichwas only around from 23 January - 18April 2010. It was the first major VanGogh exhibition in London for over 40years and was therefore a must seeevent. The exhibition displayed over 35original letters, rarely exhibited to the

public due to their fragility, together witharound 65 paintings and 30 drawings bythe man himself.

We spent the visit walking through the galleriesadmiring the numerous works of art.Unfortunately, we were not allowed tophotograph any of the exhibitions and had torely on our sketching skills, or postcards, toacquire any copies of particular pieces thatmay have caught our interest, although themajority opted for the latter.

The trip, however, was not yet over and after awalk along the south bank of the Thames in

the beautiful spring weather we visited the TateModern. As stated in the name Tate Modern isthe national gallery of international modern art.Here we each went off on our own or in groupsto explore the different exhibitions on eachfloor of the museum, finding pieces that wouldrelate to coursework or exam themes we wereworking on at the time.

Overall the trip proved to be very useful as thevariety of art we saw had something to suiteeveryone, and coupled with the lovely weather,it was an enjoyable day out for all.

Nihull Shah Year 11

Year 10/ L6 Art trip to HenryMoore Foundation

Earlier this year Art students from years 8to Lower 6th took a minibus and MrKeenlyside's Car to the Henry MooreFoundation, in the far North ofHertfordshire, far from where many of the

students had been before. We exploredthe sculptural and humanistic aspects ofHenry Moore’s work.

All students produced some very successfulsketches in their art books as well as usefulcomments on the methods of creation forMoore’s work and his influences given to usduring a tour of the site by Mr. K. The boys

used the trip to try to influence or generateideas for the coming year's art work. Afterbeing charged overpriced amounts at theHenry Moore foundation gift shop we belteddown the motorway and just managed to catchthe school coach by a few minutes.

Andrew Jones L6


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Skylark 2010 Trips

Vienna Art Trip

For the previous five years I had travelledwith the Art department on the annual arttrip in the October half-term. Naturally itmade sense to go six-for-six and join Mr.Keenleyside, Mr. Todhunter and Mrs.Herbert once more on the 2009 Art Trip toVienna. And so, as the eldest (non-staffmember) of the group, I embarked on myfinal art trip of my life at HABS.

Our first port of call was the KunsthistorischesMuseum (the Museum of Fine Arts), the restingplace of the Hasburgs’ imperial fine artscollection. However, despite the large statue ofTheseus Clubbing the Centaur atop the centralstaircase, I must admit that it was what wasoutside the museum that interested me most; Ispent more time drawing the fountains directlyoutside the museum than I did the artefacts andpaintings within it. From here we travelled downto the Vienna Secession, a building nicknamedby contemporaries as the “golden cabbage” inaffection for its foliated dome. While its upperlevels were home to kiosks playing short filmsof varying abstraction (one of which did actuallysend me to sleep), in its basement lay thewonderful Beethoven Frieze, a long muralpainted by Gustav Klimt that eventually servedas inspiration to some of my artwork in myUpper Sixth year.

Our second day in Vienna began with a trip tothe Leopold Museum, a building which housesone of the largest collections of modern art inAustria, and the world’s largest collection ofwork by Egon Schiele. At the time there was aspecial exhibition on the work of EdwardMunch, although, regrettably, my fixation withdrawing Schiele’s death-mask meant that Iended up seeing little of it (nor that of themuseum’s wider, permanent collection). Wethen moved to another building in theMuseumsquartier (a particularly famous culturalarea in Vienna), the Museum of Modern Art,where the students were split into two differentgroups, each receiving a tour of a part of themuseum’s collection. In the evening we visitedthe Prater amusement park, home to theWiener Riesenrad, a Ferris wheel that famouslyappeared in the films The Third Man and theJames Bond film The Living Daylights.

The following day we visited theKunstHausWien, a museum designed by (anddedicated to) the artist FriedensreichHundertwasser, an artist on whom my opinion isdivided. On the one hand, it is necessary torecognise Hundertwasser as the impressivegraphic designer that he was, if the breadth ofhis work alone is not to be appreciated.(Hundertwasser’s work was not limited to printsand architecture, but also included flags, licenseplates and clothing.) However, as someone whoenjoys design most when it works within itslimitations (as opposed to without them), theultimately idealistic and entirely impracticaldesigns of some of Hundertwasser’s grander

ideas (such as his designs for an entire village)did not appeal to me, and at times I felt thatHundertwasser’s bold aesthetic sensibilitieswere more than a little off-putting. An eveningvisit to the Haus der Musik, a museumdedicated (as the name implies) to music andsound, was especially enjoyable when TomHaniff started playing the theme song to thefilm Spirited Away on an open piano in themuseum foyer.

We started our third day with a visit to theAlbertina, a museum home to one of the largestprint collections in the world. Sadly my exposureto such a collection was limited once morewhen I again became fixated on drawing a largestatue of Athena at the museum’s entrance,after I had been prevented from drawing someother Romanesque statues in a smaller side-room. We had a much quieter evening thanpreviously, although a quiz on the things we haddone on the trip may have allowed for havesome overly dodgy marking when it called forthe students to check their own answers. Onthe last day we made one last trip out to theSchönbrunn Palace, a former imperial summerresidence with a suitably impressive garden,boasting any number of fountains and statues,as well as the world’s oldest zoo.

Not only was the art trip to Vienna thoroughlyenjoyable in its own right, I am without doubtthat it was a suitable end to six years of travelswith the Art department.

Gregory Steckelmacher U6


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Skylark 2010 Trips

Rhodes Debating 2010

Let’s be honest here: Rhodes was an oddchoice for a debating boot camp; adebating boot camp was an odd choice fora school trip to Rhodes. Perhaps it wasthis oddness that resulted in a marriagemade in heaven.

For once, a school trip started without having towake up at 2 in the morning and we all seemedfresh and ready for the minibus trip to Gatwick.We readied our debating skills with some almostpointless arguments, a theme which continuedthroughout the trip. Rahim Velji getting stoppedand searched at security, despite not setting offthe metal detector, provided the first comicmoment of the trip. That was quickly followed bythe revelation that Max Sinclair managed to gethimself thrown out of a BA lounge. The trip wasto be littered with these funny, if slightly ‘had tobe there’ moments.

You would have thought that, with it being about12 when we arrived at the villa and apartmentsthat were to be our homes for the week, itwould have been straight to bed, with a bedtimestory if we were lucky. However, this was Dr.Craig’s trip, which actually meant rooting outsome swimming trunks and going for a swim inhis pool at 12.30 in the morning - 'banter’!

It was pretty clear that this would be noordinary school trip.

After enjoying the wide selection of juices,cereals and bread available for breakfast, wesettled into our first debate of the week. Thesewere to be debates riddled with humour andMax Sinclair’s slip of the tongues. He startedwith perhaps the best comment of the week: ina point of information in the debate 'THW BanZoos, he said, completely seriously, “Do yourealise that most animals born in zoos areactually born in zoos?”

Lunch then followed, with Max again the centreof attention by making, or at least trying tomake, a sandwich that included as manyingredients as you could possibly find in aGreek supermarket. Needless to say Mrs.Gleeson promptly stopped him in his tracks.The beach followed lunch, with all enjoying thechance to unwind in the 35° sun and splash inthe sea. Others got a bit too interested in the‘topless population’ of the beach; Jack Lewycommenting that "It is easy to confuse themwith fat men…"

The rest of the week followed suit: we had two‘banter-filled' debates each day, a seminar ona topic such as economics in debating, went totavernas for lunch, and we also went to thebeach or to a nearby town. Trips to Lindos andRhodes Town were both extremely enjoyable;with certain boys grasping the true idea of atrip abroad by buying 'genuine' designerclothes and belts for around €5.

The trip was truly superb, filled with exactly thecorrect amount of debating and other activities,which altogether made for a brilliantatmosphere and a really good learningexperience. Best moments included pickingfresh figs off a tree in one of the tavernas wewent to for lunch, and the meditation sessionlead by Mrs. Gleeson, which was supposed torelax us and get us in the right frame-of-mindfor winning arguments (or debates as we aresupposed to call them).

Chet Sharma decided that, in order to exposegay politicians, we should check to see if theirluggage is 'gay', before proclaiming that hewished to see gay and 'normal' people holdinghands. Niloy was determined not to beoutdone, and in the debate 'THW Have Nativemanagers for National Teams', he said withutmost confidence, “England's not a country,it's a nation. We live in the country of Great

Britain”. To name but a few, we debated topicssuch as whether or not life should mean life forconvicted murders; whether we shouldabandon the war on terror; whether we shouldchemically castrate sex offenders; whether weshould ban the consumption of alcohol;whether we should abolish limits onimmigration globally; and whether we shouldabolish patents.

Congratulations go to Daniel Lande, RaphaelLevy, Ameya Tripathi and Alex Harrison forfinishing in the top eight on the speaker tab,whilst special congratulations must go toDaniel Gold, Jacob Rabinowitz, Arnie Birss andChristopher Howarth, for coming fourth, third,second and first on the speaker tabrespectively. The top four truly deserved theirpositions, with only 0.3% of a speaker pointbetween Chris and Arnie.

Finally we must thank the staff on the trip: Dr.Craig, Mrs. Gleeson, Mr. McKane and Ben Lewy.They all provided excellent judging, feedbackand tips for improvement, as well as ferrying usabout in the minibuses. More specifically, Dr.Craig must be thanked for organising the tripand allowing us the use of his beautiful villa;Mrs. Gleeson must be commended and thankedfor her superb cooking throughout the week;Mr. McKane must be thanked for organising theteams and their positions for each debate, aswell as producing the speaker tab; and BenLewy must be thanked for his interesting anduseful seminars.

Raph Levy L6Robert Harris Year11


Athletics Trip to Club La Santa,Lanzarote

This Easter holiday, as every year, the topupcoming and developed HABS athletesfrom all ages across the school, travel toClub La Santa for warm weather athleticstraining in preparation for the followingseason. Club La Santa is a world-renowned Sports resort that hasaccommodated distinguished sportsmensuch as Jensen Button and Hugo Cliff. Theschool travel and train throughout theweek with a ‘sister’ school PrincessHelena College, Hitchin, as a cunning ployby the staff to get those more lazy athletesto train hard hard in order to impress. Thisyear had been extra special as our stayhad been extended for another week as aresult of the volcano explosion in Iceland.

Each day we would be training alongside someWorld class athletes, many from the nationalteams from Eastern European Countries (thePolish and Czech Republic athletics squad werethere this time round). However the astonishmentwas a two-way street with our own athletes suchas Efe Uwaifo, the England Schools 100mChampion astounding the Eastern Europeans.The mornings were technical sessions workingon the various different field events, while theevenings were devoted to speed, fitness andagility, working with harnesses, sand bags, mini-hurdles and parachutes. However, this was onlypart of the constructed timetable.

In addition to the athletics, the boys had theopportunity to take part in a wide range ofdifferent sports and activities. Mountain Bikerides across volcanic ash, followed by a swim inthe refreshing Atlantic Ocean. 5-a-side Footballtournaments, Beach volleyball and a divingcompetition, Padel Tennis, Snorkelling, Kayakingand canoeing in the lagoon. Of course therewere the opportunities to compete in eventssuch as triathlons, duathlons and aquathons for

those extra keen athletes, myself included.However, after a hard session, one requiressome time to sit back and relax and on offerwere a range of trips outside the complex toplaces of interest elsewhere on the island ofLanzarote. (Fire Mountain, The UndergroundCaves, The Sunday Market, A Golf day and avisit to the Cesar Manrique gallery, thecelebrated Spanish Surrealist who livedin Lanzarote.

That was just the day, and in Lanzarote, the daydoesn’t just end when the sun goes down! Eachnight there would be various activities such aspool competitions, although none were able tomatch the pool prowess of the sixth form pair ofmyself and Head Boy Anthony Meyer. Therewere also disco’s and shows on in the mainsquare, but the most popular activity in theevenings, as you would expect, was sleeping

The final day is always taken up by the interschool Pentathlon Event. It starts at 10.00amand finishes at 5.00pm. Each team is made upof 10 students from the two schools (PrincessHelena College from Hitchin). The scoringsystem is based on the ESAA scoring table, so

that all the team members are involved. Medalsand prizes are awarded to the winning teamand to the best individual in each age group.The winning team this year called themselves‘Big Al’ and included the following boys fromthe Junior school: Karan Basu, Sam Gottlieb,Marcus Rapacioli and Ben Jones (The winnersof the individual events were Max Marmor –Year 7 (2nd Liam Baines, 3rd Ed Mort), SamRodgers – Year 8 (2nd Jack Green, 3rd JakeKrias), Josh Pauk – Year 9 (2nd HenrykHadass, 3rd James Hart) and Efe Uwaifo –Year 10 who also won the Victor Ladorum (2ndArshia Hasemi, 3rd Hugo Cliff)). The athletesreally do enjoy the day and gain a great dealfrom the occasion.

The second week ran smoothly with acontinuation of the training sessions as well asfurther activities run by the staff such ascanoeing and kayaking. A huge thank you mustgo to the accompanying staffs that were ableto make the week pass and deal with theunexpected circumstances which made theholiday that much more enjoyable.

Sachin Hoyle L6

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Skylark 2010 Trips


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Skylark 2010 Trips

Biology Field trip to NettlecombeCourt, Exmoor

July 2010 saw the start of the biology A2course for us post examiners. Us keenbiologists were ready to put on our‘wellies’ and trudge through the mud toput our investigative skills to the test. Wewere hoping to impress the teachers morethan the previous year and improve ontheir feeble results!

The early morning set off was accompanied bygroans from a coach of around 20 L6biologists. It was as if we had never seen thesun rise. The journey was long and boring onlyto be greeted with a huge estate surrounded byacres of grass. We arrived, dumped our bags inour rooms, and straight away we were put towork. Work in the evening was something wehad never experienced, and will hope never to

do again especially when learning aboutfreshwater shrimp and yarrow grass.

Day two presented us with a chance to carryout some investigative work, and by the endof the day we had to have come up with ourown projects. Lunch was followed by planningour individual investigation and carrying outpilot studies to come up with suitablehypotheses. Although the hay fever really wasstarting to kick in – dosing up on thosetablets was truly necessary.

Our investigations had to be carried out on day3, which happened to be the same day as theWimbledon final, a sad misfortune.Investigations ranged from “the effect mowinghas on species diversity” to “the effect thespeed of a river has on the shrimp diversity.”Although we wanted to watch the tennis, ourinvestigations were more important and wewere all hoping for spectacular results, whichsome of us got, and the others – not so much.Soil samples and moisture contents werecalculated only to be followed by morecalculations, yes our old friend Simpson andhis diversity index.

The number crunching was worth it for someof us who managed to get fantastic results, butfor others, not quite what they expected. All inall, it was an enjoyable weekend full of mindstimulating activities to keep us on our feet.

Nikesh Arya L6

Year 8 visit the Black CountryLiving Museum

154 Year 8 boys visited the BlackCountry Living Museum in Dudley astheir Field Day Trip.

The boys enjoyed visiting the historicbuildings that have been moved to andauthentically rebuilt at the Museum, as atribute to the traditional skills andenterprise of the people who lived in theheart of Victorian industrial Britain. Theboys were transported back in time as theywent down a mine and saw theconstruction of a chain by a traditionalblacksmith in a canal-side village. Year 8benefited from seeing working craftsmen inaction and local guides kept the boysentertained with their knowledge andunique Black Country humor.

R Sloan

Upper 6th trip to Madrid October

After three successful Upper 6th trips toprovincial Spanish cities, Mr Bardou decidedthat it was time to introduce theextraordinary delights of Spain’s capital toHABS hispanists. The students stayed in acentral hotel under their teacher’s closescrutiny but were treated to some terrificfood in Madrid’s best restaurants and hadthe opportunity to sample the city’s nightlife.

The trip’s main aim, however, was for thestudents to get to grips with one of Europe’smajor cultural centres and the excursions weregeared towards this. We encountered

Velazquez, Goya and El Greco at the Prado, andPicasso, Dali and Miro at the Reina Sofia. Wealso toured Old Madrid, Bourbon (Royal) Madridand the playwright, Lope de Vega’s house.

A day trip to Toledo gave us an insight into thehistory of religion in Spain and visits to theBernabeu, a Flamenco ‘tablao’, the bullring, thecinema and the theatre allowed the students tosample Spanish popular culture at its best.

The students certainly seized every opportunityto speak Spanish and returned home with a truesense of what Madrid is all about and how it fitsin to their understanding of the Hispanic world.

M Bardou


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Skylark 2010 Trips

Düsseldorf Work Experienceexchange visit - 9th to 20th April

On Friday 9th of April, seven buddinglinguists arrived at Düsseldorf airport tocommence the annual work experienceexchange. Under specific orders from MrDonaghey to only speak German, we wereintroduced to our families and were thendriven back to our respective houses.

Prior to the placements, the group was givenextensive guided tours of the historic cities Köln(Cologne), Bonn and Düsseldorf. There we sawiconic German landmarks including the ‘Hausder Geschichte’ in Bonn, and ‘HohenzollernBrücke’, a famous attraction for newlyweds.

The work placements themselves were aresounding success. The students worked insome of the finest German firms ranging from

the notorious Deutsche Bank to a horse cliniclocated just outside the city. Working for suchtop German companies meant that not only dideveryone significantly improve their lingualability, but we also gained insightful knowledgeabout pursuing careers outside the UK.

Outside the world of work, thestudents engaged fully in allaspects of German everydaylife. Not only did we visit theirschool Mataré Gymnasium butall students socialised andenjoyed the rich local culture.

Overall the exchange was awonderful experience for allthose who took part, anddespite a certain unexpectedvolcanic eruption, all studentsarrived safely home after afantastic two weeks.

Many thanks must be given to Herr Hüttermanand Mr Donaghey for arranging such highquality work placements and for assuring thateveryone had a great time.

Alex Harrison L6

Golf Tour to La Manga

The entourage of 16 golfers led by MrWard, Mr. McIntosh and Mr Maguireassembled on the early hours of themorning eagerly anticipating the fourthannual golf tour to La Manga Resortlocated in Murcia, Spain; a radical moveaway from the tour’s long establishedhome of Vilamoura indeed. Over the nextfour days, the riveting battle for the tourtitle would unfold on the pristine fairwaysof the North, West and South Courses ofthis world renowned resort.

We arrived in Spain to uncharacteristic weather(British grey skies and rain), which we had allbeen yearning to leave behind. The day’s practicewas cancelled; instead we settled for the nextbest option of exploring the fitness centre andswimming pool, and stocking up on any foodsupplies to sustain us through the evening.

The following day, on the North Course, tourjourneyman Ben Cherkas took the early leadscoring a brilliant 38 points considering thelightning fast speed of the greens which at firstcaused problems for much of the group.However, trailing just two points behind wereYash Patel and former tour champion VivekPatni, the latter also winning the nearest thepin prize for the day. Shot of the day honourswent to tour rookie James Soo who hit a crisp6-iron from 155 yards on the final hole to 3feet, setting up an easy birdie which earnedhim a round of applause from the hotelspectators! Late afternoon was spent sortingout ‘kinks’ in our golf swings that were thebasis of our relatively modest start to the weekbut it also gave us an opportunity to don ourfiery red HABS tour apparel.

Round 2 at the West Course, played over moreagreeable weather, perhaps was the source of

inspiration for Yash Patel’s flawless round (42points) enabling him to move into pole positionwith a considerable lead over the rest of thefield, despite the challenge of very trickydoglegs and narrow fairways that the courseprovided. Last year’s runner up AidanKovenklioglu earned the nearest the pin prizeat the 4th hole with a spectacular iron shot tojust 3 feet from the pin and young gunner JoelCitron took shot of the day honours after hissplendid chip-in on the par 5 15th to save par.To put the icing on a highly successful day, theteachers won a bottle of champagne for theirsupreme general knowledge showcased in apop quiz held at the restaurant where we hadour dinner.

The final day, played at the ChampionshipSouth Course (the site of multiple SpanishOpens) kicked off to a very icy start for the twoleading golfers…Furthermore, any optimismfor good weather was quickly disappearingafter the first grey clouds appeared, bringing atorrent of rain and wind that tested even themost proficient of tour golfers. The watertheme of the day continued when many of usconsulted our course maps (helpfully called

‘scoresavers’) to find out that water dominatedthe course layout for 15 holes out of 18.Nonetheless, Patel, favourite for the victory onthe final day, held his steely nerve to shoot yetanother fantastic round, this time 37 points, toseal the deal and win the 2010 title by 16points against runner up Ben Cherkas. Two‘Shot of the day’ prizes were awarded: 2009champion David Fernie for his purely struckiron from a fairway bunker to within 5 feet ofthe hole and young gun Jack Myers.

Further prizes and special mention go to BenCatchpole, who having secured a tour recordon the opening day doubled his points the nextday and on the final day to rightfully deservethe Most Improved Player Award, and BestDressed Golfer went to Aidan Kovenklioglu.

Overall, the tour proved to be an incrediblesuccess, giving many of us the chance toexperience three very beautiful but challengingcourses and forecast the immense talent andpotential of the next generation of HABSgolfers.

James Soo L6


34

Skylark 2010 Trips

Paris International MUN

Eleven members of the Lower Sixth andone baritone Year Eleven recently enjoyedphenomenal success while participatingin the Paris International Model UnitedNations (PASMUN) conference, asimulation of the United Nations, whichran from the 3rd-6th of December, in thegrand headquarters of UNESCO. Thestudents hit Paris with a bang, perched onthe Trocadero with a fantastic view of theEiffel Tower, before receding into a crepefilled slumber in a wobbling and stairstacked hotel.

On Friday, the students engaged in a firstround of tough debate (after some time zonescares and scoffed cereal bars), representingFrance and Belgium within the smartcommittee rooms and magnificent GA ofUNESCO. The delegates argued, listened, voted- and in the case of France, vetoed - a numberof clauses in literally as constructive a manneras possible, on a range of issues fromAfghanistan to the environment.

The first day of debate was capped off by ablistering social evening hosted by the ParisAmerican School at Duplex, followed by a walkwith Parisian historian Mr. Simm, who finelyexplained the details of all manner offascinating things from the limestone that theTour Montparnasse pushed in to theexistentialists that wafted into the Cafe deFlorets in Saint-Germain - while students slidheadfirst down the Champs D’Elysees.

Saturday was a particularly successful day fordelegates: in the Security Council, debatefinished half an hour early due to an allencompassing submission; in Human Rights, astudent resurrected a shouted down clausewhich granted yearned for rights to the peopleof Nigeria; and in EcoSoc, a studentsinglehandedly saved the global economy withonly his index finger.

This spectacularly successful day was cappedoff with a chow mien and rosay with MatareGymnasium, a partner school based inDusseldorf, as well as a wheat based birthdaypresent for resident 17 year old Sachin Hoyle.

Setting aside his exhausting economic efforts,Aadarsh Gautam set the General Assemblyalight on Sunday morning with a cracklingspeech on the issues of global pandemics.

As per the norm, the students kept theirplacards up throughout GA, and even thoughthey were not recognised again they were paidhandsomely in awards, with four distinguisheddelegate awards to: Ameya Tripathi, France,Security Council; Daniel Lehmann, France,

Human Rights; Aneesh Misra, France, SpecialConference on Kyoto; Daniel West, Belgium,Disarmament, as well as three highlycommended awards to Aadarsh Gautam, LukeIlott and Sachin Hoyle.

Some of those who won awards were MUNveterans and should of course becongratulated, but it is highly notable thatsome students who were new to MUN were sosuccessful in such a high quality conference, atestament to both the instruction that has beenpassed down for years and their own particulartalent. If anything, the trip assured the studentsthat even as many monumental figures frompast MUN years depart, astonishinglysuccessful and lively conferences remain verymuch a thing of the future.

We are all hugely grateful to Mr. Simm for theopportunity to attend such an excellentconference, and all the year groups involved inMUN eagerly anticipate upcoming conferencesin The Hague, Bath, Haileybury and of courseHABSMUN 2010.

By Ameya Tripathi L6

Malaysia Cricket Tour

With the October half term break finallyarriving the school’s senior cricketsquad headed out on our much-anticipated tour of Malaysia andSingapore. With 9 games to play in thespace of two weeks, the schedule wasalways going to be a challenge for asquad consisting of 17 boys from theupper school.

The tour got off to a slow start; we foughtvaliantly however only ended up comingsecond to two strong sides in the first twodays. Two loses that we could only put downto the heat, humidity and ‘jet–lag’.

These results, however, made us realize that wewould have to be at the very top of our game toget results and the reality was this was notgoing to be as easy as we had first assumed.

Predicted to be our toughest opposition priorto tour, a goods night sleep left the wholesquad geared up and ready to play theMalaysian Malays U15’s. A real spectacle forall who watched, the game was played underinternational Pro40 Laws in coloured kit usinga white ball. A great team effort in the field

allowed us to bowl out the Malaysfor what was considered to be abelow par score. Nevertheless runswere on the board and theyneeded chasing. Chasing wasexactly what our new captain TomEdrich intended on doing, a quitebrilliant innings, always keeping acalm head throughout, Edrichfinished on 48 not out guidingHABS to our first victory on tour.

With a great team performanceany hints of jet lag and dejection soon faded.As so infamously quoted by a great leader,‘winning became a habit’ and we neverlooked back, managing to secure victories inall of our last seven games, a trueachievement.

Two notable victories contributed to what wasa fine finish to a great tour: The first againstJahore President XI, young NishanthSelvakumar hitting 6 of the last two balls ofthe innings to record an emphatic ton.

The second a floodlight day/night matchagainst the Lord’s Taverners of MalaysiaPresident XI. Although a comfortable victoryfor HABS the whole squad relished a once in

the lifetime experience. Unanimously the mostenjoyable game on tour.

Off the field we had an incredible time. For themajority, staying in the heart of Malaysia allowedus to see some quite amazing sights rangingfrom the great heights of the twin towers rightdown to the Kuala Lumpur local market.

The final stats were: played 9, won 7, lost 2.The whole squad can be proud of what was avery successful tour both on and off the pitch.

The squad can now only look forward inexpectation to South Africa in February.

Athman Sivakumar L6


35

Skylark 2010 Trips

Battlefields Trip

At half past five in the morning 35 boysand 5 teachers boarded the coach todepart on the 2010 History battlefields tripto Arras and Ypres. Despite the finedrizzle that could have dampenedanyone’s spirits and the severe lack ofsleep, everyone was excited for whatpromised to be an interesting trip.

We were certainly not disappointed because,one 6 hour coach journey later, including a fullEnglish breakfast on the ferry, we arrived at thehistoric French town of Arras. During the war,Arras was shelled flat by both German andBritish artillery, however, after the war it wasone of the many towns rebuilt with reparationspaid by Germany. We were let free to eat ourown lunch in the central square overlooked bythe magnificent houses of the old town built inthe traditional Flemish style.

Our next stop was at the Canadian visitorscentre on Vimy Ridge. This section of the frontwas given to the Canadian government afterthe war, as a token of gratitude to theCanadian’s contribution during the war. Thebattle at Vimy was particularly special becauseit was the first time that all 4 Canadiandivisions fought together in France. It was alsoexceptional in the fact that there, a section ofthe Allied trench system was a mere 20 yardsfrom the Germans’. After a look at theunderground light railway tunnel we thenproceeded to the Memorial Hill. This was thefirst time of many, on the trip where we had tocome to terms with the sheer numbers ofthose who died in the war. Around the base ofthe memorial there are 11,285 names ofCanadians who died fighting for the very hill onwhich the memorial stands. Staring at whatseemed endless lists of names silenced eventhe most loquacious amongst us, the scale ofthe list was almost incomprehensible.

We then made the journey to the Frenchcemetery of Notre Dame de Lorette, site of thethree battles of Artios. There we visited thefascinating museum and the renovated trenchsystems complete with typically French, notrestored artillery pieces including the famousGerman ‘Minenwerfer’ howitzer. We thenprogressed to the cemetery which was asobering experience for all, as we walkedslowly around the grounds looking at thegraves and occasionally finding the grave of a16 year old – someone but a year older than

us. A stark reminder that thewar had not just consumedprofessional armies but alsovolunteers and children. Andeven though the mottoengraved on the cathedraldid not justify the loss of lifeit certainly commemoratedthe lives and deaths of the35,000 in the cemetery well,‘considera Israel pro his quimortui sunt super excelsatua vulnerati.’

However, if this was to shockus we were still nowherenear to understanding thescale of what we were facedwith, as our next stop wasthe Menin Gate, in Ypres,Belgium. On the walls areinscribed a list of 54,900men who gave their lives‘pro patria et pro rege.’ Thatevening after checking in atour hotel we attended thememorial service held everyevening at the gate. After theLast Post had been played,Joshua Parikh (9C1) laid theHABS wreath on our behalfto commemorate the 85HABS boys who gave theirlives in the Great War. There was somethingunusual about the atmosphere at the MeninGate; the sense of patriotism there, wasgreater than anything, and more genuine thanat the World Cup.

After a charming evening meal and a goodnight’s sleep we ventured to Tyne Cot cemeterynear Ypres where 11,954 British soldiers lie atrest, the largest British cemetery in the world.The cemetery also commemorates 34,927soldiers who have no known grave. The site ofthe cemetery is on a ridge where the alliespushed out of Ypres in the summer of 1917until they reached Passchendaele village, siteof the battle of Passchendaele. Here wereceived a talk by Dr. Wigley on the role of oldHaberdashers in the war and on by Mr. Simmon the Third Battle of Ypres. Above the gate ofthe cemetery is a plaque dedicated to theAustralian 2nd Division who took the pill-boxesin the cemetery.

From there we visited several museums andcemeteries at Hill 62 and Hooge Crater. Bothwere fascinating with the Hill 62 museum, alsoshowing replica trenches complete withunderground tunnels. At the Hooge crater Mr.Clark, ever alert, suddenly noticed the lack ofa crater. This is because the crater had beenfilled in to make way for a new road laid in the1920’s. Next we briefly visited the Essex Farmcemetery where John McCrae, author of ‘InFlanders’ Field’ worked and now lies. We thenreturned to Ypres in order to visit the ‘InFlanders’ Field’ museum. There we foundmany interesting artefacts from the war as

well as a sign pointing to the ‘BeachvolleyballDouches’, I still have not a clue as to why Dr.St John found it so interesting! After half anhour, of educating ourselves as to howwomen’s ‘Beach Volleyball’ is played, (or morewhat the players looked like) we left Ypres forthe last time.

At 3 O’clock we arrived at Langemarkcemetery. Langemark is just one of fourGerman cemeteries left in Flanders Fields;here lie the bodies of 44,294 German wardead. There is, neither, a big monument to thedead nor a huge wall with the names of thedeceased. In fact 24,000 of the 44,294 lie inone communal grave. Of these 24,000,16,940 have been identified and their namesare inscribed on bronze tablets. At the far endare the ‘students’ graves’ and beyond theseare stone tablets inscribed with the names ofthe regiments that lie in the cemetery. There isno visitors’ centre and no flowers. This visitwoke us all up to the fact that it takes twosides to fight a war and often only the victorschoose to remember.

At quarter past nine on Sunday we arrivedback at HABS tired but happy. The trip certainlybroadened our horizons to what actuallyhappened in the Great War as well asbroadening our understanding. However, thiswould not have been possible without theteachers Mr. Simm, Dr. Wigley, Dr. St John andDr. Sloan who made sure the weekend ransmoothly, also special thanks to Mr. Clark fororganising such an incredible trip.

Julian Dixon Year 10


36

Skylark 2010 Trips

Strasbourg Trip

The first week of the autumn half-termholiday saw the annual Lower Sixthexchange to Strasbourg take place.

Twelve A-Level Francophiles set off for therendez-vous with the Girls’ School contingent,and as afternoon lessons began, the coach setoff for Stansted Airport. One uncomfortableRyanair voyage later, the students were meetingtheir host families, and it was with muchtrepidation that ‘Les Anglais’ stepped into theubiquitous Renaults that were to ferry them totheir homes for the week. But the weekend thatwas spent with the French families, although atfirst intimidating, was, in fact, the subject ofgreat enjoyment by the English guests. Bycommon consent the French were mostwelcoming, and a good balance between lingualimmersion and socialising with other exchangeswas struck, with one evening being set asidefor a bacchanal, involving most of theExchange’s participants. The customary footballmatch also took place, and it was,unfortunately, France who prevailed, withEngland going down nobly by a score of 16-17.

Monday was spent sightseeing in theStrasbourg area. The group, comprising of

twenty-one students and three teachers, wasable to visit, for example, an immense German-built chateau and some of the local vineyards.Although the subsequent wine-tasting wasenjoyed greatly – perhaps too greatly – itseems that the frozen atria and chilly towers ofthe castle are best appreciated, in the on-siterestaurant over a steaming mug of hotchocolate. The view of the surrounding VosgesMountains, though, was stupendous.

The next day was used to explore the city itself.The teachers’ tour took the group to theEuropean Parliament, a modern art museumand much else besides as the group trundledaround the city, by foot, bus, and tram. MrFenn revealed, the admittedly, tenuous link withthe School to be another Haberdashers’ Guild.It was a tiring day, but having to get up thefollowing day to go to school with the Frenchwas not a pleasant prospect. Fortunately,though, Wednesday was not as bad as firstfeared, as French schools are only open untillunchtime then!

Thursday was the final full day in Strasbourg.Once again, the English took the chance tosee some other of the city’s attractions. Thecathedral’s tower was finally open, and fromso high up – a calf-crunching 365 steps –

the cityscape was magnificent. The shoppingmall was also visited, as was the Alsacienmuseum. Predictably, the mall was treatedwith most interest.

The week in Strasbourg ended on Fridaymorning as, at an ungodly hour, the travellerspiled aboard a minibus after some fondfarewells by the river as crepuscular tendrilsinsidiously sabotaged the night. Although itwas nice to return home, every student hadenjoyed the trip immensely, despite beingbested even at table football. Hearty thanksmust be extended towards organiser Mr Fennand his Girls’ School counterparts for anunforgettable week.

Tom Ough L6

Rhineland Music Tour

There was nearly no concert at all on thefirst day. The picturesque hills on thebank of the Rhine are unaccustomed tounwieldy coaches laden with timpani anddouble basses, and it took a friendly if notentirely sober local to direct us throughthe meandering paths of Kaub to thebeautiful St Peter’s Church. It is not aconcert venue used to 18-piece BigBands- that much would have been clearwithout the local child in the back rowwith his fingers in his ears- and the sizeof the surrounding village was reflectedby the empty seats in the audience (wewere playing ‘for ourselves,’ claimedconductor and tour leader Mr Simm).Nonetheless, unperturbed by theambiguous reaction to the overture from‘The Producers,’ the joint forces of the Bigband and Concert Band blasted out in themellow acoustic such favourites as ‘ nightin Tunisia,’ ‘Harlem Nocturne,’ and‘Superman march,’ with typical energy.

It had been a busy day; in the beating sun we’dvisited the region’s theme Park, ‘Phantasialand,’and tomorrow was to bring a Rhine cruise anda free afternoon around the ‘Drossselgasse,’favourite of unscrupulous tourists. For thesecond concert, in the Rudeshiem marketsquare, we took advantage of this passingtrade, playing an expanded concert for thisnewly enlarged crowd. The Big Band expandedits repertoire, playing its newly learned ‘Nutville,’

with its technically demanding soli, with greatprecision and style. It was then the turn of someof the smaller ensembles formed of bandmembers to shine; the Jazz trio of James Rose,Ishwar Mahesh, and Ben Cherkas dazzled withtheir improvisations, and the jazz flute quartetprovided a new timbre and more gentledynamic, before the return of the Concert band,playing other original film scores, including‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ and closing with apowerful if not subtle rendition of its trademark‘The Stripper.’

The final day, before another long coach journeyhome, was filled with a tour of theoverwhelming Marksburg Castle. The Rhinebanks in which we were staying had beencomposed of hundreds of MedievalPrincipalities, and thus we drove past tens ofsimilar castles each day, but the opportunity totour the inside of this restored castle was quiteamazing. The mood swiftly changed, however,for our final performance- the last ever foreleven members of the upper sixth-, on therevolving stage at the Bad Neuenahr SpaGardens. The crowd was deceptively large,

since many were hidden amongst the trees andin any other available shade on this fiercely hotafternoon. In another concert than lasted farlonger than programmed, the variousensembles, including this time a close harmonygroup, performed with the vigour that only afinal concert could bring. The domed outdoorstage provided extra power for the bands, whowere not short of moments of gentle precision,notable in the Big band’s performance of‘Hunting Wabbits,’ in which the interweavingsolos pass between the sections, and in theConcert Band’s ‘007 Theme.’ Not even aprolonged concert could reduce the energy ofthe players, and the last night debrief, in thehotel games room that had provided manyhours of violently competitive ping pong overthe past few days, was an emotional affair. Forthe upper sixth it was their final day with theschool, and a hilarious round up of the trippresented in the form of an originally composedbarbershop performed by the A2 musicians wasa fitting end to a thoroughly successful tour.

Aaron Taylor U6


37

Skylark 2010 Trips

From April 7-13, seven Year 8 HABS boysand ten girls from North LondonCollegiate School spent a week in thetown of Chambéry on an exchange visit toSaint Francois de Sales, a prestigiousschool in the shadow of the Alps.

Participants got up bright and early andtravelled to Stansted, where we got on the 9.30flight to Lyon. After arriving in France we took along coach drive to Chambéry, where we metour partners. During the week Mr. Byrneaccompanied us on many visits the mostinteresting, in my opinion, being the Mer deGlace where we entered the Ice Cave which

was fascinating. At the weekend we participatedin activities such as bowling and quasar withour exchange families. We went home toEngland after a very tiring but rewarding week.

Two weeks later we welcomed the French toEngland where they came to school on thecoach and went on some exciting trips toEngland’s many tourist attractions.

A good time was enjoyed by all on theExchange and I’m sure that everybody woulddefinitely recommend the trip.

Hugh Odone Year 8

Offenburg Exchange

In the summer of 2010 the year 8sembarked on an adventure that wasexciting and exhilarating, while alsoteaching us much German. We woke upearly on July 10th, eager to go toOffenburg and meet our German alteregos. They had come to England earlier inthe year and enjoyed the sights andactivities. We had to go on a 14 hourcoach journey through England, Franceand Germany. You may think this would betiring but it was actually quite fun. We allchatted and got to know each other betterand then, before we knew it, we were inGermany. The weather was hot and sunnywhen we got there, in fact, it was like thatthe whole week. Our German partnerspicked us up and we all parted ways.

On the first day, our German family planned aday for us. This gave us a chance to get toknow the German families and do excitingthings. People went to different cities, roweddown the river Rhine, and went swimming andall sorts of other things. It was also the first daywe got to experience authentic Germancooking. Have you ever had ‘Flammenkuchen*’or ‘Maultaschen’**? It was all very tasty!

Then through the whole week we did a greatrange of activities. We went to a Germanschool which was an enlightening experience.We also had a tour of Offenburg where we sawthe church and the walls of the city. The nextday we went to Triburg where we saw abeautiful enormous waterfall. We also went to acuckoo clock museum which was veryinteresting and bought some souvenirs. OnWednesday we went on the lake in Titisee,

which was crystal clear. We also went up ahuge mountain and climbed to the top of achurch in Freiburg. On Thursday we hadadrenaline rushes in Europapark, there weresome of the fastest, scariest, gigantic rollercoasters in Europe. Finally on Friday we wentdown the old silver mines and looked aroundan open air farm museum, but to finish theweek we went bobsleighing down a steep hilland swimming in a fantastic pool.

We were sad to leave at the end of the weekbut we went home, having improved ourGerman and having had a great time. Tschüss!

*Like pizza with a very thin base

**Packets made of pasta dough containingvegetables or meat

Simon Cobb Year 8

Walton-on-the-Naze

On 22nd June 2010, half of Year 8 wastaken for a day to Walton-on-the-Naze inEssex. On a bright Tuesday morning wearrived promptly at HABS at 9 am for thegruelling 2 ½ hour coach journey. Whenwe reached Walton we were given aclipboard and a notebook crammed fullof exciting activities. We were given thetask of looking at the different shops andsources of income around the town ofWalton which is a similar size to Radlett.The teachers gave us a generous hour toexplore and told us (to our delight) thatwe were allowed to buy items or sweetsfrom the stores around Walton.

Later in the afternoon we left Walton Town fora long winding walk down to the beach. Wediscussed different aspects of weathering anderosion present on the beach where wewould spend an exciting half-hour looking forsharks’ teeth. Only Mr Maguire and one boywere successful. Soon afterwards we useddifferent equipment such as ranging polesand a clinometer to measure the gradient ofthe beach and discussed how weatheringand erosion affected the cliff face anddifferent sides of the beach.

At about 1 pm we relaxed on the beach andate our packed lunches. During the hour wehad, most boys decided to climb the huge cliffface to see the Naze Tower.We filled ourselvesup with savoury cakes and refreshing icecream before trooping back by coach to WaltonTown. Here we were again given the chance tospend our time (and money) by browsing thenumerous shops in town and at Walton Pier.This was a huge tourist attraction with anarcade where we could enjoy ourselves andreflect on a fun and exciting day of learning.

Sajan Rajani Year 8

Chambéry Exchange Trip


38

Skylark 2010 Originals

Originals


39


Charlie Schaffer U6

A Level Art

Dominic Keen

Dominic Keen

Nader Nurmohamed

Nader Nurmohamed

Greg Steckelmacher

Charlie Schaffer



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AS Level Art

Eden Tarn – “HABS art to me is a whirlpool of colour,expression and individuality”

Peter Sienkowski – “HABSArt provides structure to a pastime of mine”

Raphael Torrance - “HABSArt gives mydreams a colossal vitality and therealisation that life can and will tumbleshort of them”

Andrew Jones - “HABSArt is the fluid ofcreation that runs through the veins ofthe school spewing out works of extremevariation reflecting,to me,the varied andwide society in a physical form”

Tom Haniff - “HABS art is what allows meto express my creativity amongst theuniform”


41


Tim Tsung – “HABS art is the unique timewhen a student can free themselves fromcurriculum and express their fullestimagination through creative beauty”

Nabil Freeman - “HABSArt is the embraceand representation of awesome thoughtsand feelings in different,varied ways.”

Nick Constantinou – “HABSArt helps meto express myself in ways which Ican’t do in other subjects,where I canput my ideas into practice”

Jared Ovsiovitz - “HABSArt is a lessonunlike any other.To me art at Habs isdiverse and empowering in the sense thatany idea you have is not right or wrong,but a potential project”

Demetri Gerolemou - “HABSArt is an expression of creativity and ideas,in a form whoseeffectiveness is hard to rival.”


42


Forever Young

Stooping down, Arthur reached out to thewicker basket and cast the penultimate logonto the fire. Golden flames licked out,tentatively at first, as if savouring the flavour.A prod from the tarnished brass poker sentcrimson sparks dancing up the brick chimney.Embers glowed appreciatively and the firecould not hide her joy at being fed. Cracklingwith delight she greedily engulfed the dry bark.

Arthur shuffled wearily across creakingfloorboards to the front room window andmoved a corner of the net curtain to one side.His breath misted up the glass; on the otherside of the pane Jack Frost had left his trademark signature of elaborate ice crystals. Therecent arctic weather front had alreadydeposited a thick blanket of snow thatsmothered his lawn and path making the twoindistinguishable. Bare branches laden withsnow defied gravity. Now the sub zerotemperature of the night added to the scene:the harsh frost that had descended on thispicture post card view sparkled under themuted light from the flickering lamppost. Arthurstood surveying the view and watching the trailof his breath. He filled his lungs with air andthen exhaled heavily making the patch ofcondensation on the glass expand and retract.Unable to resist the temptation, he summonedthe energy to inhale deeply then let out aprolonged breath. Lifting a trembling indexfinger he traced a heart on the window,speared it with an arrow and proudly wrote theinitials A and M in slanting swirly capital letterseach end of the arrow. It was a bit wobbly andnot the sort of writing you saw much nowadaysbut that had been the norm when Arthur hadbeen a child. It had been drilled into him by hisschool master, Mr Kempleton over eighty yearsago. Faced with the cane for inaccurate orsmudged letters, Arthur had been quick tomaster the techniques of calligraphy.

Reflecting on his work Arthur returned to hisrocking chair and the warmth of the fire. Herecalled the first time he had carved those verysame initials and the very same design into thetrunk of the tallest oak tree in the villageseventy years ago. Despite the passage of timethe memory was as vivid as if it had only beenyesterday. Aged almost sixteen he had justreturned from posting a letter for his fatherwhen he saw her sitting by the stream. Herlong brown hair fell softly in curls on hershoulders, her bright blue eyes and thesilhouette of her body that hinted through herblouse in the bright summer sunlight. Hesmiled fondly as he reminisced. Despite beinga year younger than he was, she was the moreconfident of the two and it was she who hadinvited him to share her home made biscuitswith her by the water’s edge. He had noticedher in school. Being a small village schooltypically everyone knew everyone but they hadnever actually conversed; why would they?What would he have had to say to her? She’dnot be interested in football, cricket or fishingand what would his friends have said? Butthat day, at that moment, her smile enchanted,words a little stilted at first soon flowedeffortlessly and the smell of her skin wasintoxicating. That very afternoon he had knowntheir futures were destined to be entwined.That very afternoon, as they walked together inthe sunshine along the grassy bank chattingand laughing, at ease in each other’s company,he knew that he had met his soul mate. In anuncharacteristic expression of romance oncethey had parted company, each to return totheir respective homes, he carved hisdeclaration of love onto the rough tree trunkwith his pen knife. There it stood for all to see,still visible today, if anyone cared to look.

Snuggling under a patchwork quilt Arthurrocked in front of the glowing fire, comfortedby both the extra warmth from the quilt and thenotion that it was his M who had devotedly

sewn each of the multicoloured squares offabric together many moons ago. His slightlybent gold rimmed spectacles misted up and asolitary tear escaped and trickled down hispale wrinkled cheek. Valiantly he reached forhis crisp white handkerchief and wiped it away.Blinking to suppress further tears he swallowedhard and replaced his handkerchief into histrouser pocket. Glancing upwards he blew akiss to a smiling bride in a framed black andwhite photograph that stood in pride of placeon the mantelpiece above the fireplace. Herradiant smile warmed his heart with love andfilled his head with memories. The handsomegroom in the faded photograph shared nothingin common with the wrinkled brow, hollowcheeks and white haired reflection that staredback at him in the mirror these days but thepassion he felt inside burned with the samefervour.

The rhythmic swinging pendulum of thegrandfather clock cast its hypnotic spell andArthur’s heavy eyelids closed. His forgottenbrewing pot of tea sat stewed and now stonecold. In the semi-conscious twilight world ofearly slumber Arthur mused how cruel fate hadbeen to steal her from him so swiftly withoutany warning, just over a year ago. Life nowwas so lonely. An intolerable void circulatedeternally within. The pain of his loss resonatedfrom his core throughout every fragment of hisfrail being. On occasion it momentarilydiminished but it was always present,possessing the power to rear itself at any time.The arrival of sleep brought with it fleetingwelcome distraction. Sleep freed Arthur fromthe constraints of a body slow to react; a bodythat had become plagued with ailments of oldage. A body few came to visit or even botheredto speak to. As he slept softly snoring in thefirelight, he was forever young, forever unitedwith his beloved M.

Daniel Paul Year 11

Luka Noeyinclarama Year 7


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Shadows

Slivers of black mist

Float by my side;

The face of my conscience.

Dark figures plague my mind

Screeching, laughing into the abyss

Inside my head, inside my brain

The murky mist just keeps coming back

Until the midnight chasm closes

And they wait until morning to torment meagain.

Will Missen Year 7

Blackberries

Like flies clasped to a fishing line

Frangible, rigid stalks hold

Violet clusters, oozing

Blood, red and vivid

Autumnal breezes scatter thorns

Peppered onto branches

But, alas!

The vole uncovers

The violet clusters, oozing

Blood, red and vivid

And carries them mile on mile,

Until his aching heart stops beating.

Will Missen Year 7

The love has gone

The world bends,

And snaps.

The skin shivers,

And contracts.

The hair stirs,

And settles.

The eyes moisten,

And close.

The nose twitches,

And relaxes.

The lips dry,

And crack.

The body shakes,

And withers.

The heart stops,

And is silent.

You blink. You blink again.

The love has gone

David Joels L6

Saif Khan GCSE CeramicsPierre Binfoh GCSE

Nader Nurmohamed U6


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Fireworks

Standing alone,

The blackness of the void

Creeps into your heart.

Then, suddenly – boom – crackle – hiss.

Down and out forever.

Light, beautiful light

Floods into your heart.

All is well with the world.

Matthew Huggett Year 7Harry Jacobson Year 7

SHORT STORIES: Chapter 1

The minute hand quivered for a split-secondbefore flickering menacingly between the 59thminute and the hour mark on the face of BigBen. 48 hours had passed. Midnight and thedawn of a new day had arrived. Thethreatening black sky, without even theslightest hint of the possibility of moonlight,looked imposingly upon the dark streets ofLondon. A shrieking wind cursed through theair, turbulent and seeming as though anythingin its path would have no option other than tobe demolished. Not a soul was to be seen outon the eerie alleyways, neither on the mainstreets of the subdued city. The forebodingtrees, which had been around for centuries, nodoubt felt threatened by the cruel gale andtheir leaves shook and floated to the floor, asthe wind swept through on its path.

Peter looked on. Alone. He was the only personto be awake at that hour within the security ofthe city. He was contemplating what hadhappened previously, at this precise time, just48 hours ago. The light in his apartment, onthe top floor of a steep block of flats, was dulland sombre, lifeless to say the least. Atop thepile of takeaway delivery boxes, unfinished andnever to be consumed again, was a stack ofpapers. These formed the entirety of Peter’sjob, as a journalist, always reporting, alwaysworking. Although he held a pen in his hand,he could not hit a thought process, for all themoney in the world. The concentration drainedfrom him the moment it had got dark andbeing in the heart of a tough winter, this hadbeen around 4 o’clock. Even so, since thenPeter had remained in this position, thinking,always thinking, and perhaps even regretting.Hunched up on the window ledge, a silhouetteformed on the opposite wall; Peter had beenreconsidering all of his actions and what hadhappened just 48 hours ago. That was it, just asmall space of time, but even so, for Peter,enough time to fill an entire life. The futurelooked rather bleak, and he knew it. He wasunsure of what was coming up, what trials andtribulations he would have to make, but evenso, he was powerless to stop it. Peter was trulyscared.

The report needed to be in by the morning, buteven so, it appeared as though there would beabsolutely no chance that he would be able tofinish it come the hour that it was required. Itwasn’t a great situation to be in, work wise,seeing as competition between journalists wasso great that even someone of Peter’s intellectcould not comprehend it. Peter arose from histemporary workstation and strode purposefullypast the coffee table, with the takeaway boxeson it, and the tatty sofa, which had beenacquired two months ago from a cheapsecond-hand shop in a dodgy back street.Nevertheless, it served its purpose and wasthere to stay. The picture frames on the wall,filled with the portraits of key historical figures,glared at Peter, as if they knew what had

occurred just 48 hours ago, and weredisappointed by the man’s actions. He cut asorry figure as he turned out the light in theroom and strode into his bedroom, undressedand put on his pyjamas. The last thing thatPeter did before jumping into bed and sleepingthrough his torment was to look into the mirrorand see a disillusioned face stare back athimself, someone who was unsure of theirplace in the world at that present moment intime. As Peter pulled the bed sheets over hislimp body, he let out an enormous sigh, beforeshutting his eyes and putting his sorrows awayfor another day.

The last of the chimes from St. Stephen’stower filtered menacingly throughout the eerienight air, with an air about it that sought apurpose. It was unsettling for anyone whocared to listen to it, the only person beingPeter, and a sleepless night awaited him. 48hours had passed between now and THAT.

Daniel Lande Year 10

Anthony Tang GCSE Ceramics

Raph Levy GSCE


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The Dream

Lisa Freedman was a spoilt girl. She hadeverything she could have ever wanted in life.She was walking up the Front Driveway feelingcontented about her day at school. Althoughshe had cheated on her Maths test it still feltvery pleasant to receive her five merit marks infront of the school. Better still, she hadaccidentally-on- purpose spilled milk all overher enemy Melissa. She did her homework andwent to bed early without a care in the world.That night she had a horrible dream…

Her dream had started with her walk homefrom the limo to the house. Instead of goingupstairs to do her homework (or get herpersonal nanny to do it for her), she walkedpast the Kitchen and heard her Dad talking onthe phone (most likely to her Mum who was onholiday in Barbados.)

“They’ve done a runner and left me with all thedebts.” Lisa’s father was a property owner andhad become extremely rich spending moneyextravagantly on his wife and daughter. “You’llhave to forget about the round–the–world touryou were planning to go on with Lisa. We’ll renta one bedroom flat in Hull or somewhere.” Thiswas too much for Lisa to take in. She stormedin and screamed the place down. There were alot of tears flowing and slamming of doors.

A few hours after this argument Lisa’s motherreturned from holiday without her usual suntan. They had another heated argument where

the father blamed the mother for being goodfor nothing. Lisa was sitting at the breakfasttable; this in itself was a very unusualoccurrence as her own personal butler usuallybrought her breakfast in bed. However, her dadhad fired her butler yesterday along with all theother cooks, cleaners and gardeners that hadworked for this family of three. Quite abruptlyher father said, “You are going to live with yourAuntie Leah while we sort our lives out. Wemight see you again in the future but I wouldn’tbet on it.”

“I don’t have an Auntie Leah,” Lisa whined.

“She’s an old school friend of mine. She runs ashop in Liverpool; I understand that she is verysuccessful. She should be here by now.”

It all happened very quickly after that. Lisa hadbeen collected by a woman who was crosseyed and smelt faintly of blood but otherwiseseemed perfectly normal.

In the car Leah asked Lisa lots of questions.Lisa found herself liking her auntie Leah lessand less. For starters Leah seemed veryinterested in Lisa’s health. “You see, in mybusiness health is very important.”

“What is your business? Lisa asked. Leah hadmumbled something about selling organs forhumans to eat like a butchers shop. Lisasuspected that she was hiding something.

A few hours later and after many morequestions they arrived at the shop. It was anextremely large place and Lisa’s first

impressions were that it was more like ahospital.

“I hope you don’t expect me to work in here,”Lisa said rudely.

“No but I hope that you will appear in it,” Leahsaid slyly.

They walked into a very large room. There wererow upon row of jars of blood with signs like“AB positive”. During the next few seconds Lisahad seen almost every organ in the humananatomy. A sign said: “ALL CANNIBALS ANDVAMPIRES WELCOME. HALF PRICE ON ALL BNEGATIVE BLOOD”. That was when Lisa finallyrealised what was going on. They were goingto cut up her organs and sell them to vampiresand cannibals. She opened her mouth toscream but of course you cannot scream yoursleep. She woke up with a start.

Her eyes were still closed and Lisa just laythere. It was all going to be alright. Her butlerwould bring her breakfast in bed and then hernanny would help her dress. Then her driverwould take her to school. She did not likeadmitting that she was scared but that was ascary dream. It was so vivid and in all in fullcolour and most of all it really felt like she wasinside the dream.

She opened one eye and saw a surgeonleaning over her with a knife in his hand. Thistime, she was able to scream.

Edward Upson 8R

Rory Freeborne GCSE


46


Upgrade of the DesignTechnology Graphics Room

Over the summer holidays our Graphics Roomhas been completely refurbished to an 18workstation computer suite.

With the advent of the new GCSE specificationsit is no longer a requirement for pupils to usedrawing boards in their Product Design GCSE.

Much of the graphical work now involves usingsoftware packages such as Photoshop andAdobe Creative Suite.

Little was know about what was lying instore for us at our first EES meeting earlyin November. The newly formed group,chosen after an interview process,consisted of Aneesh Misra, Ben Dathan,Subon Sivanathan and Joe Yarwood; wewere tasked with working alongside anengineer from AECOM to try to solve theissue of water wastage around theschool.

Over the coming weeks and months our teammet weekly to update each other of theprogress made. As often with vague projects, alarge portion of our time was initially spentidentifying where water was being wastedthroughout the school. In the end we came upwith two solutions- one involved fixing a ringinto the piping behind the sinks to reduce thediameter of the pipes and thus reduce flowrate, and our other solution involved motionsensors at sinks which automatically shut offtaps which had been accidentally left on. Afterdeciding on a project we began to research thedesign and building methods in order to bringthem to life.

Our group was spurred onwards by tightdeadlines, the watchful gaze of our supervisingteachers Mr. Kerr and Mr. Roncarati, and theenthusiasm and commitment of our everpresent engineer. We had aimed to build theprojects over a 3 day period, but this was cutshort due to the school and the roads around itbeing snowed in. Soon after however we hadcompleted the projects (albeit with a few burns

from the school’s soldering kit due to somedelicate circuitry) and began to test the ringand the sensors on how much water theysaved. The information we gather over anumber of trials and statistically backedguesswork gave us the building blocks withwhich to start preparing the presentation wewere to give at the ‘celebration andassessment day’.

The day itself went smoothly, with a number ofour assessors taking great delight in thesimplicity and effectiveness of the water saving

ring. It was concluded that all in all it was avery successful and enjoyable day. The EESproject gives those that participate a small buttempting glimpse into the life of an engineer,although maybe more importantly it gave us adeeper understanding of teamwork,communication and crucially a positive andenthusiastic outlook. I would thoroughlyrecommend it to anyone thinking about acareer in engineering- a fantastic opportunitynot to be missed.

Joe Yarwood

Rory Freeborn GCSE

Education in Engineering Scheme

Design Technology


47


Mr. Duschenes Visit

In early December we were fortunate enough toinvite a guest speaker to address all of ourGCSE candidates.

Mr. Duschenes (father of Timothy) came andspoke in the Aske Hall. The title of the talk was‘Furniture Manufacturing’ but the presentationproved to be a really fascinating insight intohow the design of a product can have radicalimplications on the manufacturing costs andsubsequent sale price of the product.

We are extremely grateful to Mr. Duschenes forpresenting such a high quality and informativelunchtime talk.

State of the Art – CNC Router

In the Spring Term we took delivery of a stateof the art - Computer Numerically ControlledRouter. It has a machine bed working surfaceof 1200mm x 600mm and a suction table tohold the work in place.

This is only the second machine of its kind thatBoxford have fitted and installed into a schoolwithin the UK. It will prove to be an extremelyvaluable piece of hardware for our boys to useparticularly those within Years 10 to 12.

Rotary Technology Tournament

In early March twelve Yr 10 pupils attended theannual Rotary Technology Tournament at theBushey Academy School. Each of our teamscomprised of four pupils and many localschools in the area took part.

The problem solving task this year was todesign and make a beacon that had a flashinglight on top of it. The light had to pulse tentimes in a ten second period.

Limited materials were provided to each groupand marks were awarded for the quality of thedesign ideas as well as how successful theprototype actually worked!

One of ourteams won thetask and waspresented witha trophy by theMayor ofWatford.

Make a project in a morning!

We are very conscious within thedepartment that our subject has changedradically over the last thirty years and theexperience that our parents had at schoolin their more traditional Woodwork’,‘Metalwork’and ‘Technical Drawing’classes bears little resemblance to theDesign Technology classes of today!

Back in March of this year we invited our Year7 parents to come into our workshops on aSaturday morning and make a project usingthe up to date tools and machines that theirboys experience using in their own DT lessons.

12 very brave parents sportingly turned up andspent three hours sampling the delights of

Computer Aided Design, laser cutting, machinelathe work and photo image manipulation.Hopefully their 3D photo stands are now takingpride of place at home!


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GCSE Systems and Control


49


GCSE Graphical Products



GCSE Resistant Materials

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GCSE Resistant Materials

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Features


Skylark 2010 Features

54

Two Life Sentences

An Interview with Mr Cook

The forty years Mr. Cook has spent in theteaching profession could well besummarised by the aforementionedstatement. Yet to say that the years hespent in teaching English and looking afteradolescent boys was anything like a prisonsentence would be a seriousmisunderstanding.

It soon became quite apparent that he hadloved every aspect of his teaching career andhad gained a wealth of experience andknowledge along the way. Even as he reflectedon his time at Haberdashers’, there seemed tobe a part of him that did not want to leave.The relationships he had made with theSchool; his teaching colleagues and the pupilsthemselves, appeared to be something whichhe could never forget and, after the years hespent at this school, one could hardly blamehim!

Mr. Cook has undoubtedly left a lastingimpression on the school community, and thereason for this is because students, past andpresent, all have a unique and importantattachment to him. As Head of Middle Schoolfor 22 years, HABS boys have alwaysrespected him, not only as a dedicated teacherbut also as a mentor; They see him assomeone who they could trust beyond theclassroom.

When asked about how he had been able tocreate and maintain such a good relationshipwith his pupils, he simply smiled and said ,‘Ihaven’t really thought about that, but a part ofme thinks that it’s because I have been here solong. Three school generations have passedduring my time and I suspect that onegeneration has passed their Middle Schoolexperiences, good and bad, onto the next. Ihave always tried to treat pupils with courtesyand respect and consequently I have expectedno less from them in return. It took a littlewhile for that mutual understanding toestablish itself, of course, but I hope that ithas underpinned my approach to all routinedifficulties as well as to the highly sensitive,pastoral and disciplinary matters.

Many boys would agree that Mr Cook wasalways someone who believed in secondchances and his ethos of ‘amicably settlingissues with salutary lessons’ is one that hasendured and helped him to form strongrelationships with his pupils. Obviously therehad been times when ‘difficult’ boys could notbe reasoned with and such exchanges requiredsomething more than a civilised conversation.However, he said that many of those matterswere often finally resolved by the boy’sacceptance of a blunt truth viz. he neededHaberdashers’ more than it needed him. In Mr.Cook’s lengthy experience of this highlyselective school, he had been continuously

aware of a direct correlation between a boy’sacademic progress and his conduct. Given theschool’s achievement ethos, “If a pupil is incontrol of his academic work and enjoyingsome degree of success, then his schoolbehaviour will inevitably reflect that level ofpersonal security. If not, then I leave you tocomplete the sentence.

Over the years, Mr. Cook has spent a greatdeal of time and personal tenacity encouraging,‘underachieving’ boys and he acknowledgedthe considerable and valuable assistance thathe received from both the pastoral andacademic staff in helping boys who werestruggling to regain a sustaining belief inthemselves and their abilities.” It reflects sowell on us as a school that so few boys leaveus at the end of the Middle School years.” It islargely through these values- ‘integrity, self-respect and maintaining honest, openrelationships’ that he was able to create a

bond between himself and the boys in theMiddle School.

The strength and longevity of this ‘bond’ is onlyreally given substance when one speaks to anyHaberdasher who has had the privilege toknow Mr. Cook and one is taken aback by thepraise they have for someone who they neverconsidered simply as a teacher, but rathermore as a friend. Moreover, every Haberdasherhas his own personal attachment, his ownspecial memory of the Head of Middle School.

Hence, the attributes and qualities of Mr. Cookled him to become a source of inspiration formany. Many pupils look up to him as anindividual who is fair and honest, as someonewho could be trusted and always showed themrespect. This naturally led to me asking whohad inspired him. It was readily apparent thatindividuals who worked closely with him, theHousemasters from the last 25 years, his


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exceptionally talented colleagues in the Englishdepartment and, not least, the pupils he taught,were all a constant source of inspiration. “Ihave always been quick to absorb the vitalityand intellectual enthusiasms of those aroundme. I frequently tell the boys that members ofstaff have to learn to live with excellence inmuch the same way that they do. “

Mr. Cook firmly believed that ‘teachers learneffectively from each other, just as the boyslearn from one another’; more often than not,colleagues would provide that ‘spark’, that‘shaft of light in the darkness’, which wouldbroaden his thinking. The rewards of teachingEnglish Literature to gifted, highly articulatepupils, as well as helping to build theconfidence of those who underprized theirabilities had been a constant source ofpersonal fulfilment. The lively classroomdiscussions ( the infamous ‘Habs’banter)inwhich the boys explored and developed theirown ideas and responses to literary texts wereparticularly rewarding, not least when ‘thingswere going wrong’ in the Middle School; afairly regular occurrence! The free thinking andexciting atmosphere in the classroom oftenprovided a valuable contrast to the seriousdisciplinary interview with a Middle School boyand his parents.

Mr. Cook arrived at Haberdashers’ from HarrowCounty Boys’ Grammar School in 1973, at atime when many schools were undergoingcomprehensive reform. He arrived with astrong sporting background and helped to runthe Senior Rugby teams and Tennis squads,whilst also settling into the English department.He reflected on his first years at HABS andspoke of the ‘70s being the ‘happy times’, atime when there was ‘freedom to teach’beyond the exam board syllabus. He spoke ofhis involvement with the department which

devised and assessed its own ‘O’ level Englishand English Literature exams under the aegisof the ‘Oxford and Cambridge Exam Board. “Inessence, we could follow our own enthusiasmsand interests and they, in turn, fired the boys’imaginations and responses. The moderntarget- driven pre-occupation with assessmentcriteria has clearly constrained many of thosefreedoms.” That said, he felt reassured thatthe ‘off-syllabus enhancement’ provided by somany academic departments and the vibrantwider extra-curricular life of the School helpedto sustain the excitement of learning at HABS.

1981 saw Mr. Cook’s departure fromHaberdashers’ as he left to take up a post inthe British School in the Netherlands. Hethought that after ‘eight memorable years, itwas time to move on. “ I had this terrific job tooearly in my career, so it was time to seek anew challenge.” However, his absence wasshort lived as he was invited to return to Habsin 1984. Having been initially appointed by Dr.Taylor in 1973, he was re-appointed by Mr.Bruce McGowan. Not long afterwards, he wasa promoted to be Housemaster of Strouts ; “This was a wonderful job and I was fortunateenough to have the benefit of so muchconsidered advice and expert help from Mr.Alan Wood, my distinguished predecessor.

Whilst hearing about Mr. Cook’s time at HABS, Iwas overwhelmed by the weight and breadth ofhis experiences. I wondered at the changes hemust have witnessed in the school; the changein student dynamics, the change in teachingmethods and methods of assessment. I alsowondered about the vast number of boys whohad been under his care; 22 years and 500boys in the Middle School at any given time. Ileave it to the mathematicians to work that out.More importantly, I asked him what made himstay so long. What kept him at the school solong?

“As I said earlier, this is a difficult school toleave. I tried once and returned; indeed I wasboth flattered and relieved to be invited to doso. In 1988 the Head of Middle School postwas essentially a disciplinary role; I wasappointed to keep the Middle School boys ‘inorder’. Much the same is true today, of course,but pastoral responsibilities have immeasurablyexpanded during those 20 years. We knew inthe early 1990’s that we needed to improvehow we looked after the boys and I feelprivileged to have played a significant part inthose changes. It took several years to achievethe school-wide, House based structure thatwe now have and I was determined to stayhere long enough to see the benefits of thatchange of culture.

While my pre-occupation for the past 22 yearshas been the daily welfare of the boys in theMiddle School, my occupation for 40 years hasbeen the teaching of English. The rewards andpleasures of teaching lively minds, helping tostimulate an ‘inner life’ in a recalcitrant pupil,lighting up imaginations and studying some ofmy favourite literature ( How many times have Itaught ‘Great Expectations’ I wonder?) havecertainly brightened the darker days of Tuesdaydetention !

These were his reasons, his thoughts and hisexperience. It was his belief in what he taughtand how he taught it. If it had not beenevident before, it should be rather clear now;he simply enjoyed it. He enjoyed that “rigorousintellectual combat” with his pupils; he enjoyedthe interaction he had with a huge number ofdisparate personalities. He enjoyed the all-consuming involvement, the rewardingrelationships and it now seemed the right timefor him to say goodbye.

I finally asked him if, after all of these years, hecould define a typical “Haberdasher”. “No!” hereplied, “there is no such thing. They are alltalented, strong-willed individuals and many ofthem are not afraid to think differently.” Hewent on to echo the words of the late BruceMcGowan who often claimed that for aHaberdasher the word “no” is usually thebeginning of a discussion.”

Mr. Cook, a teacher who based his teaching onrelationships; an individual who based hisrelationships on honesty; a personality whosehonesty and fair-mindedness elicited universalrespect.

We salute you, Sir!

Aneesh Misra L6

The “Cuts Man”

Every fighter needs a “cuts man”.Somebody loyal, somebody that you cantrust, somebody who has theknowledge to repair damage. Someonewho has the strength to offer quietreassurance when the blows of lifecome thick and fast.

Direction is what every fighter craves.The heart may pound, the muscles mayscream and the brain may bescrambled, but the calm words of the“cuts man” act like a balm, soothingthe fire within.

This “cuts man” has his chair in thecorner on the floor of a tired old block.

Go there at break and he will be there,the watchful eye, surveying his string.A bad round, the boy fighter stands nextto Michael Cook, awaiting the measuredresponse to his own unmeasuredactions.

The words are long and barely audibleabove the din of panic in the younglad’s brain. Sometimes bitter,sometimes sweet but the words of the“cuts man” always hit deep upon thedry palate of a nervous young fighter.

Like all of the boys, he returns to thering. But this time with a renewedvigour, a sense of purpose and a desireto right the wrongs of his past.Everyone learns from the “cuts man”.And I mean everyone.

A Metcalfe


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My Gap year in Brazil

The beauty of travelling is as much inwhat you see in terms of tourist sites aswhom you meet along the way. You won’tnecessarily meet the most interestingperson on the planet, and to expect to doso is missing the point. I would say that asufficient condition for experiencingsomething different would be to meetpeople who weren’t raised in NorthLondon; a story can be interesting for noreason other than that it is different.

There are two main, complimentary joys totravelling. The first is obvious; by being inanother country, and by talking to other peopleyou learn a great deal about diversity, andthose other people.

The second joy is that you learn about yourself.By seeing other ways of doing things, othercultures, other views you consider yourselfdifferently. Travelling is such a wonderful wayof learning; about you and other places, and Ican’t recommend it highly enough.

I flew in to La Paz International Airport; fromLondon it takes around 24 hours, becausethere is no direct flight. I was lucky enough toget just one connection, but several people Ispoke to, including Husein Meghji, with whom Iwas travelling and met in La Paz, had in excessof 4 or 5 connections, some of which areinevitably missed. La Paz sits at an altitude of3,640 metres, and it shows, because it is verycold. Backpacking as students, accommodationis almost exclusively based in hostels, whichare buzzing hubs of tourists all of similar age,and by virtue of the fact that they are there inthe first place, similar interests. South Americahas a very well connected system of hostels,and so the biggest concern would be nothaving room in a hostel, rather than not findingany hostels at all. The first hostel was calledthe Loki Hostel, and is well known for its ‘partyatmosphere’. Largely what this amounted towas several groups of drunken Englishmen, sobeing homesick was not an issue. Boliviafeatures the highest percentage of indigenouspeople in its population at 85%, and just 15%white. The result is an authentic SouthAmerican vibe to the nation, unlike Argentina,which, as you will see later, could easily be inEurope, not several thousand miles away. Istrolled (or, in fact, clambered in an exhaustedfashion; not being used to the altitude meant Itired quickly. Sadly Barnet does not sit atop amountain) into the Loki, and met with Husein,

who had acclimated so well that not only hadhis Spanish become proficient, he had beencompared to the irresistible Enrique Iglesias bytwo separate girls. Personally, I do not see theresemblance, but was informed that this was‘my loss’.

Travel across the vast distances in SouthAmerica is largely done by the use of buses.These buses, though, are unlike any in Europe;assuaged were my fears of rickety, unstablescraps of metal, because these buses are fromthe same family of coaches we use to get toschool, but better. They come in two classes;semi-cama and cama, the latter allowing apassenger to recline to almost horizontal, andsleep as best as possible. Unfortunately, sleepis generally difficult thanks to severalconsecutive hours of 80’s love ballads, amystifying choice that soon had me apoplectic.Our next stop was Potosi, the highest city onthe planet, sitting at an impressive 4,090metres. Potosi is notable for its’ mines, fromwhich silver ore is mined. A picturesqueenough city in its own right, the main reason tovisit the city is for the mines, through whichone can traverse as part of a tour. We knew wewere going to go through the mine for sometime, and my feelings towards it wereambivalent. One the one hand, a uniqueexperience but on the other, being surroundedby several hundred metres of rock it did notenthuse me greatly. Or at all. Before the minetour, we were instructed to buy gifts for theminers, and dynamite, which they would blowup for us. Huzzah. The mine itself is multi-layered, and is inside a mountain. To behonest, I was disappointed. Not by the mineitself, but because there were children of12/13 working in oxygen and light deprivedconditions, for no reason other than that theirparents and older siblings worked there. Theminers earn the highest average salary ofBolivians, as compensation for working in suchharsh conditions. The downside is that theyhave the lowest life expectancy of any

Bolivians; a paltry and abhorrent 45 years. Oneyoung, entrepreneurial boy, offered to sell usshiny silver ore rocks. When we enquired as tohow much to we should pay, he replied ‘INSPANISH’ (It’s up to you). Cheeky. Meeting andtalking to those miners has given me a greatersense of empathy for the miners currentlytrapped in Chile. I could hardly stomach 4hours, let alone months.

Next stop: Uyuni. The Salar de Uyuni is theworld’s largest salt flat. Approximately 40,000years ago it was part of a prehistoric lake, andwhen it dried it left behind two lakes, and twosalt flats. The interesting thing is that you are sotremendously high up, yet in the middle of adesert, two things I would not naturallyassociate. The salt flats looks as though theycould be a lake frozen over; white like snow inall directions, broken by soaring, snow tippedmountains. We embarked on a three day tour,and had five Israeli students for company. Ourdriver, Raul, was a man of few words, typifiedby the second day, during which we were


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caught in a sandstorm. We arrived at a way-station for lunch, and during this time, we sawthe wind whipping up sand with some violenceoutside. Unperturbed, and despite hiscolleagues warning him not to go, Raul pushedon. We only made ground for about 20 minutes,when Raul pulled over; the sand storm wastruly vicious, and visibility was limited to lessthan a metre. Women might like the strong,silent type, but I prefer the kind that explain aplan, rather than sit there in silence, somethingRaul was obstinately refusing to do. With thewind having not even slightly abated, weinexplicably pushed on. With no reference point,no bearings at all, going was treacherous, aswe were barely able to make out the markingsof the path (not so much a road as two parallelstrips of sand mounds, inside which the jeepswere supposed to traverse). More than once,we saw jeeps that had turned back, to thesafety of the previous way station. At one point,Raul stopped the car, and turned it around. ‘Ah,’we supposed, ‘he doesn’t want to risk it.’ No,no, he did. He was driving in reverse? Why? Anexplanation was, typically, not forthcoming.Eventually, we reasoned that he was trying toprevent the engine clogging with vast quantitiesof sand. Pace was slow, but we were makingprogress. Whether it was in the right directionwas another question. Smash, a piece of debrishad been carried by the wind, and haddecimated the back window. The result wasthat the sand outside was now…inside. So, wehad to drive head on, risking the engine stallingor dying. Eventually, somehow, someway wemade it to our home for the night, and I have afeeling no one was more relieved than Raul.

Incidentally, living in North London, you reallymiss out on seeing the stars, because of lightand fossil fuel pollution. I’ve never seenanything like the sky in Uyuni - stunning, and tobe honest indescribable. The truth is out there.

Blasting through South Bolivia with two newIsraeli compatriots, who referred to Husein witha guttural H, we found ourselves in Argentina.The Argentinians are not particularly loved bythe rest of South America because theyconsider themselves to be the Europeans ofSouth America; chic and sophisticated. Well,mainland Europe, if you’ve ever been to aWetherspoons, you’ll know those two wordsare not accurate to say the least. It’s obvious inthe way that towns in Argentina are set out -like the plazas and café’s that are archetypal oftowns in Spain or Italy. Since we haven’t had anote on food yet, it seems appropriate now.

Argentinean cooking is very straightforward.Find the largest grazing animal you can andthrow it on fire. Vegetarian food extends as faras the meagre salads, which accompany theabundant piles of meat. A personal highlight ofthe trip combined this with exquisite wine inMendoza, the capital of the wine region inArgentina. In Mendoza, tourists can hire a bikefor the day and cycle to the various vineyards,to see how they make wine and sample a widevariety. At a rustic, old vineyard we had abarbeque luncheon with a gorgeouschardonnay. That is contentment.

Our last stop in Argentina was Iguaçu Falls,located on the boundary of Argentina andBrazil, and a mere 24hours on a bus awayfrom the capital, Buenos Aires. Iguaçu is one ofthe New 7 Wonders of Nature, and makes anextraordinary site. The entire site has thebacking track of a ubiquitous roar, of waterfalling into water, and makes for a spectacularpanoramic view. Certainly, the highlight is aboat ride that takes you into several of thewaterfalls, soaking you through and through.That combined with the frequently encounteredcritters called Coati’s (or Brazilian aardvarks)that had a penchant for some Marylandcookies Husein was carrying made for aninteresting, and wet, experience.

Bolivia in general is cold. The high altitude canmake for below freezing weather on a regularbasis, no more so than in Uyuni. But, thefurther south we travelled the warmer it got,though it tended to resemble London. Theweather as we crossed over into Brazil wasnoticeably warmer, and over the next fewweeks we would become enamoured with

Brazilian weather, acai (a sugary, smoothie likedrink), caiprihinias (Brazil’s favourite alcoholicdrink), football (we were in Rio during the WorldCup), and,the Brazilian people who werefriendly and welcoming. First stop wasFlorianopolis with its white sand and flowingbeaches, where we were guaranteed the ‘mostbeautiful girls in the world’, by our over-exuberant, salesman like tour guide. Sadly, itemerged that we had come off-season, and sothe beautiful girls were nowhere to be seen.Naturally, we left, and went to Rio.

Rio is a city that suites someone with eclecticinterests. You can see beaches, go rock-climbing,go to a ‘favela party’ and have the Hollywoodpromoted health drink, acai, all in the same day.On a personal level, I really enjoyed Rio, and animportant reason for this was the volunteering in aschool in the largest favela (slum) of Rio, Rocinha.It was after this that I decided to raise funds forthis school, which it lacked, by hosting a charityfootball tournament. It made elemental sense todo so, since we were surrounded by football 24/7.So Husein, Rafael (a Brazilian friend we made) andI set out to create our tournament, which was heldagainst the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean on oneside, and the glitzy hotels of Copacabana on theother side.We raised around £200, and it was apretty good evening for everyone involved. Thatand the memory of the spectacular views from theCristo, and Sugarloaf Mountain made it a trulymemorable city.

We finished our trip with a foray into the Brazilianjungle, which lies north of the Amazon. To finishthe trip we had this varied, relaxing journey oncanoes, boats and trudging through swampland,and it made a fitting finale to the trip.

Overall, I think it difficult to do the trip justicebecause there are so many varied experiences;just reviewing the places we went has takenthe better part of four pages. Perhaps the bestadvice I can give is to go out there andexperience it yourself. There is such a hugevariety of characters, of sites; one of the bestaspects of travelling is the book swaps. Peopleread a book, like it and then give it to you.Along the way, Husein got a book called‘Marching Powder’, which is about theincarceration of an English drug dealer in theworld’s most notorious prison, San Pedro (in LaPaz, Bolivia). I got the autobiography of AnthonyKeidas, lead singer of the Red Hot ChilliPeppers. What I’m trying to say is that it ishugely worthwhile, probably more so thanreading this article. Which perhaps should havebeen my opening line.

Apratim Gautam


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Over the past year, a handful of studentsand staff alike have undertaken the hugeresponsibility of creating a TV channel forthe school. Using the template of SkyNews and BBC News 24, the studentshave worked hard in materializing adaring idea into a purposeful reality.

‘HABSTV’ is the name of a channel set tobroadcast within the school with its mainpurpose of bringing the entire schoolcommunity together. The question thatimmediately arises is ‘How does one go aboutbringing a school community as large and asdiverse as the one present in Haberdasherstogether?’ The answer to that would bethrough the medium of news. The team behindHABSTV will broadcast weekly news bulletinscovering all the news within the school duringthat particular week. The aim of the newsbulletins is to cover achievements of boys fromall walks of life from all year groups.

In addition to the news bulletins, the weeklybroadcast will also present a ‘Feature’ video,which will be feature length videos focusing onall aspects of school life. These videos couldrange from a video diary of a Year 7 boy in hisfirst week of school, all the way up to Universityand Interview guides for the Sixth form. Theaim of such ‘Features’ is to document the widevariety of activities and interesting news thatgoes on within the school which everyone maynot necessarily be aware about.

The channel will primarily serve the purpose ofusing the medium of video broadcasts toinform students of weekly updates throughoutthe school calendar, such that individuals donot miss out on important information andnotices. As mentioned earlier, the featurelength video clips would complement theweekly news bulletins, ensuring that eachbulletin is unique and equally as exciting.

One could easily question the point behind thecreation of a school TV channel, yet the easiertask lies in justifying the concept. HABSTVstands for more than merely a TV channel.HABSTV is new extra-curricular activity,designed to encompass a large number of boyswithin the school all with very different skillsand interests. Due to the scale of this newproject, a large team is needed. Each week, atechnical and creative team is required toproduce the bulletins, and so it is unsurprisingto suggest that many boys will be involved.Boys interested in Computing and Video-editingcan participate within the Technical Team,

whereas individuals who enjoy planning andproducing video-bulletins can participate in theCreative Team. The roles within this project areof a multi-various nature and so the door is leftwide open for any individual with any sort ofinterest to play a role.

HABSTV is now a beckoning reality but it hastaken a year to materialise from an interestingidea to what it is now. A team consisting ofAnthony Meyer, Aneesh Misra, Max Jenkinsand Sam Healer have worked hard indeveloping HABSTV. This is because in October2009, HABSTV was a sketchy idea. It becameapparent to the team, that they had to startfrom the ground-up with this new initiative.

It was once said that ‘Money is humanhappiness in the abstract’, and it certainlyapplied to the team, who were first put to thetask of gaining funding for the project itself. Inorder to film and edit high-quality films, newcameras and editing software was required,and like any other technological equipmentthese days, these new items did not comecheap. Hence, it became essential that theteam could secure funding in order to makeHABSTV really take-off.

The team of four had to pitch to the SeniorMasters of the School, in order to justify thecost of this new project, and for any individual,it is almost certainly a daunting task! Some saythat a meeting with the ‘Senior 6’, is likemeeting the ‘Dragons’ from Dragons’ Den,whereas others have speculated that someindividuals had never returned from theirencounter, vanishing from existence. All weknow is that meeting the Senior Masters is atough task, and asking them for money issimply impossible.

Miraculously, however, the team were able toenthuse the masters concerning the idea, andwere given their approval to continuedeveloping the idea and turning it into a fullyfunctional initiative.

HABSTV began to take shape, and a teamstructure started to appear, with Anthony Meyertaking the helm of the initiative. With Anthonyas Chief Editor, Aneesh Misra and Max Jenkinsoccupied the role as Deputy Editors and SamHealer undertook the role of Technical Editor.During the subsequent months, the HABSTVteam grew and undertook classes in VideoFilming and Editing with a professional TVEditor, who had worked on shows for MTV.These classes rangedfrom the team learningabout how videointerviews should beset-up prior to theinterview to how videofootage should beedited and compiled tomake a video.

The importance ofHABSTV hassignificantly increased

due to the time and effort a substantial numberof individuals have put into this idea. Thecountless hours of planning and organisinghave led to HABSTV being launched thisacademic year. The support of both pupils andteachers has enabled high-quality cameras andhigh performance video-editing software hasbeen acquired. This has allowed the team tofilm and produce high-quality footage whichwill, no doubt, add a touch of professionalismto the videos produced.

Looking back at where it started it is anachievement in itself that HABSTV is nowsomething of a reality, looking to make a hugeimpact on the school community both throughits video bulletins and through the boysparticipation as well.

The team had taken huge strides in bringingHABSTV to the forefront of the schoolcommunity, yet when HABSTV is launched, theteam will have to take a gigantic, colossal leapinto the unknown, where they will producevideos frequently.

HABSTV is a new idea, and yes, undoubtedlythere are risks involved, but the brilliance andindividuality that comes through this concept issomething that will ensure HABSTV willcontinue running year in, year out, evolving asnew people bring new ideas.

Many would support me in saying, thatHABSTV is new, innovative and fresh to theschool community. It is very much a concept ofthe future, realised today.

Aneesh Misra L6


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HABS and our Alumni

In the middle of Alan Bennett’s The HistoryBoys (2004), the Headmaster is askedwhere he went for university:

Irwin: So, where did you go?

Headmaster: I was a geographer. I went to Hull.

Irwin: Oh, Larkin.

The response is one that many hear wheneverHull is mentioned; Larkin served as thelibrarian there from 1955 until his death in1985, where he wrote much of his publishedwork. Many universities, it appears, are appliedto because of the people who used to be thererather than the people that are there. I askedsomeone who went to university a very longtime ago, ‘Why did you apply to Baillol?’. Hesaid, ‘Oh, you know, I liked the whole idea ofthe tradition of the old Marxist aristocracy’.What does that even mean? Many peopleapplying to universities also look at the alumnilist. It doesn’t seem to be deliberate - whathappens is that students type in the name of auniversity on Wikipedia and one of the sectionssays ‘alumni’ and it proves irresistiblyinteresting - and perhaps, it is an easy way tomake a tough decision. LoughboroughUniversity has Lord Sebastian Coe, theChairman of the London Olympic OrganisingCommittee on its ‘wiki’ list of notable alumni,and Monty Panesar, the England spinner thatGraeme Swann replaced. If I type in ‘DurhamUniversity’ I find that both Sir Richard Dannatt,the former Chief of the General Staff of theBritish Army, Milton Margai, the first PrimeMinister of Sierra Leone, and Andrew Strauss,the captain of the England cricket team, have itas their alma mater. Does this mean that if you

go to Durham you will become an Army Chiefthat can lead countries and play cricket forEngland even though you were born inZimbabwe? What is going on here?

It may not be a very useful measure of auniversity or institution then, but it is quite fun.So let’s have a look at the list of notable HABSalumni and see if that encourages people tocome here.

First up on the list is Frederick Augustus Voigt,a British journalist and author of Germandescent. Voigt was at the school’s Hampsteadcampus and made his name as an opponent ofthe rise of dictatorship and totalitarianism (notwithin the school; within Europe!). Recently ona debating trip a pupil made a speech on theWeimar Republic ‘because no one else had yet’and he felt it had been ignored. Voigt wasmuch the same. He spent thirteen yearsworking for the Manchester Guardian onGermany, and in 1926 scored a majorjournalistic breakthrough when he discloseddocuments detailing the secret collaboration ofthe Reichswehr (the Weimar Republic’s military)and the Soviet military authorities, thuscontravening clauses in the Treaty of Versaillesthat stipulated Germany should not re-arm.Another ‘scoop’ was his discovery of the Polishoppression of the Ukranian minority in EasternPoland. Voigt was so successful because likethe typical ‘shmoozing’ HABS boy he built up aconfidential network of informants such that hewas one of the few people left who couldprovide reliable information about Germanyafter the rise of Hitler. It is also claimed that,‘Despite not being conventionally good-lookingwith his thinning hair and thick glasses, Voigtseems to have been something of a "ladies'man" and was married three times’! But ignorethat, prospective student - HABS boys areladies’ men and conventionally good looking!Voigt produced two perceptive political books.In his second, Unto Caesar, he perceptivelyclaimed that Communism and Fascism were‘revolutionary, secular, pseudo-religions’.

But a nineteenth century German liberal is notwho you normally mention when asked at afamily dinner who went to HABS. No, the mostcommon answer is ‘Ali G, innit?’. Some say

that he was actually quite a quiet boy at schoolbut Dan Mazer, a scriptwriter who also went toHABS and wrote scripts such as Borat andBruno, says that at HABS because all the boyswere too small to beat each other up they hadto make up with verbal jousts (ignore this,prospective student: HABS Boys areconventionally ripped, too). Sacha Baron Cohenexported the culture within HABS of makingpolitically incorrect jokes to the outside world.Contrary to what you might think, it has somepositive effects (Sacha is now married to theHollywood actress Isla Fisher). We’ve also gotDavid Baddiel, who wrote the World Cup song,Malfoy from Harry Potter, Matt Lucas from LittleBritain and Mark Kermode (that guy off theBBC with the ten foot high, silver quiff) as ourmore recent alumni in the Arts.

Another former student we have is Damon Hill,the former British world champion in F1. He didwin the championship when even the oldestcurrent HABS Boys were four years old, butneedless to say we are convinced that hisdriving style would have been nurturedskidding to ‘keep off’ the quad or roaring downDagger Lane.

So what does all of this mean? Not necessarilyvery much but I think you would have to deducethat if you want to send your son here be awarethat they’ll come out a man who is a passionateanti-Fascist and a profane and politicallyincorrect comedian and an actor who gets paidto sit in a wheelchair all day (even thoughthey’re not disabled), a conventionally andunconventionally good-looking man who gets allthe girls, whilst at the same time a TV historianwho spends his Saturdays getting into spatswith Hermione and Sundays blitzing roundStowe corner in an F1 car while maintaining hismonolithic silvery-grey quiff in his rear viewmirror. All we can say is that there’s certainly agreat number of varied and original peoplewho’ve been here, which probablydemonstrates the futility of this exercise!

Ameya Tripathi L6


Habs Conspiracies

Being referred to as having “the gift ofthe gab,” we all know how the pupils whomake up our school love to talk. There areone and a half thousand boys making upseven years at Haberdashers’, yet arumour can spread between every person,teachers and students alike, within oneand a half minutes.

Throughout my six years here, I have beensubject to some fascinating stories; bothpotential rumours, such as ghosts, andheadline making news, including murders andfires. Here are some of them. As with everyconspiracy story, they vary from the delusionalto the, well, delusional.

Gas Leak and Fire

On 8th October 2009, less than a month intothe new school year, two mystifying andambiguous incidents were brought upon theschool within just a few hours of each other.

A sunny Thursday afternoon, the school waslooking immaculate; it was a mere two daysuntil the school’s annual Open Day, the hedgeshad been trimmed, the lawns were pristine,and the campus resembled a computersimulation; impossibly perfect, even byHaberdashers’ standards.

However, everybody’s lunchtime routines wereruined when, at around 1:00pm, the shrill blarefrom the school’s numerous fire alarms calledout. Everybody had to make their way to theAstroturf pitches, some complaining of missedopportunities at the “Passion Gates” due to theimpromptu and poorly-timed fire drill.Suspicions and queries began to arise by theever-inquisitive Habs boys when, half an hour

later, we were still left waiting, and were toldthat Period 6, after lunch, had been cancelled.A small minority of boys celebrated at missedlessons and, if very lucky, tests, yet, beneaththis, almost everybody was confused as to whathad brought on these events. After all, therewas neither a fire nor an emergency vehicle insight.

As time dragged by, and the pupils grewincreasingly tired and hungry, we were finallyreleased from our enclosure towards the dyingminutes of the lunch break, and led back into aschool in which half the doors and corridorswere locked, and all of the lockers in specificareas had been opened and searched.

The conclusion was that a gas leak hadoccurred, most likely leaking from a lockerwhich contained a gas cylinder belonging toone of the pupils going on a CCF trip toOtterburn, North Yorkshire, that week.

However, this did not explain another fire alarm! Itrang at 4pm, almost in unison with bell signallingthe end of another school day. Ironically, I hadbeen alerted by a teacher on the Astroturfpitches during the incident over lunchtime of howthe last time there was a fire in school, itoccurred at 4pm, making it impossibly difficult tomeasure who was on and off campus. Howcoincidental, it seemed, that the same hadoccurred! This time, emergency vehicles didarrive almost immediately, headed straight for thesports hall which was bellowing smoke.

Fortunately, everybody left school that day safeand sound. Despite this, it seemed curiousthat, despite not one real fire occurring in myprior six years at the school, this one day, everso close to open day, consisted of both a gasleak and a sports hall inferno.

The Tale of Studio Four

Every school has its ghost stories, and HABShas more than its fair share, the most wellknown being ‘The Tale of Studio Four’.

The story involves an ex – teacher, named Mr.Rose. During the building of the music school(the Seldon Hall) Mr. Rose, who lived at HABS,would hear strange howlings from theconstruction site in the dead of the night.Normally he would ignore them, passing thenoises off as escaping gas, or falling buildingmaterials, but one night he decided toinvestigate the strange sounds, so, armed with atorch and a single clove of garlic, he tentativelywandered into the half-built hall. As he

wandered towards the half-built Studio Four thenoise rose to a deafening cacophony, thecrazed ululating surrounding the terrified Mr.Rose.

The next morning Rose was found,unconscious, among the building works byconcerned workmen, who immediately calledfor an ambulance. Upon coming round, Mr.Rose claimed to remember nothing of theevents following his entrance into Studio Four,but starkly warned builders not to continue withthe construction. His advice ignored, buildingcontinued, but months later, a human fingerwas apparently found amongst the building siteas the foundations were laid. Rosesubsequently left the school, but not beforeretelling the story of that fateful night to manystudents currently in the Lower Sixth.

As with many of the HABS conspiracy stories,the reliability and truthfulness of ‘The Tale ofStudio Four’ is highly doubted and debated, butstudents who stay late in the music hall stillclaim to hear sounds from beneath the floorsof Studio Four..

Jack the Ripper

As you are whisked down Butterfly Lane as ayoung Year 7, it is likely that you might beforewarned of the rumours of Jack the Ripper.Despite supposedly operating in the area ofWhitechapel, older boys and siblings especiallydelight in scaring the newcomers bysuggesting that Jack worked amongst the leafywoods of Aldenham.

The legend has it that he would crouch downbehind the banks very late at night and kill asmall animal like the many squirrels that scurryaround the lanes. Then, he would wait until amotorcar rumbled tentatively into the gloom ofthe silent, unlit road, trying to spot the bendthey knew existed not only in their memory.The shock of seeing any obstacle on the roadwould slow the car down even further, late atnight, so the motorcars would slow down andinspect the dead squirrel or rabbit or whateverelse was on the road and as they stopped,often getting out to examine, Jack wouldquietly creep out of the hedges. Even when heknew he could get to his victim, he wouldn’tmake a noise, and it is only when he grabbedthem by the neck that the victim would firstbecome aware of their assailant and let out alonely, unheard howl. Bloodthirsty Jack wouldmake his final move, then get in the car withthe bodies and make it appear like a roadaccident, as if his victims had failed to peerthrough the gloom and crashed past a blindbend. There used to be claims that he used toknock around the Old Drama Studio.

Matt Kuber, Ameya Tripathi & Elliot Marcus L6

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The Year That Left

Every year a part of the school goes offinto the wider world, and reports backonce they’ve made it on to a Wikipediapage. This year, we thought it might be agood idea to find out what the year thatleft was like by asking a cross sectionof boys from it about their experiences.

If you could choose a Premiership team todescribe HABS, which would it be?

Considering their ongoing commitment tonurturing youth and excellence in terms ofentertainment and provision of swagger, thegreat Manchester City seem the most similarteam to HABS. The similarity in appearanceas well as character between RobertoMancini (OH) and Phillip Parr, althoughunderstated in the media, is a significantfactor.

Philip Bagshaw

What school trip did you enjoy most atHABS?

Argentina and Chile. It was an unbelievableexperience of different cultures, staying withfamilies made the whole trip a fantasticcharacter building experience as well as goodpreparation for the rugby season. Has mademe want to return to South America in thefuture and explore other areas of the world.

Hasan Dindjer

How did your involvement in societies atHABS improve your academic career?

It's a bit early to judge but I'd like to thinkthat keeping myself very busy at school had

some positive effect on my work. Debatingmakes you pretty good at arguing quiteconvincingly for one side of an argumentwhilst paying little attention to 'the truth'. Thisis good for A-Level essay subjects (though Idaresay bad for some other things). Ingeneral, I think that juggling a lot forces youto manage your time as efficiently aspossible, a skill I've neglected since leavingHABS, but should probably re-learn beforestarting my law degree. I should mention thatbeing on the Skylark editorial team gets you along way.

Matthew Worby

What were you feeling upon leaving HABS?

There was a sense of relief that I finally got toprogress onto bigger and better things. I thinkfrom the start of the final year, wheneveryone was checking ‘UCAS track’ once aday, university was tantalisingly close, andthe year just wanted to be off, be done withschool. But there was also a small twinge ofregret, HABS was a place that I had spent 7years; some of my year had spent 13 yearsthere. The routine became comforting and weall knew how the place worked, but ultimatelywe all felt that we had been nurtured to thefullest extent, and it was time to achieveexcellence in the wide world.

Johnny Miller

What was your greatest achievement atHABS and why?

My greatest sporting achievement wasprobably captaining our U15 rugby side to the5th round of the Daily Mail Cup (the nationalknock out tournament) only to lose toeventual finalists in a tight game, putting usin the top 32 schools in the country. The

reason this was such an achievement wasthat in the previous year we won just 3games in the entire season and that dailymail cup run was a real display of team spiritand courage from a side that were oftenunderdogs and it is something I am veryproud of.

Brett Bernstein

Would you ever send your children to HABS?

Of course, I can't see anywhere elseproviding for little Bretts in the same way.

Ed Schwitzer

What was your favourite memory from anyHABS school trips you went on?

Perhaps it was seeing the look on Mr Simm'sface in The Hague when Ben Dive called himAlex. Or maybe it was when we had returnedfrom the Year 9 trip to Boulogne and uponentering the coach park, we saw Mr Corrallslyly remove vast quantities of wine from thecoach hold. Certainly, what makes HABSschool trips so special is the singing ofJerusalem once you've made that specialright turn into Dagger Lane.

What aspect of HABS do you think you'll missthe most?

Definitely the banter! It was so refreshing tostroll into the common room on a Mondaymorning and hear the laughs about whatsome poor guy had done on Saturday night.Furthermore, Sue takes banter to a wholenew level and my nickname of "Billy nomates" was something I sported withimmense pride.

Nii Cleland L6

New honours ties and scarves awarded


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Bantock Interview

Unless you are acellist, frequentthe Music Schoolor are in any ofthe SchoolOrchestras, youare unlikely toknow exactlywho Mr BjornBantock is.However, he isundoubtedly oneof the mostpowerful characters in the entire MusicDepartment. An internationally renownedconductor, enthusiastic extrovert andfantastic cellist to boot, he recentlymanaged to create, organise, and marketthe first ever Habs String Tour throughsheer force of personality. In an interviewwith Mr Bantock, we try to discuss all ofthese things and more.

Z: So, what did you do before you came toHabs?

B: Had a life! (Laughter) There’s so much of it;you’d need to be more specific.

Z: Did you teach before you came here?

B: I had a job in Manchester before I camehere, teaching the cello, and before that, Istudied at Manchester again, at the RoyalNorthern College of Music, with EmmaFerrand and Ralph Kirshbaum. And beforethat, I was in Holland, in Amsterdam,studying with Gregor Horsch, the lead cellistof the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Before allthat I studied in the Conservatory of Musicin Stellenbosch, which is just outsideCapetown.

Z: How do the schools that you were at beforecompare to Habs?

B: I started my cello teaching in the stateschools in Manchester, which wereincredibly rough. I remember one of the firstschools that I turned up to; I thought it wasa jail! It had rolls of barbed wire on thefences, and electric gates with buzzers atthe front door. It was very intense. Thechildren were basically savages; no oneever came to lessons. It was all verydepressing. So when you compare thebuildings and the set up of the classroomsin the private sector, I don’t think the boyseven realise how lucky they are sometimes.I think that the facilities that are available tothe staff and pupils alike are second tonone, so that’s quite; well... it’s somethingto think about.

Z: Are you still in contact with any of thecellists that you trained with?

B: I have a few friends that I’m still in goodcontact with; one of them is now the

godfather of one of my sons, but I don’treally play the cello anymore, so much hadto stop, and so my playing career ended,which is when I came to Habs.

Z: How long have you been conductingfor?

B: I started conducting when I was a teenager,at a National Youth Orchestra Course inNorth Wales, of all places. The BrassEnsemble there asked me to conductsomething one afternoon; they needed aconductor as they were doing somecomplicated piece or something. That wasthe first time I ever conducted anything, Iwas about 14 I think, and then I caught thebug, but as I thought that the cello wasmore important for me, I stuck with thecello. When I stopped playing the cello, Ithought maybe I’d like to try conductingagain. Basically I needed another way tomake music, and so I contacted a teacherrecommended to me at the Royal Academyof Music in London, Colin Metters, and I didan audition for him, he said yes, he’d takeme on, and I had about five years oflessons with him.

Z: And you’re conducting orchestrasinternationally?

B: Yes, I do, quite a lot really considering howmuch cello teaching I do… I’ve workedwith the Capetown Philharmonic Orchestraquite a lot, and the HertfordshirePhilharmonic, and I go to Denmark aboutthree or four times a year to conduct someorchestras there. I also work in Italy andGermany quite regularly, things are startingslowly… Like red wine (Laughs). I’m goingto Poland in the autumn and then to SouthAfrica again at Easter. I’ve also just recentlybeen asked to take over the St. Albans’Symphony Orchestra as their principalconductor, and also I do a lot of freelancestuff; whatever’s available and because theschool term is so short; we only actuallywork for about thirty weeks per year, so thatleaves the rest of the twenty weeks of theyear free to do other things. At the moment,I’m managing to do a lot of my work in theholidays, which are very extensive in theteaching profession.

Z: I remember reading on your website, thatyou were in a newspaper, for a MusicFestival, the first ever in –

B: Oh yes, Malta! I had a friend who was acomposer, and we decided that we’d like tostart an International String OrchestraFestival in Malta, which we spent abouteighteen months planning. We gotsponsorship from various companies, andwe had a festival which ran over ten days;it involved getting professional stringteachers from the colleges in London to goand teach for a week to students from allover the world. We had students fromRussia, Australia, South Africa, the U.K,

France, Denmark, Germany, and America.In order for them to be to be invited, theyhad to send audio or video tapes and wechose the best thirty performers. They wereall student, or college level musicians andwe put them together with the professionalsin a real string orchestra, and we hadmaster classes where they performed tothe professors and they also had lessons,chamber music lessons and string quartetsevery day. That was very successful, Ienjoyed that. Malta is a wonderful place tobe, so sunny and hot and the coffee is likediesel (Laughs!). We also played someconcerts on the island of Gozzo, which isjust a short ferry ride. Everything in Malta isan overpoweringly intense bright yellowsand-stone colour, and in gloriousopposition the Catholic churches andcathedrals are fantastically over the top,embellished to the height of opulence…andit’s just beautiful…truly the last bastion ofCatholicism before the great foreboding‘Africa’ looms over the bow of your ship!

Z: So, moving on to your work at Habs, lots ofpeople have noticed your somewhat...unusual style, maybe in teaching, butspecifically in wearing rather interestingcostumes, famously the Pirates of theCaribbean costume, where you wore apirate costume, with a parrot on yourshoulder, and more recently last year whenyou were playing Austin Powers, and youcame in dressed in felt, and a crown and agiant flashing sceptre. So what do you haveto say for yourself?

B: Well, we’re working with music which is acreative thing…fluid and unpredictable,also very, very hard work. I was workingwith the Philomusica Orchestra there, andit’s a quite difficult age group to work with,basically they’re all between the ages ofeleven and fourteen, and it’s incrediblyimportant that the best way to educateyoung boys and young men (in my humbleopinion!) is to get them enthusiastic aboutwhat they’re trying to do. I don’t think thatthe ‘stick’ approach works; well it doeswork for a short time, but maybe becauseof resentment and fear on behalf of thechild. I think that the best way to learn, andthe best way to educate them in the longterm, in a life sense, not just until the exam,is that they are incredibly enthusiastic aboutwhat they are doing, with discipline ofcourse. In a way that’s what is sotantalising about learning music, you needthese two seemingly diametrically opposedthings in yourself, absolute discipline andabsolute freedom to do whatever, in thiscase Austin Powers! If I were doing anothersubject, Geography or Biology for example, Ithink I might do exactly the same thing. Ithink that if the boys are enjoying what theydo, then they don’t even realise how muchthey learn. They’re learning just for theenjoyment factor, so you then sneak in the


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Complacency is pandemic in anyHaberdashers classroom. The confidentsaunter of the HABS Boy is added to ourgait on the very first day of year seven,but nowhere else is this complacencybetter evidenced than around the quad.Each day hundreds of boys stroll around,and occasionally across, the carefullymanicured square, wholly ignoring theirsurroundings.

But on the occasional days that the school isfound empty it is hard to understand how somany can walk past the area so quickly. Itsbeauty lies in its simplicity. A small plaque liesin the square’s centre and before this two trees

stand side by side. It comes as a refreshingbreak to the intensely busy surroundings, butits importance is more symbolic than aesthetic.It is the school’s centre point, the unavoidablecross roads through which every journeyaround the school will pass. Although I don’tremember ever being expressly forbidden fromwalking on the grass of the quad it simply isnot the done thing. When researching thisarticle I ran to the quad’s centre to read theplaque and upon reaching it I felt exposed andreckless and began to rehearse possibleexcuses in my head. Even if the Quad isn’t fullyappreciated my sprint back to the surroundingpath shows that it is certainly respected.

The quad’s simplicity leads to its versatility andthe varied events that take place on the quadshow its usefulness to the school. Sales arecommonplace, but the acoustic concerts in thesummer and the transformation of the quadinto a small park on Mencap Funday are themoments that stand out in boys’ memories ofthe quad. The quad is the heartbeat of Habs,and perhaps the complacency is morerepresentative of the gentle respect the boysfeel for the area than their taking it for granted.It is, after all, just a square of grass.

Elliot Marcus L6

education alongside that. I think that’simportant. I come from a... well… when Iwas in school it was incredibly different; Igrew up in a kind of totalitarian statesystem, basically under the iron rod, andwe were caned excessively for absolutelyeverything, and I’m not sure that that’ssuch a good idea. So, maybe I’ve gone tothe other extreme?

Z: The ‘RENT A CROC’ poster on your wall, isthat something you would put up if youwere a Biology teacher?

B: (Laughs) That was actually a present fromone of the boys; I was threatening to phoneRent-a-Croc if they muck about, and I evenhave a (fake) number in my mobile phoneto show them if I have to. I pretend that youcan rent crocodiles in various shapes,stages of development, ages and colours:with teeth, without teeth, you can havetitanium teeth for instance, for various usesin and around the music classroom; ofcourse, it all depends upon the severity ofthe punishment to be meted out! I tell themthat it’s my cousin who owns that!

Zachary Spiro L6

The Quad...a great meeting place and centre for the school that we often don’t notice


64


This year HABS Summer Workshopcelebrated its 25th Anniversary.

Both weeks had over 150 boys and girls whoenjoyed a whole range of exciting activitiesranging from Dance (which is new this year) toAdventure – which involves Canoeing, Campcraft and Orienteering.

HABS Summer Workshop is a non – residentialactivities camp for boys and girls between theages of 7 to 13.

There are 2 one week courses – the firstbegins on Monday 9th July 2011 and thesecond one begins on Monday 16th July 2011.

Children from all schools are welcome toattend either one or both weeks and the cost ofthe camp is approximately £180 per week.

The children can choose from a range ofactivities including – Football, tennis, hockey,dance, athletics, photography, pottery,adventure, design, electronics, fun with wood,video production, badminton, cricket, dramaand T shirt printing.

The day is from 9.30am until 4.30pm. A hotlunch and all equipment is provided.

The Workshop has particular benefit to thosechildren who are about to start their schooling

at Haberdashers (7+ and 11+) as it gives thema chance to orientate themselves around theschool and to meet other new boys and someof the teaching staff.

Should you wish to receive an application form(which will be available at the end of May)please contact Mrs. Tracey Clark on 0208 2661720.

N Holmes

HABS Summer Workshop


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66

Prep & Pre-prep


Skylark 2010 Prep and Pre-prep

Prep NewsTwenty eight boys, along with Miss Mercer deliv

ered the Annual Report at Prep CommendationDay on

July 2nd 2010.

The theme of this year’s report was ‘FIRST’ and the packed Bourne Hall heard about many n

ew

initiatives and events which have happened for the first time this year in the Prep School.

The audience watched a superbly constructedanimation film compiled by boys in Year 6 as part of

their Art Programme of Study. The House Captains gave accounts of the Inter- House Poetry

Competition held earlier in the year. In each of

the four year groups the entry which won wasAndrew’s House everytime! This year in Friday

assemblies the Prep boys have sat in their House

Groups, proudly wearing their new House Ties. As well as a Poetry Competition, there was also a handwriting competition in the

Autumn Term to

remind the Prep boys how vital this skill remains.

Year 4 went to the Kingswood Centre in Ashford, Kent, for their first ever residential trip and

they provided evidence of how challenging their

activities were through a fabulous DVD (made by Mrs Magnus). The Year 5 boys described their day visit to The Royal Botanical Gar

dens at Kew

where they were enthralled by the Treetops Walkway and the famous Temperate House.

Thirty boys from the Art Club assisted Mrs Herbert in this year’s Art Project; they cut and wired 100 plastic b

ottles, felt tips, ballpoint pens, bottle

tops and toothpaste lids to create and assemble a spectacular chandelier – now proudly hanging in the Prep Hall.

Other ‘Firsts’ this year have included an opportunity for Year 6 to learn Bridge; to attend a lun

chtime Yoga Club and Years 3-6 were invited to learn

Backgammon (with thanks to Raphael Fulton and family!). This year Spanish and German les

sons were also added to the Year 6 curriculum.

Dance continues to be such a popular activityin the Prep that a dance club was set up and

the traditional end of term event was once again a

dance competition organised entirely by the boys.

The Year 6 Production ‘Possum’s Tails’, basedon the musical CATS (and T. S. Eliot’s poetry) w

as warmly received by parents and friends ofthe

school and once again included some wonderful dance routines along with some striking fa

ce painting which the boys thoroughly enjoyed.

Individual highlights of the year have included Ravi Haria who was selected for the U11 England

Chess Team. Ravi represented his country at theWorld

Junior Chess Championships in Turkey and at the prestigious Cappelle-le-Grande Tournament w

here he played against opponents 7 years older!

Some members of the Judo club have been very successful entering official competitions a

nd Max Goodkind, in his first season, was crowned

Herts’ Schools’ U9 Judo Champion and was Runner-Up in the IAPS Judo Championships.

Noah Max sang in front of Boris Johnson at City Hall. He also performed in ‘The Ice Mounta

in’ Operetta and at the televised premiere of ‘A

Christmas Carol’ in Leicester Square.

Ashvin Kuri was selected to represent the London Borough of Barnet in the London Youth Ga

mes Mini Athletics at Crystal Palace. He came

second in the 200 metres.

Harry Sharer won a television part in a well known BBC Soap Opera as well as securing the lead r

ole of ‘Billy Elliot’ in the ‘Top Hat’ Stage School production.

Joshua Silverbeck was awarded a Bronze Medal in the UK Junior Mathematics Olympiad. A

fantastic achievement considering just 230 medals

are awarded from an entry of 250,000 participants!

Aryan Mishra and Nikhil Thadhani-Six took part in the North London Festival of Music & Drama and won the Gold Medal for their Actin

g Dialogue.

George Lawrence (our U11 Cricket captain and a very talented all-round sportsman) was se

lected along with Benjamin and Freddie Wright for the

U11 County Cricket Squad.

Jonathan Walker, another hugely talented sportsman won the Prep School ‘Overall Contributi

on to Sport’ trophy which was presented to him on

Commendation Day.

Sam Warner – a very talented tennis player (9 years) has again been selected for the Herts’ Squad and the

‘Future’s Squad’ for rising stars.

The HABS’ athletics squad recorded its best ever season and in the Prep, Adeoluwa Tokuta w

on his age group in the U10 hurdles at the IAPS

regional championships. Ayomiposi Obileye jumped an outstanding 1.39cm in the high jump on Sports Day just missing th

e school record by 1cm!

The Prep School Council has been very activethis year and special mention must be made r

egarding the astonishing generosity of the boys and

their families in fund-raising activities. In total £8,172.37 was raised through sponsored events includin

g the October Read and the June

Sponsored Swim. In addition to a lunchtime fete and mufti days, the money raised has sup

ported the RSPCA, Cancer Research, Haiti Earthquake

Appeal, Sparrow Schools, Freddie’s Fund, Teenage Cancer Trust, and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The year began with the news that HABS’ Prep had topped the Sunday Times Parent Power

Tables (based on the Key Stage II Results of the

previous three years) making HABS the highest ranked Boys’ Prep School for the fourth cons

ecutive year. The year ended with some tremendous

results in The UK Junior Mathematics Challenge.

We have certainly enjoyed a busy and fun-filled year. Well done to the boys and the staff in the Prep.

We can’t wait to start the new 2010/2011 Academic Year!

Yvonne MercerHead of Prep & Pre-Prep Schools

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68


Orielton, Wales

My favourite part of Orielton wasunarguably sharing a room with myfriends. On the first day we clambered upthe stairs as quickly as possible, luggingginormous, over-packed suitcases to grabthe best beds in our dorms! Our roomconsisted of 6 boys and 3 bunk beds (sixspaces). It was a new and excitingexperience to me.

Our room was a dull white and the beds weremade from wood which creaked every time youfractionally moved yet they were still comfy andwelcoming to rest on. There was a nice warmand comfy carpet which spanned the floor aswell. Our room looked like a World War 1minefield with clothes spewed out on the floorand towels flung onto random ledges and ontothe floor. It was hastily cleaned up whenteachers announced dreaded room inspections.

At night our room was alive with the sound oflaughter which sadly didn’t go down well withthe teachers. After a few energy lacking days Ithink our group realised that the teachers onlymade us go to bed early for our benefit nottheirs.

There was a vast array of rooms, each withtheir own specific name, ours was called Seal.

I loved all of the trips out and learning aboutNature.

I have to say in my opinion the worst thing inOrielton was packing to go home. Packing wasgrim and a sober task as a week of fun hadjust come to a halt.

Gideon Daitz Year 6


69


On a sweltering-hot Friday afternoon inJune, twenty-eight boys, seven from eachof the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ PrepSchool houses, stepped off the coach,their hearts trying to escape their chests,and lined up in front of the impossibly talltrees, threatening figures blotting out thesun.

The four lines of seven, one for each house –Andrews, Davids, Georges and Patricks – stoodin the shadows of the four eighty-five metre tallmenaces.

At precisely 3:15pm, the starting whistle splitthe skies and the first four men clambered forthe stars. The annual inter-house tree-climbingrace had begun.

Georges got off to an excellent start, withJohnny Walker effortlessly scaling the mean-looking branches. However, the Patrickssupporters were losing luck; Iyon Rudran brokeevery branch he stepped on and was relying ononly his strong hands to get him up- but werethey strong enough…? The annoyedsupporters tried to distract Johnny, ending in along drop and a sudden stop as the poor boywas hospitalised from a fatal slip.

However, the event had to continue. Johnny’ssubstitute, Noah Max, took to the front of thered-laden line.

The race was re-started, with a ten-secondhandicap for poor old Patricks. With Iyondisqualified, things were not looking up forthem. However, Ben Wright made up for losttime and scaled it to the clouds, drawing withDavids’ first man, Michael Nio.

Andrews began to lag behind as Noah workedhis magic on the tree. He was up the trunk inan instant and the next man started to climb:Isaac Zamet.

The race was pretty tight until Craig Hall ofDavids fell from the sky. Soon, yellow’s fourthman was at the opposite end of the tree to theend he had almost been at just a few preciousseconds ago. Craig cursed the tree as theAmbulance whizzed him away. His loyal sub,Theo Lewy, stepped up and finished the job inseconds. He had put Davids back in the race.

Andrews were putting up a good fight, but itwasn’t good enough. The other houses werejust too fast. By the time their third man wasup and away, Davids had cleared five, Patrickshad three to go and Georges’ sixth man ofseven, Finn O’Riordan, was already on his wayto the sun.

Just when they couldn’t afford to make anothermistake – they were almost back in the game– Andrews’ fourth man, Daniel Ellisexperienced the terror of free-fall. Hew wasraced into the ambulance with the other twounlucky competitors and awaited his arrival atthe nearby A&E. Gideon Daitz took his placeand could have been mistaken for a monkey ashe flew heavenwards.

It was getting hot between the houses whenAlexander Davis finished first, making theGeorges crowd at the roots roar!

Just seconds later, Sohum Patel grasped thetop branch in triumph as his mates cheeredhim from Earth.

Patricks had made a smooth comeback; RaviHaria cheered up his teammates by finishingnext.

Meanwhile, far, far below, Andrews’ last manwas waiting on the solid soil, waiting whenman six would give him the all-clear to startclimbing.

“I knew from the very beginning that Georgeswould do well,” stated Mr. Lipscomb,Housemaster of the reds, after the race. I’m soproud of them, honestly!” he adds confidentlyas he sees his seven top men hoist the cup.

“I don’t know how I made that comeback at thebeginning…” said Ben Wright of Patricks, alittle uncertainly. “But I did it, and that’s whatmatters…”

“I don’t think I’d have stood a chance!”sniggered Mr. Brown, hardly able to conceal hislaughter as Mr. Lowe made his drawn-outthank-you speech. At that, Mr. Lipscomb andMiss Grimes both fell into hysterics category asthe sturdy trees vibrated with the everlastingechoes of their hyena-esque laughter.

Noah Max Year 6

The Big Scream

Local girl attacks famous spider at park.

Incy Wincy was attacked at his home by ahuman giant, Little Miss Muffet, in the earlyhours of Sunday morning.

The spider is recovering at home with hisparents. Witnesses saw the girl squeezing thespider viciously in her hand. “The pair of themwere making a horrendous sound, bothscreaming their heads off! Miss Muffet ran allaround Hyde Park squeezing the poorcreature.”

Our reporters, Scor P.Ian and Tara N. Tular,managed to have a word with Incy Wincy at hishome.

“I was sitting there, minding my own business,making my web. Then suddenly, a monster of agirl turned around, saw me, and startedattacking. She screamed like a wild dog, I tellyou. She squeezed me and even stepped onme. That girl should live in the jungle, with theanimals!”

The doctors think Incy will not recover until hehas an operation on his flat stomach. He won’tbe able to appear on Spider TV for a long time.The spider police say do not panic if you see ahuman, just crawl away quickly.

An emergency hotline has been set up for allspiders who have been attacked by humans.The number is……

Tamilore Awosile Year 4

Year 3 Portraits

The Long Climb


70


Blueberry

B- Ball shaped fruit

L- Lovely on a hot summer’s day

U- Under a layer of cream

E- Even delicious with pancakes

B- Blue and dark

E- Enjoyable to eat

R- Really ripe

R- Rated 5 star!

I- It is picked from a bush

E- Eating it makes you healthy

S- Small but tasty

Arron Kennon Year 3

Year 5 Installations

Pomegranate

P- Pomegranates are my favourite fruit

O- Overwhelming flavour on your tongue

M- My brother and I love them

E- Eating them all day long

G- Gathering them whenever we can

R- Refreshing on a hot summer’s day

A- And bursting with juicy vitamins

N- Nutritious

A- A gift from heaven !

T- Tastier than anything else

E- Everlasting!

Imran Kermalli Year 3

The Magic Box

I will put in the box

A favour from a friendly friend

The cheeky laugh of a goblin

A cat with a cutting claw


An action figure with a shivering body

A beam of light from the Northern Lights

A bit of gold from a goldfish


A smile from my mother

A cute meow from a cat

A toddler’s first day at school


A thirteenth month and a flying carpet

A devil with a halo

And an angel with horns

My box is fashioned with snow, ice and glass

With asteroids on the lid, with life and death inthe corners

Its hinges being the elbows of tigers

I shall play football in my box

In front of a roaring crowd at the Emirates

And then travel to a beach the size of Spain.

Nikhil Bashir Year 5

Black

The soul of evil, the sound of space,

The scent of danger, as spooky as night,

The laugh of a joker,

The kung-fu of a ninja,

Black is the sound of rock guitars playing,

Space as dull as night, as spooky as a ninja,

Wrestlers as strong as a bull,

Danger, the sign of bad, the taste of mud,

Soul, the taste of burning, the smell of rum,

The battle of power,

King as powerful as a joker

Myles Yates Year 3

Blue is the colour of….

Blue sounds like the sky,

That gleams while the mellow bluebirds arechirping gracefully.

Blue feels bitter like the transparent ice in thenorth.

Blue is the colour of our school uniform that isvery spruce.

Uranus is a blue, fair, craggy planet that is verypetite.

Blue sounds like the flowing current of the sea.

Blue is the colour of you when you areflabbergasted.

Blue tastes like a blueberry, pure andsucculent.

Jay Patel Year 3


71


“The Wilderness”

There is a Baboon in me,

Aggressive when challenged,

Climbing with determination and doggedlynever giving up,

Making people laugh.

The wilderness gave it to me and thewilderness will not let it go.

There is a Lion in me,

Brave and strong in every battle,

Likes to be in charge, King of the jungle,

When action concludes, likes to have his dailynap.


There is a Hawk in me,

Sharp-eyed, spotting any opportunity to attack,

Protecting its family when in danger,

Moving as swift as a ball through the air.


There is a Salmon in me,

Always taking the hard route,

Darting through the water,

Forever swimming, never stopping.


There is a Frog in me,

Always leaping from place to place,

Full of energy, never staying still,

Eating food in the blink of an eye.


Oh, I have a zoo, a menagerie

Inside my heart,

Pumping around my body,

Loving me forever.

I came from the wilderness.

Michael Miller Year 5

Year 4 Colourscapes

Arjun Year 3


72


Music in the PREP SCHOOL

The prep school is full of opportunities forpupils to experience a wide range ofmusical activities and there are manyexciting chances to perform in concertsand orchestras. Every class has twomusic lessons a week usually involvingsinging, listening to and learning aboutmusic. My instrument is the trombone butI particularly enjoy composing music togo with short film and cartoon clips andlistening to music from other countries.Every Christmas there is a ‘Words andMusic’ concert including performancesfrom the wind band, string orchestra,woodwind and string groups, the seniorchoir and the junior choir. Everyone has apart to play and there is also some actingfrom different year groups. It is hilariousto see the parents’ faces as they hear thepunch line of a joke or their son walks onto the stage in an outrageous costume!

On Wednesday lunchtimes the instrumentscome out and the orchestras are in session.There is a vast String Orchestra and almosteveryone who plays a stringed instrument is in

it. There is also the smaller, Premier Stringsgroup for the early grades and then there is theWind Band. In year five, every boy has to learna new instrument in a group. If they learn onealready, they are invited to join a Chambergroup. I found it interesting to be learning withother boys in a brass Chamber group. Forpupils who choose to carry on their instrumentthey have individual lessons once a week butat different times each week to avoid missingtoo much of any one subject. There is a seniorchoir where all boys from year 5 and 6 areallowed to join in and sing. There are manyamazingly enjoyable opportunities to perform,such as last year’s Barbican Gala Concert andthis year’s Main School Choral Society Concertwhich the senior choir are taking part in andwhich I am enjoying rehearsing for. There is ajunior choir of boys from year 3 and 4 as welland they learn fun, lively songs and performsome of them in concerts. Overall, there is a lotof music involved with prep life from ‘High-pitched’ hymn practices to lively orchestrasessions.

Alexander Astruc Year 6

Noah Max Year 6

Year 5 Installation


73


The Terrible Truth of India

As soon as you step out of the plane fortydegrees Celsius of heat hits you. Goinginto the airport building you can alreadysmell the stench of the unhygienic, sweatcoated, half naked porters.Outside is the busy India. People-pulledrickshaws travelling slowly. Babies with noclothes crying in their begging mothers’ arms.Poor, blind men singing horribly to make somemoney. Thousands of cars on the road turningand switching sides without any traffic lights.Cars move so slowly because of the traffic thatpeople stand in the middle of the roads unhurt.

Carrying on down the streets you see a holyriver with people bathing in it, being careful notto be hit by a boat. Look up and you’ll seehundreds of flats towering above you. Younever really see houses as people can’t affordthem.

Each flat has a large, flat roof known as aterrace. Terraces are great fun to play on.They’re like gardens for people who live in theflat, except they have no grass. They’re madeof stone. At night you see the glistening starsand with this small amount of light you seemoving figures, not humans… These are quitelarge stray cats and dogs. The creatures arebeautiful but I know I shouldn’t go near thedisease-carrying strays.

In each room of the flats or houses are at leastone or more large fans hanging from theceiling to make you cooler.

INDIA IS MY FAVORITE PLACE!

Sahil Baid Year 6

A Roman Soldier

Why I would like to be one

I would like to be a Roman soldier because Iwould be paid a lot of money ( denarii). I wouldbe treated with respect. I would be particularlygood at building walls, bridges, roads, boatsand walls.

I would be travelling and visiting a lot ofdifferent countries and be able to defend myemperor, Rome and my country. I would makea lot of new friends along the way.

I would love to be a Roman soldier because Iwould be wearing armour and carryingweapons.

I would have to get up early and be very fit as Iwould have to run twenty to thirty kilometres aday. I would be very organised and ready foranything.

Best of all, I would get the best seats at theColosseum to watch the gladiators!

Andrew Rogers Year 3

Year 5 Bamboo Ink and Brush Paintings


74


The Vegetable Patch Club

The boys are enjoying making a real messin the mud as we turn the soil ready forplanting. As well as getting messy we aregetting slightly distracted by discoveringsome really meaty worms! In a few weekstime, once we having finished digging andthe weather is a bit warmer then we willstart planting seeds. Once again we willbe planting lots of runner beans,courgettes, and potatoes. We were alsoamazed to see how many new strawberryplants there are this year.


75


Sports at the Prep

At HABS, we play a variety of sports.

In the autumn Term, we play rugby, in thespring term football and in the summer termcricket. We swim all year round.

My favourite sport is football and being in goalbecause you are allowed to dive around andget all muddy!!

If you show your sports teachers that you areworking hard at improving, you could bechosen to play against other schools.

You also have the option to join lunch timesports club and improve your skills. As you getolder, you get to play badminton, rounders,hockey and basketball.

I love sports at HABS!

Khaleel Jiwa Year 3


76


I sat down in the waiting room of mydentist feeling very apprehensive andnervous. I wanted it to be tomorrowalready! I looked around and tried torelax, all the other people looking as coolas cucumbers. They were probably herefor a check-up. I was having my toothpulled out! What was that antagonisingnoise? The fish tank! It was supposed torelax you not irritate you and then thefidgeting began. It started with my footthat I couldn’t stop tapping. Then my legwouldn’t stop shaking and my handswere repeatedly tapping on my legs.There was that humming of the fish tankagain! I glanced at the clock. I could feelmy hands becoming sweaty and my heartrate increasing. My thoughts wereconfused. How…what if they get thewrong measurements and Ifeel…someone turn off that fishtank…pain? I looked back at the clock –it had barely moved. I reassured myselfthat it was broken. Please stop me

waiting. It seemed like an hour of nervousworrying sitting there. Then the hummingof the fish tank came again. “Someoneturn it off!” I screamed in my mind. “Putme out of my misery and call my name!”

They did. Finally, the heart-sinking momentcame, the dentist walked as calm as can beinto the room and called my name.

As I was walking into the room, I asked him ifhe was going to put me to sleep. He said hewas going to make my mouth numb then do it.I felt worse as I sat in the chair and watchedthe syringe being loaded. After the pain of theinjection, nothing hurt but the worst part was tohear the tooth root snap as it was pulled out!

Saul Federman Year 5

Chess

The start of the year began with the trialsfor Elite Chess from which 4 teams ofboys were selected the Pontins’ qualifyingtournament held on 28th February in StAlbans. The team members were:

U11 ARavi Haria, George Lawrence, Shreyas Pulle,Joshua Silverbeck, Jordan Urban, MartinZucker.

U11 BNikhil Chavda, Luca Ignatius, Thomas Johnston,Mark Newman, Rahul Shah, Harry Sharer.

U9AAlex Jones, Obaydh Khan, Aryan Mishra,Purushot Sadagopan, Ben Schwarzmann,Harjivan Singh.

U9BJamie Barnet, Zamaan Dudhia, James Hughes,Jamie Harper, Henry Rocha, Ravi Vijaygopal

Some boys were playing for the school chessteam for the first time. Many were nervous,but excited at the prospect of pitting their skillsagainst other local schools. After the first roundeveryone settled down and became familiarwith the routine. This soon proved to be apromising tournament. By the end of the 4thround, the U11 As had already cruised tovictory, following a long tradition of HABSsuccess in the competition. The other teamshowever still had a difficult fight on their hands,as they attempted to sneak into the next round.Excitement grew when the Chief Arbiter, TonyCorfe, told everyone that the top 5 teams wentthrough but the 6th place team may also gothrough depending on a tie-breaker. The U9Ateam managed to squeeze through in 6thplace. Unfortunately the U9B and U11B teamsjust missed out.

Some great chess was played. The highestindividual score was George Lawrence, whowon all his games with 5/5 on board 2 in theU11A team. I was proud to captain the U11Ateam. We are looking forward to playing in thesemi finals at Camber Sands on 26th to 27thJune. As well as the U9A and U11A teams,HABS Prep will be represented in the platecompetition.

Thank you from all the boys to Miss Mercer,Mrs Witzenfeld, Mr Lawrence, Mrs Khan and allthe parents and team managers who helpedand supported us and, of course our, schoolcoach, Lorin D’Costa.

Ravi Haria, Year 6

“Waiting”


77


Encounter with a Tiger

The dark rainforest, shaded from thesun’s light by leaves, was a beautifulblend of the greenery and the cool bluewater, crystal clear, dripping slowly offthe pointy leaves from the trees highoverhead. Sweat was sticking to myforehead in a thick film; the air was hotand humid.

Suddenly a great roar erupted from the veryheart of the rainforest, almost splitting the skyin two. It rang in my ears. I was frozen in sheerterror, rigid to the spot. All the birds perchingon trees suddenly took to the air, in a massive,swarm-like body, and raced off.

Then, an eternity of silence.

I realised I wasn’t breathing, so I suddenlybegan to breathe in gulps of air in hugequantities. I knew that if the origin of that roarcame too close, I might never breathe again.

Finally, after a few minutes, my breathing ratehad returned to normal. But soon I noticedsomething strange. Apart from me, somethingelse was breathing too. Something close by.Something in that bush...

Before I had fully taken it all in, an Indian tigerleaped from inside the large shrub. Notknowing whether to feel surprised or terrified, Istepped backwards and tried my best not toturn and leg it. Slowly, the details started tosink in. I knew I would remember them forever.

The tiger pawed the ground, its long sharpclaws cutting deep into the sticky mud. Blackand orange stripes covered its body. Thepattern seemed to make me feel strangelydizzy and confused, so much so, I nearly fellflat onto my back. I tried to look away, but itseemed mesmerising, in a way.

It opened its large jaws. The sound of the teethopening was similar to the sound of a knifebeing sharpened. Some of the sharp upperteeth were connected to the lower ones withlong, thin strings of saliva, glistening in thesmall amount of sunlight that was able to getthrough the upper leaves. When fully open, ahuge, deafening roar flew from the gapingcavern of a mouth. Even with my fingers tightlyin my ear, my eardrums almost burst. Thesharp, yellow, bloodstained teeth like those of avampire after an attack, stretched outwards totheir furthest.

Finally, the mouth slowly closed, the soundsimilar to the sound of a sword being slid intoa scabbard after a battle. The tiger’s nostrilsflared. Its big, evil yellow eyes gave me one laststare, as if giving a warning never to set footon its territory again. It jumped stealthily backthrough the bush and raced off into the heartof the rainforest.

And that, thankfully, was the last I ever saw ofthe evil creature.

Noah Max Year 6

Our World War Two Topic

Diary Entry by Jake Charnley about an evacuees journey Year 3

Dear Diary,

As my mum dropped me off at the station and kissed me,

I felt like was going to burst. I had many emotions. I was

nervous, happy, sad, excited, anxious and relieved all at the

same time. After a while I settled, but when I got my

book out I burst into tears. It took quite a long time for

the teachers and me friends to calm me down. I decided to

have a look at my family picture, it had mum, dad and me

in it. My mum wore a grey jumper and my dad was in his

army uniform. Suddenly the train shook and when I looked up

from my photo I was amazed to see a big field with cows,

horses and donkeys. I had never seem anything like it before,

we where in the countryside!!

Dear Diary,The air in the train smelt of cigarette smoke. I wasabout halfway through the journey when I was sat there,bewildered about what was happening. I cuddled myteddy as if it was my mum. After we went through atunnel we came out the other side but there were nobuildings, just green fields. I decide to draw the fieldsbut then it was getting late and out teacher told us wewould arrive soon. We drew up at the station and Ijust wanted to go to bed.

Letter home by Edward Isaacs Year 3

Diary Entry byHugo Max

Year 3

Cherry Tree StreetDundrum

Co Hereford

12th March 1940

Dear Mum,

I miss you so much but a nice lady called Mrs Jones is looking after me. It took fivehours to get to Dundrum. We went via Exter and then went straight here. I feel goodbeing because I have escaped the danger. How are you?

My new school is really nice, but we have to walk 1 mile to get to school! Our teacheris called Mr Wilson. Today we did maths and learnt how to divide 10 into 101. Everymorning before I go to school we walk the dog. For the first time in ages I had freshmilk and eggs. I’ve seen a cow, pig and hen on the farm that I am staying on. Thehouse is very old and is made out of bricks, the floorboards creak.

How are you coping? I need to go right now and do my homework.

Love from

Edward


78


The Magic Toothpaste

“Ouch!” I screamed as I fell out of my bedonto my hard bedroom floor. I stumbledon in pain towards the dreaded bathroomand looked at the new toothpaste perchedon top of the stylish sink. I put thethinnest streak of it onto my new, greentoothbrush ready to try it out. The streakhowever suddenly seemed a lot bigger, Irealised it was growing! The tooth pastehad out grown my toothbrush by now itwas a large blue blob and had fallen tocold tiled bathroom floor. I could nowmake out a sort of human, it was a GENIE!It spoke. “I am your Genie, you…”

“Let me guess … have three wishes?” I repliedconfidently.

“Trust me; I do a lot more than that.”

I was walking to school and every now andthen the Genie would beg to be let out of myschool bag. I walked through the school gatesand it into the classroom where Mr. Martin wastelling my class how to do algebra. I tried topick up the lesson from where he was but itwas a hard task. I then decided to let out theGenie. Mr Martin’s speech was at the peak ofits boringness so I asked the Genie if he couldblock out the noise of Mr. Martin’s droning on.It happened! I asked the Genie if my desk couldbe filled with chocolate. I opened my desk lid. Ithad happened! I asked to become PrimeMinister. The Genie climbed onto my shoulderand whispered in my ear, “You cannot wish forthings that will affect other people.”

“Oh! I get it.”

The bell went and Mr. Martin stopped me onthe way out to break.

“I heard you speaking to something over yourshoulder. What was it?”

“Nothing sir,” I muttered.

“Then stop talking to thin air and go out forbreak.”

The rest of the afternoon I kept onwishing. Instead of cross country, I wished wehad cricket. Instead of an essay, I wished wecould watch a video. Instead of maths, I wishedwe had art. All of these wishes worked. I wason the way home from school about to wish forpasta when the Genie tripped me up.

“Stupid Genie! Stupid wishes! I wish I didn’thave any wishes!” I then realised what I hadsaid. “Wait! No!”

The next morning I woke up andwalked to the bathroom to brush myteeth. I squeezed the tooth paste andthe Genie appeared; this time he wasgrey. Weirdly, he seemed to bedisappearing. As I watched himvanish I could make out a faint smileon his face and then he mouthed,“Good bye.”

Freddie Wright Year 5

A Trip to Congo

As I stood in the sun-baked rainforests ofCongo, I breathed in the warm air thatfilled the spaces around me. I stared intothe opening of the trees towering tall.Branches swooped down low like handsclosing in on me I quickened my stride. AsI approached the clearing, I could see astream half flowing from the baking hotsun. I was enhanced by the perfection ofthe river it was almost as if everything init had its very own rightful place. All theexquisite sounds of animals fascinatedme; it was as if every animal was in acompetition to shout the loudest like fansat a football match. I kneeled down besidethe water and peered at it. The water wasas clear as a diamond, which had beenpolished for the last 100 years. Thestream was fast flowing even when halffull and the currents crashed against therocky banks like Cornish breakers.

As I was about to place my foot on the rockyriver bank I was forced to a halt by the matingcall of an amphibian over which my foot wasabout to be placed. I squatted and stared atwhat would have been crushed under my foot.It was little, no bigger than 5 inches. I lockedeyes with the creature its eyes burned with theintensity of an Australian bush fire. The staringwent on for minutes on end until I turned away;as our eyes locked, once again I noticed hehad not flinched.

The texture of its skin was rough and warty. Ithad two red lines streaking down its back likenew years firework display. I stepped closertowards him to pick him up, he stood up on hisback legs and ferociously bit at the air like asnake lashing out for his prey. I could feel hispersonality as a leader and he was veryprotective about his own territory. It turnedsharply towards the reeds and entered thewater elegantly it glided through the water asswift as a hawk. Muscles pumping, fightingagainst the current, it was incredible how histiny body managed to get across that stream.

I knew now was the time to leave him inpeace.

Gideon Daitz Year 6

Encounter with a Golden Eagle

As I looked around me, I saw speckledsulphur rocks, as orange as the fur on atiger, mossy trees with ivy as green as anemerald and pine needles scattered onthe floor. On my left was a clear stream,as clean as the air, trickling down themountainside. Some golden and whiteflowers, which were studded between therocks, looked like a man’s face. The sunshone as bright as a lion’s mane and thepine needles were as brown and as crispas an autumn leaf. There were some greystones which were indistinguishablealongside the sulphur rocks and I didn’tnotice them for a few minutes.

Suddenly I heard a high pitched noise asscreechy as a baby’s scream. A strangelyshaped figure soared over me and I couldalmost make out two massive wings. Myinstinct suddenly got the better of me and Iducked instantly. As I looked up I saw a figurewith two wings and a beak circling up into thelight blue and white swirls above me. I couldnow see the massive body of an amazinglycolossal bird. It had a yellow beak which meantit had to be a Golden Eagle.

The Golden Eagle had a golden forehead withblack eyes; it looked like a royal throne. Itswings were tree bark brown with tints of mossgreen, extending from the wings were featherswhich were silvery grey. Its tummy was achestnut brown with golden, but vicious-lookingclaws. Its tail had the same silvery greyfeathers as the wing extension did, but the tailwas shaped as a triangle.

Alexander Davis Year 6


79


Possum’s Tails

The Prep School production this year was“Possum’s Tails” which was part musical, partpoetry. 49 members of Year 6 wore elaboratemake-up, costumes, ears and tails to portraythe characters from T. S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’sBook of Practical Cats”. They gave twoperformances to a sell-out audience and agood time was had by all!


80


Pre-Preparatory School News

Soon after the start of the Autumnterm, all the boys took part in theDonkin Cup Cross Country run at thePreparatory School. The boysperformed with excellence in theirWinter Production ‘A Winter Workshop’in December. The Kingfishers’ alsoenjoyed a trip to the Pantomime to seeAladdin at the Gordon Craig Theatre inStevenage.

The whole of the Pre-Prep were treated to avisit by the Young Town Planners.Throughout the day they learnt about thebasics of house building, they then allconstructed their own building and createdtheir own Haberdashers’ town. Lots ofinteresting buildings were created, includinga Haberdashers' jail!

Other highlights of the year included a Year1 Mother’s Day Concert, a trip for the Year2s to Celtic Harmony Camp where theyspent a fun and educational day learningvarious hands-on activities incorporating thenatural environment and ancient Celticculture and most recently a Year 1 trip toKnebworth House and Gardens where theboys took a walk around the dinosaur park,played in the Adventure Fort, took a trip onthe miniature train and enjoyed a picniclunch on the lawns. We also managed tofit in a Year 2 cycling afternoon, a Year 2swimming gala and a Year 2 Grandparents’Afternoon when grandparents were invitedto come into the classroom, look at thechildren’s work and finish off with a cup oftea and cake. Lastly, the sun shone for theannual Kingfishers’ Sports afternoon.Races included 400m, 80m, hurdles, funrace and a relay.

In June the Year 2 boys enjoyed a day tripto Brighton. The boys along with staff andparent helpers took the train to Brighton.All 36 boys along with teachers and parenthelpers enjoyed a lovely, but exhausting dayout!

We held a charity fundraising evening inconjunction with The Pampered Chef. Theevening was based on a ‘Ready, SteadyCook’ theme and a competition betweenYear 1 and Year 2 mums was held to seewho could make the best dish. All in all itwas a great evening.

As always, there is never a quiet moment inthe Pre-Prep. Well done to all who havehelped and taken part in these events.

Mrs A Fielden,Pre-Preparatory School Senior Teacher

MY FIRST DAY


81


Mother’s Day Poems

Mum you’re amazing as the man in the moon

Mum you have a brilliant suit

Mum you’re a star

Mum I don’t think you want to drive a rusty car

Mum you’re the best

Mum you give us joy and zest!

Raiyan Khan Year 1

Mum your smile is as big as a star

Mum you dress like a superstar

Mum you smell of a coconut from a far

Mum you drive a black Mercedes car

Mum your skin is like a chocolate bar

Mum you’re my superstar!

Kanayo Year 1

Mummy you’re as sweet as a bird

Mummy you always smile a lot

We always have a walk together while we arewaiting for my sister’s coach

Mummy I really like your spaghetti bolognese

Mummy I am proud of you and I will always be!

Thomas Oakland Year 1


Clubs andSocieties


Summer

Over the weekend of 24th and 25th April,Revd Markby and Dr Hobbs took 8 year 10boys to Snowdonia for the HabsMountaineering Club summer expedition.

Saturday dawned clear and bright as the groupset off for Cadair Idris, walking straight from theyouth hostel (Kings, Dolgellau – one of Wales’best kept secrets). The weather was perfect,with stunning views and a cooling breeze, asthey rapidly bagged the following summits:

Craig Cau (791m), Penygadair, Cadair Idris’main summit (893m), Mynydd Moel (863m).

The route down was steep and slow but well-punctuated with stone skimming, bouldering and

just sitting in the sun. Later on, DrHobbs was able to use a lifetime’sexperience of working withcombustible material to build acracking campfire around which theparty sat until late into the evening.They were joined by other guests fromthe youth hostel who complementedthe Staff on the behaviour of our boys.

Sunday took the group inland toclimb Aran Fawddwy (905m). With acloud base of 600m, the summitwas cold, wet and windy – not aplace to hang around but, in the words of HadiLatef, it felt heroic to be there. As they gentlydescended, the clouds lifted revealing Wales inall its remote ruggedness.

It was an excellent weekend’s walking, withboys who were both engaging andenthusiastic.

Rev Markby

Skylark 2010 Clubs and Societies

83

Autumn

On the first weekend of half term MrRoncarati and Rev Markby took ten boys toNorth Wales for a Mountaineering Club Trip.

Some of the boys were keen to tackle Snowdon(1085m), so with clear blue sky over head, weset off up the Watkins path that started justnear the Youth Hostel. Not wanting to be justpart of the crowd, we soon headed off to thenorth, past a disused quarry, and through adeserted valley that led up to the south slopesof Y Lliwedd (898m), and dramatic views of theSnowdon Horseshoe and beyond. Havingbagged our first summit, we rejoined theWatkins path for the final slog to the new caféon the highest point in England and Wales, andarrived just as a steam train pulled in.

We headed back along the Rhyd-Ddu pathbefore cutting down into our original valley.

This left time for some impromptu boulderingpractice before a return to the Youth Hostel.

Sunday morning was overcast, with a little rainas we set out from Capel Curig to ascend MoelSiabod. The low cloud gave an eerie feeling aswe passed the quarry lakes and scrambled upa steep gully to the summit. A speedy decent

and good drivingconditions brought usback to Habs by 6 pm;an excellent weekendaway.

The boys wereimpeccably behavedthroughout and adelight to take away.They were Jack Adler10J2, Nehul Patel10H1, Alex Glassman10J2, James Uri 10R2,Ashwin

Dharmasinsham 10H2, Ross Malloy 11H1,David Westcough 11J2, Ravi Sanghani U6J2,Josh Cowan U6 H2, Mikey Charlesworth 10J2.

Rev Markby

Mountaineering

Spring

On Friday 15th January the HABSMountaineering Club set off for South Walesanticipating a white weekend and we werenot disappointed. The heavy snow fromearlier in the week had cleared just enough tobe able to reach the hostel by minibus but thesurrounding summits were still well-covered.

The forecast for Saturday was for high winds,low cloud and persistent heavy rain, undeterredwe set off to the highest peaks in the Breconsaware that we might need to turn back butdetermined to give it our best.

In the event, the snow underfoot was soft andit was swollen streams and melt water underthe snow that determined our route. Progresswas slow and exhausting but discovering thigh-deep drifts as we clambered across the peatyplateau cause much laughter and general high

spirits. We eventuallyreached the summit ofFan Y Big (719 m) anhour behind schedule.Not wanting to pushour luck, we left Pan YFan for another tripand headed back tothe minibus throughknee-deep slush andpast raging torrents ofmelt water. No doubtthe views would havebeen amazing but witha cloud base of 400mwe saw nothing allday!

Sunday dawned clear, bright and cold, withstunning views of the snow-topped mountains.The risk that the slush of the previous day hadturned to sheet ice were high, so we choose a

route below the snowline taking in Tor Y Foel(515m) and a pretty woodland walk.

The boys were delightful company, extremely well-behaved and earned well-deserved complimentsfrom the other guests in the Youth Hostel.

P Roncarati


84


Bridge Club

This year has been the most successfulseason for HABS Bridge for some time. Theseason began encouragingly as Basil Lettswas selected for England U-20 team thatcompeted in the Channel Trophy againstFrance, The Netherlands and Belgium. Thegood news continued as the A-team,consisting of Basil, Hugh Brannan, AneshPatel and Rishi Chotai won their first matchin the Middlesex League 12-8 after Mr.Haring was tactically replaced at half time.After a heavy defeat, we bounced backwell, as we won our next match on the lastboard. The next ended in a nail-biting draw,which, despite ending at 11.15pm,spawned a long debate about who was atfault. Team spirit at its best! We had toundertake our latest League game withouttalismanic captain Basil. Despite fallingheavily behind in the first half, the teambattled back well to lose narrowly. Wecurrently lie mid-table with one match toplay: the best result for a number of years.

The highlight of any season is undoubtedly theSchools Cup, the national competition. We werehandicapped from the start as Basil, Hugh andAnesh were on an army trip, which meant littlesleep. After waking up at 4.30 on Saturdaymorning we headed up to Loughborough,meeting the rest of the team there. The daywent exceptionally well: the A-team won thequalifier convincingly, scoring +91 points, withsecond place on +33. In the semi-finals theyfaced Nottingham High School and won a closematch by 9. In the final they faced St. Paul'sand won comfortably by 24, the first time theyhad won the cup since 2004.

The B team was Bhavik Patel, Josh Parikh,Jonathan Clark and Dylon Dissanayake. Theywere just below halfway in the qualifierfinishing on -13 points.

The C team of James Zhao, Josh Treon, RishiGalayia and Nikesh Arya entered a separatecompetition. They won all their qualifyingmatches to reach the semi-finals and then wontheir semi-final. But in the final they lost by just5 points to a team which included a currentEngland Schools international.

This has been an exceptional year of bridge atHABS; the A team are national champions andthe club is thriving with over 20 regular members.Mr. Marx and Mr. Haring are unstinting in teachingand encouraging us all, so many thanks to themboth. The club is located in M04, the home ofbridge, and practices are Tuesday and Thursdaylunchtime, with an afterschool session ofWednesday. New members are welcome.

Hugh Brannan L6

Chess

After a slightly disappointing 2008-2009season, by HABS’ own high standards, theteam were eager to make amends. Therewas little change in the team, with onlyone player, Gajern Kailavasan “retiring”after 6 year of service to the team. Thisled to Ravi Haria, the Prep-school wonderkid being drafted into the side.

The season began with a relativelystraightforward victory at Eton College in a 6board jamboree against 3 other teams. This wasquickly followed by a highly impressive victory inthe U18 Rapidplay tournament in Birmingham.HABS won all of their 5 matches, including ahard-fought victory over Nottingham, the 2008winners of the competition and a side who hadcaused us problems in recent meetings. Theteam finished with a highly commendable gamepoints tally of 31/40, which included 4 “bestboard” prizes. The good performance wasrewarded with the traditional celebratory trip toBurger King on the journey back to London.

Closer to home, the teams have benefited fromhigh quality coaching by Lorin Da Costa, ayoung, aspiring Grandmaster, with the strongerplayers having sessions on Mondays and the BTeam on Wednesdays.

Since then, both the “A” and “B” teams haveprogressed well in the ECF National Schools’Competition. The “A” team swept aside QEB 5-1,Hazelwood 6-0 while the “B” team recorded victoryover NLCS 4.5-1.5 before two nail biting matchesagainst UCS and Highgate when down to the wire.Fortunately, HABS came out on top on bothoccasions, sneaking home 3.5-2.5. This successled to a winner takes all knock-out match betweenthe two HABS sides. Although the “A” team ran outcomfortable winners, the “B” team, comprising ofmainly junior school boys, have shown this yearthat there is a strong pool of talent throughout the

school. The “A” team then went forward to theChampionship diviosn in the national knockoutswith the “B” team contesting the Plate competition.At the end of the spring term both teams arethrough to the last 8 after further victories overFortismere and St Albans resp. College.

The “A” team are due to play King Edwards B’hamand the “B” team” Homefied School in May.

The success the “A” team has achieved so farthis year, despite little change to the teamdemonstrates the clear improvement in theplayers’ games. This is particularly true in thecases of Shymal Patel and Tommy Senior, whohave steadily moved up the board order andcontinued to achieve excellent results.

A day trip to London to watch the world’s topGrandmasters in Action at the London ChessClassic was well received, with Jonathan Peinfrom Y7 proudly showing off his VIP badge (hisfather organised the tournament!)

David Lawrence L6


85


Debating

It was a bittersweet and packed debatingseason for HABS this year as the respectiveteams made it into many finals butunfortunately walked away with fewertrophies. Consistent high performance fromthe senior debaters was backed up withnotable discoveries and improvements inthe younger year groups. Without exception,we ‘broke’ at national competitions to reachgrand finals. In a year with many volatilejudgements our performances confirmedour place as a formidable debatinginstitution. A fear that once the oldest yearleft debating would decline was put to bedwith the discovery of young (and some old)new talent and significant performancesfrom ones to watch.

In the Cambridge rounds, our A, B and C teamsall broke to the semi-finals winning each oftheir debates. Shaneil Shah, Willy Thong,Akshay-Kishan Karia and Ameya Tripathi wereinvolved in winning those first round debatesand were gracious in stepping down andallowing more senior debaters (who hadpreviously been unavailable) to compete atFinal’s Day, where they performed exceptionally.Our ‘A’ team of Hasan Dindjer and Ed Schwitzerand our ‘B’ team of Aaron Taylor and FreddieFulton were both in the Grand Final and all fourcame within the top ten of the speaker tab.

Strong performances in the early Oxford roundsculminated in another final for Ed and Hasanand silverware for Miles and Aaron as they wonon Finals Day. They won on the motion: Thishouse would replace all age restrictions withtests of psychological competence. “It was avery difficult motion to consider properly whenwe only had fifteen minutes preparation time”,said Aaron Taylor, adding, “but that’s whatmakes it exciting!” Miles Coleman was alsoawarded the prize for best speaker.

At the Durham competition our ‘B’ team wereunlucky not to break but our ‘A’ team of Ed andHasan did superbly, reaching the final.Unfortunately, they were not awarded the winbut the disappointment was tempered by somevery good tapas and a very enjoyable trip.

A new competition at Aylesbury Grammar Schoolconfirmed that there was plenty of talent inlower year groups as well, as Ameya Tripathi andChristopher Howarth broke into the Final of thecompetition. It was an encouraging performancewhich allayed fears about our bench strength asdid the performances in the early Oxbridgerounds. Ameya Tripathi and Shaneil Shah willtake up the positions of Debating Captain andVice-Captain respectively in the coming year.

Moreover, further down the school there weremore promising signs as Robert Harris andDaniel Gold won the Cambridge regional roundof the International Competition for YoungDebaters. They along with Jacob Rabinowitzand Guy Lewy excelled on Finals Day and wereunfortunate not to break.

In addition to huge debating performances forHABS, outside debaters also excelled. Fivestudents were invited to trial for the EnglandDebating Team in October: Miles Coleman,Ameya Tripathi, Edward Schwitzer, Aaron Taylorand Hasan Dindjer and Ed and Hasan wereselected for the England World Schools Team tocompete in the Worlds Schools DebatingChampionships in Qatar. It was the first time twoHABS students were selected to be part of thefour-man team. When in Qatar, after resoundingvictories against Ireland and other nations, theynarrowly missed out on clinching the title despitea strong performance in the Grand Final againstCanada. They became part of a rare group offour English teams to have reached the final.

The Master’s Debate followed soon after as Edand Hasan took on two masters of theHaberdasher’s Company on the motion ‘THBHABS should go co-ed’; they convincingly andentertainingly argued their case.

The biggest success of the season came inGlasgow. Having won the England National Finalsin April, Ed and Hasan went on to win theInternational Schools’ Mace, the oldest and mostprestigious tournament in the country. Manyformer winners have gone on to become well

known journalists, senior lawyers and prominentscientists. It has run since 1957 and HABS arethe only school to have won this trophy four timesin its history: 1977, 1980, 2002 and 2010.

The motions before the house were ‘THWintroduce a sin tax on tabloid newspapers’proposed by Ireland and opposed by Scotland and‘THB that the United Kingdom should abandon itsnuclear weapons programme’ proposed by HABS,as England, and opposed by Wales. The Rt. HonCharles Kennedy MP, the former leader of theLiberal Democrat Party, presented the pair theESU Silver Mace in Glasgow University Chapel.

Strength in depth is continuously sustained byour Inter-House Debating competitions whichguarantee very strong debate and the tirelesswork of SCS Debating (older boys who on aweekly basis coach younger ones) to whommuch success is owed but above all we mustthank Mrs. Gleeson, not only for organising ourreally fun and engaging debating competitionsand trips but also for her sharp and clearguidance and coaching which has sustainedthe HABS Debating tradition for so long.

Ameya Tripathi L6


86


European Youth Parliament

In the sumptuous surroundings of theForeign Office's Locarno suite, famous asthe place where the future of post-FirstWorld War Europe was determined, selectcommittees from schools across theSouth-East argued, debated and competedagainst each other for the honour of beingawarded that elusive prize - the chance toparticipate in the European YouthParliament National Finals in Durham laterthis year. Sixteen schools, eachrepresented by an eight-man delegation,were faced with the task of proposing anddefending a resolution before their fellowdelegates. The Habs team was made up ofSixth Formers from both the Girls’ andBoys’ schools. Topics for debate included aproposal for a Europe-wide nuclear missiledefence shield, ironically shot down by theHabs team in a blaze of rhetoric, and arecommendation on how best to resolvethe on-going Afghan-Pakistani borderdispute and thus cut those countries'dependence on the opium trade.

Debating commenced at ten, and by lunch-timethe various committees had taken part in threedebates and heard a talk from Baroness GlenysKinnock, who has had experience representingBritain in Europe, on the need for greater Britishparticipation in the European Union. The HABSteam had done particularly well, securing analmost unanimous vote on their resolution, thecommittee placard having been continually wavedin the air to catch an approving nod of thechairman. Barely was there time for lunch beforethe clock struck one and the fourth debate began.This one was particularly heated, and no soonerhad one delegate sat down before another hadstood up and was arguing a different point ofview. Especially noticeable was the diversity ofopinion, and even teams who agreed on a point inprinciple vehemently disputed the way in which itwas to be prosecuted. An hour was barely longenough to contain all the contributions peoplewanted to make, and it was with reluctance thatthe chair drew to a close the last English-speaking debate of the day.

This was not the end of Haberdashers’participation, however, as speaker after speakerthen stood up to argue en français against aresolution in favour of changing the criteria forentry into the EU. Although not every delegate

was a French speaker, non-speakers continuedto assist their teammates, hastily compilingpoints from a translated copy of the resolution.Finally each committee was invited to announcetheir vote in the language of their choice. It washere that the global nature of the assembly ofstudents was shown most fully, with votes beingcast in English, German, Polish, Hindi and evenLatin to an increasingly amused crowd.

Eventually came the deciding moment - theannouncement of which two teams out of thesixteen would go on to the National Finals inDurham. After ten minutes of agonising waitingduring which each team was appraised for itsindividual performance, the result was finallydeclared. It was a resounding success forHabs, our cheers even drowning out those ofthe team simultaneously announced next door.Particularly amusing was the reaction of thechairman. An old Merchant Taylor, he gave us arueful smile as he announced the winners; incoming top in the Regional heat we haddefeated the delegation sent by his alma mater.

It is therefore with great anticipation that weawait the National Finals this September. Ifsuccessful here, the HABS team will have thechance to participate in the Internationalsession of the European Youth Parliament, heldnext year in Athens. The possibility of successis very much within our grasp, and we eagerlyawait the challenges ahead.


Economics Society

When the new Economics Societywas formed in late October, the newcommittee was determined to bemore focused and active than ourpredecessors. Led by an ambitiousNii Cleland, we first establishedthat we would publish newsletterswith recent economics news everyother week. These newsletters havebeen well received by all sixth formeconomics students, and thecommittee has enjoyed looking intoeconomical decisions and actionsin the outside world which affectall of us.

A further aim decided at the beginning ofthe year was to have an increasednumber of speakers come in to speak toeconomics students about life as aneconomist or using economic theory infinance, in comparison with ourpredecessors. We have been fortunate tohave two speakers come in so far thisyear, Dr Ulrike Hotopp and Mr Paul Miskinand we look to have a few more beforepassing over the reigns next year.

A third goal for the year was to createsome economics videos. Our first one wasreleased mid-January; the video was agreat success, and was enjoyed by manyviewers, through use of the intranet.

Following in the suit of last year, thesociety thought it beneficial to have arelevant economic debate. The motionchosen was ‘This house would stopgiving third world aid’. Around 30students from both the boys’ and girls’school witnessed the fierce battlebetween Nii Cleland and Krishna Patelproposing, and Joe McCormick andApratim Gautam opposing. The latterteam were declared winners after anaudience vote. All who attended werethoroughly impressed with the depth ofthe arguments provided on both sides,and the intense debate that followed.

The year so far has been one of greatprosperity for the Economics Society. Wehave had numerous highlights, and havealready fulfilled many of our aims set atthe start of the year. Although attendanceto some of our events is something wewould have liked to improve, the eventsstill ran successfully. We look to continuein this manner for the next few months,until the time comes to pass over to anew society.

Freddy Sheldon L6

MEEP Academy

Being chairman of the school’s original bodyfor philosophical discussion has been greatfun. Meeting on Monday lunchtimes, MEEP(Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics and Politics)Academy’s goal is to take the more unusualand often unanswered questions or problemsabout life or just a hypothetical scenario andtry to come up with a logical solution. Withtopics often being highly fascinating and evencontroversial, from the inherent difficulties of

sharing reproductive organs with a conjoinedtwin to whether there is an objective morality,we have never had a boring session, with meeven taking inspiration from some of the moreheated discussions. Seeing new memberssuch as Nils Gaukroger show great ability inarguing hypothetical points and seniormembers like Paavan Buddhdev take control inorganising upcoming topics has assured methat MEEP Academy will continue to be a livelypresence in the school’s future.

Jack Aaron U6


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Foreign Modern Languages

The start of the year heralded a revolutionin languages, as our ever-committedcommittee was approved by our leader-to-be, Señora Gomez, and the mancontrolling the machinations of thedepartment, if not the school, MrThompson. A team comprised of la crèmede la crème of L6 linguists – most notablyour presidential polyglot, Mr Elio Elia –included seven other representatives ofFrench, Spanish, Italian and German: asuper-alliance of razor-sharp minds andleonine spirits that formed FMLSoc.

After establishing ourselves as guiding lights forthe lower years by providing language clinics, webranched out into providing nourishment in theform of the FML Continental Brunch, paving theway for our first major festive festivity: the FMLXmas Xtravaganza. Open to the Junior school,though enjoyed by teachers and students alike, itfeatured a smorgasbord of European delicaciesfrom each represented country, along with thenewly studiable Russian. The children were keptenthralled by presentations on the traditions ofChristmas in each country, before Santa made anappearance, much to their delight.

After the Christmas holidays we returned tospreading the FML word – and there was nobetter way to do so than by indoctrinating youngminds with the annual Junior FML Quiz. Ourhost with the most, Ben Poster, fanned thecompetitive inter-house fire from the mereembers of contestants from the Junior school.Though the committee marked most of thecontest, a tense finale pitted the teams’ singersagainst each other, featuring a heartfelt rendition

of “Un kilomètre à pied”, which the teachers hadthe arduous task of judging. As anticipated bythe four of us who bleed light blue, it was asweeping victory for the Russells boys.

Our newly instated Provençal French assistant,M. Nicolas Reynard, this year organised L6French debating. Weeks of preparation led up toa heated tournament – tense debates, toughdecisions, and astounding standards of argumentand language throughout. The final, pitting AntoMeyer and Ben Poster against Joel Kariel andmyself, was on a motion concerning therelevance of language teaching in the face oftechnological advancement. The panel ofadjudicators, consisting of Dr Koestlé-Cate andour highly esteemed Headmaster, finally awardedthe victory by a slender margin to our team, nodoubt thanks to the tutelage of our dynamic duo.

Special thanks must go to the stellar JoelKariel, without whose organisational skills wewould still be des moutons perdus.

Raph Torrance L6

Literary Society

‘To climb steep hills,’ WilliamShakespeare once mused, ‘requires slowpace at first!’ It was with this admonitionin mind that the newly-constitutedLiterary Society began after Mr O’Sullivanselected a committee in February.However, just as the Bard’s illegitimateprogeny multiplied, so too did the LitSocfamily grow at speed, with a loyal core ofmembers from both sides of the hedge.

The first talk, delivered by the Chairman on‘The Joys of Joyce’, drew over thirty studentsand teachers, and, as other studentsproffered their own services, the Societymaintained its healthy following. XanderHughes’s address on ‘Dystopia’ dealtintelligently with themes raised by GeorgeOrwell, Aldous Huxley, and Yevgeny Zamyatin,while Joe Gaus spoke with flair on the title of‘Alice: Through the Looking Glass’.

This year has also seen close ties beingdeveloped with the Girls’ School, in the greattradition of such literary unions as Tristan &Isolde, Romeo & Juliet, and Ron & Hermione.

With the boys being invited to Wendy Cope’saddress at the Girls’ School, and the ‘fairersex’ gracing us with the presence at each ofour events, it can certainly be said that, fromthe first feeble fumblings, members havegrown, and intercourse of the highest calibrehas ensued.

The Literary Society has yet more up itsvelveteen sleeves. The agreement of LuigiBonomi, one of the most influential publisher inthe country, to run a seminar here in April, wasmost promising, and other names are in thepipeline, although public exams put the brakeson a proposed trip to Dublin on Bloomsday.

It has been an unequivocally good year forthe nascent Literary Society. Enlightenmentand entertainment have been doled out inequal measure to supplement the cake thathas become customary at each event. Forsuch success, thanks can be given in part tothe efforts of Mr O’Sullivan and theCommittee, but largely to the participation ofthe other members of LitSoc, without whoseattendance and input the fantastic year wehave had would not have been possible.

Tom Ough L6

Philosophy Society

As a result of the inspirational teachingHABS Philosophy students are fortunateto receive; this year has seen the birthof the HABS Philosophy Society. Underthe wise guidance of Jonas Green andheaded by Ben Jacobs and JonathanMetzer, a number of eminent academicshave visited HABS giving talks onmyriad topics ranging from the questionof the mind and body to the Soritesparadox. We have been delighted by theenthusiasm for Philosophy at HABS, andstudents from North London Collegiate,Aldenham School and QE Boys’ Schoolhave attended a number of PhilSocevents too.

The first speaker was Prof. Tim Crane ofCambridge, who outlined his unusual anti-physicalist stance on the issue of what themind really is, arguing that we can neversuccessfully reduce it to a purely physicalthing. This was particularly interesting giventhat his friend and rival Prof. David Papineauhad argued for physicalism earlier in the yearat Science Society, and Prof. Crane saidafterwards that he was very impressed withthe questions posed to him by the keenaudience. Prof. Terry Irwin of Oxford was thenext visitor to HABS, giving an illuminatingtalk on why we need to consider humannature when we are discussing ethics;utilising his wealth of knowledge on Aristotle.We were then privileged to receive thevivacious Prof. MM McCabe of King’s CollegeLondon (whose proudest achievement issurely supervising the PhD. of our very ownJonas Green!) She discussed the problem ofself-knowledge, including her dramatic newinterpretation of Plato’s allegory of the Cave.The next speaker was Prof. Simon Blackburnof Cambridge, a devotee of David Hume, whoexplained his hero’s arguments againsttheism. He was submitted to thoroughquestioning by the audience in the packedAske Hall, and was impressed with the levelof discussion. Finally, Prof. Tim Williamson ofOxford endeavoured to give an answer to thequestion of how many grains there are in aheap (the famous Sorites paradox) with hisnovel argument that there is a definiteanswer, but we cannot know it.

This year has been an extremely successfulone for Philosophy at HABS, and it hasflourished. Thanks must go to thecommittee who worked hard to providesuch high-quality speakers and of course toDr Jonas Green. We are sure that PhilSocwill continue to grow next year under thenew committee and eagerly await the visitof Plato, who has agreed to take time out togive a talk in the Autumn Term on thesubject of ‘why I am still relevant today’.

Jonathan Metzer U6


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Politics Society

This year Politics Society, or PolSoc to theinitiated, has enjoyed a slew of superbspeakers; combined the immenselyinteresting election that was held inparallel to the real proceedings it is safeto declare those halcyon months as asuccess. The mantle’s being passed fromone year to the other was smooth andslick, like a greased-up David Cameronand the new society have proven resilientand taciturn, unlike Gordon Brown.Nicholas Clegg is also a politician.

In their death throes, our predecessorsprovided a few wonderful orators, notablyBaroness Ludford MEP. Her stance on all thingsEuropean was refreshing when one considersthe usual anonymous sleaze associated withthe European Parliament; and contemporary asthe build up to the election of MEPs was in fullflow. Another speaker of note, provided by thefresher, more vibrant committee of the 2009-2010 period was Mr Peter Tatchell. Whilstsomething of a maverick his socialist take onelectoral reform was eye-opening.Unfortunately his words to sixty boys and girlswere not enough to sway the manner in whichthe most recent election was held. (editor’snote might also mention late speakers whenthey happen)

The other sides to Politics Society must also bepraised; firstly the “Question Time” style eventwhich revealed the inner machinations of someof HABS’ most revered and feared teachers.Chairman Tripathi’s Dimbleby impersonationwas pitch perfect. Our election (editor’s notehasn’t happened yet and will probably fill mostof the space).

All things considered the HABS Politics Societyhas been, as usual, the constant forerunner inthe society world, breaking new boundaries sothat the less innovative others can then waddlethrough the Politics-shaped mark. It is always asad day when good-byes are said to an oldcommittee, especially one so spectacular, butsaid they must be. On that note best wishesmust also be offered to the incomingcommittee who shall no doubt strive to followin the hallowed footsteps of their forebears.

Arnot Birss L6

On Thursday 25th February, politicalcampaigner Peter Tatchell addressed thePolitics Society on his concerns about thecurrent state of ‘democracy’ in the UK.Peter Tatchell has been campaigningsince his school days and has beenvociferously involved in a variety ofpolitical campaigns, notably being aco-founder of the gay rights group“OutRage!”. He is perhaps best knowninternationally for his twice attemptedcitizen’s arrest of Robert Mugabe.

In his lecture entitled, ‘Stop the generalelection: the voting system is rigged’, Mr.Tatchell demonstrated that the current electoralsystem results in unrepresentativegovernments that are a far cry fromdemocracy. He put Mugabe, Ahmadinejad, Blairand Thatcher under the same umbrella in thatnone of them had been voted in by a majority,noting in fact that every government since the1950s has been voted in based on less than50% of the popular vote. He identified one flawas being that the votes could hinge on just ahandful of key constituencies citing that if just15,000 people had voted differently in the lastgeneral election, Labour’s 66 seat majoritywould have been obviated. Mr.Tatchellproposed reform to something moreresembling the ‘top up’ system used inScotland which would result in moreproportional representation. A firm advocate ofpure democratic principles at whatever cost,Mr. Tatchell wanted to put an end to stronggovernments able to force through policies notin keeping with the desires of the generalpublic and by way of this he hoped that thegeneral public would gain a greater sense thattheir vote could make a genuine difference.

The lecture was well received by a keenaudience who quizzed Mr. Tatchell for as longas time would permit on issues such as thetradeoffs introduced by a different votingsystem and how we should vote in order tobring about such an electoral reform.

Providing a high-profile finale to a month packedwith Politics Society speakers, Baroness FrancesD’Souza, the eminent scientist and life-peer, gaveto the PolSoc a fascinating introduction to thepolitical minefields of Lords Reform. Though itwas not one week since the society had heard DrSean Gabb speaking on Libertarianism it waspleasing to see new faces at the meeting, provingthat political awareness extends beyond theregular group of PolSoc attendees. The Baronesswas particularly impressed with the quality ofquestioning that followed her talk, praising thehigh levels of maturity and erudition shown by allpresent. As the General Election comes evercloser and with it the HABS Mock Election, thistalk provided a welcome introduction to such apertinent issue in the months to come.


Buddhist Assembly

Buddhist assembly has been a greatsuccess over the past year. Under newmanagement from RamithGunawardena, Duncan Grindall, TomRoberts and Elliot Marcus the newteam has striven to make thecommunity at Habs more aware ofBuddhism.

With faultless support from Dr. Perera theteam presented various assemblies eachweek, discussing different aspects ofBuddhism. The year started with anintroduction to Buddhism, its beliefs,teachings and traditions. Discussion then

went on to the Buddhist views on morecontemporary subjects such as euthanasia,drugs and social conflict in areas such asBurma and Tibet. The highlight of BuddhistAssembly was definitely the weeklymeditation which would last several minutesat the beginning of the assembly, which wasmuch needed by several pupils due to thehectic lifestyle Habs boys lead. The Buddhistcommittee would like to thank all of theregular folk that attended Buddhist assemblyeach and every week, and a special thanksto Dr. Perera for her help and supportwithout which the assemblies would nothave been possible.

Ramith Gunawardena L6


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Science Society

With the Science Society 09/10 team leavingbehind excellent techniques to lure scientists toHABS, the new 10/11, smaller, more tightly knitScience Society is rearing to go.

The problem of attendance has been resolved, andour aim is to not only to bring a large audience butalso to drive the whole school, de facto the world, toevents.We hope to continue the regular sequenceof lectures that was expertly coordinated by the oldteam along with Miss Pindoria.With our optimismsky high we hope to show pupils, through themedium of prominent scientists, that "Science is away of thinking much more than it is a body ofknowledge" – as said the great Carl Sagan. FromPalaeontology to Cybernetics and Bioethics, we havemanaged to book world-class scientists, from arange of fields, to give lectures at HABS over thenext year. Whether phoning Richard Dawkins oremailing Stephen Hawking, we have tried our bestand succeeded in masterminding an outstandingline up.

The future looks bright and hopefully this time nextyear we shall be basking in the glow of our veryown stellar line up.

Salil Patel L6

Hindu Assembly

Our aim as members of the Hindu Assemblycommittee is simply to teach people aboutdifferent aspects of our religion and how theyrelate to us, as Hindus and to us, as students.Over the course of the year, we have tried tomake our assemblies as interesting, thought-provoking and, of course, as fun as we can.Many Hindu festivals have been discussedincluding major events in the Hindu calendarsuch as Navratri, Holi and, in arguably one ofthe best assemblies of the year, the story ofDiwali presented to our audience in the form

of a funny, yet informative play. We have alsospoken about the teachings and values ofHinduism and how they relate to us. We werevery grateful to have Anthony Ball, an ex-HABS boy, come in to give a talk onHinduism, explaining to us how teachings ofHinduism relate directly to our everyday life,whether Hindu or not. I would like to thankMiss Pindoria for running and organising theassembly and the rest of the committeemembers for taking the time to prepare andpresent assemblies throughout the academicyear.

Saahil Lakhani L6

Amnesty International Society

This year has been arguably the mostsuccessful in the history of the AmnestyInternational Society, incorporating ourvery successful Amnesty Party,collaboration with the Girls' school andour highly informative and sociableletter-writing sessions.

The Amnesty party - with help from ourGirls' school counterparts - took place inthe penultimate week of the winter termand a fantastic time was had by all: we hadlive bands, cheap pizza, sweets and drinksand we managed to raise over £200 forcharity. With even more events being setup, the year promises to get even better. Allproceeds went to the Amnesty InternationalTrust and went to helping those in need allover the world.

Alongside fundraising, we have run letterwriting every Friday and have enjoyed greatsuccess in writing to some of the mostimportant people in the world aboutprevalent issues in our time, even onoccasion receiving replies. We have writtenabout the lack of a civilian protectionprogramme in Guatemala and the releaseof political prisoners in Iran.

Thanks must go to Mr Whiteman for providingus with all we need and helping to deploy ourfundraising events, to the committeemembers of last year and those of this year inorganising many of the events and makingAmnesty a truly inspirational and interestingplace to be this year, and we hope to continueour successes next year.

Dan West L6

Christian Union

Christian Union has had a thoroughlysuccessful year, running many events,greatly increasing attendance and, ofcourse, eating heaps of brownies. Autumnterm saw a look through Matthew’sgospel, as well as the ever popularChristmas party in which we investigatedthe birth of Christ. During the spring, welooked at the events leading up to Christ’sdeath on the cross, including a fascinatingglimpse at some of the ancient prophecyfulfilled in this historical event. Along theway, we have had various speakers givingtalks on a range of issues, from theproblem of evil to Simon Cowell.

However, the highlight of our year was theEaster Party. With over 40 people and a largestockpile of food packed into B08, we heard anexcellent talk on the historical evidence for theresurrection, and its relevance for today. Manythanks must go to Mr Cawley and Mr Garveyand several other members of staff for their hardwork over the course of the year, and to MrClark for letting us use his room and spilllemonade on his desks!

Gregory Nelson L6


Houses


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Skylark 2010 Houses

This year has been an uncharacteristicallysuccessful one for the men in dark blue.After years in the wilderness, languishingin 5th or 6th place, 2009/10 has beensomething of a Calverts renaissance. Agood performance in the Work andConduct shield is encouraging and, whilstfinishing top was perhaps too much toask, 2nd in the Crossman is a superbachievement and one which the boys canbe immensely proud of.

On a personal note, watching the Crossmanevents has been particularly entertaining. Theswimming gala was memorable for thehumidity and noise of the venue but moreimportantly for the excellent performances ofJJ Dixon and Jared Baker. On the rugby pitchgreat determination and teamwork was shownby the Year 9 to secure 3rd place and by theyear 10 to carry on playing through drivingsnow long after survivors from the rugby dinner

the night before had retreated indoors.However the list of sporting achievementscould easily go on...

As ever, Calverts’ contribution to charity hasbeen outstanding. Supporting the RNLI andlocal cancer charity Cherry lodge, the housemanaged to raise a record-breaking total. Thenow annual Calverts’ cake break has joined theChristmas fete as a central aspect of housefundraising as well as bringing Calvertstogether, working towards a common aim.Marcus Chaplin must also be mentioned for hisexceptional contribution through numerousKrispy Kreme and chocolate sales.

On both the Crossman and Charity sides ofCalverts, thanks must go to Deputy Housecaptains Alex Barnett and Andrew Shipley fortheir support.

The incoming year 7 have proved to be a greatasset to Calverts. Throwing their enthusiasm

and great humour into sport, running stalls atthe fete and building the Calverts’ ‘snowlady’they have settled in brilliantly and houseassemblies with them has been a pleasure. Ihope they continue this positivity through outtheir time in Calverts.

However this year has been most significant asit marked Mr Fenn’s last as House Master. After3 years of outstanding, conscientious and goodhumoured leadership, it is with great regret theCalverts will see their leader step down.

I wish the very best to Oli Goldstein and hishouse officials under the new leadership of MrThackray and Mr Roncarati. Under theirguidance I’m certain Calverts can continue tofulfil its long awaited potential.

Patrick Ray U6


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Skylark 2010

In response to the question, “What wordswould you use to describe your house,and what is it that makes Hendersonsunique?”

I think Hendersons is a house which is difficultto describe using mere words. Hendersons, tome, is more the feeling that develops as aresult of the camaraderie that develops throughthe pastoral system with your house master,form tutor and fellow members of the house. Ithink this also answers the second section ofthe question – the closeness of our communityis unmatched amongst the other houses. It’sdefinitely true to say that the pupils inHendersons maintain close ties even after theyare no longer taught with their house groupafter year 8.

Another key aspect of the house is its caring,‘let’s share’ attitude which has resulted inHendersons graciously throwing away some ofthe inter-house competitions by fielding understrength sides. No one wants to be hated asmuch as Russells, so the Hendersons’ chain ofcommand has adopted a policy of mediocrity –winning is only important if anyone checks thescores and here in the Hendersons’ houseoffice we are more than happy to spend ourtime spreading the love as opposed toremaining glued to the Crossman table on theintranet. Having said this, at the time of writingwe are still to compete at Hockey and Inter-House Athletics at all age groups. These twosports often yield strong results for the houseand subsequently we may yet stand a chanceof climbing the leader board and winning somesilverware.

Even our carefree attitude couldn’t prevent usfrom continuing our fine tradition in inter-housebridge where Hugh “Bambi” Brannan led the

boys to a 7th win in 8 years. Further successwas earned in Senior Inter-House cross countrywhere a number of senior lads ran with realdistinction.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my ViceCaptains, Ben Jacobs and Josh Manasseh, fortheir hard work and everdependable support ofthe house administrationand also to thank Mr.Clark who, as DeputyHead of house, does anenormous amount ofwork behind the scenesto ensure things runsmoothly. I am alsoimmensely grateful toMr Lloyd-Williams forall he’s done for thehouse in the 7 yearsthat we, in the Upper6, have been under hisleadership. We wishhim all the best in hisnew role as Head ofMiddle school – hewill be missed.

Stay red,

Basil Letts U6


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Skylark 2010 Houses

As with any incoming House Captain, atthe start of the year my mind was set onchanging the traditions and sparkingtrophical upheaval. My mind was set onstirring the previously dormant spirit ofJoblings that lay within each and everygreen-tied student. My mind was set ongalvanising the masses of the House outof their lethargy for involvement and fromthe disappointment of past years, drawingforth a new, more powerful and (if it wereeven possible) a greener Joblings!

Unfortunately with the swimming gala markingmy first official event and the resounding sixthplace that ensued, the signs did not seempromising. However things slowly began to pickup and gain momentum with the success ofthe tennis tournaments within the various yearsand inter-house athletics proving fruitful in myfirst term. I began to hope.

Throughout the year, watching each and almostevery inter-house event, I saw feats of not justcourage, but also bravery in the face ofsometimes inevitable defeat. And althoughresults more often than not did not go our way,I could not help but be impressed by theattitude shown to me by the younger boys asthey played their hearts out for the House.Gradually I began to realise what was sodifferent about our House, what made it sospecial and what kept its spirits so high eventhrough the five year trophy drought.

We are a House of individuals, full to burstingpoint of people who excel at different things.

The main actor in the school play, two of thetop three golfers in the school, an Englandphysicist, the winner of the poetry recitalcompetition in Year 7 and 8, the new head ofthe Navy section, the School Captain, the rugbyfirst XV captain, the vice captain of the schooldebating team, the School Vice Captain, theyoungest editor of the school sciencemagazine, almost the whole school seniorbadminton team… The list of Joblingsstudents involved with and excelling within theschool goes on and on and on. No other Housecan boast the School and the Vice Captain, noother House has as hard a time picking ahouse captain thanks to the strength in depthof the years below, no other House isexceptional to anywhere near the same degreeof exceptionalness. And so far from beingdismayed at our lack of success with theschool competitions, I take heart in knowingthat for the last year I have led a Housesparkling with brilliance. Perhaps next year, theincoming house captain can use theexceptionality of every individual and build ateam of competition winners to moreaccurately reflect how great this House is.

All that remains is to thank theout going house officials, to VishalChohan, Sam Briggs and ElliottRoss for fulfilling their roles sofantastically, to Freddie Fulton andAnesh Patel, the house vicecaptains, for taking the lead in myabsence and to Mr Swallow andMr Dathan for organising much,much more than any of us couldpossibly imagine. It has truly beena pleasure.


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Skylark 2010

If your house was in the dictionary, whatwould it be defined as and why?

Interestingly, Meadows is actually in thedictionary. The following is taken from the OED:

Meadows /’med us/ 1 n. all-conquering, all-action, all-hours ‘house’ combining natural pre-eminence with unsurpassed pastoral care 2 v.comprehensively beat whilst retaining air ofeffortlessness 3 n. state of mind

‘They well and truly Meadowsed us out theretoday. And all while being completelyMeadows. I wish I could Meadows like they canin Meadows. They’re really great.’ BranavanRudran, 2010

Origin:

O.E. mædwes, originally "house of the chosenones" oblique case of mæd. Often inscribed attop of Anglo-Saxon shields.

As for why it was described as above, I canonly speculate that Meadows’ sterlingperformance over the past year was taken intoconsideration. Since assuming office last June,the current house officials have overseen anunprecedented trophy haul and, at time ofwriting, have guided the house to first positionin almost every competition. Such competitionsas the Inter-House Water Polo, Rugby andFootball have been dominated across all yeargroups by ‘Bagguley’s lads’, and Meadowshave performed admirably in many others.Progress has made away from inter-housecompetition as well. House assemblies havebeen varied and endlessly fascinating, rangingfrom Joey Charles’ shaving foam extravaganzato Alex Kazanjian’s philosophical musings onthe nature of gender relations in modern

society. House charity hasthrived this year, withSplat the Teacher and the1k Challenge provingmoney-spinners. As ever,Battle of the Bands was agreat success, price hikesnot deterring thescreaming (but notstanding) fans of suchmusical groups as ‘PeterSpence and theDepartment of ExternalRelations’. Duties, underthe watchful eye ofMatthew Worby, havebeen performed to a standard described byone impressed observer as ‘acceptable’, andend-of-term assemblies have combinedoutrageous humour with impressivetimekeeping. Most of all, however, there hasbeen a great sense of community around thehouse this year. Boys turned out to supporttheir fellow Meadowsians in large numbers,and this togetherness was helped by the ‘usversus them’ mentality created by the removalof double points events, for so long thebackbone of Meadows’ victory. As one Year 7boy said to me: ‘they tried to keep us down,George, but we just came back stronger’. Thisbouncebackability was down, in no small part,to the efforts of Mr Bagguley and Mr Simm,whose strong and comforting rule over theboys allowed them to achieve their potential forhouse and school, as they have done for manyyears. For this, we, the departing Upper Sixth,shall be ever grateful, and long may itcontinue.

George Colenutt U6


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Skylark 2010 Houses

If Russells were to be compared to afootball team, Arsenal would be a fittinganswer. A club which prides itself onbeing extremely diplomatic, competitiveand fair, who are subject to envy from allother clubs, and rightly so. In ourhousemaster and deputy we havesomeone reminiscent of Arsene Wengerand Pat Rice – passionate, hard-workingand respected, with a knack for nurturingyoung unknown saplings intodistinguished young men.

After coming a narrow second place for manyyears, hopes were high that 2009-2010 wouldprove to be the year of the Russelian. Thepreparation began in the summer with the newyear 7’s meeting for an informal gathering atAldenham Country Park for a “game of footyand some food”, which in true Russells fashionwas used as an opportunity to scout the talent.

Soon the autumn term was upon us. TheRussells’ lads, full of our characteristicdetermination and endeavour took an earlylead in the Crossman and soon our old enemy,Meadows, were battling with us for top spot onthe coveted Crossman Shield. At the end of theautumn term only 9 points separated all 6houses. As the competition unfoldeduncharacteristic defeats in swimming andhockey, which were Russells strongholds,proved to be costly as we ended up in 3rd inthe overall competition. Russells over the pastyear have competed well in all realms of schoolcompetition and our year 7 & 8 must becommended on their 1st place in the StephenWilson Junior Work and Conduct.

Despite another year of heartache in thepursuit for the Crossman shield, success has

been celebrated elsewhere. Russells pridesitself in being the house involved in all spheresof Haberdasher life. Let it be sport, music,drama or MUN, Russells boys have flourishedand led from the front. This was illustrated by25% of full colours being awarded to Russell’sboys and a record 11 members of the year 11being awarded Aske ties. Our dedication tocharity is another reflection of our success:Wings of Hope, The London to Brighton BikeRide and various individual charity fundraisershave all raised copious amounts of money for avariety of good causes. However, our mostnotable contribution to the charity work of ourschool comes through the collective effort inthe incredible Ironman challenge, now in its 7thyear, raised a monumental £ 6322.58 for theTeenage Cancer trust.

Team Russells would not be force it is withoutthe unwavering support of many individualswho embody the Russells ethos. My vicecaptains Ravi Shah, Brett Bernstein and DanielCheung have been instrumental in the successwe have endured this year and have led awonderful year of U6th prefects who havementored and trained the younger years. TheRussells tutors have been unwavering in theirsupport to the lads. Finally, Mr Hardman andMr Todhunter, have both continued to inspireand lead the house to new heights of success.I am sure Russells will remain at the forefrontof all realms of Haberdasher life as long asthese two men continue to lead.

To oversee a House of such dedicated, diligentand enthusiastic young men who consistentlygo beyond what is expected of them has beena true pleasure to lead. I would like to wishMarco Marcello and his team of prefects every

good fortune for the forthcoming year. I amsure whatever success they endure will be dueto the ever-present Russells team spirit, mutualsupport and good humour, which I have beenso privileged to receive in my fantastic sevenyears in Russells.

Branavan Rudran U6


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Skylark 2010

Another exciting and fun-packed year forthe Strouts family.

It’s not all about winning - it’s about havingfun, working as a team and getting involved.This year the boys in Strouts certainly did that.We kicked off the year with the presentation ofa cheque for the sum of £1,886 to Rays ofSunshine, the elected charity for the previousyear. Rays of Sunshine helps to turn wishes into happy memories for children living withserious or life-threatening illnesses. Joshua issuffering with acute Lymphoblastic Leukemiaand is Star Wars mad. The House chose tomake his day by presenting him with a life-sized R2D2. For the new academic year theHouse then voted to support The Just forChildren Foundation, a charity aiming to helpthe most needy children in Zimbabwe,ultimately raising £1,565 – a noble effort.Charity fund-raising events included the ever-popular Easter Egg Tombola, the Summer Fete,numerous cake sales and this year’s newenterprise – shoe shining. But the Charityhighlight of the year, or perhaps even schoolhighlight of the year, was the day Tiny Ironcame to Habs. The event was brought aboutfor Strouts by Adam Lande. After feasting onlunch in the Bates and touring some of theclassrooms Mr Iron then addressed a fullcapacity Seldon Hall, before arm-wrestingsome lucky punters. The event was huge,generating a handsome profit for the Housecharity.

As ever, the Crossman shield was a hard-fought series of competitions. So many of theboys were involved in so many different events.The all-new 7S were runners-up in the cross-country, tennis, debating, and water polo.Strouts victories were then seen in the MiddleSchool debating, Year 8 hockey, Year 9 rugby,Year 7/8 table tennis and Year 8 tennis.Perhaps the most entertaining of all the eventswas the pioneering snowman buildingcompetition – a glorious team victory enjoyedby all who made it in to school that day! TheSixth Form’s endeavours were rewarded inthem retaining the Senior Work & Conductshield and the table-tennis team added theInter-House cup to the silverware.

My thanks, in particular, go to a wonderful U6thYear group who have been an absolute delightto have in Strouts over the last 7 years. Theteam of House Officials, ably lead by ShivPabari, were a force to be reckoned with andprovided enormous support and entertainmentover the course of the year. Mr Thackrey andMr Garvey, the dynamic duo, were so good atdoing the job in my absence that they wereboth promoted, and deservedly so. We wishMr Thackrey all the best as Housemaster ofCalverts and Mr Garvey as DeputyHousemaster of Meadows. We also welcomeMr Metcalfe as the new Deputy Housemasterof Strouts and thoroughly look forward tohaving him in the family.

S K Wijeratna


CCF / SCS


Skylark 2010 CCF / SCS

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CCF

This year the CCF has takenexpeditions to Wales, Scotland,Northumberland and Yorkshire.

Over 300 Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions havebeen successfully completed. This year hasalso seen our first groups complete their Goldaward. October Field Day at Ampthill, Longridgeand Norfolk saw over 300 cadets camping andtaking part in leadership training and militaryexercises. Our Tri-Service Adventure TrainingCamp to Otterburn was attended by 140cadets and 30 staff. The cadets enjoyed thehorse riding, mountain biking, orienteering, claypigeon shooting and quad-biking. ArmySummer Camp at Garelochhead, our largestever, gave 70 Cadets the opportunity toundergo military training in Argyll and Bute andto explore the nuclear submarine base atFaslane. Other highlights of the year were theNavy Sailing Course at Salcomb in June andArmy Field Day to Tidworth, hosted by the FirstBattalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.This saw a wide range of military activities,most spectacularly, Cadets making sectionattacks from Warrior armoured personnelcarriers. Our shooting team retained the EmsallTrophy, the Hertfordshire Cup for the third yearin succession and Ben Lockwood received amedal as the top CCF shot in the county. MaxJenkins was awarded an Army Scholarship andAkash Alexander and James Edgley given anoutstanding report following their successfulcompletion of the Army leadership course at

Nescliffe. Finally, our Biennial GeneralInspection was a triumph. We received anoutstanding report Brigadier Patterson whichreflects the exceptional commitment of Cadetsand the Officers to the Corps.

We welcome our new SSI Sergeant StephenMacpherson who joins us following adistinguished career with the Royal Marineswhere he served in Special Forces with theSpecial Boat Squad. He has already made animmediate impact upon the Corps where hisenergy, professionalism and good sense ofhumour have been really appreciated by bothCadets and the Officers. Thanks are due toLaurence Thackwray (OH) who stood in astemporary SSI last year and experienced alearning curve even steeper than his leadershipyear as a senior cadet. He made an admirablecontribution to the effective running of the CCFlast year. Lt Commander Tom Hardman isstanding down as Head of the Navy Section forthe second time. Tom is to be thanked yet againfor his outstanding contribution to the NavySection and the CCF. He is being replaced by LtGavin Hall who has already made a realcontribution to the development of the NavySection. His entertaining reports of activitieshave become an integral part of the culture ofthe Corps. The Coules Cup was awarded toMiles Kaye for his outstanding contribution toschool shooting and Adrian Ko was awarded theContingent Commanders Cup for his overallcontribution to the CCF.

The CCF social calendar is as busy as ever. TheOld Boys’ Reunion Dinner at the RAF ClubPiccadilly was a very enjoyable occasion where115 old boys, cadets and officers wereentertained by our guest speaker, one of ourdistinguished old boys, Lieutenant ColonelMichael Butterwick. He was ex-head of the RAFSection and School Vice Captain, who is soon totake command of the 2nd Battalion of the RoyalRegiment of Fusiliers. He studied History atCambridge, commanded a Battle Group in Iraqand is currently working for the MOD at theDepartment for International Planning in theMiddle East. As ever, we thanked the UpperSixth Form at a dinner at the Tower of Londonfor all their hard work and said farewell to themand their parents at our open afternoon in May.The Section Heads: Matthew Worby (Navy), BasilLetts (Army) and Andrew Campbell (RAF) andthe senior cadets have managed to maintain thevery high standards of the CCF and pass on athriving organisation to the next generation.

Nicholas Saddington(Contingent Commander)

Army

The Army Section has had anothersuccessful and entertaining year. TheAutumn term was spent introducing thenew cadets to drill and weaponshandling, while the more experiencedmembers of the section were givenlessons on ambushing and other aspectsof the Advanced Infantry course.

Further aspects of the course included campcraft and navigation which equipped the year10s to deal with their field day in Ampthill. Theyear 11s travelled to Thetford training area fortheir field day which was thoroughly enjoyed byall; the cadets arrived on Thursday evening andset up harbour before they were attacked by agroup of enemy U6. They were then dividedinto recce parties and tasked with patrolling outinto the night to find the enemy positions anddetermine their strength in order to launch acounter attack the next morning. With thepositions located, it only remained to launchfull section and platoon attacks when lightbroke on the Friday. It was quite a sight to see60 cadets move forward in perfect formationacross the Thetford plains unloading thousandsof blank rounds as they went.

The spring term was dominated by preparationfor BGI (where the Army won the inter-section

competition) and by weapons training. Thesection recently received upgraded A2 rifles,which are semi-automatic and as such everycadet had to be retrained in order that theycould fire safely. Once this had beenaccomplished and BGI was finished, attentionsturned to the recent Tidworth field day. Thisfield day was unusual in that all Years went tothe same training area and the field dayinvolved camping out for 2 nights. The cadetswere stretched and pushed to the limit;Saturday morning involved a 4.30 wake up forexample and by the time we left there weresome very wet, cold and tired individuals. Thefield day itself was action-packed. It was run byFusiliers from 1st Battalion and involved ridesin Warriors (the Army APC) and weaponsdemonstrations. We were fortunate enough tosee sniper rifles, mortars, tanks and, perhapsmost exciting, the Javelin missile system withits thermal imagery targetingsystem (known as the ‘clue’). Inaddition, all cadets fired on theelectronic range and participatein a night ambush on someunsuspecting NCOs. The nightexpedition involved the cadetslining up on a ridge overlookingone of the enemies key transportroutes. As the land-roverstravelled along the road theytriggered trip flares and suddenly

100 cadets lay fire down on the enemy as theystumbled out of the vehicles. It truly was anoutstanding field day and it demonstrated thebenefits of the section’s long standingassociation with the Fusiliers who pulled out allthe stops to ensure we had a fantastic coupleof days.

The Army section then is in a very healthysituation indeed. Demand for membership isever increasing and the availability of resourcesis becoming more and more impressive – forexample, the section now has three LSWs. Allthat remains is to thank the NCOs and Officerswho work tirelessly to ensure things run assmoothly as possible. In particular, Adrian Koand Miles Kaye put in hours of work for theCCF in organising kit, delivering lessons and ingeneral making sure everything gets done.

UO Letts


99


Ampthill 2009

The 8th October 2009 saw 150 Army andNavy cadets, in Year 10 and Lower 6th,venture up to Ampthill Park for their Dukeof Edinburgh Bronze Practice expeditionaccompanied by a dozen staff.

The adventure started as groups of year 10boys were ferried off to various drop off pointssome distance from camp armed with only amap, compass, route card, a heavy rucksackfull of equipment and a couple of Lower 6thleaders to guide them on their intrepid hike.With darkness swiftly falling, their navigationalskills were heavily tested.

Soon after, Ampthill Park was filled with tiredyet noisy cadets setting up their tents andpreparing their evening meals. The boys thengrouped together for the traditional ‘non-contact’ wide game where the Year 10’s had totransport glow-sticks from one end of the fieldto the other without getting caught by thefearsome Lower 6th.

After a tiresome battle, the boys settled downfor a night in their sleeping bags, unaware ofthe cold and crisp night ahead. The campsiteslowly awoke in the morning and the quiet parkerupted into the sound of local dog walkers andhungry cadets. They were soon ready for themain activity; Practical Leadership Tasks (PLTs)designed and led by our eager Sixth Formers.

Potential leaders shone while trying to overcomethe carefully prepared and, in some cases,ingenious tasks. Boys were made to climbbarrels, walk blindfolded through ‘mines’ torescue a stranded soldier (namely a willing Lower6th volunteer) and even stick their heads in holescontaining unimaginable contents to rescue anapple. The Year 10s took to the challenge withgreat determination and, under the watchful eyesof the Sixth Form and the HABS staff, theyworked together showing great teamwork skillsand, for the most part, completed the tasksskilfully and with seeming ease.

The leaders brought proceedings to a closewith various awards; the most innovative PLTsthe best Year 10 cadet and, of course, theteam with the highest overall PLT score. Theday finished with a customary litter sweepbefore the equipment was packed up onto thetrailer, and 150 tired cadets filled the coachesfor the journey back to HABS.

The Year 10s displayed bravery anddetermination whilst the Lower 6th expertly led,organised and watched over the events of thetwo days. The trip was great preparation for theEaster expedition to Otterburn and provided afantastic introduction to CCF life for theyounger cadets.

Thanks must go to all the staff and Sixth Formboys who helped organise and run the activitiesand make Ampthill 2009 yet anothersuccessful CCF Field day.

Saahil Lakhani L6

The Call of the Wild

When it comes to adventure training, fewlocations can compare to Ampthill with itsheady blend of wilderness, extremeclimate and ever present danger fromextreme factions of the indigenouspopulation. Recently the siren-call of thewild proved too great for 150 HABS RN &Army cadets including Yr 10 boys, asmattering of adventure-hardened 6thform leaders and a dozen watchful staff.Collectively they set course for Ampthill totackle our annual Duke of EdinburghBronze Expedition Practice exercise.

With the precision of a fully serviced Swisschronometer, our 6th form advanced partyconjured up a base camp and a check pointwhilst the staff ferried groups of boys tovarious drop off points some distance from thecamp. As darkness wrapped Bedfordshire in itsloving but chilly embrace, our intrepid Yr 10sset forth, each armed only with map, compass,torch, warm clothes, route card and anenormous rucksack full of equipment, not tomention a 6th former to shadow them.

In the bleak and icy blackness our boys honedtheir navigational skills to a rapier’s edge. Upon the checkpoint a long time later we countedthem through, pausing only for an entertainingencounter with a highly animated local manwho was convinced that we were all somehowinvolved in a plot to steal one of his tractors,some distance away, using a broken spoon.Tears of pride welled up in the eyes of thecheckpoint staff as our boys turned, if not intomen, then into boys who could read a mapwith reasonable precision in the dark.

Ampthill Park soon erupted with an infection ofmulti-coloured tents. The air became chargedas the boys heated up a variety of fearsomeand unusual culinary brews, downed them inseconds, then grouped together for our eveningexercise; “The Wide Game”. The rules of thisgame are perhaps unfathomable, but certainlyhinge upon “no physical contact” and attempts

to move glow-sticks from one location toanother against fierce opposition. For an hourthe boys raced and laughed their way aroundthe inky-blackness of the plateau beforesettling down for the night.

There comes a time in a man’s life when hewishes he had purchased a warmer sleepingbag. For many of our boys and at least one of

the staff, this time was around 3.00am thefollowing morning. Thankfully the firstwelcoming kiss of the sun's rays and anenormous breakfast thawed all out sufficientlyfor the main activity of Day Two. Soon we wereready for nine PLT tasks designed and led by6th formers, where the leadership potential ofour boys would be tested to breaking point.

Even the most jaded of souls could not havebeen unmoved by the PLT (Practical LeadershipTask) activities. With the tension of a tight-rope,suspense of a thriller and entertainment valueof “It’s a Knockout”, the tasks demonstratednot only the high ability of our Sixth Formersbut also the growing potential and steelydetermination of our Yr 10s. The ingenuity ofthe tasks and full engagement of the boys washighly impressive. The learning was intense butin the finest traditions of HABS at Ampthill, thelearning was also great fun.

Ampthill proved once again that the quality ofHABS boys is formidable. To name individualsin this short piece would be unfair; all deservepraise for organising, managing andcompleting the camp simply superbly and withno fuss. Yet we hope that the photos attachedmight showcase both the spirit of the campand the ability of our boys.

PLTs over, the boys prepared and ate anotherlarge meal and completed a meticulous sweepof the park for litter. Our 6th form leaders thenbrought the camp to a close. “Awesome” isperhaps a word used far too often, yet it seemsto describe Ampthill 2009 both succinctly andaccurately. The camp is something that all ofour boys will remember fondly for many yearsto come. It will provide the energy source for athousand conversations beginning with “do youremember” and will itself be remembered as aphenomenal experience in acceleratedlearning. The sleepy silence on the coacheshome was deafening. Perhaps the intensity ofthe task had drained our boys. More probably,they were quietly reflecting on an undeniabletruth; the skills forged at Ampthill will be testedto the limit during our 2010 Otterburn campnext Easter.

S/Lt Hall


100


Biennial General Inspection

The Biennial General Inspection (BGI) isone of the most eagerly anticipatedevents in the CCF calendar at HABS. Itmarks the union of the three sectionswithin the school as they celebrate theachievements of our cadet service as awhole, while at the same time, the fiercerivalry between them as they battle it outin an attempt to become overall victors inthe various events over the course of theafternoon. This year, the event took placeon Friday 5th March, and was one of thebest competitions the school has seen ina long time.

The afternoon commenced with a select fewfrom each section greeting the distinguishedguest, Brigadier DJ Patterson from the army,with a clockwork honour guard drill. Followingthis, the Brigadier took the opportunity to meetsome of the cadets and discuss how theyviewed the CCF within HABS. A lunch hostedby the headmaster was next on the agenda forthe guests, after which each of the threesections had the chance to demonstrate one oftheir strengths. For the Navy section, this wasportrayed by a sailing demonstration on

Aldenham Reservoir, with the Army putting on aSection Attack shortly afterwards, and thedemonstrations were concluded with a flightsimulator and aircraft recognition from the RAF.

These were swiftly followed by the main eventof the day: the inter-section competitions. Eachsection had their individual strengths, with theNavy putting on an immaculate performance indrill, and the RAF showing their strength in raftbuilding, but at the end of the day, the Armywere too strong, cleaning the floor in eventssuch as the Challenge Course andOrienteering, to name but a couple.

The afternoon concluded with the awardsceremony for all cadets, including the eagerlyanticipated results of the various competitionsand finding out which section had beenvictorious. This was followed by a speech fromthe Brigadier telling cadets what life in theArmed Services is really like, and how fulfillinga career within them can be. He alsomentioned how lucky we were to be part ofsuch a successful CCF, and that we shouldmake the most of every opportunity that comesour way.

Although the majority of cadets went home thatevening feeling knackered and drained ofenergy, it is fair to say that each and everycadet tried their best and thoroughly enjoyedthe day. Thanks must go to the Brigadier forcoming in to judge, and Mr Saddington and MrThackwray for their continuous hard work andnotable commitment to the CCF as a whole ona weekly basis. The three sections wouldsimply not be possible without them.

Mohsin Saleh L6


101


DofE Trip to Otterburn

During the Easter break, 128 boys and20 staff made their way up to Otterburnon the Scottish border for an epic weekof outdoor activities, including a Duke ofEdinburgh expedition, in stunningsurroundings. We were welcomed by asecurity barrier and barbed wire fencingin order to enter the army base wherewe were staying, only to find soldiersand sheep on the other side. With thealmost impossibly harsh predictedweather conditions on our minds, wehad a hearty dinner, made up our bunks,packed our bergens and then went tobed… eventually going to sleep.

The bronze practice expedition the next daystarted off brilliantly: everyone knew exactlywhere they were, blisters weren’t even being

thought about yet, and the sky was evenshowering us with sunshine instead of theexpected snow. But after 5 hours of walking,things began to change for a few unfortunatepeople. Blisters were the main nuisance,closely followed by a couple of groups gettinglost and setting the radios abuzz with SOScalls of “We’re in a forest and we don’t knowwhere we are.” It turned out that the forestwas an active logging area with constantlychanging paths and clearings, testing ournavigation skills and sanity to the limit.Getting lost, or as we called it, “taking minordetours” aside, the practice really helped usto find our physical endurance levels, and the26km route did prove too much for most inthe end.

The bronze expedition itself went even better:The Sun was out for both days, spirits werehigh, blisters were sorted out, and the viewswere breathtaking, especially after the longclimb to arrive at the top of a hill. Every groupmade it to the campsite at Lounge’s Knowebefore dark without any major problems(other than Niloy somehow getting stuck in amuddy hole and temporarily losing a boot).We quickly set up a small city of tents andcooked a filling evening meal of wayfarerpouches, pot noodles and 24 hour rationpacks, before getting a good night’s sleep.After cooking breakfast and wiping frost offanything that was left outside overnight, all

traces of the tent city were packed away intobergens and all ten groups left for their finaldestinations.

Apart from the expeditions, the bronze groupsspent a tiring but really rewarding daymountain biking over the hills and throughthe forests of the area, and orienteering. Onthe last day before returning home, quadbiking and clay pigeon shooting had beenorganised, which proved to be a newexperience for many cadets and for most, thehighlight of the week spent in the North.

Otterburn 2010 was an amazing experiencewhere all cadets learnt and practised somevaluable outdoors and survival skills, pushingthemselves physically and mentally to theirlimits while having a thoroughly enjoyabletime.

Guy Lewy Year 10

Navy

The Navy section has had, once again, anexcellent year in terms of the overall spiritin which all activities were undertaken. Thedeparture of the previous senior cadets lefta big hole to fill, but Matthew Worby, SahilPatel and Ravi Shah have excelled inorchestrating a wide variety of activities forthe rest of the section to enjoy.

The first event on the list for the Navy,undertaken with the Army section, was Ampthill.This is an eagerly anticipated overnightcamping and hiking trip for new Year 10 cadetsorganised by the Lower 6th. This year threecadets, Ho Tang, Saahil Lakhani and Joel Kariel,ensured that this trip ran smoothly and was asenjoyable as possible for the new cadets withtheir efficient planning and leadership.

After the field day, the section moved on to theWinter Courses programme, taught bymembers of the Upper 6th. Their lessonsincluded how to tie various knots in ropes,essential for sailing, and how to polish shoesworthy of being worn to parade. In addition, theLower 6th gave presentations to their own yearon various topics, ranging from ‘life in the navy’to ‘surviving a terrorist attack’.

The courses went extremely smoothly and thesection progressed from the Winter Training intoperhaps the most important event of the year,

the Biennial General Inspection, or BGI. The yearwas always going to be overshadowed by thisevent, an inter-service competition between theCombined Cadet Force.

The preparations beforehand were rigorous;each section had been working towards thiscompetition for months and had selectedskilled teams for a wide selection of events,such as the march and shoot, the tug-of-warand the assault course. The BGI had been wonby the Navy four years ago, so it wasimportant to everyone there that the sectiondid well. Although the results showed that theyfinished in third position out of four, thesefigures do not indicate the closeness betweenthe Navy and RAF sections. There were somegood highlights to take away from it; the drillteam won its competition comprehensivelywith a fantastic display led by NeeloyBannerjee and the performance of the Navy

cadets in the Honour guard meeting theBrigadier was highly commendable.

As another year draws to a close, with the finalfew sessions of sailing all that’s left, the sectionas a whole would like to show their sinceregratitude to Mr Hardman, Mr Ward, Mr Cucknell,Mr Hall and the team of Upper 6th officers, as itis only due to their immense hard work andcommitment that the successes of this yearwere possible and that all cadets had a differenttask to take part in on a weekly basis.

Nikhil Subbiah L6


102


CCF Dinner

Hosted as a way of thanking the Upper6th on their hard work, diligence andeffort throughout not just the year but allfour years of their CCF life, the annualCombined Cadet Force dinner was thisyear held in the Tower of London, byvirtue of the fact that the Habs CCFsection is attached to the Royal Regimentof Fusiliers and that they have theirheadquarters in the Tower itself.

Post-champagne-reception jokes were perhapsfunnier than they should have been, as we,clad in freshly ironed and often unworn dinnerjackets, meandered through the museuminside the Tower.

A fine meal, ranging from the delectableartichoke soup garnished with truffle oilthrough to the tender and sumptuous lamb andpotatoes, was put on hold briefly to listen toMajor Saddington’s words of wisdom andreflection. In his address, the red-facedhistorian recounted tales of Major Lloyd-Williams and goal-post destruction and lookedforward to a time, five years from now whenwe could all come together again and have areunion dinner at the Army and Navy club.

Riotous speeches from the three senior cadetsin the sections, Basil Letts (Army), MatthewWorby (Royal Navy) and Andrew Campbell(RAF), followed, as Matthew Worby comparedhis team to Senior Management, declaringSam Freeman to be Mr Boyes as “we have noidea what he does” and Neeloy Banerjee to beMr Cook since “in particular, all the year tensand elevens love him – just this morning hewas engaged in a group hug with them all”,while Andrew Campbell hailed Oliver Cohen asthe second messiah. All speeches though, in

describing the success of the year andthanking the many staff for all their hard work,diligence and effort throughout the CCF,highlighted the strength and depth within thesection not just in terms of the 340 cadets inthe CCF this year, but the time and willingness

of the teachers help us truly to nurture ourexcellence – and for that we are eternallygrateful.

Neeloy Bannerjee U6

Royal Air Force

The RAF Section has enjoyed an action-packed year of progress under thesteadfast leadership of AndrewCampbell, Matthew Naughton, OliverCohen, and Branavan Rudran.

The RAF Section continues to grow in sizeand prowess, providing far more than justkey military skills to its keen and able-bodiedcadets. From patching up the wounded tosoaring through the clouds, the RAF Sectionequips its members for any and everysituation. With all cadets gaining valuablesurvival experience under the bivouac andprofiting from the invaluable advice ofOfficers within the Royal Air Force, theSection provides its cadets with skillsstretching in every direction beyond theclassroom. Manoeuvring and navigating overmany and varied expanses of water andacross the terrains of the Hertfordshirecountryside, the RAF Section demonstrates

its wide-ranging proficiency time and timeagain.

The Section secured a commendable secondplace out of four in the legendary BGIcompetition, beating both the Royal NavySection and half of the Army Section. Wewere triumphant in both the Raft Building andFirst Aid competitions and came a closesecond in several of the others.

The autumn term Field Day saw a successfulovernight bivouacking exercise, providing theyear 10, year 11, and upper sixth cadets withvaluable survival experience, as well as agreat deal of fun, involving night exercises,assault courses, raft building, and climbingwalls. Meanwhile, the lower sixth cadetsenjoyed a very informative day at the ImperialWar Museum Duxford, experiencing allmanner of aviation equipment from the last100 years.

The Lent term Field Day saw yet morebivouacking for the upper sixth cadets, this

time accompanied by the lower sixth cadetsat HOAC, where a delicious dinner wasprepared by each cadet before a night undercanvas and a day filled with a ferociously-fought raft building competition and aseemingly perilous range of activities on thehigh ropes course. Meanwhile, the year 10and 11 cadets ventured to RAF Benson forthe chance to experience powered flight andlearn more about how the RAF operates day-to-day.

Thanks must go to Squadron Leader Bassand Flying Officers Stiff, Thackrey, Whiteman,and Oldfield for their sterling work inoverseeing the Section’s progress throughoutthe year.

The RAF Section looks forward to yet moreaction-packed challenges and excursions inthe coming year and beyond.

WO Andrew Campbell


103


Warcop

The highlight of any year in the CCFmust be summer camp, the chance toget away from home with your bestmates and live for a week on a militarybase. Last year the summer camp wasat Warcop in Cumbria, and after a 7amstart and 6 hour coach ride we arrivedat Warcop and were shown to ouraccommodation.

We were thrown straight into the programmewith a quick brief on the next day’s activities,would be doing a series of section and platoonattacks against an infantry militia operating in thearea. This gave the senior cadets a chance topractice their leadership skills and give theyounger cadets, many of whom were on the veryfirst summer camp, the opportunity to hone theirweapon handling skills, and section and platoonbattle drills. The following days involved a seriesof stands such as First Aid, Signals,watermanship and leadership training. The firstaid training allowed cadets to obtain a certificatemaking them first-aid qualified. The signals standgave cadets an insight into the jobs of those inthe Royal Corps of Signals, and cadets learnt

about military radios, radio masts and how to putlong range radios together. The watermanshipstand run by the Corps of Royal Engineersshowed cadets the principles of raft building,and, more importantly, teamwork.

Teams of five competed against each otherracing from one end of a lake to another, thelosing team having to run barrels around thelake. The second half of the stand gave cadets ahands-on introduction to many kinds ofweaponry including submachine guns such asthe MP5, assault rifles such as the M16 andAK47 and light anti-tank weapons such asRPGs and LAW 80s. The morning of leadershiptraining allowed each cadet to lead their walkinggroup to a navigation point somewhere in thehills near Warcop. On Wednesday morning,cadets were given the opportunity to learn howto withdraw from a defensive position, a skill notknown to any of the cadets or officers. Thegroup was split between the defensive positionand paintballing pairs. The afternoon wasconcentrated on the ranges practicingmarksmanship principles for the upcomingmarch and shoot completion between all theschools on the base. Thursday was the day ofadventurous training. Cadets were taken

climbing, kayaking or were taken on a hikearound the Lake District. Thursday evening,preparations were made for the night exerciseand camp out. Cadets patrolled into a platoonharbour under the watchful eye of the seniorcadets. Later on in the night, a recce patrol wassent out to gather intelligence on the enemy’sactivities. The next morning, cadets weresupposed to go out on a series of platoonattacks; however, because of the poor weather,the exhaustion of many of the cadets, someeven having gone hypothermic during the night,the exercise was cancelled and the contingentretired to the warmth of the barracks. Thatafternoon, the march and shoot team, whichwas lead by Alex Barnett and Miles Kaye,competed against many other strong schoolsbut eventually prevailed and won thecompetition, the trophy now being displayed inthe CCF Office. The following day cadets packedtheir equipment, to return home ready formummy to wash their dirty laundry. This year’ssummer camp is in Garelochhead, Scotland, thefirst time the contingent will have travelled northof the border. It should be a worthwhileexperience.

RQMS Adrian Ko

Salcombe, Devon

On Thursday 1st July Mr Cucknell andMiss McKenzie took 12 Year 10 Navycadets to experience 3 days of intensivesailing on board the Egremont, a retiredMersey Ferry moored in the estuary atSalcombe in Devon. For most of thecadets, sailing in tidal waters was a newexperience and they threw themselvesinto the challenge with much enthusiasm,making real progress in their sailingabilities each day. Further difficulty wasadded to this task by the obstacle courseof moored boats in the estuary throughwhich the cadets had to navigate in orderto reach clear water.

With a strong breeze getting up on the final dayand small waves beginning to form in the estuary,the cadets had their first go at sailing their Picoswith their jib sheets up. The safety boats were keptbusy as the cadets struggled to keep their boatsupright (the ease of capsizing in unfamiliarconditions having been demonstrated to themearlier by Mr Cucknell and Miss McKenzie in theirRS Feva), but the boys demonstrated how muchthey had learnt over the last three days by copingextremely well with the increased wind speed. Top

moments included Max Sinclair being dragged atfull speed behind the Pico helmed by Joey Chongafter having fallen out during a particularly vigorousgibe and Tom Baines (one of our most experiencedsailors) somehow managing to capsize while beingtowed behind the safety boat. The cadets returnedto school as more confident and capable sailorsand with many a story to tell.

A McKenzie


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Summer Field Day

Introduction: A Book of Seven Rings

As every samurai knows, Miyamoto Musashi’swrote “A Book of Five Rings” in 1643. It maynot have the page-turner qualities of morecontemporary works such as Katie Price’s“Being Jordan”, but its introduction paints anenthralling picture of the power and humility ofa true Zen master.

As the early morning sun climbed high aboveAldenham reservoir, our own Zen master, sailinginstructor Barry, danced effortlessly with hisRS300 (more of which later) in the strongbreeze: that book, that power and that humilitywere all brought vividly to life.

Meet Barry – a Man of Steel.

Barry Steele, a great friend of the HABS RNCCF, was scheduled to give our cadets a fullday of sailing instruction. HABS tends to useonly top-flight instructors, and modest ex-WorldChampion Barry is the best of the best. Hemoored his RS300 (even more of which later)and we shook hands, his enthusiasm andenergy jolting me with the power of adefibrillator. Cue the arrival of Chief Petty OfficerMark Smith just two minutes later thanscheduled - not bad considering he had drivenfrom Gosport, Hampshire, that morning. As wemerrily set about setting up some Toppers, LtCdr Hardman and Mr Holmes shepherded ourcadets into the sailing club with the panache ofa pair of cunning sheep dogs - or perhaps thatshould be “sea dogs” – and I realised that thisfield day would be nothing less than historic.

In a flash, seventeen Toppers and two Picoswere rigged and ready to roll (indeed, most ofthem did roll during the course of the day). Withthe speed of a whirling dervish, Barry whippedour cadets into a state of peak excitement andlaunched them into the reservoir. The moreastute cadets immediately recognised that thiswas like no other day of sailing they hadenjoyed, as today there was some wind. Fewschools have a fleet as large as that of HABS,and witnessing nineteen of our dinghies settingsail is a sight that my colleagues and I shalllong remember.

Very much a “hands on” instructor, Barryconveyed his instructions to the circling cadetsthrough the medium of a powerboat and loudhailer. This combination curiously gave his voicethe characteristics of an enthusiastic dalek,albeit without the general themes of worlddomination and extermination. Then again, hedid set high standards. The cadets rose to thechallenge magnificently, stowing nerves firmly inthe hold and throwing themselves into the task.The learning curve, as is so often the case atHABS, was steep and exhilarating.

Jaws Attacks

Readers approaching middle age might befamiliar with the animated children’s series “MrBenn”, in which a shopkeeper “suddenly

appears” at the end of the story to rescue MrBenn from his adventure.

In many ways, Lt Cdr Hardman is rather like theshopkeeper. As Mr Holmes and I triedunsuccessfully to coax one slightly nervouscadet and his Topper the last metre to theshore, Lt Cdr Hardman “suddenly appeared” ina fast moving Laser. It was all too fast; a flashof white sail, a bang, a shout of “get in!” he wasgone again, leaving our cadet and his Toppernot just at the shore, but in fact safely on theshore. Although his tactics may beunconventional, we had to concede that Lt CdtHardman is very good at sailing indeed.

Our short morning break and a little furtherinstruction from Barry followed this briefencounter. For the second sailing session hewould raise the bar sharply, tightening up ontacking technique. Once more our cadets setsail, zig-zagging endlessly into the wind withconsiderable polish – HABS boys really do learnquickly when they have to.

Sheriff Hardman Rides Again

All this time, Barry’s RS300 had been tauntingLt Cdr Hardman. The RS300 is a full-bloodedracing machine. It has the stability of a pigwalking in high heels across an ice rink in ahurricane, and the speed of a Jaguar fighter-bomber in a vertical dive. It is brutal, beautifuland takes no prisoners; characteristics that Iknew would prove irresistible to Lt CdrHardman. Sure enough, the two were soon faceto face in a showdown reminiscent of the iconicCarry Grant western, “High Noon”.

I am sure that I heard the RS300 snarl as LtCdr Hardman sized it up. As he leapt on board,it kicked, bucked and charged off like an angrymustang. For half an hour they slugged it out.Highlights included the RS300 literallycatapulting Lt Cdr Hardman into the drink, andLt Cdr Hardman finally wringing full power outof this wonderful machine, saving the sportingreputation of HABS once again. I for one wasglad to hear Barry declare that it waslunchtime.

So to Lunch:

Our cadets had clearly worked up an apatiteduring their morning’s exertions andimmediately set about a wide variety offoodstuffs with great vigour. Meanwhile the staffwere greeted by an apologetic Mr Holmes, theirvolunteer chef for the day. “I’m afraid there isn’tmuch for lunch”, he confessed, “just garlicbuttered prawns, a couple of peppered steakseach, some garlic buttered new potatoes, somecouscous, fresh bread and a rocket salad”. “Nopudding?” we cried in dismay. “Just a large

chocolate and pecan torte”, he replied. Weforced it down, assisted by the mostcomprehensive collection of fresh fruit juicesthat we had ever encountered. Michael Winnerhimself would have been impressed by MrHolmes’ lavish repast.

Getting Serious:

Another brief briefing, then it was back to workfor our boys. This time Barry honed their racingskills, putting them through practice start afterpractice start before he was satisfied. CPOSmith, Lt Cdr Hardman and Mr Holmes were alldrafted in by Laser and Topper to make theracing as serious as possible.

Around this time, from the safety of the safetyboat, I witnessed a transformation as cadetsand their boats became one. Their initialapprehensions had disappeared amid a sea ofsmiles and laughter, adequate testimony to thepedagogical skills of our instructor. Barry, itseemed, had taught them to dance. Two orthree (or ten) more practice races later saw ourproceedings start to draw to a close. Tired buthappy, our cadets packed their machines awaywith meticulous care before setting sail forhome; to a man they had developed their skillsenormously during the day.

Lying on my couch much later, in reflectivemode, a warm feeling overwhelmed me. Thiswas partly due to severe sunburn, but also tothe excellent performance of our cadets. Duringan eight hour day they had enjoyed around sixhours of instruction from a world-classyachtsman. They had applied themselves withcharacteristic vigour, enthusiasm, determinationand ability, maximising their learning andenjoyment. Not a negative word had been said.Not a moment had been wasted. Theirbehaviour was absolutely and completelyfaultless throughout, making one proud not justto be associated with them, but to know thatthey are keeping the tradition and highstandards of the HABS RN CCF alive in a way ofwhich that those who have gone before themwould be very proud indeed.

S/Lt G Hall


105


Field Day to Portsmouth

“Where shall we go for field day then?”pondered Lt Cdr Hardman. His loyalofficers thought about Tunisia, Marbellaand then Dubai before finally settling onGosport, Hampshire.

Gosport has never traditionally been a hotspotfor tourism. This is no surprise; those notattached to the Royal Navy are barred from itsgreatest and best attractions, and are insteadlimited to visiting its Spar shop and bus depot.

With its officers waving their “RNR Access AllAreas” security passes, the whole HABS RNsection cavalcade swept into Fort Blockhouseto where the real action in Gosport resides:Fort Blockhouse is home to some of the finestMOD accommodation in the Portsmouth area.

In its day, which was sometime during 1962, FortBlockhouse was probably Hilton-like in its level ofluxury. Now nearing the end of its useful life, orperhaps even slightly beyond it, the Fort is basicand functional, but at least it still has excellentsea views. It also contained Mark Smith, our AreaInstructor (a serving Royal Navy Chief PettyOfficer), who was nothing short of outstanding inevery regard, despite having worked for aroundsixteen hours that day by the time of our arrival.Mark left no stone unturned in ensuring that wewere settled, comfortable and organised for thenext day. He is a true professional in every sense.

The first challenge was for the cadets to maketheir own beds from a combination of bed-relateditems, a task which was clearly novel and new tomany of them. Their plight was made worse bymy attempting to convince them that theirblankets were in fact “WiFi electric blankets”, andoffering them the fictitious choice of “down-filledor acrylic?” for their pillows. Thankfully, theexcellent HABS RNR Senior Non-Commissioned-Officers were on hand to ensure that all cadetsachieved a ship-shape result. By around 3.45AM,all had drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Next morning at 06:45, a time the existence ofwhich many of the cadets were previouslyunaware, saw them parading outside in very finefettle. A short march (about eight measuredpaces in fact) then placed each of them face-to-face with a cooked breakfast of truly gargantuanproportions. It never ceases to amaze one howmuch the truly committed cadet can eat.

Soon afterwards the section split into two, withthe Sixth Form cadets heading off for a relaxingmorning at the assault course whilst the UpperSchool cadets marched off to Petrol Pier andonto a powerful RN launch. There they floatedpeacefully at the jetty for half an hour whilst itscrew discussed both fog and iPhone applicationswith the HABS staff; a number of regulationsthreatened to preclude us from sailing.

With the skills of a hostage negotiator, MrHolmes, himself with over fifteen years of RNRservice behind him, bonded instantly with thecrew. He used subliminal techniques andperhaps even magic to secure our launch. Soonwe were gratefully powering through the surf at

speeds of up to 4mph, with the cadets gaspingat the sights and sounds of Portsmouth Harbour.

Issues of national security and “Need to Know”regulations prevent me from revealing what wesaw on our harbour tour. Suffice to say that wesailed past a number of very large RN vesselsindeed, all of which had great big weapons, andone of which might or might not been the ArkRoyal. Somehow the fine rain and mist, and thebackdrop of swirling, deep, grey waters gave anethereal beauty to these mighty vessels - thiswas a very fine harbour tour indeed.

All good things must come to an end, and forour cadets the end of the sea-leg meant thatmore good things were about to start. Thesethings included a visit to HMS Victory, to“Action Stations” which is a RN activitywarehouse, and to a submarine museum.

The high standard of presentation and behaviourdisplayed by all cadets during the day istestimony to the professionalism of the HABS RNCCF section and to the high standards whichHABS SNCOs insist upon. At a time when thelocal press is littered with tales of juveniledelinquency, our cadets made one feel especiallyproud to be joining them on such adventures.They were a delight to spend the day with.

A “must see” destination for all people with anysoul at all, HMS Victory initially appeared slightlyless well equipped with guides than one mighthave hoped. This mattered little to the youngcadets who took great delight in independentlyassimilating a great deal of information on thismost famous ship in no time at all Their educationwas aided somewhat by MrHolmes’ informed commentary onnautical matters, and very little bymy own nautical trivia (“Boys, doyou know where the expression“son of a gun” actually comesfrom?”) Thankfully, we soonmanaged to latch onto a guidewith a command of the metaphorthat was humbling to behold(“…and a volley of grape-shotsaw the enemy splattered all overthe masts like an omelette; aSpanish omelette at that.”)

Somewhat reluctantly we finallysailed back to Gosport, met upwith the Sixth Form. But whathad they been up to all day?

The Sixth Form had been to RoyalNavy’s Leadership School at HMSCollingwood with the intrepid andcool AI Mark Smith, who wasrefreshed after what must havebeen two hours of sleep.

Team Ghandi, Team Mandelaand Team Churchill battled it outaround the obstacles on a “dry”run, followed by a “very wet andmuddy” run. HABS boys learnquickly, and their wet run timeswere around twelve minutes,some three minutes faster than

their dry runs.

HABS is very privileged to have its own in-house assault course, but as you can see fromthe photographs, there really is nothing like thereal thing!

Reunited, the whole RN section gave a fond“farewell” to Gosport and set off for home. Avote of thanks for this fine field day adventuremust go to AI Mark Smith whose calmness,fine organisational skills and, whereappropriate, scariness made the whole trip asuccess. Thanks also are due to Lt CdrHardman without whose energy, commitmentand iPhone we simply couldn’t manage, and toSLt Ward, SLt Cucknell, Mr Holmes (previouslyLt Holmes) and Mr Whalley who oversaw thewhole trip. Moreover our Senior Cadets deservepraise. Messrs Worby, Shah (Ravi), Glanville,Freeman, Banarjee and Patel (Sahil) led thecadets superbly, setting an excellent exampleand representing HABS to the general public inas fine a way as is humanly possible.

Last time BRNC Dartmouth, this time sailingpast the Ark Royal (or not as the case may be).As my socks slowly sizzle away their dampnesson the radiator, and I reflect on my RN CCFadventures I am left thinking wondering,“whatever next?”

Oh yes, adventure training in Otterburn. That’snext.

S/Lt G Hall


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Hill House

Every Friday afternoon, visiting Hill House,a very pleasant care home in Elstree, hasbecome a true highlight of the week forTanmay Jain & I; a wonderful opportunityto visit the residents of Hill House.

Initially, it was a very new experience for both ofus as we tried to get acquainted with both thefriendly staff and residents. To illustrate theseopening visits in graphic detail, the main topicsof conversation revolved around the hackneyedprompts: ‘Oh, the weather was beautiful thisweek, wasn’t it?’ or ‘How was art class?’ orsimply ‘Food any good?’ However, as the weeksprogressed, we found out that we had aninnumerable amount of topics to converseabout; discussing the principles of Zen with arecently turned Buddhist (who spends hoursdabbling on iTunes and was also a local tennisphenomenon in his early days), quizzing theresidents on the most random facts possible(for example how many pints of beer areconsumed at the Munich Beer Festival everyyear) and debating economics around the globe.

Overall, our weekly visits have left us feeling ahuge sense of satisfaction that we have tried toimprove the lives of these residents, some ofwhom are not much older than us and justwant someone to talk to. The many lessons wehave learned from these trips have enabled usto realise that we are incredibly fortunateindividuals and should use our time and effortto give back to those less fortunate thanourselves. We thank both Dr Perera foraccompanying us to Hill House and Mr Kissanefor giving us this timeless opportunity.

James Soo L6

The boys of Habs are very lucky inthat they are all very talented andhave the privilege of an excellenteducation. The SCS program at Habsprovides the boys with the opportunityto ‘give something back’. This year175 boys chose to be involved in SCSin one of the three different areas:

Some boys help out the various societies,clubs and departments in existence in theschool; their work is evident all around theschool – producing props for Dramaproductions, maintaining and generatingmaterials for noticeboards, coaching youngerboys in a variety of sports and clubs; andmany other areas.

Visiting a large number of local residentialcare homes and homes for the disabled; attimes it is difficult to decide if the residentsor the boys gain more from these visits.

Many boys help a variety of institutions inthe wider community, giving their time tohelp out at places of worship, youth groupsand sporting clubs.

It is most rewarding to see how much theboys gain from their involvement in SCSand how willingly they give of their timeand energy – long may it continue.

Finally I pay tribute to the many membersof staff who lead the boys in all of theseactivities. I especially acknowledge thecontribution of my predecessor, Mr JonBarnes, who contributed countless hours tothe success of SCS over many years.

Geoff Kissane

Penniwells Centre

The Penniwells RDA Centre is located on 16acres of prime Hertfordshire countryside. Thesite is well equipped with stables, outdoor andindoor riding facilities. This year Samir Petker,Saahil Dhanak and myself have been helpingout at Penniwells every Monday after school.Our visits involve us helping the riders, of allages and disabilities, by sidewalking with themor simply leading the horses. We also help toclean the stables by sweeping the porch andproviding fresh drinking and food supplies forthe horses. It has been said that without thehelp of volunteers "Penniwells would simply notfunction." I have gained a great sense ofachievement by helping the children to ride thehorses and am proud of myself for succeedingin making their life a little bit more enjoyable.

Akash Mehta Year 11

Prep Sport

Throughout our year working with thePrep School Sport, we have predominantlyworked with rugby and football squadsduring their lunchtime and after schooltraining sessions. Occasionally, some ofus were asked to referee younger agegroups in fixtures. On field days we wouldcome in for the day and organise/refereetouch rugby or seven-a-side footballtournaments. Throughout the year weaccompanied teams between years threeand six at home and away matches,offering advice and encouragement fromthe sidelines.

A standard week would involve attending ayear-five football session on a Monday evening,organising drills and exercises. Then, on aFriday afternoon, helping at matches whether itbe officiating or coaching. The experience is onewe would recommend to any enthusiasticstudent. The younger children benefit andappreciate our work and it’s very rewarding.Prep school sport is a very enjoyable option andwhatever you put in, you will get out double.

Ned Birss Year 10, Ben Kohler Year 10 andJonathan Tang Year 11

SCS


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Press and PR

SCS Press and Public Relations havecombined together to create a bigger andbetter army of reporters, photographersand publishers of all things Habs.

Tasks ranged from interviewing OldHaberdashers, who have cycled round Africa, totaking winter pictures of the school’s elegantgrounds. All our reports have been publishedon the school website and many havesubmitted articles to local newspapers, schoolpublications and 10,000 members of theschool community (Old Boys, teachers andparents). It is a quick-paced, extremely eventfuland exciting team to be a part of, and wecertainly recommend it to those interested in acareer in the media industry.

Zak Kay Year 11

Princess Alexandra

This year we spent our Friday afternoonsat the Princess Alexandra care home inStanmore. For some of us it was a brandnew experience to visit the oldergeneration, get a chance to keep themcompany and listen to the interestingstories they had to tell. The home largelycaters for elderly Jewish men and womenwith 68 permanent residents who spendtheir time within the home and itsbeautiful gardens.

One lady is 104, but despite her age, is full ofexcitement and amazing stories about her life.She has two daughters, who are twins.Incidentally they attended HABS Girls manyyears ago. She also has five grandchildren andthree great grandchildren. Her late husbandwas a Dutchman who worked as an accountantin London.

Another resident claims to be one of the onlyJewish commanders to serve in the First WorldWar, while Hans is a famous holocaust survivorand artist and has produced renownedpaintings of the liquidations of the ghettos.

Overall we have thoroughly enjoyed spendingour time in the home and gaining muchknowledge from the older generation. We hopeto remember this extremely rewardingexperience for many years to come.

Elio Elia L6

Independent

My SCS in Sai School of Harrow has been veryrewarding. I have helped out at this charitableorganisation for the last 3 years. Previously, Istarted off as a classroom assistant and Iworked my way up to become a voluntaryteacher of world religions. My duty was toeducate young people about different aspectsof religions and how each one is interrelated.Every year, the organisation is heavily involvedin the event ‘Diwali on the Square’. Our role asthe youth of the community is to support SaiSchool of Harrow and open up stalls advertisingand selling things for charity. Last year, Ivolunteered at a learning centre where I aideddisabled children with computers. As a result, Ihave received ‘The Diana Award.’ Thecommunity has helped me tremendously as ithas developed my communications andleadership skills. The whole experience hasbeen fulfilling especially as I organised thisservice myself and each week I look forward tohelping these wonderful kids.

Kushal Thakker L6

Props

The school’s theatrical productions havebeen a great success; but this surelycould not have been possible without theexistence of the ‘props family’, spurred onby a reward of tea, chocolate and theopportunity to make something fromnothing (mainly junk found in an oldcupboard). This requires greatdetermination and imagination from all ofthe ‘props family’, trying to better ourprop-predecessors to make the school’sdrama performances as professional andimpressive as the West End.

Our family includes:Papa Glückstein, Pedrothe Carbon-paper king,Mr Jones, Mr Francois,Briggalicious, the risingstar Eden Tarn, theseamstress NicholasConstantinou (a.k.a.Vivienne), Lord Kohli ofHendon and Guru Gérg.From our ingenioustalent we have beenable to create a deadgoose fromshuttlecocks and tennisballs to a brand newbath, look like it wasworth 5p and ready forthe skip.

Nick Constantinou L6


Skylark 2010 Sport

Sport


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Skylark 2010 Sport

RugbyFirst XV Rugby

The HABS First XV season began with agruelling pre-season, led by Mr Matthewsand Corporal Cook from the Marines. Withunprecedented levels of fitness in a firstteam squad, excusing the perennially unfitAdemola, we went into the first game of theseason against Hatcham College withconfidence. The game was a successful one,a solid performance producing the desiredresult, giving us the opportunity to rotate oursquad and test untried combinations. Oneman who had his chance that day was NiralPanchal who, reminiscent of a young JonahLomu, tormented the Hatcham defence witha combination of power and pace in abreathtaking 10 minute performance... Thiswould be the last time Niral played for thefirst fifteen.

The following few games, and the first half ofthe season, produced new things for HABSrugby. The levels of commitment and passioncould not be questioned, with our defencebecoming increasingly resilient and ever-increasing levels of innovation on the pitch.However, we headed into the second half of theseason with plenty of work still to do.

Juggling a number of commitments, the squadbegan to look depleted as injuries and other extra-curricular activities began to take their toll on thesquad. Our club secretary, Basil Letts, decided togo and play cards with his grandmother ratherthan travel with us to Haileybury, where the squadperformed with distinction despite falling to defeat.A scratchy win against Latymer, however, gave theteam confidence moving into the fixture againstBedford, a team HABS had not beaten away atfirst XV level for 15 years.We performed withdistinction, taking our chances and defending likemen possessed. Special mention must go toAneesh Misra, who ran the ball into contact once,only to end up injured and off the pitch.We won17-10.With the sweet sound of Jerusalem ringingin our ears, we headed home, victorious. The onlyperformance of the season that competed with ourefforts against Bedford was that against MT’s,where an under strength side showed guts anddetermination in the last home game of theseason to push our local rivals all the way.

Despite many combinations and changes, theguts shown in the forwards have beeninspirational. The position of scrum half hasbrought much debate this season, and whetherit was Basil or Andy Middleton, we have alwayshad a no. 9 who has marshalled the defencewell and delivered quick ball. Our fly half,Charlie Johnson, managed to deliver time andagain with impressive pace and skill. Thecentre pairing was inconsistent for the first fewgames, until we witnessed the resurrection with

Joe “Jesus” Yarwood. Joe and Alex Hughes-Montoute formed a solid midfield partnership,accompanied effectively by an ever changingback three combination.

Finally, I would just like to say how much I’veenjoyed this season. It’s been an honour to captainsuch a great bunch of lads and this is a rugbyseason I really will never forget. I would also like tothank Mr Matthews on behalf of everybody herefor all the effort he’s put in to make sure we havehad a successful season. Although sometimesresults haven’t gone our way, Mr Matthews alwaysshowed commitment to the team to help spur uson to achieve greater results. I hope that the HABSFirst XV will build on this result and go fromstrength to strength in future years.

Jonny Miller U6

2nd XV Rugby

The 2nd XV enjoyed a highly successfulyear, winning 7 out of 10 games, onlylosing to two ‘posh’ public schools as wellas a team unbeaten in 3 years. Teams weonce could only dream of scoring againsthave been trounced home and away, anda youthful team built around a small coreof Upper Sixth have shown theirconsiderable potential against opponentswho were often a whole year older. 1stteam call-ups and injury crises wereovercome with determination and afantastic team spirit. Boys have becomemen, men have become legends, and onelegend has become captain.

The season started with a tone-setting 15-12win at QEB courtesy of a last-minute AlexBarnett penalty from the halfway line. This wasfollowed by a thriller at home against UCS, withSubomi Anidugbe scoring a number of tries in a29-24 HABS win. Unfortunately, the traditionalpre-St Albans injury crisis set in ahead of ournext game, and after Anidugbe and star wingerAntonio Castagno were stretchered off after acouple of minutes, HABS could only fall to a 50-0 defeat. After Watford Grammar had taken onelook at our teamsheet and called off our match,we played Tiffin at home and comprehensivelyrouted them 25-15. An early contender for theprestigious ‘try of the season’ award put HABSin control, Andy Middleton and Philip Bagshawcombining for a well-worked score. A near-perfect half-term was marred slightly by anunfortunate defeat to Stowe the followingWednesday, in which HABS battled hard butfailed to convert pressure into points and wereduly punished by a useful outfit.

A nasty tie away to equally posh Haileyburyfollowed after the half-term break. The pack,

combining hard runners such as Josh Mannassehand tough cookies like James Hoenig, dominated,but it was not enough to save HABS from a 17-0defeat. That was to be the last of the year,however, as pleas for members of the squad totrain finally paid off and the 2nd XV embarked ona thrilling winning run. Latymer Upper weredemolished 29-10 at home, the combination ofyoung tyros (Ademola Olorunshola, Adam Pabani)and grizzled veterans (Andrew Shipley, BarnAhluwhalia) too strong for the visiting side.Bedford Modern were then humiliated 42-10 ontheir own patch. A physically nasty performancewas epitomised by the strong running of DanLehmann and the silky footwork of Mirav Vyasand Sujane Sivasubramaniam, with CaptainGeorge Colenutt winning try of the season handsdown after running in from around 90m.Berkhamsted were next to feel Dan Lehmann’sanger, and with the first move ever recorded in a2nds match finding James Edmunds, HABStriumphed 24-10. The season ended as it hadbegun, with a 15-12 victory over local rivals. MTSmade every effort to shake the visiting HABS side,even cannily covering the pitch with goosedroppings before kickoff, but to no avail. JackFinger epitomised HABS’ determination with someflying tackles, and after captain Colenutt crashedover for what seemed like and therefore was his30th try of the season, HABS edged the winthanks to a marvellous performance from sub JoeMcCormick. Having decided chasing down hisown kick to score was not enough, McCormicksunk a drop goal in the last minute to win thegame, and HABS ended 7 years of hurt.

There are, of course, many people who deservethe credit for making this team the best 2nd XVin the school. The players, who played thegames. The captain, who won the games. Thesupporters, who failed to turn up in recordnumbers. But most of all, I believe I speak forthe entire team, and Mr Bagguley, in extendingthe warmest of thanks to the 3 Ms, MessrsMcIntosh, Metcalfe and Matthews, for theircoaching, commitment and effort. In particular,Mr Bagguley would like to thank Mr Matthewsfor his tremendous enthusiasm, hard work anddedicated skill in providing original trainingroutines which the senior squad benefited from.The senior squad all developed a determinationto succeed as their skill level improved.

But to build on this unexpected level of ability andwinning mentality, there was only one man for thejob (literally, we had no choice) and that was MrBagguley. He led us to some fantastic victoriesand performances we never thought we couldachieve, but what was most important is that weenjoyed every minute of our rugby this year,largely owing to the team ethos he nurtured.

George Colenutt U6


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Skylark 2010 Sport

3rd XV Rugby

“It’s like rugby, but fun.” Perhaps thiscomment from a Lower Sixth student onthe opening day of the season best sumsup the experience of representing theThird Fifteen.

Losing every single game is never heartening,but Mr Lloyd-Williams’ inspirationalstewardship ensured that the new shirts,expensive, and, fortunately, expansive, wereworn with pride. Although the first fixture ofthe season, a three-team tournament at thehome of bitter rivals Merchant Taylors,predictably ended in defeat, there were hints ofa burgeoning understanding between wise oldheads like David Shamtoob and athletic youngcolts such as Oliver Simms.

The season continued with a trip toBerkhamstead, a game marred by a brawlstarted by a disagreement over whether thefirst apostrophe boasted by Haberdashers’Aske’s was necessary. We may have beenundone by our opponents’ freakish ability toput more than two passes together, but theintegrity of the school’s beloved apostropheremains intact.

St Albans Boys were next up, their kit, a vilemélange of custard yellow and bile black,besmirching each pitch as they set about theirannual trouncing of the senior Haberdasherteams. Their most punishing performance was,of course, reserved for the Mighty Thirds.Although man-mountain Dan West managed toregister a try, dragging St Albans’ back row onhis enormous shoulders, it was pure luck thatprevented the Albanians’ score reaching triplefigures. However, it was a valiant effort byLloydo’s Lads, with no substitutes on asweltering day.

For the final fixture, Merchant Taylors wereinvited back to Habs for a battle royale, theencounter that would finally settle local braggingrights, that would once and for all establish Habsas the dominant force at third team-level rugby.A strong side stormed into an early lead,bolstered by reinforcements from Game One. Byhalf-time, Habs were 19-0 to the good.

But half-time changes of personnel, intendedto make a fairer game of it, backfiredspectacularly. The starting XV could only lookon in horror as their replacements capitulated;Taylors racked up score after score to leaveHabs only a couple of points ahead withseconds to play. With original front row Weide,Ough and captain David Stone watchingaghast, the Habs pack was pushed inexorablytowards its try line. With one final effort, theball seemed wrested out of play. But MrJenkins, refereeing, inexplicably signalled thata try had been scored.

As the full-time whistle blew, Taylors could notcontain their surprise. Meanwhile, Habs were inuproar, with angry remonstrations on thetouchline. Incensed, Samuel Skalla made his way

to the referee to inquire the basis of his decision.Mr Jenkins no longer teaches at our school.

But however inglorious the team’s record, it hasto be acknowledged that at this level, results arenot important. What will leave a lastingimpression, on both the team members leavingHabs and those having another shot at winninga game next year, is the enjoyment we took fromthe season.

Tom Ough L6 and David Stone U6

U16A Rugby

Although the Under 16 A’s only won twogames this season, there were somesensational highlights to pick out. Theopening day win of the season, againstperennially strong QE Boys, whom we hadnever beaten before, appeared to beckonin a new era for HABS Rugby;unfortunately, we would subsequently loseour next two games to a very strong StAlbans side and a decent WatfordGrammar team. Our next, and last, victory ofthe season came against Tiffin, as we travelledaway on a bitterly cold morning to be marchedon the pitch by our emotional lock, JamesColenutt, who delivered his second poetic andmoving speech of the season. With our defenceimmense, Chonu secured the win with a try inthe last play, hobbling over the line on one leg torecord a memorable 21-17 win.

However, we failed to build on our twovictories, and would go on to lose the next four

fixtures until the game against MerchantTaylor’s was abandoned after one of theirplayers suffered a serious injury. Although wedid not technically record a victory in our finalgame, a 26-26 draw against Dr Challoner’smight as well have been. Losing 26-7 at halftime, Mr Bass wrung the changes, introducingour substitutes and mixing the positionsaround. Charlie Cohen would produce asensational performance, scoring two tries andconverting Chonu’s last gasp try to secure anincredible draw.

Lewis Stock Year 11

U16B Rugby

The B’s have had an up and down season, withthe highlight being the 16 – 10 victory overBerkhamsted, where, despite missing some keyplayers to a mysterious illness, we overturnedthe previous season’s 40-0 loss. Whilst winsweren’t exactly free flowing, with UCS our onlyother victim, with Nish, Jothibal, Mat Perlmanand Pierre scoring our points; there have beensome great memories from our final seasontogether. The most memorable moments of theseason were undoubtedly two try saving tacklesmade in the final two matches of the season,with Ben Steinart hitting Berkhamsted’s biggestman (almost twice his height) so hard that hedropped the ball 10 metres forward, as well asOli Rutherford finishing the season in style bygloriously hammering an MTs player.

Raph Levy Year 11

RUGBY CLUB RESULTS 2010

Team Played Won Lost Drawn Win %

1st XV 11 4 7 36

2nd XV 10 7 3 70

3rd XV 5 0 5 0

4th XV 2 0 2 0

U16A 10 3 6 1 30

U16B 9 2 7 22

U16C 2 1 1 50

U15A 11 3 8 27

U15B 10 8 1 1 80

U15C 5 2 3 40

U15D 1 0 1 0

U14A 14 10 2 2 71

U14B 10 6 4 60

U14C 6 2 4 33

U14D 1 0 1 0

U13A 11 5 5 1 45

U13B 10 9 1 90

U13C 2 2 0 100

U13D 1 1 0 100

U12A 4 3 1 75

U12B 4 2 1 1 50

Totals 139 70 63 6 50


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Skylark 2010 Sport

U15B Rugby

After some tough pre-season training, theB’s began the season against QE Boys athome. The match was closely fought withHABS prevailing 14-12 winners after alovely breakaway try by Tom Kay. A homedraw against St Albans proceeded, beforeanother very close fought match, this timeagainst Watford Grammar, resulting in a27-25 victory in HABS’ favour. Despite notperforming to the best of our capabilities,we subsequently defeated Tiffin 17-7.

The next three games were the highlights of ourseason. We scored 149 points, with PhillipSadgrove returning from a series of mysteriousinjuries to score 7 tries. We then faced thestrongest opposition of the season,Berkhamsted. Played off the park by animpressive unit, we had only one try to show forour valiant efforts. We rethought our strategy forthe final contest against Merchant Taylors, andwith the introduction of Jordan Nathan in theback line we felt we had a good chance of avictory. After an excellent game, in which HABScame from behind numerous times, we ran out29-26 winners. Man of the match went toJordan Nathan for a superb effort.

The top try scorers for the season included BenKohler with 9, Phil Sadgrove with 8 and MaanalAkhaney with 5. All in all, it was an extremelysuccessful campaign ending up with the teamscoring 263 points and only conceding 174.Guided by the tactical genius of Mr Holmes, theunder 15 B’s recorded 7 victories, 1 draw andonly 1 solitary defeat: a brilliant effort from thewhole team.

Ben Kohler Year 10

Under 15 A Rugby

On the back of a disappointing season lastyear, we arrived at HABS late in August forpre-season training, only to be greeted bythe legend that is Mr. Metcalfe. After onlyone session, we knew this season was goingto be our most enjoyable yet thanks to hismany renowned phrases, like “that’s thebadger” or “you couldn’t catch swine flu in apig farm”. When the first day of school didcome, all those months ago, all I rememberis Jordan Nathan diving into his fixture card,not to see when the first game was, but tosee how many he needed excuses for. I’mproud to say that this great level ofcommitment carried on throughout thewhole season. However, not all was negativein the under 15 camp, a friendly bet was onbetween Efe and Darius against Jordan andmyself to see who could score the most triesthis season. I hoped this sort of competitionbetween squad members would spark agood first performance against Q.E Boys,and I was right. Within the first 5 minutestheir captain came off crying, and it’s fair tosay HABS gained a bit of street credit afterthat tackle. The game continued in thisfashion, I have never seen a HABS side soruthless. It finished 48-5 on the scoreboard.This was our first win over Q.E Boys in 3years, and the feeling was great. It was fairto say that the future looked bright, and withNoah in the squad, it looked a little orange.

Jordan notified me that we had UCS up next, butthanks to a Jewish holiday, they had an excusenot to get killed. St. Albans followed UCS, a teamthat we beat by a single point last year. We werea bit out of match practice thanks to UCS, andSt. Albans went on to take a 20-7 lead at halftime. The first of many inspiring team talks fromMr. Metcalfe was completely undone 30 secondsinto the second half as St. Albans crossed ourline after a stupid interception. 27-7 down, butthis is when we decided to play. In typical HABSstyle we pulled it back to within a try, 32-28down, with 1 play to go. The mood was set, theair was crisp, and Big Al was waiting for the tryto come. Efe Uwaifo used his raw pace to beathis man on the outside to go one on one withthe full back. He was in; no one could stop himat this pace, apart from Arshia. He “accidentally”pulled back one of their players, the penalty wasgiven, and we succumbed to our first defeat.

We swallowed this defeat and looked forwardto Watford Grammar, a side we had neverbeaten. The game got very heated towards theend of the game, after accidentally kicking oneof their forwards in the head, the WatfordGrammar coach proceeded to hurl abuse atanyone who would listen. This act ofintimidation was not enough to swing the gamein their favour, as we came out on top 26-20,defending our line like nothing the HABS staffhad seen before. This however, was to be ourlast win of the season.

Tiffin still makes me mad when thinking aboutit, so I won’t go into much detail about thematch, apart from the fact that with 2 plays leftwe were 27-20 up, and at the end of the gamewe somehow had managed to lose 32-27.However, we do have a scapegoat; Arshia gothimself sent off for a supposed punch on oneof their players. So that’s Arshia 2 HABS 0.

This, however, was nothing compared to theHaileybury result. A very fair match and one whichfinished 33 all after a late Haileybury try. The refthen somehow managed to add on an extra pointfrom somewhere, and Haileybury were given thewin 34-33. This wasn’t the first time he had triedit, earlier in the match he overlooked on of ourtries when counting the score, only to becorrected by Darius Price. A draw in my book, buta loss thanks to their 16th man.

As Jordan looked into his fixture card again,the seasoned looked like it was going to be arather long one, as Latymer, Bedford,Berkhamstead, Merchant Taylors and Dr.Challoners had all beaten us within the pasttwo years. The interest in rugby seemed to belost after the Haileybury game, as we didn’tturn up for the Latymer game, as they brushedus aside with some ease, beating us 34-17.Losing is a hard habit to get out of, especiallywhen some players don’t wish to put the levelof commitment in that is needed to turn rounda few losses, and the trend continued. Bedfordalso put 34 past us, as we were turned over34-14. Berkhamstead were in the 6th round ofthe Daily Mail at this stage, so a win for HABSlooked very unlikely, but for the first half wereally competed. The forwards hit everybreakdown and the backs decided to tackle onthe most part. However, in the second half wejust capitulated, and conceded 34 points tolose the game 51-5. The season was as goodas over for some players, 4 losses in a row hadgot rid of any interest they had in rugby, andthe final two performances of the season wereshocking, a 55-0 drubbing by MerchantTaylors, and a 45-7 loss to Challoners.

The season ended very poorly, but at times wedid play some fantastic rugby. For periods inmatches we were a class above the other team,its just when it came down to the physical battlewe didn’t want the win as much as the other

side did. 15 minutes of good rugby does notwin a game, but there are certainly promisingsigns to be taken forward into next season. Abig thank you has to go to Mr. Metcalfe, whohas been a fantastic coach this season, anddeserves a knighthood for sitting through andwatching some of our performances.

Rob Lynch


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U14A Rugby

We had come into Year 9 after a difficultseason last year hoping for a bigimprovement in our results. We startedvery brightly with a convincing winagainst Q.E. Boys, followed up with a 64-0thrashing of Latymer Upper in theMiddlesex cup; a great start to theseason. The next match we faced wasagainst our main rivals, St. Albans. Aweak performance gave them the upperhand throughout most of the match buteventually we showed our spirit byfighting back to draw 27-27 with adramatic pitch-long try in the last play.We then travelled to Tiffin where again wewon by another 50 point margin, but wewere brought back to reality in our nextmatch when we faced a well drilled andorganized team; Watford Grammar. Abelow par performance ended in a loss,but we had learnt our lesson and bouncedback fantastically for our next game. Wetook advantage of the fact their playershad not played together for very long, andedged out 24-14 winners in a hard foughtmatch. This was followed by anothervictory against Latymer Upper, the scorethis time 27-0.

We had reached the semi-final of theMiddlesex County Cup and were paired with aphysically superior Orleans Park side. Despitetheir size we hit the ground running with agreat start scoring three in the first half, we hitthe self-destruct button in the last ten minuteswith a chaotic performance that gave the otherside a chance to get back into this game, butwe pulled through and won 27-17. We facedour toughest game of the season next againsta Bedford Modern, a side we had neverbeaten, and duly we lost 38-8. A 31-3 victoryover Berkhamsted and a 14-14 draw with

Merchant Taylors’ preceded an interestinggame against Dr Challoner’s, in which theopposition were not able to field a full side sosome of our players had to switch!

The County final was looming and when itfinally dawned on us we rose to the challengemagnificently. Despite our warm-up beinghalted due to hazardous weather, we took tothe field and gained and early advantage withtwo tries following good play. They hit backwith a try just before half time and despite asnowy, freezing, uphill challenge in the secondhalf, a tough game was finally won 22-17. Ourtriumph was celebrated with a muddy wholesquad bundle on coach Mr. Kerry and even acouple of dives into the mud!

I’d like to thank Mr. Kerry, Mr. Jenkins and Mr.McIntosh for coaching us this year and we areall looking forward to next year for anotherexciting season.

Ben Lewry Year 9

U14B RugbyThis season for the B team has been avery successful one, which has seen arapid improvement throughout our squad.We have welcomed 2 new boys and 3former C team players into our squad toboost our development.

We started off our season with a game at Q.EBoys, and despite an uneasy performance wecame away with a win. A special mention goesto the performance of Sam Goldsober whosubsequently earned his place in the “team ofthe week”.

Our next game against UCS was cancelled, butafter a hard week of training, we faced St.Albans. We lost but we made it a hard foughtgame. Next came the utter destruction of Tiffin

School, a game we dominated and won 49-0.Then followed a dominant win over Watfordand a narrow loss to Haileybury College, beforeanother convincing win against Latymer Upperin torrential rain. Then followed a game againstthe enemy, Bedford Modern, which, amazingly,was deadlocked at 0-0 right up until half time.We then seized the initiative and won the game10-5. Another game, this time under thetutelage of Mr. Clark, followed, which we lost27-32 to Berkhamsted. Then came the matchagainst our main rivals, Merchant Taylors.Despite the weather we played exceptionallywell and lost narrowly 12-5.

Special mentions go to Amir Kumarathas andJordan Sandrasagra who between them scored11 tries, with Amir edging ahead with six. Butour largest try scorer, by a clear mile was ZachBrin. We actually lost count of how many trieshe scored, but we think that it is somewhere inthe region of 14!

On behalf of the team, I would like to thank Mr.Kerry for running our training sessions inGames and after school, Mr. Clark for taking usfor two matches, Mr. Mathews, Mr. McIntoshand Mr. Metcalf for helping us in our gamessessions and most importantly we would alllike to thank Mr. Jenkins for being a brillianthead coach and great fun.

U13 B Rugby Report

The U13 B side also had an extremelysuccessful season, winning 9 games and losingonly 1, with the highlight of the season beingthe 51-0 thrashing of nearby school Belmont,where the team played some quality rugby.


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Football1st XI Football

With no pre-season training due to poorweather, the HABS First XI, coached by MrWard, was hurriedly assembled in onetraining session before the first gameagainst St Columbus.

A promising 2-0 win followed, with managerWard not hesitating to book the foul mouthedopposition players, confirming his status as thegaffer. Amidst two cancelled games againstbeatable opposition was a 2-2 cup drawagainst St. Albans, where vice-Captain JoeZender and debutant Aristo Savva netted asHABS came back twice from behind. The twowould continue this scoring form throughoutthe season, scoring many of the teams goals.This hard-fought draw was followed by a fewresults which did not go our way; however,talent was clearly on show with Andy ‘Haggis’Middleton bossing the back four alongside thereliable Luke Chrispin. The teams attackingnature was evident with surging fullbacks ElliotKaye and Manesh Mistry supporting their widemen whenever possible, whilst Jamie Michaelsor George Colenutt pulled the strings at theheart of the midfield.

After the half term break, a tough 1-1 drawagainst local rivals MTS confirmed the team’sstrength in depth, as goalkeeper Oli Goldsteinwas put out for the season with a broken wrist,joining the wounded Joel Salomon andpermanently cramped Alex Parker in the physioroom. A masterstroke from manger Wardresulted in Zender ending up between thesticks, demonstrating his unorthodox yeteffective keeping style for all to see. He wassubsequently replaced in the next game by themore experienced Dan Korn.

The highlight of our season was against thereputable Old Habs Brazil tour winning team. Alegendary team, according to Manager Ward;however, they were soon grounded down by adetermined first team that dominated the pitchall round and found themselves 2-0 up by thebreak with a double from Savva thanks to goodattacking play down the wings from TomRoberts. The second half saw mass squadrotation with international striker Simon Stanfieldtaking the field alongside new boy Mayer andthe consistent Matt Woods. We went on todominate and the prolific Stanfield, our first teamstriker, went on to score his first for the season,wrapping up a well deserved 4-2 victory.

Mirav Vyas U6

2nd XI Football

The second eleven endured a frustratingseason filled with drama, disappointment andpostponement. Despite a last-minute wonder

U16 B Football

With the season fast approaching – and teammembers keen to dispel the notion that rugbyis the only sport worth playing at HABS –disaster sadly struck, with the weatherchoosing to intervene and subsequently wreckpre-season training. This left us badlyunderprepared for the start of the season, andcost us two valuable games that would haveprobably provided a chance to test out tacticsand strategy. While it became apparent inGames sessions that there was quality inabundance, the lack of a pre-season meantthat we were behind schedule in puttingtogether a team. We thus started the seasonslowly with what can only be described assome weak performances; however, there werepositive signs in the figures of Josh Morris andMatthew Ashley, who excelled with some verydisplays. The team began to gel, and ourrefusal to dwell on negatives – and ourinsistence to accentuate the positives – saw usreally progress as footballers. This sense ofprogress culminated in a win in our final gameagainst UCS – by far our best display – withBen Alalouff taking two beautiful goals amidst aspirited, determined and passionate teameffort. Thanks must go to Dr Sloan for hiscontinued hard work, and we hope to build onthe positives of this year and have a verysuccessful season next year.

Danny Morris

U16 A Football

After 5 years of waiting, and the first fewgames being cancelled due to the snow,we began our first match against St.Albans raring to go.

Not knowing what to expect from ouropposition, we began the game playing flowingfootball and got off to a great start with the firstgoal of the season from Matt Perlman. Goalslater followed from Charlie Cohen and Chonu,and a wonder goal from Brendan wrapped up abrilliant 4-0 win. Having been battered by StAlbans in rugby over the years, it was nice toteach them a lesson in a real sport.

Our next match was against Radley, and withplayers already missing through injury,opportunity knocked for Year 10 talents likeRob Lynch, Jordan Nathan, Efe Ufaiwo andDarius. While the team performed bravely –with Efe notching a debut goal – Radley weremarginally stronger, and managed to secure a2-1 victory. We subsequently lost to the muchbigger and much stronger Mill Hill 1sts;however, there was certainly no shame in

3rd XI Football

This year's third XI had a lot to live up to. It wasled by the good looking Mehul Shah, and had alot of strength in the form of Elio Elia and NeilShah. Such was the talent in the side; MrCharlwood decided that it would be necessaryto handicap us by placing Oli Bello in goal. TheThirds were successful in winning two games,beating bitter rivals Merchant Taylors 4-1 andcoming from 1-0 down against BedfordModern to beat them 2-1, a team who HABShad consistently lost to in the past. We did,however, lose two games, mainly due to NealShah's inability to score from 6 yards. This yearsaw consistent, outstanding, courageousperformances by the ‘Shepherd’ Mehul Shah,who scored all the goals, as well as goodperformances from the whipped Ally McBeath,Toby Webber, Serge Albohayre, Sahil Lakhani.Other mentions should go to Josh Kaiser, whoseemed to be unavailable for every awaygame, as well as the legendary Gideon Caplin,who maybe should put down another sport ashis first choice next year.

Mehul Shah U6

losing 4-2 to a team made up of 18 year olds.

Our penultimate game was against BedfordModern, and with the team being made up ofplayers from the As, Bs and even Year 10,things did not look good after 20 minutes whenwe found ourselves 2-0 down. However,displaying all kinds of resilience and spirit, werecovered to eventually take the lead at 3-2.While Bedford would eventually equalise – thegame ending a draw – everyone came out withtheir heads held high and a deep sense ofpride after a magnificent performance.

The final game came against UCS. The gamekicked off, and we were quickly pinned back inour halves. Things weren't looking good, untiltactical genius Mr Hails altered the formation.From then on, we dominated the game, andwere awarded a penalty which Brendan calmlyslotted home. After a disallowed goal fromCharlie, UCS were awarded a penalty in the lastminute. Shiraj in goal decided to be the heroonce again, making a superb save low down tohis right. The game finished 1-0, with theseason ending on a hugely encouraging notebefore we move on to compete for places inthe 1sts and 2nds.

A big thank you must go to Mr Hails for puttingup with us throughout the season andpreparing us so well.

Charlie Rubin.

goal from Captain Marc Charles, whichsalvaged a draw in their opening match againstSt Columbus, the team could not carry anymomentum into future matches. Despite goodperformances from Ni Cleland, David Lawrenceand George Colenutt, the seconds sufferedconsecutive defeats against Radley College., StAlbans and Aylesbury Grammar. The teamreceived fantastic support throughout theseason from Mr Thompson and Mr Simm, andwill hopefully go from strength to strength intofuture years.

Marc Charles U6


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CricketAnother fine season

The Cricket Club at Habs continues toflourish and has enjoyed much successagain this season. We set ourselves highstandards and are always trying toimprove what we do, and this year hasbeen no exception. The bare facts andfigures do not tell the whole story but theyare certainly worth recording nevertheless.Of 166 matches played by the Club as awhole, breaking last year’s record of 149games, 117 resulted in wins for Habsteams (surpassing by 2 the figure set in2009) and this despite strengthening thefixture list in a few places. There were inaddition 5 draws (rarely an option thesedays), 2 ‘tied’ matches and 42 defeats,while only 12 fixtures were cancelled (noneof them as a result of bad weather in whatturned out to be a remarkably dry summerterm). In this modern age of mainly‘limited overs’/result cricket, to win 70% ofall the matches played this season is quitean achievement and many congratulationsmust go to all concerned, players andcoaches alike, who contributed to thissuccess…they are well deserved.

The 1st XI, captained by Tom Edrich, enjoyed aseason of mixed fortune, ultimately winning tengames but losing on five occasions. After anindifferent start to the term and the unfortunatecancellation of several fixtures due to examsand other pressures, the season ended on ahigh with victory at previously unbeatenBancroft’s and an outstandingly successfulDevon Tour, where all four games were wonand middle-order batsman Basil Lettsdiscovered the form of his life!

A strong side (at least on paper) comfortablywon its opening fixture of the campaign againstMill Hill, thanks to a century openingpartnership between Kushal Patel (74) andNishanth Selvakumar (55) and a fine spell ofleg-spin bowling from vice-captain SebSchusman (4 for 32), Ben Cherkas (2 for 30),happily recovered from the back injury whichseriously curtailed his season in 2009, havingearlier removed the opposition danger man,Adam Rossington. However three of the nextfive games ended in defeat as Harrow 2ndsbeat us by 5 runs despite 7 wickets for ShanilPatel, Berkhamsted bowled us out for 72 on awet wicket after winning a crucial toss andBedford Modern simply outplayed us on theday. Sandwiched between these losses weredrawn games against the MCC (a muchimproved performance by Habs) and MerchantTaylors’ (abandoned after heavy rain during thelunch interval). The final game before the halfterm break saw a return to form as St Albans

was comprehensively defeated. Patel (107)and his new opening partner Tej Malde (77) puton 187 for the first wicket, with the former,caught on the boundary for 99 against theMCC, this time completing a well deservedcentury. Our final total of 244 for 3 off 40overs proved too much for the opposition, whowere restricted to 203 for 8 in reply. A new‘block’ fixture with Abingdon School was wonoverall by Habs teams but the 1st XI came upagainst an outstanding schoolboy cricketer,Josh Smith, and suffered another defeat.However we bounced back immediately withvictory in a hastily arranged twenty/20 gameagainst St Albans (after the cancellation of theAldenham fixture). The boys thoroughlyenjoyed this challenge and totally outplayed StAlbans for a second time this season. Twomore ‘easy’ wins followed against QE Barnetand Old Habs CC, but, sadly, three other gameswere cancelled with the opposition unable toraise teams to play us. The inaugural HabsCricket Week included the traditional end-of-term’ timed’ games against Doug Yeabsley’s XIand the Fraser Bird XI. After a disappointingdraw in the first of these games, we chased allthe way against a strong FSB side, assembledby Michael Yeabsley, eventually losing by just 7runs with two balls remaining…

…and so to Bancroft’s and a superb DevonTour. For the second year running Habsdestroyed Bancroft’s unbeaten record, this timedismissing them for a meagre 119 and thencoasting home after a few early alarms to winby 7 wickets. This excellent result was followedby wins on successive days against ExeterSchool, Exeter CC, Devon Dumplings CC andDevon U16s. Basil Letts was the star of theshow, scoring 406 runs in the four games,including 120* (his maiden century for Habs)against Exeter CC and 143 the very next dayagainst Devon Dumplings as Habs successfullychased a target of 294 in 40 overs to win by 2wickets with an over to spare in one of theoutstanding ‘finishes’ of the last twenty years.The final game of the tour and season tookplace at Axminster, where Devon U16s weredefeated for the third year in a row. Battingfirst, Habs posted a total of 264 for 5 off 50

overs, with Edrich and Letts both amongst theruns, before dismissing the county side for 243.

Letts’ incredible form in the last week of termtook him to the top of the batting averages forthe season with an aggregate of 687 runs at animpressive average of 68.70. In addition to histwo ‘hundreds’, he had three other scores inexcess of fifty and completed his school careerwith over 1000 runs for the XI. Openingbatsman Kushal Patel (663 runs @ 39.00) wasnot far behind in terms of the number of runsscored. He also passed the ‘fifty’ mark on fiveoccasions, going on to a century once, and nowoccupies 7th place on the Habs all-time list with1657 1st XI runs. He struggled with nigglinginjuries for much of the season which hinderedhis bowling but it was good to see him back tosomething like his old self, bowling with pace inDevon. Captain Tom Edrich (454 runs @30.26, with a top score of 79) battedconsistently well throughout the season. He hasa fine cricket brain and reads situations well,and, although he struggled with his bowling attimes, he was always prepared to lead from thefront. It was fitting that he should play a majorrole in the final game against Devon U16s.Jonathan Miller (337 runs) was an excellentteam man, who could always be relied on and,like Letts, will be greatly missed next year, whileTej Malde (261 runs) made the other openingberth his own. Nishanth Selvakumar (271 runs)surprisingly struggled for runs this season butthere was no disputing his class as his inningsagainst Exeter School demonstrated, promptingone spectator to come to see him bat again.His wicket-keeping was consistently good,however, and his chirpy nature behind thestumps ensured that everyone was awake inthe field! On the bowling front, seamers ShanilPatel (22 wickets @ 15.18) and Ben Cherkas(19 wickets @ 29.73) led the way, putting inconsistent performances throughout the season.Unfortunately Shanil was unavailable for theDevon Tour, but this gave leg-spinner SebSchusman (24 wickets) the opportunity to re-discover his early season form and pass him inthe number of wickets tally. Off-spinner TomEdrich could not buy a wicket at the start of theseason but eventually finished with 16 ‘scalps’


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while the second leg-spinner Karan Setiaclaimed 10 victims. The unluckiest bowler wasdefinitely Keshal Patel, who bowled a consistentline and length but frequently passed the edgeof the bat. Others to feature at various timesduring 2010 included Sahil Agarwal, AkashKadiwar and Ashley Sivarajah and all three willbe expected to play a full season in 2011, whilesecond wicket-keeper Athman Sivakumar maywell get more opportunities.

Overall then, despite the disappointing defeats,coach Dan Kerry can be pleased with hissecond season

at the helm and optimistic about the future.However the success of the Cricket Club is notmeasured by the results of the 1st XI alone. Allthe teams have contributed and everyoneinvolved can take credit for the excellent resultsof the club as a whole.

The 2nd XI, under the guidance of Andy Simmand captained by Kishan Dias, enjoyed a fineseason, winning eight games, notably againstMerchant Taylors’, Bedford Modern andAbingdon, and losing just twice when absencesweakened the side we were able to field. Atfull strength, however, this was a strong andsettled 2nd XI and it was a shame that one ortwo games had to be cancelled and that theside was unable to preserve its 100% record.Opening batsman Tej Malde began the seasonin fine form, which earned him promotion tothe 1st XI. His partner Arjun Sofat was alsoamongst the runs, as was Hugh Brannan, whoachieved the distinction of scoring a century(exactly 100*) in the 10 wicket demolition of StAlbans. Others to feature included wicket-keeper Athman Sivakumar, Sahil Agarwal,Karan Setia and Hamza Zahid, all of whomplayed for the 1st XI on occasions, Paras Shah,Rikin Shah and Vivek Patni. Bowlers KhushilWagjiani and Ashley Sivarajah were later invitedto join the senior side in Devon, while JoeMcCormick and Ameya Tripathi in most otheryears would have been 2nd XI regulars.

The 3rd XI had a fantastic season, winning allnine of their games and playing some excellentcricket along the way. Gajern Kailavasan ledthe side skilfully until injury took its toll, atwhich point Joe McCormick took on thecaptaincy duties with aplomb. The majorstrength of the team was the depth of talentavailable for selection, which meant there wasalways somebody willing to stand up and becounted when others failed to perform.Notable batting performances included BenPeacock’s 72 not out against Q.E. Barnet, ascore matched by James Edgley againstBedford Modern, and Alex Watts’ 67 againstAldenham. Rikin Shah (82* and 5 for 23)produced a tremendous all-round performanceagainst Abingdon, but the most consistentbatsman was Joe McCormick, who was alwayskeen to take on opposition bowlers from theword go with considerable success as scoresof 61*, 91 and 72 amongst others suggest.The strength and depth of bowling available at

this level was equally impressive, givingKailavasan enormous resources with which toattack the opposition. In fact the 3rd XImanaged to dismiss every team it came upagainst, a notable feat, with Ronny Talker,Kushal Malde, Kushal Shah, Neal Shah, JamesEdgley and David Lawrence all performingadmirably. This all-conquering side should beproud of the way they played this year, makingit an enjoyable experience for all concerned.

The 4th XI had five tough fixtures this season,winning on three occasions against Harrow, StAlbans and Berkhamsted, while a 5th XIcontrived to tie its solitary game with St Albans.Congratulations go to all boys involved; itreflects the strength of Habs Cricket that weare able to field five senior sides given theconstraints of the summer term.

The U15A’s enjoyed an exceptional season,winning sixteen of their eighteen games(seventeen from nineteen if we include thewalk-over victory in the Hertfordshire SchoolsCounty Cup Final) and they improved markedlyin all aspects of the game. The team was welllead by Ronak Shah, ably assisted by a groupof experienced boys who understand the natureof the game. The key to their success can beattributed to a strong team and work ethic,especially in the field where run outs and sharpfielding became the norm. James Lawrencewas outstanding with the bat and scoredconsistently and heavily all season, thehighlight being a hundred against BedfordModern. With the ball, the combination of newball swing-bowling and expert leg-spin provedtoo much for the majority of our opponents.Khalil Osman bowled with exceptional controland swung the ball prodigiously in each game.He consistently removed the top order, ensuringthat the opposition’s middle had to face our‘deadly spin twins’. Here the pairing of RonakShah and Luke Minett was devastating, as theycaptured 54 wickets between them during thecourse of the season. Hard-fought victoriesover St Albans, particularly the convincing winin the semi-final of the County Cup, wereprobably the high points in this successfulcampaign, while other notable victories cameagainst Abingdon, Dr Challoner’s andHaileybury. Only an exceptionally strongBrentwood side proved to be in a differentclass. In conclusion this team can be veryproud of its achievements andcan look forward to seniorcricket at Habs with confidence.

The U15B’s also had a superbseason with some notabletriumphs along the way. Moreimportantly the boys havedeveloped into good cricketersboth with bat and ball. Theseason began with some easyvictories against Harrow (won by10 wickets) and Aldenham (wonby 7 wickets), before the monthof May brought tougheropposition in the form of

Berkhamsted and Brentwood. The former webeat despite having batted poorly and thenhaving to bowl well to close out the game. Thesame can be said about the match against avery strong Brentwood side, where a poorbatting performance by Habs meant we did nothave many runs to defend. However, a veryaggressive and accurate spell of bowling sawus almost secure victory, only losing by 1 wicketin the end. St. Albans was meant to be ourhardest fixture, but a dominant 121 by NoahLevy meant that the game was always beyondtheir reach. The second half of the season sawnotable batting performances by Asad-AliRehemetulla and Aditya Modi, and excellentbowling performances by Chinmay Kamat andDylon Sivam. Everything that the team hadlearnt was put to the test against an impressiveHaileybury side in the last match of the seasonwhere we managed to restrict the opposition towin narrowly by 7 runs. All in all this was anexcellent and thoroughly enjoyable season.

The U14A’s experienced a season of transition.At the start of the summer term they continuedtheir fine form from last year, with acomfortable win over Harrow in a game playedat Radlett CC. Mudit Taldar (4 for 20)demonstrated what he was to show all season,his tight bowling forcing batsmen into errors.An even better performance followed with ahard-fought victory over Berkhamsted indifficult conditions, Jaimin Patel and HarryMistry leading the way to a respectable total,which proved too much for our opponents aftera devastating spell from Eloka Agu. Thewinning ways continued with Tom Colverdamongst the runs, scoring half-centuries ingood wins against Aldenham and BedfordModern, and Will Wright taking 5 for 11 todefeat Watford in the County Cup. However, adefeat against St. Albans in the first of anumber of low-scoring affairs stopped themomentum. With half-term and exams, formdipped and defeats by Abingdon, Dr.Challoner’s and a weak Q.E. Barnet side,despite 6 for 29 from Taldar, left the season indanger of petering out. Our form returned,however, with a confidence-boosting win overRickmansworth, Rohan Mandumula leading theway with 71, and the destruction of RGS HighWycombe, thanks to an opening partnership of122 by Mandumula (52) and Colverd (76*), just


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in time for the cup semi-final. Unfortunately St.Albans once again proved too strong. Theseason finished well with an unlucky narrowdefeat at Haileybury, Harry Mistry leading theway with 59, and a win against Bancrofts,Ishaan Patel contributing 58*. The inauguralCotswolds Tour was a great success. A drawagainst Chipping Camden and a narrow victoryover Cotswold School, including a century fromMistry in a partnership of 177 withMandumula, leaves much cause for optimismfor next year.

The U14B’s took a while to gel as a team andtheir season started with defeats againstHarrow and Berkhamsted, although in bothcases the general feeling was that Habs wouldhave won both games if they had been playedlater on in the season. Once the batting orderwas established and the best bowlersidentified, the breakthrough came with a victoryagainst Aldenham, where Rikhil Rughani made61. This game was followed by outstandingwins against Bedford Modern and St Albans,who both fielded strong sides. By this time,our team spirit began to show and it did notwaiver for the remainder of the term. The firstgame after the half term break againstAbingdon provided a tough new fixture. Theopposition posted a high total, but wecompeted and fought back well. Despite a fineinnings of 79 from Shivankit Hora, however,Habs eventually fell short of the target, but itwas a satisfying team performancenevertheless. After good wins against DrChalloner’s and QE Barnet, the team wascompletely different to the one which hadstarted the season, now full of confidence, skilland composure. RGS High Wycombe andHaileybury were no match for us and theseason ended on a real high as we thrashedboth, Ramana Carthigesan’s catches againstthe latter being a highlight here. It wasparticularly satisfying to see this team progressin such a way throughout the season. Theboys formed good relationships with oneanother and their all round play and fieldingimproved a great deal. Many thanks andcongratulations go to Amit Kurani for captainingthe side and well done to every boy who tookpart and made it so much fun.

The U13A’s enjoyed a mixed season resultswise but continued to improve throughout,achieving notable victories againstBerkhamsted and QE Barnet amongst others.Regular openers Nikhil Amin and Tim Tan bothscored plenty of runs, with their highest totalsbeing 75* and 50 respectively. These two wereably supported by captain Oliver Marshall andwicket-keeper Alex Nwobi-Mistlin. In thebowling department there were also someexcellent performances. Miguel Perera andVinay Popat both bowled exceptionally well withthe new ball and they were backed up byexcellent spin bowling from Jay Purohit andPaddy Sidwell. Fielding was a particularstrength of this team and they were all willingto throw themselves about! The three-game

Devon Tour at half term helped to bond theteam together and also provided an opportunityfor a number of the fringe players to show whatthey could do, while the end-of-term twenty/20game (in conjunction with the U12A’s) againstRadlett CC was deemed a success. Lookingtowards the future, if this squad of players canimprove their consistency, they will undoubtedlywin more games than they lose.

The U13B’s had an extremely successfulseason recording nine wins, a tie and just asingle loss. The squad was extremely wellbalanced, and a number of batsmen andbowlers were capable of changing a gameaided by some athletic catches: Hugh Odone’sone-handed full length diving catch against QEBarnet deserves mention, as does VishnuGnanasubramanian using his full six foot frameto pluck a full-blooded drive out of the airagainst RGS High Wycombe. Russell Hughescaptained the side with increasing composureand authority and kept wicket very tidily. Theall-round talent of the team was too much formany opponents, four of whom were dismissedfor scores under fifty. Merchant Taylors’ werethe first to suffer this ignominy, succumbing toa ten wicket thrashing, and similar fates befellBedford Modern, QE Barnet and RGS HighWycombe. Sam Grossman and Rahul Shahwere consistently the most dangerousbatsman, with Rahul’s dogged unbeaten 65against St Albans leading to a narrow victory aswickets tumbled at the other end. Severalbowlers shared the spoils: James Radcliffe wastop wicket-taker owing to his naggingaccuracy, while Karan Amin caused problemswith his pace and Rahul Dawda with his briskoff-spin. The only disappointments were a tiedmatch against Abingdon, where we lost our lastthree wickets with the scores level, and thesole defeat against John Lyon’s A team, wherea century from an extremely talented batsmanput the opposition’s total beyond us. Player ofthe Year was Hugh Odone for an exceptionalall-round performance: aggressive pacebowling, superb fielding in the covers,unorthodox attacking batting and incredibleenthusiasm. This is a very strong group of Bteam players who will continue to dominate theopposition as they move through the school.

The U12A’s enjoyed another successful seasonwith eight wins, including victories againstBerkhamsted, Bedford Modern, St Albans andAbingdon, and just two defeats, both of whichwere against teams with one or twooutstanding batsmen that we were unable todismiss. It is clear that we have a strongsquad at this level with batsmen and bowlers inplentiful supply but we need to learn to exertpressure in the field through fielding expertiseand more accurate bowling. Ian Harris was thetop run scorer, closely followed by Alex Willis.Willis also bowled with fire and brimstonealongside Bhanuj Gautam and AmanChatterjee. Reuben Woolley showed glimpsesof real class at the top of the order with theobdurate James Benson, while the best

bowling performance was recorded by WilliamWithyman. His accurate swing bowling rippedapart the upper order of QE Barnet to give himfigures of 4 overs, 6 wickets for 9 runs. Thereare others with potential in this group and it isnow up to them to work hard and develop theirconsistency and performance.

The U12B’s had an outstanding season with allten games resulting in victories for Habs. Thecommitment and enthusiasm of the wholesquad was superb throughout the summer.John Lyon School was defeated by four wicketsin the opening fixture, where Hugo Murphy andEd Mort kept their heads after a middle ordercollapse and guided the team to victory. Wethen travelled to Merchant Taylors’ inconditions better suited to the Winter Olympicsthan cricket, but Matty Desmond had obviouslywrapped up well as he managed to score 47*to secure victory with an over to spare. Thefixture against Berkhamsted proved to be aclose affair. James Cleaver scored 51* out of ateam total of 127 for 6, but the oppositionlooked as though they would reach this targetbefore quick wickets from Shaniel Lakhani andEd Mort turned the game, securing a 5 runvictory. Bedford Modern was defeated easilyafter James Cleaver (49) and Matt Desmond(58*) enjoyed an opening partnership of 170.The momentum was maintained by directbowling and athletic fielding, Sidharth Sheth (3for 4) achieving the best bowling figures. JoshDavis led the charge against St Albans taking3-14, assisted by Sheth and Lamba with 2wickets each, as our opponents were bowledout for 79. The match against Kingsbury Ateam had a very dramatic climax, Albie Cohen(47*) securing victory by one wicket with a fouroff the last scheduled ball of the match, to thegreat relief of his team mates. Abingdon, RGSHigh Wycombe and Edge Grove were defeatedmore comfortably, the high point being JamesCleaver’s innings of 64 against RGS. However,the local derby game against QE Barnet provedto be another very close game, with Habsscoring fourteen runs off five balls to securevictory by two wickets with one ball to spare. Itwas especially pleasing to see lower orderbatsmen like Shanay Bhamini and JasparKenton coolly accumulate valuable runs in atight chase. The key to this team’s successwas their hard work in training. Theircompetitive spirit and willingness to learn augurvery well indeed for the future.

The C teams at each age level also deservemention, particularly the U12C’s, who won allfour of their games, and the U13C’s, who wontheir three games. Less successful were theU14C’s, who failed to win a game but enjoyedtheir cricket nevertheless. Meanwhile theU15C’s won two games, including a closeencounter with St Albans by just five runs.

So as the 2010 season ends, our thoughts turnimmediately to 2011. In February we areplanning to take a 1st XI squad and aDevelopment (U15/U14) squad to South Africa,where we hope to play games in Durban and


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CRICKET CLUB RESULTS 2010

Team Played Won Drawn Lost Abandoned/Cancelled

1st XI 18 10 3 5 6

2nd XI 10 8 0 2 3

B XI 1 0 0 1 0

3rd XI 9 9 0 0 0

4th XI 5 3 0 2 0

5th XI 1 0 1* 0 0

U15A 18 16 0 2 0

U15B 10 7 0 3 0

U15C 3 2 0 1 1

U14A 18 11 1 6 0

U14B 10 7 0 3 0

U14C 4 0 0 4 0

U13A 14 6 1 7 0

U13B 11 9 1* 1 0

U13C 3 3 0 0 1

U13 Tour 3 1 0 2 0

U13/U12 1 1 0 0 0

U12A 10 8 0 2 0

U12B 10 10 0 0 0

U12C 4 4 0 0 1

Staff XI 3 2 0 1 0

Totals 166 117 7 (*= tie) 42 12

• The U15A, U14A and U13A results include HSCA County Cup matches.

• An abandoned game is one in which no ball is bowled.The list of draws includes games that started but were later abandoned.

Cape Town. Practice for these boys willcommence in September, making use of ourrecently re-furbished and now state-of-the-artIndoor Cricket Centre, which was officiallyopened earlier this year by Angus Fraser,former England bowler and now Director ofMiddlesex Cricket. This summer we hostedMiddlesex-Hertfordshire U17 and Over 50sgames, as well as allowing Hertfordshire U19sto use our outdoor nets, and we hope todevelop further our links with Middlesex CCCand with our local club in Radlett.

Cricket is clearly alive and well, despite thepressure of exams and other activities, and atthe forefront of Habs sport. This is due notonly to the skill and commitment of all theplayers at all age levels but also to thededication and sterling efforts of the staff whogive up so much time to coach the boys andumpire all the matches. In fact Habs Cricketcould not function without the huge input of anumber of people and I should like to take thisopportunity to thank once again my colleagueson the coaching staff, our Head GroundsmanDanny Beckley and his team, the scorers, thecaterers and everyone else connected with theClub. Dan Kerry and Doug Yeabsley deservespecial thanks for all the work they do with allage groups throughout the year. Doug in facthas now completed 45 years magnificentservice at the school, much of it for the benefitof Habs Cricket Thank you also to parents andfriends who watch from the boundary; yoursupport is always welcome and muchappreciated. Finally, of course, congratulationsand well done to all the players! May theCricket Club as a whole continue to grow fromstrength to strength as we look forward tofurther success in the future?!

Stephen Charlwood(with contributions from other team coaches)


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Cricket 2010: Devon Tour

The quality of cricket played during the2010 cricket tour was excellentthroughout, and at times outstanding. Allfour games resulted in victory for HABSand a hero emerged in the form of middle-order batsman Basil Letts.

First some facts and figures: in the four gamesplayed, 2058 runs were scored for the loss of53 wickets. HABS recorded its highest score(295 in just 40 overs) this century and thenmatched it the following day in a remarkablerun chase, while Letts, with innings of 74*,120*, 143 and 69, following his match-winning48* at Bancroft’s, totalled 406 runs on tour atan average of 203!

In the opening game of the tour against ExeterSchool at picturesque Sidmouth CC, Habs captainTom Edrich won the toss and elected to bowl first.The opposition batsmen made a good start;however, putting on 68 for the first wicket beforeleg-spinner Seb Schusman made the initialbreak-through. There followed a partnership of142 for the second wicket with the Exeter no 2completing a fine, if at times fortunate, century.Kushal Patel, bowling for the first time since theAbingdon game just after half term, built up quitea pace and captured two wickets, but the finalExeter total of 236 for 4 after 40 overs set achallenging target for us to chase.

In reply, HABS lost Patel and Edrich inside twoovers and at 8 for 2 the Exeter total looked along way off. However, Nishanth Selvakumar(50) batted beautifully and, in company with TejMalde (27), added 90 for the third wicketbefore he drove a ball straight to mid-off,having just reached his half century. Malde wasbowled soon after and drinks were taken withthe score on 115 for 4. At this point Basil Letts(74*) and Jonny Miller (51*) came together inwhat proved to be the match winningpartnership, an unbroken stand of 122 for thefifth wicket. After a mid innings lull (twosuccessive maidens) both batsmen found theirtouch and began to put the ball away withincreasing aplomb. In front of an appreciativecrowd Letts and Miller completed fine halfcenturies and took HABS past the target withmore than two overs to spare.

The following day, a weak Exeter CC side wasdefeated with some ease by exactly 100 runsat the County Ground. Batting first on thisoccasion, the Habs openers Kushal Patel (45)and debutant Arjun Sofat (22) put on 77 for thefirst wicket in just nine overs before both weredismissed. Selvakumar fell cheaply this timebut Edrich (34) and Letts (120*) added 72 forthe fourth wicket. Letts, again with Miller (43)for company then took over, smashing the ballto all parts of the ground as the pair put on130 for the fifth wicket. Letts completed asuperb maiden century for the school and,after Miller sacrificed his wicket in a mix-upover a quick single, Karan Setia was left to facethe final two balls of the innings, both of which

he summarily dispatched to the boundary. Thefinal total of 295 for 5 (after 40 overs) iscertainly a record in recent times.

The Exeter reply began well but, once wicketsstarted falling, the result was never in doubt.Spinners Ashley Sivarajah (3 for 38), SebSchusman (2 for 26) and Tom Edrich (3 for 10)all bowled well as our hosts were restricted to195 for 9 in their 40 overs.

The third game of the tour, a new fixture withDevon Dumplings CC, played at Kilmington,presented HABS with a considerably tougherchallenge against strong opposition, whoincluded several Devon Premier League playersamong their number.

Khushil Wagjiani, playing despite dislocating afinger the previous day, dismissed the DevonDumplings’ South African opener with a realcorker of a delivery, which swung and left thebatsman off the wicket. Unfortunately for him,he was a good enough player to get a touchand nick the ball to the ‘keeper. Despite thisearly loss, the score mounted rapidly, reaching149 in only the 19th over before the secondwicket fell. Karan Setia (4 for 32) bowled anexcellent spell in the second half of theinnings, cleverly mixing up his deliveries, but allthe other bowlers were punished and the finaltotal of 293 for 8 after 40 overs looked waybeyond our scope.

Patel (34) and Malde (25) began confidently,but when the former was dismissed, brilliantlycaught by a diving widish mid-on with thescore on 70, our hopes looked bleak. SahilAgarwal (32) played his best innings to date forHabs, but when he was run out immediatelyafter the 20 over drinks break, followed soonafter by the dismissal of Miller, 150 runs werestill required from the remaining 17 overs.

Enter Basil Letts (143), dropped early on, to takethe game by the scruff of its neck. Continuing inthe form of his life, he brought up his ‘fifty’ off33 balls and then took just another 21 to reachthe magical three figures for the second day in

succession. At the other end Tom Edrich was theideal foil, giving his partner as much of the strikeas possible. Letts certainly made the most ofhis opportunities, scoring more than 100 runs inboundaries (one exquisite cover drive wasundoubtedly the shot of the day). Eventually hewas dismissed for an outstanding 143, scoredoff just 73 balls, and, with the result still in thebalance, it was left to Seb Schusman (6*) andBen Cherkas (18*, including two huge ‘sixes’) tocomplete an astounding and memorable victoryfor HABS, one which drew much appreciationfrom our opponents.

The final tour game against Devon U16s atAxminster CC presented another toughchallenge. With the temperature soaring,Edrich won the toss and decided to bat first.Patel (30) and Malde (23) again made apromising start but when Selvakumar wascaught off his first ball in the 21st over, thescore was 76 for 3. Edrich (79) and Letts (69)then put on 120 for the fourth wicket beforeMiller (20*) and Cherkas (18*) added valuableand, as it turned out, crucial late runs take ourtotal to 264 for 5 after 50 overs.

In reply, all the Devon batsmen made ‘starts’but none could post a really big score aswickets fell at regular intervals, AshleySivarajah (3 for 23) bowling a fine 10 overspell. Our opponents were always up with therequired run-rate, however, and when the Habsfielders put down a number of difficult chancesthe target appeared to be under threat. At thispoint Tom Edrich (4 for 64) decided to takeresponsibility and he brought his team to thebrink of victory. It was left to Kushal Patel todeliver the coup-de-grace, clean bowling thelast batsman with Devon still 21 runs short ofthe HABS total.

A run of five victories in succession (includingthe Bancroft’s game) meant that the seasonended on a high. Next up for the boys andcoaching staff is South Africa!

S Charlwood


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SwimmingThis season has seen a range of terrificperformances, ranging from theIntermediates storming their way to thetop of the podium, to Ishwar Mahesh’sunparalleled levels of commitment, whichwere most accurately demonstrated in his100m Individual Medley swim, a memorywhich the team shall cherish forever.

The success of the Intermediates was closelymatched by the Junior team gliding into thirdplace, missing the silver by just two points, andthe Seniors attaining a solid fourth place out ofnine competing teams.

The season also witnessed outstanding swimsfrom Sachin Hoyle, J.J. Dixon, Harry Jukes,Hugo Cliff, Jared Baker, and of course EdwardAllchorne. Mr. Stiff’s infinite support, paramountorganisational prowess and ingenious tacticsmust not be forgotten, all of which enabled usto have a very successful season. Even whentriumph did not knock our door, we all wenthome tired, but happy.

The whole swimming team looks forward to nextyear, as we are keen to overpower the otherschools and have another successful season.

Peter Kempl L6

Waterpolo ReportWaterpolo teams across the school set outto make a splash this year, aiming tocompete at the highest level against notonly our local rivals but also nationally.There have been a number of notableaccomplishments, with many members ofthe U19 squad being thrown in, at themetaphorical deep end, against oppositiontwo years above their age. The U16’s alsoperformed swimmingly in the NationalWaterpolo Championships- brilliant againsttough rivals from around the country.

The HABS ethos on waterpolo in the youngeryears has been nurtured recently by the hardwork of Mr.Matthews and Mr.Stiff, with manymore pupils in the Junior School beingintroduced this aquatic world. These squads, inturn, have produced sets of fantastic results,regularly dominating local rivals such as Q.E.The future looks bright for HABS waterpolo,with several players now regularly training atcounty level and Tom Dean (L6) training withEngland. Next year will bring new challengesafresh, although I am sure that HABS will riseto them and continue to compete strongly.

Joe Yarwood L6

ShootingOn Saturday, May 8th, the school shootingteam and the CCF shooting team wereinvited by the Old Haberdashers' Rifle Clubto Bisley Shooting Range, one of Britain'sfinest ranges, for a day of shooting withthe our full bore 7.62 mm rifles.

When we arrived at Bisley we were shown howto properly clean and prepare the rifles for useby the members of the Haberdashers' Rifle Club.Having prepared all the rifles and equipment, theshooting began. In the morning, we shot overthe smaller distance of 300 metres in order toget used to the somewhat different rifles and tothe strong recoil, and to gain some confidence inusing the new weapons.

The results from the 300 metre distance werebetter than we expected, some fine scores wereattained, with several perfect shot. After lunchat the clubhouse we moved onto the largerdistance of 600 metres; a vast increase fromthe 25 yard (23 metre)range we use in school.

Most of the team hadnever before used suchhigh calibre weapons,especially forcompetition shootingover such distances.

The results wereextraordinary. Many ofus had simply hoped tohit the target at 600metres, but theoutcome was ratherdifferent. Both teamsattained outstandingscores, with the bestshot of the day going toSimon Lee, whomaintained his authority

of being an unprecedented marksman with anastronomical score of 43/50.

Nikhil Subbiah was right on Simon's tail with ascore of 42/50. The third position on thepodium was rewarded to James Glanville, whoshot a 40/50.

Many thanks go to Mr. Saddington and Mr.Lloyd-Williams for making the trip possible. Itwas an experience which none of us will forget.The two teams also have the utmost respect andgratitude for Alan Morris, Dick and Peter Winney,Charlie and John Freeman, the members of theOld Haberdashers' Rifle Club, for devoting theirtime to training us, giving us advice, and forhelping us achieve such high scores.

It was an excellent trip, we all look forward toshooting at Bisley again.

Peter Kempl L6


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U16 A Hockey

This season, our last together as a yeargroup, has been both a successful and afrustrating one for both the A’s and theB’s. The contrasting seasons last year-with the B’s enjoying their ‘Miracle’season of winning every game and the A’snot really performing at all– meant thatboth teams were eagerly anticipating thestart of this season. However, disruptionsfrom snow in the first few weeks of termmeant that our season began against oldrivals St. Albans with hardly anypreparation at all. This proved to be oneof our toughest matches of the seasonand, despite being level twice in thegame, we were eventually beaten afterone of their forwards scored a great goal,stopping the ball with his foot and thenside footing in, an excellent piece offootwork which their referee chose toignore. Nishanth was then sent off forpointing out his temporary blindness andwe slipped to a 3-2 loss.

This was really not a fair reflection of how bothteams had played and, although we had startedthe season had started badly, we were still surethat this could be a very good season. For theA’s, this feeling was to be tested in our nextgame against Dr. Challoners, another verystrong side. Even without their best player,Ashley’s idol, Andy Blood, they were still astrong team. However, a very goodperformance meant that we secured a 3-1victory, including goal of the season fromKishan smashing into the top corner. The A’swent from strength to strength, narrowly edgingStowe 3-2 in a tense and exciting match inwhich we came back from 2-1 down toeventually gain our second straight victorythanks to Vivek scoring the first, and only, hat-trick of the season.

We then travelled to Haileybury for our nextmatch and, although nearly all of us seemed tobe more focussed on the food after the match,we dominated the game to come away with awell-earned 5-2 win. After this, we visitedWatford another tough game, and one in whicha fourth straight win eluded us as we were heldto a 2-2 draw, largely thanks to both Akash andRikin making goal-line saves and some greatdefending all around. Then, in possibly our bestmatch of the season we stunned a MerchantTaylors side who we had never beaten beforewith a comprehensive 4-0 victory. This includedsome very good goals including Harry roundingthe keeper to score his first of the season.

All in all, this has been a season which has hadits ups and downs, but one which has beenthoroughly enjoyable throughout. There havebeen many great performances, and memories,not just from this year but for all the years wehave spent together.

U16 B Hockey

When I look back over the season past,my mind is fixed on two words:consistency and quality. The Under 16 BTeam lacked both this year, but one thingremains clutched close to our chests, andthat is pride.

Following on from last year’s ‘Miracle’ season,where the team won every game, 2010 wasalways going to be difficult. However, the teamwas eagerly anticipating the year ahead withdreams of glory reignited over the Christmasbreak. The weather, unfortunately, had otherideas and our early training sessions werecancelled. This meant we came into our firstgame against St Albans disastrouslyundercooked and we were duly punished, 3-1it finished. This was the first loss the team hadsuffered since Year 9 and the raw emotion wasvisible for all to see. Despite the result, we hadplayed some promising hockey, only let downby depleted fitness levels. This shock to thesystem proved an omen for the rest of the year,as our disappointment turned to unbridleddespair on one fateful Monday evening.Playing, a light–hearted practise match our starplayer, Mr Kushal Shah was brutally beaten tothe ground, by himself. As Kushal lay writhingin pain, screaming out into the cold winter air,the team, including Coach Kerry, burst intorampant laughter. It turned out our worst fearswere realized when Kushal shuffled into schoolthe next day carry, not using, crutches. Howcould we beat Stowe now? The answer wassimple: we couldn’t. A brilliant first halfperformance by all, especially Chris Edwards,was let down once more in the second period.Actually, ‘let down’, does not do our

capitulation justice, this was specialist as wewent into the last 15 minutes all square andfinished the match 5-0. This humiliation wastoo much.

With Kushal out for the foreseeable future, therest of the season stretched out before us likea particularly long road. But this road wasn’t aslong as first seemed after our rematch at StAlbans. We played some beautiful hockey, withKishan Raganathan controlling the ball withpoetic majesty. 4-1 it finished and we hadfound our swagger. However, we wererestricted to using our new form to beat the ATeam in training as our games dried up. Theentire season came to our last game againstthe ‘Old Foe’ and a much vaunted MerchantTaylor’s side. We began the game with theworst display of hockey conceivable and fell 2-0 after five minutes, but the heart of the sidewas never in doubt as Kishan scored two andbrought us level. At half time we spoke of ourlast half together as a team and playing withpassion, but we did not and we slumped to adisappointing 4-2 defeat. A painful end to apainful season, especially for our Kushal.

But this is not about one season; it is about thethree years we have spent as a team together.I, for one, am immensely proud to have playedwith and captained such a top group of blokes,thank you to everyone who has played for us.We could not have had such an enjoyableseason were it not for the limitless enthusiasmand tactical nous of our beloved ‘Coach’, MrKerry. Thank you very much, once again, to theentire team and especially Mr Kerry who gaveso much and got so little.

James Colenutt Year 11

Hockey


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U15 Hockey

We started the season with a rough startdue to pre-season hockey being called offdue to the bad weather. We had a fewtraining sessions and were prepared forour first encounter against Dr Challenors.The A team, despite playing well,unfortunately lost to a well taken goal.

Our next game was against close rivalsSt.Albans. We were the better side and hadmany short corners, and finally, thanks to aperfect injection by Ben Kohler, stop by NoahLevy and sensational shot from our esteemedCaptain, managed to score, finishing the game1-0 for the second year on the trot.

We subsequently played Stowe, a well drilledteam, and unfortunately lost heavily 7-3despite 2 goals from Luke Vaz and one from,again, our magnificent Skipper. Local rivalsAldenham followed, where we started slow andconceded early, but fought back with a goalfrom Aditya Modi to finish the game as a draw.

We then faced Mill Hill. We started positively;however, a quick break and clinical finish sawMill Hill take the lead. We were saved on manyoccasions in the first half by Pranev, who madesome excellent saves. After an intensive halftime discussion about ‘basics’, we came outthe better team in the second half, with LukeVaz scoring a deflection, before the floodgatestruly opened and we moved into a decisive.Luke Minett also adjusted well from beingpromoted to the A’s.

A trip to Haileybury followed, and, with heavypossession of the puck, we started very well.However, due to some slack passing in themidfield, we conceded another break awaygoal. This preceded 2 heavy defeats to bothHarrow and Watford, with the team scoring onlyone goal in this space of time. Our 3rd lastgame was against Bancroft’s, where westruggled due to the significant number ofinjured players. We played well, yet could notovercome the player deficit and eventually hadto concede a 4 – 2 loss.

Our penultimate match was against MTS, ontheir new water based pitch. The team warmedup well and were unlucky to concede in the first10 minutes. We went in at half time with thescore at 1 - 0. We had a good positive teamtalk and started the second half the better side,eventually scoring from a deflection by AdityaModi of my reverse stick shot. Yet we were stilllosing until the last 20 minutes when IshaanRahman expertly managed to pick out NoahLevy unmarked at the top of the D, allowing himto slap the ball first time to the top left handcorner of the Goal, leaving the oppositionStunned and our team ecstatic. The gamefinished 2-2, but we are hoping for a win nextSaturday against Winsor. We have had a mixedseason with highs and lows but we have all hada great time, and for that I would like to thankon behalf of the team Mr Maguire, Mr Cooper,Mr Garvey and Dr Pyburn for the excellentcoaching and support throughout the season.

Ben Lockwood Year 10

U14 Hockey

Due to snow, pre-season hockey wascancelled, thus meaning the U14 Hockeysquad had a rather slow start to the 2010Hockey season. This showed during our firstmatch against St Albans, losing 6-1, with theopposition showing far better fitness levels andstick skills. However the team showed greatcharacter coming back from this defeat to win1-0 against Bancrofts in a tight match. Despitea heavy defeat against Dr Challoners, the Ateam managed to string two victories together,first defeating Haileybury 3-2, then winningagainst the tough opposition of Harrow 4-1,playing some superb hockey, linking with eachother and converting chances with deadlyprecision. A close loss to local rivals Watforddid not dampen the team's spirit, finishing theseason with a bang beating academic rivalsMerchant Taylors 5-0, a first for the squad,before winning our last game 6-0 by beatingWindsor. The whole squad would like to thankthe tireless efforts of Mr Cooper and Mr Fenn,spending many cold, windy evenings motivatingus and developing our hockey skills. The U14 Bteam side also had a successful season, andlike the A team, started slowly, winning our lasttwo games of the season, playing six gamesand winning three, whilst having two cancelleddue to the snow.

Rufus McAllister Year 9

U13 Hockey

This was the first year that most of theu13s had played hockey, and apart from afew boys, none of the team had picked upa hockey stick before! It was achallenging start for our coaches to teachus the basics of the game and this wasfurther hindered by the snow, causing allof pre-season training to be cancelled!

However thanks to mr cooper, mr thackery, MrMetcalfe and mr stiffs fitness training and drillswe all developed our skills and became hockeyplayers, a sport we all thoroughly enjoyed.

'The results were not that important' was theway mr thackery described the start of ourseason. We were playing schools that hadplayed much more hockey than us, but as theseason progressed, we became much moresuccessful, showing that all of the training hadpaid off.

During the early part of the season wemanaged to find the goal once, and during thatmatch won our first and only game.

The a team finished on a high against edgegrove at the end of the season, and althoughthe score, not to be mentioned, was not a win,we played extremely well, illustrating ourdevelopment from the start of the season.

A few special mentions must go to ourgoalkeeper chris from year 7 as well as MrThackrey and mr cooper for all their hard workand coaching.

Now that our first season has finished, we canall look back on a thoroughly enjoyable firstseason and to say that we are all lookingforward to next one and with it better success!

Ollie Marshall Year 8


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Skylark 2010 Sport

Year 7

This year has been a mixed bag of resultsand we have had a challenging set offixtures. Our first match was a friendlyagainst Aldwickbury Park. Jay Kaposi, JoelCitron and I took singles victories, winning6-3, 6-4, 6-3 on the way to a closely foughtdraw. In the county league we faced verytough fixtures in our group and were beatenby Hitchin Boys, St Albans, and Sir JohnLawes. All of these pitched us against mainlyYear 8 players with high LTA ratings. Ourmost pleasing match was our last and wewere delighted to beat St.Georges. We tookimpressive wins of 6-0, 6-1, 6-5 and 6-3from Adam Burchell, Joel Citron, JamesCleaver and Harry Wilkinson-Roberts. Wewon the doubles sets in this match as well towin 6 sets to 0.

We also had a year 7 Tie-Break Challengetournament after school. Congratulations toJay Kaposi, James Cleaver and AlexFreedman for winning their respective boxes.

Aaron Goldberg Year 7

Tennis

Year 8

The Year 8 tennis team have had a very goodseason, coming together as a team andnarrowly missing out on winning a trophy. In theCounty League we won three out of our fourgroup matches beating Verulam, Parmiters andAldenham comfortably, but unfortunately lostagainst eventual group winners Aldwickbury.One of the highlights of the season wastravelling up to Eton to test our abilities againstthe best independent schools in the country.Justin Mullem and I managed to qualify fromthe group stages into the knockouts. Irfan Allanaand Krish Majithia were in an extremely toughgroup and did not manage to qualify, but stillenjoyed the experience. In the Watford andDistrict League the team finished runners-upwith several players contributing to a real teameffort: Jack Myers, Daniel Landau, DanielCalman, Adam Levy, James Radcliffe, AidanKovenklioglu and Matt Drean all winningimportant sets along the way. I would like to saya huge thank you to Mr Hails who hasorganised all our matches and training sessionsand for his encouragement and support.

Andrew Gilbert Year 7

Herts County Doubles Championships

HABS were fully represented at both levels ofcompetition at Rickmansworth and didparticularly well in the Under 14 competition.Year 9 students Harry Mistry(9M2) and EdwardCurtis(9S2) managed a great run despiteminimal preparation due to Ed’s unexpectedextended stay in Lanzarote. Along the way theybeat a very strong pair from Aldwickbury 6-3 inthe semi-final to set up a final with St Albans.Despite a spirited performance from bothplayers they went down 6-4, the level of tennisbeing extremely impressive.

J Hails

Nicola Mabbit Trophy

HABS Under 15 tennis team again representedWatford in the County District Finals atQueenswood School. The year 10 team ofDaniel Rose, Jaimin Shah, Daniel Kaye, MarcRister, Nikhil Joshi, and Ed Almond had earnedthe right to be at the finals day by winning theWatford District League. Even with thecompetition expected to be strong, hopes of asuccessful day were understandably high asthe team had comprehensively won theirleague without losing a single set and hadfinished runners-up this time last year.

To speed up play, the rule for Finals day was tobe ‘killer-deuce’, which really added to thetension in close matches. The boys were freshfrom experiencing this at close hand in our ownHouse competition and wins over Monks Walkschool and St George’s were followed in thefinal by a straight sets victory over JFK. Theboys were delighted to go one better than lastyear and win the Nicola Mabbit Trophy.

J Hails

The huge potential of our tennis players shown last year came to fruition in 2010,with several successes throughout the season. The Middle School, in particular, had ahighly successful campaign coming runners-up in the Aegon County competition andwinning the Phillips Cup at Eton for the first time in the school’s history. With over 40boys attending the Year 7 trials at the beginning of the summer term, the enthusiasmfor the sport at junior level is very encouraging and bodes well for the future.


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County Final

HABS Under 15 tennis team reached theAegon County Final at Queenswood School. EdCurtis, Joe Gold, Amar Vaghela and FelixTaljaard had stormed into the Final by virtue ofan excellent 6-0 win over Tring School andmet Bishops Stortford High School for the rightto be crowned County champions. Ouropponents on the day looked strong on paper,with their individual LTA ratings beingsubstantially higher than our boys and alsohaving beaten St Albans 5-1 in the semi-final.The signs were ominous in the early stages ofthe doubles matches with Ed Curtis and JoeGold trailing 0-5 and Felix Taljaard and AmarVaghela 0-3 down. Typical of the fighting spiritshown by the team this season our first pairrallied to lose a respectable 3-6 against an

extremely powerful Bishops Stortford pairwhilst Felix and as Amar produced a 7-6victory to level the match at one set all.Bishops Stortford made their experience countin the four singles sets that followed winningthree of them to clinch the match 4-2 despiteEd Curtis producing some outstanding andbrave tennis to beat their highly rated firstseed 7-6. The County League campaign hasbeen a real squad effort, with no fewer thanten players playing for the team. In addition tothe 1st IV who represented the school at thefinal the following boys have also played theirpart: Will Dunnigan; Joe Bamford; RahulDoegar; Harry Mistry; Kirill Bekov and JacobHarris.

J Hails

Inter House Tennis Results 2010

The depth of tennis talent in the school wasagain in evidence throughout the InterHouse Tennis Competition and the standardimpressive in all the age groups. The ‘killer-deuce’ rule again provided several closematches with a number of crucial setsbeing decided by the tennis equivalent of apenalty shoot-out. The competition was wellsupported by both pupils and teachers withthe Finals Day in each competition provingto be an exciting climax.

J Hails

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10

1st Russells Strouts Calverts Hendersons

2nd Strouts Joblings Joblings Calverts

3rd Meadows Meadows Meadows Meadows

4th Hendersons Russells Hendersons Strouts

5th Calverts Calverts Strouts Russells

6th Joblings Hendersons Russells Joblings

Phillips Cup at Eton

HABS were fully represented at all levels atthe I.S.T.A Championships at Eton during thelast week of term. The competition is alwaysvery strong with a number of schools havingnationally ranked players. It was at Under 15level that all pre-tournament expectationswere surpassed by Will Dunnigan and FelixTaljaard. In the Plate competition straight setswins over Coulsdon, Portsmouth, our own pairEd Curtis and Amar Vaghela, and Uppinghamset up a semi-final clash with St Paul’s.

Our opponents, as well as being previouswinners of the competition, had won throughto this stage without going close to droppinga set and it was clearly going to be a toughtest. In the early exchanges Felix and Willlifted their game to another level playingsome wonderful doubles tennis, volleyingtheir opponents to frustration in the first setto win 7-5. St Paul’s responded verypositively and the 6-2 reverse left the matchperfectly poised for an exciting climax. Havingbeen in this position a number of times in theCounty League this season, the HABS pairheld their nerve to win 14-12 in thechampionship tie-break to earn their place inthe final.

So, after playing their first match three daysearlier and with limbs tiring in the afternoonsun, Felix and Will faced Rugby School in thePhillips Cup Final. The first set proved everybit as close as their previous match, but theHABS pair produced the winning shots at vitaltimes to take it 7-5. This proved to be acrucial psychological blow and they went onto win the second set 6-2. On conclusion ofthe match Felix and Will were presented witha huge trophy, having been crowned HABS’first-ever winners of the Phillips Cup, since itsinception in 1978.

J Hails


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GolfHMC Foursomes

HABS new-look HMC foursomes’ team startedtheir campaign with a win over MerchantTaylors' at Mid-Herts Golf Club. The top pair ofWill Aldred & Aidan Kovenklioglu cruised to acomfortable 8&7 victory, although Aidan'sbrother Harry slipped to a 3&2 defeat withpartner Ben Cherkas. All hopes rested on finalpair Phil Bagshaw and Shan Ahluwalia whoheld a slender lead at the turn, and managedto pull away over the back 9 to emerge 3&2victors and secure a 2-1 win.

Disaster struck the team in the car park ofHendon Golf Club prior to the next roundagainst Mill Hill, when Will Aldred’s driver wasfound to have been damaged in transit,meaning the HABS no.1 had to tee off with a 4wood for the entire round!

The middle match of Harry Kovenklioglu andBen Cherkas was first to finish, with HABSfalling to a 4&2 defeat. This was quicklyavenged by Phil Bagshaw and Shan Ahluwaliawho won the bottom match 3&2.

Top pair Will Aldred and Aidan Kovenklioglufound themselves 1 up at the turn withouthaving halved a hole in the match, and afterlosing 14 and 15 they were 1 down. The 16thswung HABS’ way when Mill Hill found a lateralwater hazard, and the par 3 17th was also wonafter Aldred nearly holed his second shot.Needing just a half at the last, HABSunfortunately lost to a par 4, meaning extraholes were necessary.

After a superb 9 wood from Aldred onto thegreen in rapidly failing daylight, Mill Hill foundtrouble in a bunker, and when Aidan putted upto the hole side, the win was assured.

The reward for the Mill Hill win was a regionalsemi- final trip to face Bedford on the Duchesscourse at Woburn.

In match 1, William Aldred and Nick Masonwere granted a reprieve on the 18th greenwhen Bedford missed a short putt for thematch. With Bedford in trouble on the 1st extrahole, Mason hit a fine 3 wood to 8 feet tosecure victory and put HABS a point ahead.

With Phil Bagshaw and Shan Ahluwalia going

down 2&1 in the final match, all eyes turned tothe middle match where Harry Kovenkliogluand Ben Cherkas found themselves 1 downplaying the final hole. With Bedford in thefairway and HABS 30 yards further on in agorse bush, the game looked lost, but whenBedford missed the green long and left on amuddy lie, there remained a glimmer of hope.

Harry took a penalty drop and then sent atowering wedge shot from 140 yards over treeswhich landed just 4 feet from the hole. Bedfordreplied with some brilliance of their own,chipping on to 18 inches.

Cherkas holed a tricky putt to put the pressureback on the opposition, but Bedford holed outto secure a 2-1 scoreline.

ISGA Matchplay Competition

With all three players behind in their matcheswith just a few holes remaining, it seemed thatHABS first foray into the ISGA knockout wouldbe a short-lived one, but all the drama layahead. Will Aldred won the 16th and 18thholes of his match to go into extra holes.Having hit a seemingly perfect tee shot on thefirst extra hole, Aldred was crestfallen onfinding his ball sitting on a tree root up againsta tree with no way of advancing the ball ontothe green. With no option but to chip out intothe fairway, Aldred watched his opponent playa well-controlled shot onto the green to set upa possible birdie. The HABS no.1 thenproduced a sublime pitch shot to just inchesfrom the hole, and when the Mill Hill playermissed his birdie attempt, a further hole wasrequired. The tables were turned immediatelywhen the Mill Hill player found himself stymiedby a tree, and Aldred ground out a solid par totake the match as his opponent made anunfortunate double bogey.

With Aidan Kovenklioglu goingdown 2&1 in the bottommatch, all hopes rested onolder brother Harry. The oldersibling wrestled himself from2 down with 2 to play to be allsquare after 18, eventuallytaking the crucial match onthe 20th hole.

The team then travelled toThorndon Park Golf Club inEssex for a second round tieagainst Brentwood School.

Aldred suffered a rare setback in the topmatch, losing 5&4 against a barrage of birdiesfrom his 1 handicap opponent.

With Harry Kovenklioglu managing to grind outa 1 up win despite 3 putting the final hole, allhopes rested on Aidan. The youngster came upthe last hole 1 up on his older opponent, andafter pitching to 8 feet with his 3rd shot, hisopponent sent his 3rd through the greenmeaning Aidan had the luxury of 2 putts for thewin, duly sealing the match 2-1 in HABS’favour.

The team ensured an unbeaten Autumn termon Thursday 10th December when theyovercame the challenge of St Columba’sCollege in the Semi-Final.

Captain William Aldred put the first point on theboard with a 3&1 win, but this was swiftlyannulled when Aidan Kovenklioglu went down5&4 in match 2.

All hopes then rested on year 11's Nick Mason(pictured), who was making his debut in the HABSteam, with Harry Kovenklioglu having pulled outon the eve of the match with a back injury.

Mason trailed 3 down early on, but clawed hisway back to be 1 up after 13 holes. The matchwas at Mason's mercy at the 17th when twoputts from 12 feet would have sealed the win,but an unforced three putt and a loss at the18th meant more extra holes drama for theHABS team.

With his opponent in trouble off the tee, Masonmade a regulation par 4, taking the match onthe 1st extra hole.

The team took on Felsted in the East regionfinal of the competition at Brocket Hall over thePalmerston course.

With Captain Will Aldred and Harry Kovenkliogluboth up in their matches on the front nine, theomens were good for the Hobs side, but thegame swung the way of Felsted on the back nine.

Aldred found trouble off the 18th tee but stillreached the par 5 green in 3 shots, while hisopponent chipped on for 3, but much closer to thehole.When Aldred uncharacteristically 3 putted,his opponent made par to clinch the match.

Harry Kovenklioglu then appeared through thegloom, having closed out his match 3 & 2.

The final match eventually came down the18th hole, with Aidan Kovenklioglu 1 down,needing to win the final hole to force extraholes. Lying 80 yards behind his opponent offthe tee, Aidan hit a fine fairway wood to within100 yards of the green, and his opponent hit atree and then a greenside bunker to put theHABS player in control. Aidan eventually had 2putts to win the hole, but the HABS side wasunable to grasp the opportunity.

HABS still have time on their side, and with threeplayers with single figure handicaps, they willinevitably learn from their experiences this yearand hopefully go a step further next season.

A Ward


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Cross CountryThe season had started well with thesenior team winning the overall districttitle and more recently the team hasgrown in confidence having taken thelead with a strong showing in ourshowpiece relay event, the ‘Goater Cup’ inJanuary. The race was, inevitably won bySt Albans Boys who took their 12thvictory in a row in the event but the HABSperformance did at least serve as a boostto the overall squad’s moral. Shortly afterthat this was converted into victory at theIAPS Prep school area championshipswhere the under 13 team, lead home byJonny Daitz, took the overall team win byjust one point from Caldecott.

The improvements in inter school results havealso greatly influenced a flurry of fast times in

the school’s own season long competition forthe ‘Ultimate Loop’ which sees boys competingfor the fastest times in each year group to runaround Aldenham Country Park Reservoir. Theseason has already seen 3 school recordssmashed by Tommy Almond (Year 7), ElliotReidy (Year 8) and David Fernie (Year 11) butthe pinnacle has to be the new overall schoolrecord set by Max Jenkins (L6) who, in freezingconditions, took 6 seconds off the old schoolrecord to set the new overall best of 9:22 forthe 2800 cross country kilometres. Shortlyafter that Max continued his great form with by

taking 9th place in the Hertfordshire Countychampionships; a performance which sees himshortlisted to represent the county nationally.

J Cox


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Thursday the 15th April….7.45a.m. My wife’smobile phone receives a text. ‘Good luckgetting home, all flights over UK airspacegrounded due to ash from Icelandic volcano’.Some of the party members from St ClementDanes School run past us confirming there areno flights and that there might not be any inthe foreseeable future.

Confusion follows, where are we going to stay,when will be get return flights and does thismean that Liam Baines is finally going to haveto have a wash? We had finished a verysuccessful week and performances lookedpromising from many of our recognisedathletes and with the season fast approachinghopes were high. Anthony Meyer and SachinHoyle had been outstanding as junior coaches;Anthony took to the pole vault immediatelyleaving me wondering what might have beenhad he shown this talent earlier. Sachin hurdledwell and showed he could run a good 800m.Joe Bamford stepped up on a very windy dayand threw over 45 meters in the javelin; incompetition this is a school record. Ed Curtisdid every duathlon, triathlon and aquathlon hecould and Jared Baker proved he is half youngman, half fish by swimming full lengths of theOlympic 50 meter pool underwater.

Despite all our delays and uncertainty ourexperienced leader, Mr Andy Keenleysideremains calm and plots our return to the UK.

Thursday 4th May ….Achilles Relays,Radley College Oxford.

The 4 x 110m hurdles final. 3 teams in thefinal, HABS , Millfield and Uppingham. We arethe slowest of the qualifiers, but have more inhand for the final and we have pedigree in thisevent, winners on several previous occasions.The start looks good, Sachin Hoyle is movingwell but hits the penultimate hurdle and doeswell to stay upright. Millfield make a mess in achaotic first change over, go too early and aredisqualified. Kaz Ong sets of after Uppinghamand it becomes neck and neck. Alex Barnett onthe third leg keeps us in with a chance andhands to James Edmunds who sets off in hisusual energetic way to reduce the gap.Uppingham are good though, James gets closebut we are second by just point 3 of a second.

Soon after our Under 17 4 x 100m qualify forthe final in an outstanding time of 44.7 secs,only Rugby are quicker. Efe Uwaifo, HenryPreston, Jordan Nathan and KishanRagunathan look good enough to threaten oneof the really old HABS School records setback in the 1970’s and take the Achilles title.Mr Humphrey Waddington plots our strategywith Kishan and Efe and we look for a timeunder 44.5 secs. A great final and the time isachieved but sadly Rugby clock 43.9 and wehave to settle for second. On the coach homewe check performances, no wins this year buttwo seconds, two thirds and several other top6 placings.

The season is gaining pace, with a successfulfirst round in the Herts league and a convincingvictory in the Watford and District Under 20championships the day before the Achilles, wetake a deep breath and prepare for the meetsthat now come thick and fast.

Friday 14th May ESAA Track and FieldCup- County Round.

The hammer event is a bit of an unknownquantity as this is the first time the Habsathletes have thrown in competition althoughtraining has looked encouraging. BenedictJones throws just 27 meters and begins astring of performances that will see him add 6meters to the school record by the end of term.Paul Artunduaga is just short of 24 meters.Jared Baker for the Under 16’s is up againsttwo big throwers from St Columbas butmanages to throw nearly 28 meters so pointsgained for these performances are on target. Inthis competition it’s about points scored for yourperformance not necessarily where you finish.By the midway point HABS are in front in boththe Under 14’s and the 16’s and the afternoonprogramme sees some outstandingperformances. The older boys show their trackstrength, in the hurdles and sprints we aredominant, Efe Uwaifo and Joshua Pauk recordoutstanding 100m times, Arshia Hashemi runsclose to 54 secs for his 400 meters andnewcomer Rob Lynch steps onto the track in hisfirst 800meters and records 2m.14 secs. Hehas no idea of pace and runs the first lap muchtoo quick, even laps are more desirable. If hemanages this then that time will come down.

The Under 14’s on the field begin to showpromise. Edwin Birch achieves a 2m.40 polevault, Marcus Rapaciolli does 2m.30. JackGreen triple jumps 10m.72 in virtually his firstcompetition and the points total begins tobuild. We win both competitions; our scores inboth age groups are in the top five nationally.For the first time ever there is a chance thatHABS could get both teams to the national finalat the same time. Still the regional round to goyet though.

Monday 7th June

Half Term break over, we return with greatexpectations for the next 5 weeks. Wecomfortably lead the Herts league in both agegroups, the Year 7 athletes have had their firstmatch at harrow Athletic club and were jointwinners. Archie Preston shows real promise asa hurdler setting a new meeting record; OmarTodd and Harry Wilkinson-Roberts showpotential as throwers. We are in with the bestteam for the next round of the track and fieldcup and we are confident of more points;perhaps enough for the finals.

I open the inbox of my emails and read everyteam manager’s nightmare. The Under 14team’s vice captain has glandular and is outindefinitely. Sam Rodgers is a big points scorerin the Cup, a 400m and Discus man who is notgoing to be easy to replace.

Friday 11th June. HABS Junior meet atWestminster Lodge

Exam week over and a chance to try out theUnder14’s against strong opposition with forcedchanges in place. Harry Kingdon has trained allweek to come in as our thrower and EdwinBirch goes in the 400m; 66 seconds on theschool grass track in a P.E. lesson soundspromising. Edwin arrives at the start line on ahigh, he has just pole vaulted 2m.60 for a newpersonal best and with determination he sets ofat a good coming into the final straight in thelead. This is the danger area of 400m runningbut Edwin powers through and crosses the linein 62 secs, matching the times run by Sam.

The Under 14’s win this meet comfortablyahead of two teams who will be in our regionalfinal in the Track and Field cup. Toye Ibikunle isrunning 12.5 secs for the 100m and throwingwell in the shot. Kwabena Tenkorang isimproving with every race. Jake Krais isthrowing close to 30 meters in the discus, it alllooks promising.

Just as we go to get on the though Toye gets abad attack of cramp, he can hardly walk whichis worrying for Monday.

Athletics


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Monday 14th June ESAA Track and FieldCup Regional Final

It is easy to tell how an athlete has performedbefore you ask the question ‘how did it go?’The body language and facial expressions saya lot plus the fact there is a quickening of pacein a rush to tell others. Thankfully there was alot of smiling from the first hammer throw tothe last passing of the baton. As a team theHABS athletes focused and improved. Toye hadrecovered, Jonny Daitz found an extra half ameter on his triple jump, Rob Lynch fresh fromrunning an excellent 2m.10 secs 800m in thecounty schools championships was able toreproduce the performance again and MithunKamaran continued to get closer to runningunder 60 secs for the 400meters, this time justpoint 5 outside the minute. Edwin Birchcontinued his form in the same event reducinghis time to 61.2 secs. The Under 16’s hadevent winners in Phil Sadgrove (shot), DariusPrice (high jump), Joe Bamford (javelin) and EfeUwaifo (100m and Triple Jump).

When the results come through, it lookspromising, although we are not winners ourpoints score looks encouraging, both teamsadding over 20 points to their first scores. Hadwe done enough to qualify both teams to thenational final?

Tuesday 29th June Herts League Final

From the start point of the 200m it is possibleto see Edwin Birch on the pole vault run up. Hisapproach is a bit laboured but this is notunusual for him; he is slow to warm up and getbetter as the height increases. The pole is notextremely high, about 2m.30 well within hisrange. He hits the bar on the way up with thebacks of his legs, he has more attemptsthough so……….. Five minutes later he is stilllaying on the bed though surrounded by staffand then by medical help. Disaster: asuspected dislocation of the elbow and Edwinis out of the Track and Field cup team. All hadseemed to be going well, Sam Rodgers hadmade an early recovery from glandular fever,we had both teams in the final of the HertsLeague, both teams in the final of the Trackand Field Cup and a sense of anticipationabout our potential to achieve. The meetcontinues and Edwin is whisked away tohospital for further care.

We do not dominate the league final in eitherage and I am sceptical that the Under 14’shave even an outside chance of winning. TheUnder 16’s show they are strong on the sprintsthough and the 4 x 100m squad (DariusPrice,Efe Uwaifo, Jordan Nathan, Ned Birss)break the meeting record in winning the finaltrack event of the night.

The reading out of results in reverse order is atense affair but there is delight for both teamsas we complete the first leg of our hat tricks offirst for HABS athletics; winning both HertsLeague age group finals at the same time.

Wednesday 30th June Watford andDistrict Championships

Darius Price is not very tall so to jump 1m91cms is no mean feat. The bar towers abovehim and yet with a vast number of peoplewatching he cleared this to capture the districtrecord and title and the school record in amoment.

It was an inspirational day with a large numberof HABS athletes capturing district titles andlooking good doing so. The Under 15 4 x 100mrelay team of Joshua Pauk, Rufus McAlister,James Hart and Henryk Hadass broke themeeting record as we completed the secondleg of the HABS athletic firsts in winning all theage groups and the boys overall trophy in thesame year.

Saturday 2nd July ESAA Track and FieldCup Final Gateshead.

As I stood at the hammer cage watching JaredBaker and Arshia Hashemi throw, textmessages kept coming through on my phone.‘Marc Rister cleared 2.90……cleared3.00………Marc over 3.05………pb he isover 3.10’. Marc had saved his best till the lastmeet of the season and as an early event setthe ball rolling on what was to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions. We hardly dare watchas Darius Price had one attempt left to clear1m.79 in the high jump. He clears with easeand eventually goes on to win the event with1m.86. Listening to the gasps of amazement asEfe Uwaifo triple jumped out way beyond theofficials and other competitor’s expectations.

All the boys rose to the occasion, MiguelPerera had by far his best hurdles race in thecompetition beating all the competitors manytwice his size. Max Marmor for the second timein the season broke the Year 7 school 800mrecord and Marcus Rapacioli finally achievedthe points total he needed to gain his HABSelite athlete T shirt along with Toye Ibikunle andHugo Cliff.

As we sat on the track at the end of the meetwith the results being read out in reverse orderwe had completed the third leg of our hat trickof firsts for HABS Athletics in getting bothteams through to the final in the same year.

We finished 4th in both age groups out of 1900original entries and for a moment I did thinkthat the Under 14’s might gain third place, butin the end we were nine points short.

And any final memories of Gateshead? TheFriday evening walk along the estuary to theStadium of Light. The impromptu timed vaultingcompetition over metal traffic bollards; I’m surenot many other teams warmed up this way.Standing in the main stand for the last trackevent cheering and shouting at the Under 14 4x 100m relay team made up of throwers of allshapes and sizes as they trundled the batonaround. Well done to all those who havecompeted this year, 2010 will certainly beremembered as a vintage athletic season.

S Lowe



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TheFoundation


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Skylark 2010 The Foundation

The HABS Foundation

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ SchoolFoundation (charity number 1107027) isthe Trust created in 2006 to which alldonations to the school are allocated.The Trustees are composed of theHeadmaster, the Bursar, the Director ofExternal Relations, and four nomineesfrom the School Governors.

The HABS Foundation was established forthree main reasons.

Firstly, the Trustees of the Habs Foundationoversee as transparent a process as possiblefor the receipt, processing and allocation offunding. All donations (cash, legacies, etc)to the school are recorded as donations tothe Foundation.

Secondly, the Trustees have endorsed a strictcode of ethics for donors and their donations toensure that all gifts go to the ends intended bythe donors, that all donors are appropriatelystewarded, and that relationships with donorsare conducted according to the higheststandards of integrity and honesty. Allfundraising activities are kept under ongoingreview and oversight.

Finally, the Trustees allocate the funds receivedaccording to the wishes of the donors. Whenfunds are unspecified, the Trustees ensure that

these provide a direct benefit to the school andits community by augmenting those aspects ofthe ‘Habs experience’ which make our schoolsuch an extraordinary institution. Donations arenot used to substitute for ordinary operatingcosts (except at the request of the donor).

Donors and their gifts to the HABS Foundationalready transform lives and opportunities. Thereare boys at the school today who would not

otherwise be here without support provided bythe Foundation, and many more boys benefitfrom activities, prizes and facilities that wouldnot otherwise exist. Please join with hundredsof our friends and supporters by making yourown donation to the HABS Foundation.

David Dein

The Changing Face of Football

It was a particular privilege for us whenDavid Dein of Arsenal came to speakabout his experiences of the PremierLeague. David’s sons were at the school,and he was so pleased with theireducation that he was delighted to offerhis services as a Foundation speaker.Seldon Hall was packed with pupils,parents and old boys, several of whomwere fortunate to leave with mementos ofArsenal gained in an auction whichfollowed the talk. We left the talk, givenseveral months before the world cup,convinced by Dein’s argument that FIFAneeded to endorse proposals tomodernize the game -- not least to ensurethat recording facilities were in place sothat the referees and linesmen couldcheck controversial decisions.

David Dein is a football entrepreneur andsuccessful businessman. He is the formervice-chairman of both Arsenal Football Cluband the Football Association. He was also thechairman of the G-14 group of Europeanfootball clubs between October 2006 and May2007. In August 2007 he sold his shares inArsenal F.C. to London-based businesscompany Red & White for £75 million. When hebought them originally for £250,000 he wastold he was mad and that it was ‘dead money’.

At Arsenal, he was responsible for footballmatters taking an active role in the transfer ofplayers and contract negotiations where hewas able to use his extensive network offootball contacts. Dein was behind theappointment of the then little known ArsèneWenger to the manager's job in 1996; underWenger, Arsenal have won the FA PremierLeague three times and the FA Cup four times,and Dein strongly backed him and his transferwishes throughout.

In 1986, Mr Dein was voted onto the board ofthe Football League Management Committeeand subsequently achieved a place on the FACouncil. He was also a major force in theinception of the FA Premier League in 1992.He eventually rose to the position of vice-chairman of the FA in 2000, a post he helduntil 2004 when it was scrapped afterrestructuring. He was subsequently re-elected

to the FA Board as a FA Premier Leaguerepresentative.

Dein also helped obtain Arsenal's entry into theG-14 group of major European football clubs in2002, and became chairman of the G-14 inOctober 2006. G-14 was subsequentlysubsumed into EUFA. A keen promoter ofwomen's football, he was also President ofArsenal Ladies Football Club, the mostsuccessful English women's football team,while Arsenal vice-chairman.

The funds raised at the Dein event weredirected to support Sport at HABS.

P Spence


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Peter Oppenheimer

Peter Oppenheimer was atHaberdashers’ from 1948 until 1956.Until 2000, he concentrated onteaching economics at Christ Church,Oxford. He has had a distinguishedcareer, and is currently the Presidentof the Centre of Jewish and HebrewStudies at Oxford, Chairman of theJewish Chronicle and a member ofthe Jewish Policy Research inLondon.

Which subjects did you study for A-Level?

English, History, Latin

Did you excel in any particular sporting/extra-curricular activities?

I wouldn’t wish to claim that I “excelled”, but Icertainly was committed to acting (as a 4thformer I was privileged to play the lead inShaw’s St Joan, brilliantly produced by Englishmaster Len Moody, a pupil of F R Leavis) and Ialso swam breaststroke in the school team.

Do you recall any funny moments/stories fromyour time at the school?

An assortment of minor ones, such as ‘Wilf’Hewitt’s dictum that the only ailments at Corpscamp were blisters and/or constipation, and itif wasn’t the former it must be the latter, so heallegedly once dosed up with laxative a boyactually suffering from sinusitis.

Another was the formidable (Christadelphianand scrum-half) ‘Taffy’ Barling’s response in RIto the then record number of Oxbridge awardsachieved by the school in 1955. He pointed usto the Beatitudes – “You see what it says, boy:‘Blessed are the Meek’, NOT ‘Blessed arethose who win University Scholarships’!”

When you wereat school, whatline of workwere youconsidering?

I don’trememberconsidering any.Partly, it was toofar ahead –afterprospectively 2

years of National Service and 3 years ofuniversity. Partly, I have never had that kind ofclear-headed ambition. When university pupilshave spoken to me about career anxieties, Ihave often pointed out the variety of inclinationin these matters; my own wife decided at theage of 12 (apparently) that she was going to bea doctor, and never changed her mind;whereas I’m still not sure what I want to do,except that I think I would be doing somethingelse, if I didn’t enjoy my present existence. It’swhat economists (following Samuelson) call“revealed preference.”

What is the most enjoyable thing aboutteaching and working at Oxford?

Being an employee and yet at the same time inlarge measure self-employed, with significantopportunity to vary ones activities. And inretirement, being aware of the appreciativerecollections of pupils and associates.

What aspect of Haberdashers’ best preparedyou for the future?

The injunction to Serve more than to Obey (!),and to make worthwhile use of one’s capacities.

Joel Kariel U6

Raj Persaud – Psychology ofHappiness and Relationships

As the year was drawing to a close, thelower sixth still had one more enjoyableevent to experience before being able totake a well-deserved break for thesummer. On a Thursday afternoon, the daybefore the summer holidays, OldHaberdasher and world-renownedpsychiatrist Dr. Raj Persaud gave apresentation on the psychology ofhappiness and relationships. The speechbegan with Dr. Persaud briefly introducinghimself, notably that he left Haberdashers’in 1979 and that “after you’ve left, yourealise what a great school this is.”

He then went on to explain how happiness isdirectly related to relationships, whether theyare intimate or business affairs. Dr. Persaudtouched on the necessity to use skill andstrategy in relationships, and his ideas on theneed to seduce people to get what we wantinitially gave rise to bouts of laughter from histeenage audience. However, on explaining hispoint more deeply, specifically on theMachiavellian approach to life, the boysbecame engrossed in his words.

Next, Dr. Persaud explained why men takewomen out to expensive restaurants; it is dueto the psychology of association, whereby thewoman will always associate the man with theenjoyable experience of the date. He went on togive some tips on how to use strategy inrelationships. A few clips from the movieGroundhog Day were shown whichencapsulated many of these strategies.

Finally, Dr. Persaud gave us the most importanttip of the day, which reminded us that despitemany people using strategies and skills inrelationships, the best thing to do is “to just beyourself.” As expected, he was very friendlyand open to any questions from the students.

Joel Kariel U6

Kevin Bakhurst

Kevin Bakhurst attendedHaberdashers’ between 1977 and1984, followed by St John’s College,Cambridge, where he read French andGerman. After working at PriceWaterhouse, a Professional Servicesfirm, he joined the BBC in 1989 andhas been moving up through the companyuntil he was promoted to Controller ofBBC News in December 2005.

Which subjects did you study for A-Level?

English, French, German

Did you excel in any particular sporting/extra-curricular activities?

Not really – I participated in a wide range, but Iwouldn’t say that I excelled in any!

Do you recall any funny moments/stories fromyour time at the school?

Many. Most involve the humour and ready witof teachers and classmates. It’s no surprise tome that the school has produced a string oftop comedians.

When you were atschool, what lineof work were youconsidering?

I wanted to be abarrister.

What aspect of Haberdashers’ best preparedyou for the future?

The all round education at the school and fosteringa life-long interest in learning and the world. It alsogave me a degree of self-confidence to take away.

What’s the most enjoyable thing about workingfor the BBC?

Being proud of what the BBC stands for in ourprogrammes and coverage; the people I workwith; the places I have seen and people I havemet whilst working.

Joel Kariel U6


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Theresienstadt Exhibition

As one of the foremost schools in the UK, wehave the capacity and responsibility to offerleadership to our regional, national andinternational communities. A particularlyexciting opportunity to do so came from theDr Sloan, Head of History, who spearheadedthe Theresienstadt initiative.

Theresienstadt, a fortress town north ofPrague, was converted by the Nazis into atransit camp for thousands of Czech, Germanand other Jews. The ghetto saw muchsuffering and death, claiming over 30,000lives and sending many more to die inAuschwitz and other extermination camps. Abook by Hannelore Brenner, The Girls ofRoom 28, documented the experiences ofchildren trapped in this camp, and inspiredan exhibition which toured Austria.

Thanks to several generous donations to theFoundation, we reprinted the exhibition fordisplay at Habs, becoming a vital resource inteaching our boys about the particularsufferings of an important part of our Habscommunity. Most poignantly two survivors ofTheresienstadt – Helga Pollack (80) and EvaWeiss (87, above) – came to talk to ourpupils and, as the culmination of the week’sactivities, addressed a packed audience ofpupils, old boys, parents and teachers.

The two ladies embodied the best of theindomitable human spirit. They both said thatTheresienstadt “brought out the best” inthem, when they learnt how to share andendure and love and forgive. All those wholistened to these wonderful women found itan inspirational experience, a privilege and alesson on how to live with dignity andhumanity.

The success of this initiative has led to thecrafting of a broader ambition, the PhoenixCentre. By this we aim to create aninterdisciplinary resource for schools around

the nation based on childhood and conflict.In the year to come, we hope to replicate thesuccess of the Theresienstadt initiative bylaunching a similar project with a particularresonance for those in our school with anaffinity with eastern Africa. In particular, wehope to devote a week to an interdisciplinaryanalysis of child soldiers in Uganda, with theaim being to bring some of those rescuedfrom this life to Habs to talk to our pupils andparents. If sufficient funding is provided intothe future, Habs can thereby provide anational resource of immense value to ourcommunity and our nation.

Peter Spence

Solai Indoor Cricket Centre

HABS Foundation establishes anoutstanding Cricket Centre

Angus Fraser, former England cricketer andnow Managing Director of Middlesex CountyCricket Club, opened the Solai Indoor CricketCentre at Habs in front of a gathering ofsportsmen, pupils and staff yesterday evening.He noted that Middlesex were always looking torecruit the best players in the region, andbelieved that this facility would ensure thatsome might come from Habs.

There has been an indoor cricket facility at theschool since the opening of the McGowanSports Centre in 1985. We have been awarefor some time that it needed to be refurbishedand a gift of £20,000 to the Foundation hasallowed us to create one of the leading cricketfacilities in the country. Not only does thisfacility have top grade specific flooring and themost advanced lighting; it also comes with astate of the art ICT and video system, by whichevery move can be captured, tracked andassessed almost instantly. As one boy noted,‘The coaches told me what I was doing wrong,but I didn’t understand until I could see itmyself.’

The donor requested that the Indoor CricketCentre be named after the town of Solai, inKenya, from which the family originated. Histwo sons thoroughly enjoyed their time at ourschool, and he was delighted to be able to givesomething back to the school which had givenso much to his family. We were delighted toshow him the facility earlier in the day, beforethe formalities began.

Cricket is the most popular sport at our school,and we have a history of remarkableaccomplishments in our fixtures. Most notably,we have achieved recent success at bothcounty and regional level across the ageranges whilst a number of boys have beenselected to play representative cricket.



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November 2010

Dear Friend

As Patron of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School Annual Appeal 2010-2011, I am writing to ask you to donate to theHABS Foundation.

I thoroughly enjoyed most of my time at the School and even today, I remember the hours I spent attempting to score a firstcentury for Habs - which I never did! Our generation only briefly enjoyed the new Elstree campus, but that was enough toconvince me that the School was going to thrive - and so it has. The School’s results in the recent A levels were outstanding,with 41% achieving the new A* grade. 36 boys have taken up places at Oxford or Cambridge and almost all the others willattend their first-choice University. You will have read of the enormous range of activities and successes in the termly Skylightnewsletters, and I am delighted that the School continues to prosper.

Yet one thing remains the same as when I was at Habs – the sense of meritocracy fostered by our history and traditions. AtHabs, boys judge each other by their achievements, not by their backgrounds. It is this strong sense of community thatmakes our School so special; it is this which the Headmaster and I, amongst others, wish to maintain. Habs can only retainits unique culture if we are able to admit the brightest boys regardless of their ability to pay. The HABS Foundation needsyour help to raise the bursary funds that can achieve this goal.

I want to offer the Habs experience to as many talented boys as possible and hope that you also support this goal.

Contributions to the HABS Foundation Bursary Fund have grown spectacularly over the past year and there are pupils makingan enormous contribution to the School today, who are only here thanksto this support. Please give now to help us transform the lives of others,who would also flourish at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School.

Best wishes

Sir Martin Sorrell (Hendersons 1963)


Old Haberdashers


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Skylark 2010 Old Haberdashers

JOHN BAMBOROUGH, O.H. 1921-2009

John Bernard Bamborough was not only thefirst Haberdasher to become the head of anOxford College, but had the rare distinction ofcreating one virtually from scratch, and thenestablishing it as an inter-disciplinary graduatecommunity of international renown. LinacreCollege is his creation and is a tribute to him.

Born on 3 January 1921, the son of a politicaljournalist, Bamborough won a Governors’Scholarship to Haberdashers’ Aske’sHampstead School (in Westbere Road, nearCricklewood railway station) where he quicklyshowed his remarkable academic andintellectual ability and acquired a lifelongliterary interest in the work of Robert Burton,author of “The Anatomy of Melancholy” (1621).

In 1938 Bamborough went up Oxford as ascholar of New College, where he was one ofLord David Cecil’s first pupils, and in 1941 wasawarded a First Class in English Language andLiterature. After graduation he served in theUK’s Coastal Forces as a Lieutenant in theRNVR, and subsequently in the Royal Navy asan Education Officer with the rank of InstructorLieutenant. In 1946 he returned to Oxford as aJunior Lecturer at New College, and in 1947became a member of Wadham College, whoseWarden, the legendary Maurice Bowra, aveteran of the First World War, was gatheringtogether a group of gifted young dons.

As Fellow of English at Wadham (1947-62) andUniversity Lecturer in English (1951-62)Bamborough built up a thriving and successfulundergraduate school of English and madeoutstanding contributions to scholarship. Therewas first a study of Elizabethan and Jacobeanpsychology, “The Little World of Man” (1952),and later books on Ben Jonson (1959, 1970),and editions of Jonson’s “Volpone” (1963) and“The Alchemist” (1967). He edited the “Reviewof English Studies” from 1964-78. During the1990’s he wrote most of the introduction andcommentary to the six volume Oxford UniversityPress edition of “The Anatomy of Melancholy”.

Bamborough drew particular attention toBurton’s recipe for avoiding melancholy, whichDr. Johnson had recommended to Boswell: “Benot solitary; be not idle.” It was an aptcommentary on his time at Haberdashers’ andhis career in Oxford.

Bamborough was registered for a place atHabs. on 4th. March 1931 and entered theschool on 29th. September. He passedOrdinary School Certificate in 1935, flourishedin the sixth form, took Higher School Cert.(English, History, Latin, French) in 1937, andwon the R.C. Sherriff Scholarship to NewCollege in 1938, to which was added aHaberdashers’ School Leaving Exhibition, anaward given only to the most talented.

When he left Habs. in July 1938 “Skylark”noted dryly: “J.B. Bamborough, (1931-38). –

VIa Modern . Calverts. House Vice-Captain,1937-38, School Prefect, 1937-38, R.L.Stevenson Club Prizeman, 1937. SherriffScholarship in English Literature, New College,Oxford, 1938. 2nd. XV 1937-38. 1st. XXXColours. Athletics Team 1937-38. SecretaryTennis Club, 1938. Secretary of the AbbottClub, 1937-38. Dramatic Society 1938. Editorof “The Skylark”, 1936-37-38. LeavingExhibition, 1938.”

In the 1937 Upper School Athletics Sports hewon the Under 16 and a half-year Hurdles, inthe Autumn Term was a congratulated on his“fine performance” in the Inter-House SeniorCross-Country Races, thanked for working hardto improve Calverts’ position in the LowerSchool, and awarded House Colours. In the1938 Upper School Sports he was first in theHurdles and third in the 220 Yards Open,performances that ensured his place in theschool’s Athletics Team, in which he specialisedin the Medley Relay.

In the Summer Term of 1938, seated on theHeadmaster’s left in the Prefects’ Photo,dressed in the then Prefects’ uniform, withwhite shirt, formal tie, black jacket(handkerchief in the top pocket), stripedtrousers with deep turn-ups, grey socks, andblack, leather-soled, lace-up shoes heappeared to epitomise the supposedlyconformist attitudes and values of the 1930’s.

His “Skylark” accounts of the 1937 and 1938School Camps, his ballad “The Novice”, hispoem “The Long and the Short of It” and hisskit “Bungkom” at first do seem to share thelaboured whimsy and staid prose style of muchelse in the school magazine, as does hisOxford Letter, recounting his first months inNew College.

However, a closer examination of thesecontributions to “Skylark” reveals a fluentwritten style, impressive knowledge, and a wry(even subversive) humour. Its review of hisperformance as the Porter in “Macbeth” inJanuary 1938 remarked “J.B. Bamboroughwas too sober and agile for such a whoresondrunk knave who has slept so sound. Thisactor found a part more congenial to him in theSecond Murderer”

“Skylark” shows his literary interests and aquizzical (even anti-establishment) outlook. Hespoke to the Abbott Club (the sixth formdiscussion society) on “Should Poets befostered by the State? and “Is Shakespeare aGreat Dramatist?” A lampoon entitled “Havewith you to Westbere Road!” was subtitled “AQuip for an Upstart Schoolmaster. Being theBlast of the Trumpet against the sundryabuses, scandals and monstrosities of SchoolLife.” His satire “Shakespearian Sports” couldbe taken as an attack on organised games. Hissquib “Megalomania” was aimed at Hitler-“Once upon a time there was a man whothought he was a European Nation.”

In the 1980’s he sent a letter to the School

Archives explaining that his generation wasaware of the social divisions and tensions inthe United Kingdom, but was overshadowed bythe possibility of war. If war broke out theyexpected London and all the major Englishcities to be flattened by bombs and the wholecountry to be carpeted with poison gas. “Wewere convinced at one ad the same time of theneed to ‘Fight Fascism’ and of the wrongnessof war and re-armament. This was the familiardilemma of the Left Wing at that period; I thinkwe vaguely felt that the answer lay in someform of passive resistance.”

In December 1938 his juniors in the AbbottClub invited him back from Oxford to hear hisremarks on university life, delivered in his“inimitable style” of “bantering persiflage”. Hisnext, and apparently last, visit to Haberdashers’was in 1953 when he returned to open thenew Preparatory School, then in Flower Lane,and Dr. Taylor proudly introduced him as an OldHaberdasher and the Dean of Wadham.

Soon after joining Wadham Bamboroughshowed his skills as an administrator. He wasin succession Dean (1947-54), DomesticBursar (1954-56), and Senior Tutor (1957-61).A year as Junior Proctor introduced him toUniversity committees. He was a member ofHebdomadal Council (1961-79) and Vice-Chairman of the General Board of Faculties(1964-67), influential positions at a time when,as he testified to the Franks Commission in1965, ideas for new initiatives were “dartingabout all over” and he felt himself “sitting onthe lid of a boiling kettle”. He was a formidablefigure in the University, a supporter of moderatereform.

Oxford’s provision for graduate students andgraduate studies was inadequate. Linacre wasthe first of three new inter-disciplinary collegesdesigned to cater for the growing numbers ofgraduates, and under Bamborough’s guidancebecame a model of an international and anegalitarian community, very different frommany of the ancient colleges. As Principal from1962 to 1988 he ruled Linacre with a firmhand. Civilised and modest, a man of dry witand convivial humour; he was also a practical,

vigorous man, with a clear understanding ofwhat he wanted; a man of energy and decisionwho did not hesitate to make up his mind. Heestablished a powerful and talented academicand administrative team, dedicated to creatingand fostering an entirely new kind of college.

Bamborough and his Norwegian wife Anne(whom he married in 1947) made the wholecollege, Fellows and students alike, feelmembers of a distinctive community. They werea famously hospitable Oxford partnership, andmade lifelong friendships that extended acrossthe world. They created a friendly, informal andliberal atmosphere that is captured in“Bamborough’s Lincacre”, a series of affectiontributes to “Bam” (as he was known in thecollege) by his former colleagues and students.


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David Scott met him as Principal elect: “As Iwas ushered into what seemed his palatialsuite of rooms in Wadham, I saw this strikingfigure. He reminded me of a young BertrandRussell, and I entered with a strange mixture ofexcitement and sheer terror. I listened as heexplained how I must decide if I wanted to bepart of the robust but vacuous social life of theundergraduate colleges, or to be part of themature, co-educational, international,interdisciplinary environment of Linacre. Herehe paused, and then to emphasize the gravityof his comparison he suddenly leaned back inhis chair to an acute angle that appeared todefy the laws of gravity. The subsequent, vividdescription of his vision for Linacre thatfollowed inspired such confidence that I felt nodesire to apply to any other college.”

Bam aimed for a judicious mixture of traditionand modernity. He suggested that he was“inventing a tradition a day”, and memberswore gowns for dinner, but in contrast to somecolleges the Linacre grace was a brief

“Benedictus Benedicat”. In the early daysmoney was short. Some of the cutlery for theopening dinner had to be borrowed fromWadham. The 1960’s were challenging. Duringthe Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, someOxonians fled to Scotland, but Bam counselledremaining in Oxford, imperturbablyexemplifying the English spirit that had seenthe nation through the worst years of WorldWar II. During the Great Freeze of 1963 Bamorganized members of Linacre into workgroups to go to coal storage yards and haulfuel back to the college, to offset the sub-zerotemperatures in private and public rooms.

Not surprisingly, Bam inspired deep affectionand respect. Peter Holloway described him as“one of the nicest gentlemen one could wish tomeet, kind, considerate, understanding.” EarlGooding recalled his “wit and wisdom,graciousness, easy flow of conversation andpicturesque language”. Kenneth Laurenceremembered that he “he exhibited the bestOxford had to offer. He was intelligent, scholarly

and articulate- we expect that of all Oxforddons- but above that, he was gracious,generous, witty, fair, farsighted, optimistic andcompassionate, qualities seemingly in shortsupply in today’s world.”

Would that all colleges had leaders who sharedBam’s qualities. Lawrence Goldman OHrecently showed them as acting-Master of St.Peter’s College and we expect that MarkDamazer OH will show them as Master witheffect from 1st. October 2010.

John Wigley.


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Mark Rawlinson

“Roo are Ya?” asked the headline in TheSun when Mark Rawlinson (1975)emerged as one of the Red Knights – thegroup of five City figures that attemptedto win control of Manchester United. Or,as The Sun put it, the “five-a-side team offans aiming to produce a football giant-killing by taking over Man U, WayneRooney and all.”

Mark Rawlinson, a Red Knight, is also thesenior corporate lawyer at FreshfieldsBruckhaus Deringer. A partner for more thantwenty years, he specialises in competitive orcontested situations – such as the recentchallenge to the Glazer family’s control ofManchester United – and has advised EMI,P&O, Morgan Stanley and Marsh & McLennan.

When journalists write about Mark – as theyhave on a number of occasions this year:shortly after the Red Knight’s bid, BP hired himto prepare its defence against a potentialtakeover that might have taken place after theGulf of Mexico oil disaster – they often jokethat he is that rare commodity, a ManchesterUnited fan born in Manchester.

And it was only because Mark’s father changedjobs that the Rawlinsons left Manchester andMark came to Haberdashers’. At the time, hewas in the First Year at Manchester GrammarSchool. He had taken the MGS entrance examat the age of nine – “it was meant to be apractice exam!” – and managed to win a place.He spent a year at MGS before moving toHabs, where he re-did the First Year. “Theywere both direct grant schools in those days,”Mark explains, “but they were very differentplaces. Manchester Grammar School was veryintense, it was a pressure cooker. If you didsport, you were given the idea that you wereputting your academics at risk. Haberdashers’was more laid back. There was a differentapproach, they wanted to develop people in theround.”

Memories of life at Haberdashers’ are closelytied to memories of teachers. T.E. Carrington,“TEC”, a history teacher who had been in theAir Force, “a big bear of a man”; “‘if you yawn

again boy,’ he would say, ‘I’ll jump down yourthroat and strangle your liver.’” Peter Squire, afavourite history teacher: “his son, Nick, whowent to Bedford Modern, is now one ofFreshfield’s partners.” English teachers: FrankHanbidge (“a lovely man”) and Simon Stuart,“Yogi”: “he would find sexual allusions ineverything; he’d find them in Upstairs,Downstairs!” David Grossel – a young teacherat Habs in Mark’s time, who taught Paul,Mark’s younger brother, who also went to Habsand has gone on to be a partner at PwC – isnow the Second Master at King’s CollegeSchool, Wimbledon, where he teaches Mark’sson: “as David puts it, ‘the third Rawlinson I’vehad the misfortune to teach’”.

There are two incidents from his time at Habsthat Mark recalls most keenly, one happy andone sad.

The first is the presentation of rugby colours atan assembly in December 1975. It was aperiod when the 1st XV was particularly strong– the team went on a run of 65 unbeatenmatches from October 1973 to December1977. Otto Chan, a good friend of Mark’s, hadgot into the Firsts quite early on in his time atHabs. He had taken the Number 7 shirt froman older boy, Billy Hughes. “Billy had been areal hero to Otto, and Otto wore Billy’s originalrugby shirt all the way through his time in theFirsts. At the assembly for colours, Dai Davies,as well as giving Otto his colours, presentedhim with a new rugby shirt.”

The second is the memory of the death ofColin Dunn. Colin, who had been the schoolcaptain, was working as a student teacher atHabs when he had a fatal car accident. “Iremember school assembly. All the prefectswere crying, and you had no idea why, or whatwas going on. Then the Headmaster explainedwhat had happened.”

Mark went up to Sidney Sussex College,Cambridge, to read history, but he becamefriends with another freshman who wasreading law and who encouraged him tochange course. Was a legal career an obviouschoice? “In a way. At the time, friends andfamily would always say to me: ‘You’re anargumentative bugger, you should be alawyer.’”

He asked his Director of Studies which lawfirms he should apply to, made fiveapplications, and joined Freshfields in 1982: asthe profile on his company website puts it,Mark is “still on his first wife and his first job.”

But the City is a very different place today thanit was when Mark began his career as anarticled clerk – on a starting salary of £3,340per annum “plus luncheon vouchers”. In theearly 1980s, Freshfields had thirty partners;today, there are four hundred partners at thefirm. And the idea of partnership has changedover time: “it was an entitlement rather than anobligation in those days. It was a huge club;things have changed enormously.”

And yet Mark anticipates that the next fiveyears might well see more dramatic changesunfold than he has experienced in his career todate. The supply of legal services will outstripdemand; as a result, more law firms will mergeor go bust. Pricing pressures will lead to thesegmentation of the legal industry: highermargin, lower gearing players will concentrateon providing higher value advice to clients, andoutsource an increasing amount of duediligence work to lower margin, more highlygeared commodity players. Increasingly, lawwill be a business rather than a profession.

And what of the Red Knights, the consortium ofbig businessmen, bankers and lawyers thattried to broker a takeover of ManchesterUnited? “We’re keeping a watching brief,” Marksays. The club’s level of gearing isunsustainable; it’s well-chronicled how muchcash has been taken out of the club, cashwhich could have been spent on rebuilding anageing team. “The Glazers’ expectation onvaluation was too high,” Mark explains. “But atsome point they could come under financialpressure, and at some point that valuationcould change. The Red Knights may not seethe light of day again. But they may…”


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Studying in America

Ironically in this great nation ofmeritocracy and egalitarianism, the greatuniversities of the northeast are thefinishing schools for her aristocracy. Withhighly competitive admissions and world-renowned faculty, the intellectualaccomplishments here are many but forsome, this is four years to party and buyexpensive trinkets.

I won't forget the evening last fall (autumn)when as I left campus the window of a newRange Rover rolled down; out popped a friendlywave - the girl at the wheel lived ten doorsdown the hall from me.

The information we must learn in internationalrelations classes is 'vocabulary', not terms. Myfield of study is itself an American invention - inBritain, one studies politics, law, or history.Classes are huge and have iClickers - remoteswith four buttons which one uses to vote onquestions in class. Audience participation has

reached new technological heights in Americanuniversities and today entire lectures go bywithout the professor being interrupted.Students bring laptops, chat on AIM, read theNew York Times online and take notes. Cometeatime America's office workers get intoelevators down to the first floor and grab acuppa Joe. While relaxing, or if feeling toowarm, they first take off jackets, revealing softcollared short sleeved shirts with buttons tohold those collars down. Ties tend to stay on.

To one another, college students are ‘bros’. Or‘guys’, or 'man' or if you're in California;‘dudes’. We greet one another with anoncommittal but forced 'Hi, what's up?' or'How are you?' - not one person will wait forthe answer to that question, by the way. Toanswer is unexpected and awkward - evenstartling. The girls all wear exactly the same

things: a hybrid of pants (trousers) andleggings (tights), a North Face fleece, aLongchamps tote bag, tall boots, a Mac laptopno older than two years, a Blackberry, and ahair band. Many are blond, many have blueeyes, most wear make up on a daily basis. Thisis a community of highly individualistic peoplewho are forced, most for the first time in thelives, to live with a roommate. We get along,but we're territorial. An imaginary line dividesevery dorm room.

Dining is absurd. The options make the Bateslook like a soup kitchen. With nine foodstations on two floors, 'Leo's' dining hall isvast. Stir fry, sandwiches and salads, tortillawraps, steak, pie, pasta, pizza, Mexican, and anAmerican diner - whatever you want, drippingwith fat in all-you-can-eat portions, topped offwith ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, or frozenyogurt from the Hershey’s ice cream bar. Onestumbles out of the food cavern and clambersinto a taxi the size of a Jaguar XJ. These vastcars have small cramped interiors withoversized vinyl seats. The roofs are low, the

prices are high, the cars slow, andthe suspension spongy. One payswith money identical in size shapeand colour from $1 to $100 bills.

For most people leaving adolescencethis is a time to ruminate without thefear of paying bills over one's head.And while that is true of students inBritain too, here one doesn't think oflaw school or internships for the firsttwo years. That is time to get to knowfriends, to drink beer, to explore thelocal neighbourhood, simply to revel inbeing away from parents. Theremaining two years are spent frettingabout law schools admissions testsand one's grade point average: acumulative average of all grades fromfirst class to last. Therefore there isn'ttoo much in common betweenexperiences here and in Britain afterleaving Haberdashers. Summers hereare for unpaid Congressionalinternships, there for earning money

and seeing old friends. Weekends are forpartying, in Britain for studying.

And of course in the wider world; religion iseverywhere in this most staunchly secularcountry. Politics, despite America's carefullyformulated political beginning is reduced totalking points, notes on hands, and soundbites.Economics is deeply ideological and anything

that seems to provide welfare to those in needis socialist, communist, European, or worse:French. The law is a weapon, not a shield.Family is an institution, the elementary socialunit, and a revered patriarchal formulation - notthe messy reality of dirty dishes, muddyfootballs and homework. The arts are notoperatic and splendid but eyed with suspicionfor perverting the impressionable. ‘History’ is achannel, and ‘empire’ is a dirty and alien word- despite America's imperial past. Science isAsian but the new president wants MIT andStanford to bring it back to the US. Today, airand space are an inconvenience and a luxurywith American airlines little more than coachesand NASA a ghost of its former self. And yet ina country of three hundred million one will findtens of millions of people who steadfastlydisprove all of these stereotypes

In short, America is a profoundly complicatedand bizarre place not at all similar to Britain.The colours on our flags are the same, theshared, past, present, and future bind us, andwith air authorities increasing the cap for airtravel, there are even more flights back andforth. But the pond is an ocean and that sharedlanguage is nothing but an illusion offamiliarity. It remains a grand and proud nation,built on most admirable foundations. By allmeans come visit but don't forget yourguidebooks because the lingo, the boulevards,the grub, the mugs, even the gas have differentnames here.

Some of my favourite American words fromAbout.com's British to American translator:anyplace for anywhere, bill for banknote,

biscuit for scone, cookie for biscuit, jellyfor jam, suspenders for braces, trunk forboot, hood for bonnet, saloon for pub,fries for chips, drug store for chemist,and the infernal 'rest room', for lavatory.

Udayan Tripathi OH



A few recollections ofyesteryear

Shortly before Easter I was put in contactwith Mrs Gleeson, editor of Skylark, as myown copies of the HABS Magazine hadobviously been thrown out by my parentssome time ago (a useful note to readersbeing, perhaps, that they should not leavethem in the family home when they moveout). It is surprising how nostalgic onecan become in one's dotage. Dare Isuggest that they can also makeinteresting reading for sons, daughters,and grandchildren, even if just to provethat Father Grumpy or Grandad Dodderydid actually have mental and/or physicalfaculties back in the dark ages.

Anyway, Mrs Gleeson asked if I would like tojot down a few recollections about HABSwhich in my case relate to between 1958and 1963, and therefore, bridge both theCricklewood and Elstree sites. They areintended to be both light-hearted and factual,and written in the hope of not offendinganyone. PC is not always uppermost in theminds of the older generation!

I was one of some forty pupils of all ageswho moved to HABS Cricklewood fromMercers' School in Holborn in September1958, when the school closed. The twoschools were of a similar standing, althoughMercers' was smaller and ran into financialdifficulties.

To me, the greatest difference was in movingfrom a soccer playing school, to one whereat the time, everybody played rugby whetherthey wanted to or not, except, that is, for afew cross country runners. Neither soccernor hockey was an option on the curriculum.

The sports ground was at Chase Lodge, justoff Five Ways Corner in Mill Hill. I believe it isnow the Chelsea FC training ground, but nevermind. To get from school to the sports ground,we were supposed to walk the best part of amile, and then catch a bus along Hendon Wayand Watford Way before a lengthy uphill walk.However, against the rules, those better, ormore enthusiastic sportsmen would often hitchlifts in cars, vans, or even on the backs ofopen-topped lorries. It got us to the groundearly where the very cramped and coldchanging rooms awaited us. The others, andless enthusiastic participants, got there in duecourse and had to make do.

As one of the thirteen year olds who had neverplayed rugby before, I was initially put in whatwas called "the lowest game" to learn the lawsof the game. Fortune struck for me, however, ina big way with the outbreak of the Asian fluepidemic, which afflicted much of the school,and in particular, the top rugby game for myage. I was immediately promoted to fill in andrepresented the school the following week andthereafter.

Adam Jacobs World Cup 2010

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Rugby was, as I have already said, thenumber one winter game, and we had a verystrong fixture list. I remember the trip to playMonmouth School very well. We were allbilleted out to the homes of our opponents. Iwas, however, dismayed to discover that thehouse had no electricity. Not much use forsomeone using an electric razor (beforerechargeable ones had been invented) and Ihad no intention of trying to use a cut throatrazor for the first time in the dim gas lighting.I was taken to task the following morning forappearing on parade in school uniform beforethe match, looking scruffy. On the up side, thecoach driver did allow some of us to drive hiscoach around the Monmouth Schoolplayground, unbeknown, as far as I know, tothose in charge.

In my final year, David Wrench joined the staffof the Science Department. However, hepropped for Harlequins and England and tookover the First XV coaching in a very different,forthright and earthy way. I recall one of theforwards having hair, which he considered tobe too long, and was certainly much longerthan his own. He told him in no uncertainterms to get it cut and that "they will still loveyou - they still love me".

In those days, one of the fixtures lookedforward to by the First and Second XVs wasagainst Old Haberdashers'. Much of theschool, together with parents turned out forthis. For safety reasons, such matches nolonger take place. However, two or three yearsafter I left, the school First XV had anoutstanding undefeated season. David Wrenchdecided to organise an extra match againstthat side which included a loose-head propwho had apparently taken all opponents apartduring the season. He got together a team offormer internationals and various schoolalumni. I packed down beside him. In a veryconstructive way, David Wrench gave theyoung man a lesson in what scrummagingwould be about in his next season in men'srugby. I met up again with David Wrench, a fewyears later, when I played against him inBristol, his subsequent club. He looked after usroyally that evening, as you would expect of therugby fraternity.

The years have now rolled on and I amenjoying my time in retirement, after 42 yearsworking in the NHS. I have taken up golf"enthusiastically". Somewhat foolishly, Ithought that having played several differentsports with a moving ball, to a reasonablestandard, playing one where the ball just sitsthere waiting to be hit should be no problem.How wrong you can be, even taking intoaccount the extra limitations to my flexibilityafter years of abusing various parts of mybody on the sports fields. Mind you, I wouldnever have swapped it. Sadly, I am not surewhat I can blame for my lack of mentalagility!

Roger Skinner

One tangible memory I still have, is the 1961copy of the Eagle Sports Annual (built around aweekly comic which ceased publication in themid-1990s). "Taffy" Barling, the JoblingsHousemaster, and being Welsh a rugbyenthusiast, somehow managed to get theunder-fifteens coaching session photographed.He then narrated it himself. The combinedfinished article then made up the ChristmasAnnual. Perhaps, some of your fathers orgrandfathers still have a copy.

On leaving school, Chris Menezies, ourexcellent bandy scrumhalf and I, wereintroduced to Wasps by Dai Davies, one of theP.E. masters. I played for Wasps for 21 seasonsand remain very much involved. The lifelongfriendships which the sport fosters, do, I amsure, surmount many other sports. Thankgoodness I stopped playing soccer!

Before moving on to some memories of Elstree,perhaps I could just touch on the subject ofLatin. Besides recalling that verbs always comelast in a sentence (I think), and being able todecline and conjugate a few nouns and verbs(not very useful in later life) the only thing Iremember is blackboard rubbers flying acrossthe classroom. One particular master wasprone to becoming upset by certain miscreants.The main problem was that because of an eyedefect, we could never gauge in whosedirection the rubber was being aimed.

We were all very excited about moving into thecountry at Elstree in 1961 and outwardly, atleast, the transition went very well. Coaches wereprovided from Stanmore, Edgware and ElstreeStations only, at that time. Missing the coach andbeing late for school was a heinous crime. I usedStanmore Station and buses from the bottom ofBrockley Hill to Allum Lane were not frequent. Ifwe were forced to use them we would then haveto walk through Aldenham Park, where a lightaeroplane crashed on one occasion, over thebridge on the lake, past where the girls' schoolnow is, and sneak in through the gate byAldenham House, without being seen.

Some of the boys, however, walked down theroad from Elstree village. It was not unknown(please excuse the double negative) for some ofthem to arrive at the school in a hearse. Thefamily of one of my contemporaries was in thefuneral business, and if trade was slow on agiven day, he would drive in using one of the fleetvehicles with some of the late boys on board.

I learnt to drive in the school grounds atElstree. Through the school, a well-knowndriving school undertook Saturday morninglessons for 16 year olds, using the playgroundsand internal roads. These lessons moveddirectly onto the public highway adjacent to theschool as soon as the age of 17 was attained,and I successfully passed my own driving testshortly after. I was lucky enough to be bought acar (for enthusiasts, a 1938 Morris 8 Tourer) ata cost of £25 and drove to school where wewere allowed to park in the roadway outsidewhere the Preparatory School now is. Forseveral weeks, I even drove with my left legencased in plaster after breaking my ankle. Theclutch pedal was adapted so that it matchedthe shape of the rocker. That would, of course,not be allowed today, for insurance reasons.

When the school moved to Elstree there was nocricket pavilion. We used a marquee, which wasactually more like a smallish tent. It was situatedfurther around the boundary than your presentpavilion, between Aldenham House and thegates to Allum Lane. It did have running water -in one side of the tent and out the other.


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Skylark 2010 Performing ArtsSkylark 2010 Performing Arts

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Common Room


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Skylark 2010 Common Room

Secretary’s Notes

Heraclitus, the Buddha and the SecondLaw of Thermodynamics (now there is acombination!) tell us that nothing everstays quite the same, and the constantlychanging landscape of the school and itsCommon Room bears testament to thistruth. I suspect, however, that this year inparticular will be long remembered in theschool as a year of change. There wasunease in the Common Room followingViking warnings of quantum shiftslooming on the electronic horizon, but, fornow, we experience our own loss of manydistinguished colleagues, among themcertain pillars of the school community.The following remarks are intended onlyas a sketch of these gentlemen; theirenormous legacy to the school isdescribed more adequately elsewhere inthis publication.

Simon Boyes, Second Master, is retiring after amagnificent thirty years of continuous serviceto the school. A true gentleman, he has keptthe Haberdashers' engine well oiled with hisefficient style of management; his warm-hearted approach has made him greatlyappreciated by staff and boys alike. MichaelCook has been Head of Middle School since1988 and with his retirement we lose anothercentral figure in the school community.Michael epitomises excellent pastoralleadership and his contribution to the schoolover the years has been enormous. His fair,caring nature has made him an immenselypopular pastoral figure. David Reid also retiresthis year. David has taught Economics at theschool for the past twenty-two years and hiscalm, scholarly approach to teaching, as wellas his constant willingness to offer advice andencouragement, have been much appreciatedby staff right across the school. We wishSimon, Michael and David a long, happy, andhealthy retirement.

Duncan Byrne, our first Director of Studies,leaves to take up the position of AcademicDeputy Head at Cheltenham College. Anaccomplished singer, enthusiastic sportsman,and a most generous colleague, Duncan hasled by example as an outstandingschoolmaster. Melvyn Bardou, Head of Spanishof four years, also leaves us to head up hisown Modern Languages Department at Mill HillSchool. Boys and staff alike have appreciatedMelvyn's commitment to outstanding Spanishteaching and to the rugby and cricket teams hehas led. Dr Ian Jacques retires from hisposition as Head of Mathematics to teach part-time in the autumn. Though, happily, Ian doesnot leave us, he has been outstanding in histen-year role as Head of Mathematics, inspiringstudents and raising standards with thecompelling passion he has for his subject.

The sunny Chilterns draw away our Chaplainof four years, Reverend Jane Markby. In hertime here not only has Jane been a first rate

teacher and a capable and enthusiastic publicspeaker, she has also provided manyindividuals, and the school community as awhole, with spiritual and moral guidance. Janeleaves to take up the post of Chaplain atBerkhamsted School. Our School Counselor,Angela Bard, also moved on in the Spring afternearly five years spent providing invaluablesupport to both boys and staff; she leaves inorder to concentrate on her private practice.

We also bid a fond farewell to Bob Welsh whoretires as PE Technician following a recent hip-replacement (he can still beat the boys on thebadminton court!). Bob has assisted in manyareas of school life including the CCF andMencap Funday and is widely respected by thestaff. Many in the Common Room will also bevery sad to see Doug Yeabsley leave after astaggering forty five years of service to theschool. Doug will be much missed. PaulCollins, Audio Visual Technician, also retires thisyear following over twenty years' importantservice. We are very grateful to thesecolleagues for their contributions to the schooland we take encouragement from their lengthof service, which must be indicative of asuccessful Common Room.

Amy McKenzie has been enticed northwards toDerbyshire where she will take up the positionof Head of Geography at Repton School. Amywill be remembered, amongst other things, forher commitment to her subject whether inlessons or the Geography Club, and for heroutward looking work on charity fundraisingwithin the school. The Geography Departmentalso loses Humphrey Waddington who hassuccessfully covered Su Wijeratna's maternityleave and whose gregarious personality will bemissed.

We say goodbye to three colleagues in theLanguages Department. Simona Dexterreturns to Italy having helped boys attainexcellent standards in Italian over the last sixyears, inspiring many to go on to study thelanguage at University. Hannah Philip has beena student teacher in the Department sinceFebruary and she has thoroughly involvedherself in the life of the school; she is sure tomake an excellent teacher as she goes to theStates to join her husband. Nicholas Reynardalso leaves for Paris where he will continue hisacademic studies; Nicholas has workedextremely hard in the Department, redefiningthe role of Foreign Languages Assistant.

The Music Department will be sad to loseVictoria Moran, their hardworking Music SchoolGap Year Assistant. We wish Victoria well asshe leaves to continue to teach violin and fluteand study for an MA.

Tessa Witzenfeld leaves the Prep School tohave her baby in September. We are verygrateful to Tessa for all she has done duringher three committed years, in particular herenthusiastic support and organisation of thechess teams. Anna Putt is another loss to thePrep School as she leaves to become full-time

a mum to her baby daughter, Grace.Colleagues will also be sad to see Ros Hofflerleave the Music Department earlier this year.We wish these colleagues every happiness andsuccess for the future.

Our grateful thanks go to Florence Aspart wholeaves following the birth of her second sonLuca, for her nearly six years service as theDeputy Head’s Secretary. We wish her and herfamily all the very best for the future. We alsoextend our gratitude to Will Whyatt for coveringin the Physics Department for Ian Fielder’sabsence while he recovered from his accident.

We also say goodbye and the very best of luckto student teachers Alice Martin, KatherineArblaster and Laura Purcell.

Besides the numerous leavers there have alsobeen many changes in the pastoral andacademic management of the school. Firstly,many congratulations go to Mark Lloyd-Williams who will take up his position at thehelm of the Middle School; we wish him well inhis new post. Mark will be ably assisted byChristopher Bass, who has been appointedSenior Middle School Tutor. We are alsodelighted for Sylvie Koestlé-Cate who has beenappointed Teacher of Economics. Lastly, theCareers Department will benefit from AnjnaPindoria as Deputy Head of Careers, andSharon Sacofsky who has been made CareersGuidance Officer.

We welcomed Su Wijeratna back frommaternity leave at the start of the SummerTerm to resume as Strouts Housemistress, andour thanks go to Peter Thackrey and RobertGarvey for such an excellent job as interimHousemaster and Deputy Housemasterrespectively. Peter Thackrey will now take upthe post of Housemaster of Calverts, and wealso congratulate Andy Simm who is to be thenew Housemaster of Hendersons. Our bestwishes go to those who have been appointedto fulfill the role of Deputy Housemaster; RobertGarvey as Deputy Housemaster of Meadows,Alastair Metcalf as Strouts DeputyHousemaster, Paolo Roncarati as Calverts’Deputy, and Rachel Wright who will assist AndySimm in Hendersons. Congratulations also goto Diana Rhys-Brown who is to head up PSHEand Michele Jones who has been placed incharge of the staff induction and mentoringprogram.

Through all of this activity it is heartening tosee some colleagues celebrating weddings andnew arrivals. Congratulations are in order forChris Bass who announced his engagement inFebruary and also for Nuala Murray who isrecently engaged to be married to PeterBurgess. We were also delighted to learn inApril that Nick and Debbie Moss were blessedwith the birth of Eden Miriam Moss, and, earlierin September, that a daughter had been born toJonas and Parul Green.

It is good to be reminded as the year closes ofthe significant creative and sporting prowess


Simon Boyes

Simon Boyes leaves Habs, as full ofdedication and insight as he was on hisfirst day, 1st September 1976, after 33years of outstanding service.

He went to Jesus College Cambridge to readPsychology and later augmented this with anOU degree in Chemistry which he passed withdistinction.

He was appointed by Keith Dawson as SeniorMaster, and then promoted by Jeremy Gouldingto Second Master. Before that he had beenHead of General Studies and Careers, areaswhich Simon led with imagination and zeal.Homme à tout faire, his composure was nobetter demonstrated than when he becameacting Headmaster during the interregnumwhen Jeremy Goulding moved to Shrewsburyor when he took over the Headship of the PrepSchool. On both these occasions praise wasuniversal. He has always been not only anoutstanding colleague, but an incredibly safepair of hands, and someone who has alwaysbrought intelligence, good sense and soundpersonal judgment to all of his work.

Simon unfailingly embodied those veryimportant qualities of helpfulness, gentlenessand kindness. He has been a supreme exampleof a colleague who is approachable, alwayshelpful and unflustered in a crisis. His patienceand generosity with his time, his ability to lookahead, his down-to-earth pragmatic approachto the immediate issues, his ability to renderthe complexities of ICT simple, his gentlekindness, all have made him such an idealcolleague.

Jon Corrall reports that by nature Simon is aproblem solver, and possesses a mind which isvery quick to see a way round a problem. KeithDawson always said of Simon that he had theability to see around corners. So often, Simonwould come up with a workable solution whichhas provided invaluable breathing-space whilstwe slower thinkers had time to think throughthe problem.

This ability has been of great value in his mainareas of expertise; the timetable and the

curriculum, where so often he found theimaginative solution to what appeared to be animpossible problem. He always tried toaccommodate people's wishes and to makethings possible. The helpfulness he provided tostaff is offered in equal measure to pupils. Youonly needed to witness the long queue of boysoutside his office at option time to see howcaring he was in wanting to enable boys tostudy the subjects of their choice.

We shall all remember him in different ways:the boys will remember the lessons from afirst-rate Chemist; Common Room will havememories of, I hope, a model of efficiency andkindness and warmth, an indefatigable hardworker, a man who has always been able to

give of his time, who has worked easily withteaching staff and support staff.

I shall remember him for his integrity,trustworthiness, diplomacy, discretion,precision, intimate knowledge of routines andpeople.

We lose not just a colleague but a great friendof the school, and not least a personal friend tomany of us. He will always be a most welcomevisitor to Elstree. I am sure you will all join mein wishing him and Elizabeth a long, active andhappy retirement.

Peter Hamilton

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that exists amongst the staff. Tim Nortoncontinues to amaze us with his plays; thehighly acclaimed A Grave Situation generated ahugely enjoyable staff trip of nearly ninety backin December to the Pleasance Theatre inLondon. It came as little surprise in April thatDuncan Byrne was going to run the LondonMarathon. What was more surprising,however, was that he did it as a Womble,apparently raising some money for charity!John Fenn ran the Bupa London 10K and,despite sustaining a knee injury during the run,raised some hard-earned funds for the RNLI.

No one could quite beat Mike Cucknell’sperformance in the Edinburgh Marathon,though, finishing as he did in an impressive 3hours and 20 minutes!

It has been a year of significant change in theCommon Room and despite the badges aroundour necks one wonders how, in such a shiftinglandscape, we maintain a clear sense ofcommunity identity. As we readjust andprepare for another year we are reminded ofSimon Boyes opening Friday Notices, “The bestway to find yourself is to lose yourself in the

service of others”. Unfortunately the words areGandhi’s, not Simon’s, but they are reminiscentof our school motto and it seems fitting to endby drawing attention to the many heart-warming acts of kindness that one regularlysees around the school. As we reflect on thepast year we are privileged to be able to drawinspiration and encouragement from the legacyof those who have gone before.

A. Stimson


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Melvyn Bardou

It is hard to imagine a more personable,friendly, even tempered and good naturedcolleague than Melvyn Bardou. During his 5years with us, these personal qualities helpedensure his popularity with colleagues and

pupils alike, and it is this above all – hisunflappability, his consistency, his ability to geton with people - that makes me confident thatMelvyn will be a success as a Head ofDepartment at Mill Hill.

Melvyn will, of course, be missed by hiscolleagues and friends on the staff, but he isalso one of those rare teachers who will beconsciously missed by his pupils. Year after yearhe established excellent constructiverelationships with the boys based on mutualrespect and enjoyment of the educativeprocess. Melvyn is an outstanding Hispanist aswell as a native French speaker. Although this istremendously valuable to our department, itisn’t this that makes him such an effectiveteacher. Rather, it is his passion, his enthusiasmand his rapport with his pupils. Habs boys havean instinctive sense of which teachers areworthy of elevation to the highest status thatthey define with a single-word epithet: legend.Melvyn is very firmly one of these chosen few,and we hope that the boys and girls at Mill Hillrealise how lucky they are to have him.

Despite a demanding job as Head of Spanish,Melvyn always made an effort to contribute toschool life outside the department. This is whyso many colleagues from across the CommonRoom will be sad to see him go. Hisinvolvement in the coaching of cricket andrugby has been consistent and committed, andI know that this has been appreciated by boysand staff alike. Similarly, his commitment to theprogramme of school trips has beensignificant.

Melvyn has contributed a great deal to theschool during his time at Habs, and he hasdeserved this opportunity to lead his ownfaculty. We hope that he will look back on hisyears here fondly, but his departure is abeginning rather than an end: it is appropriate,therefore, to thank him warmly, and to wishhim all the very best for an enjoyable,successful and rewarding onward journey.

R J Thompson

Duncan Byrne

Duncan Byrne joined Habs in 2006 tobecome the school’s first Director ofTeaching. Strictly entre nous, there weresome in those far-off days who wonderedwhy teaching needed directing at Habs.But, as Duncan soon convinced us, thoseat the front of a race need to takeparticular care of what is happening inthe rest of the field.

Duncan’s success in his role stemmed not justfrom his excellence as a teacher of French andGerman, but also from his passion for effectivepedagogy. Luckily it was not just the boys whobenefited from his expertise. Duncan institutedstaff ‘Learning Lunches’ designed to allowcolleagues to explore new teaching techniquesand share ideas over a sandwich. On oneDevelopment Day he encouraged a number ofbrave volunteers to teach model lessons totheir colleagues and, always keen to lead byexample, hosted Beginners’ Japanese himself.

He has also supported and mentoredsubstantial numbers of staff and mostimportantly he has devoted himself to NewlyQualified and Beginning Teachers. These arethe life-blood of our profession and Habs isrightly proud of its part in fostering new talentand launching careers.

Any good teacher knows the significance ofassessment in the learning process. Boys needto know how well they are doing in order to dobetter and schools are no different. WhilstDisraeli is often credited with promoting ahealthy scepticism about statistics, informationwhen used wisely (to ask questions) cansubstantially enhance the job we do. Duncan’swork with MidYis and ALIS, with internal andexternal exam analysis was impressive notsimply for his dextrous use of the spreadsheet,but for its role in helping us reflect.

Duncan has a remarkable ability to keep ballsin the air. He is also a man of many talents. Hewas quick to volunteer himself for the Staff vStudent university challenge team (staff win, bythe way!), but how many of us would have theconfidence to test ourselves under JohnHumphries’s stern questioning by appearing onMastermind? And, lest you should be thinkingthat all of our hero’s talents are cerebral, letme remind you of Duncan’s dedicated serviceto U13 cricket, his natural authority as footballreferee, his participation as a Womble in theLondon Marathon and his penchant for longcharity bike rides in the French Alps. If thatwere not enough, he is also an accomplishedmusician and singer, forming his own close-harmony group at school. From the sublimeperformance of Schumann’s Dichterliebe to theless precise harmony of the staff ChristmasDinner ensemble, Duncan has entertained andshared in equal measure.

How has this modern-day Prometheuscrammed so much into his four years at Habsand why are we letting him escape? The first iseasy: acute insomnia! How else can onecombine Chairmanship of ISMLA (theIndependent School’s Modern languagesAssociation), serving as a Governor of his sons’primary school and advising the government onthe absurdity of their proposals to vet hostfamilies during language exchanges withleading sixth form assemblies and providingoutstanding support both as a tutor and aready helper to Heads of Department?

The second question is trickier. Many will regretthe loss of such an exceptional teacher; otherswill bemoan the departure of a talentedcolleague and, for some, the absence of agood friend. But we should remember thatschools are built on departures. As Phillip Parrtells the Upper Sixth each year, whilst we willmiss them, it is right for them to go and, likethe departing upper sixth, Duncan is ready forhis next challenge. He has packed a career’sworth of activity into his four years at Habs andwe are profoundly grateful. It is now up to us tocontinue to build on what he has achieved andfor the baton to be passed to his successors.

Duncan leaves with our very best wishes tobecome Academic Deputy Head atCheltenham College.

Simon Hyde


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David Reid

In July 2010 David Reid retired after overtwenty years service in the Department ofEconomics and Politics. It has alwaysbeen hard to find good Economicsteachers but particularly so in the late1980’s, when almost all economists wentinto the City.

David visited Habs to decide whether to apply. Ishowed him the Department, the Library andthe Staff Room, where he explained the role ofthe Orange Order. When I dropped him off inWatford, he kept his intentions to himself buthe did apply.

A day before the interviews the Headmaster atthe time told a guest, “We’re about to see aman with two first class degrees.” I had alreadymade up my mind and neglected the need forpolitical correctness by remarking incautiously,“I’m sure we’ll appoint him.”

We did. We never regretted the decision. AnUlsterman born and bred, David had spentmost of his school days at Royal BelfastAcademical Institution, read Classics at TrinityCollege, Dublin, and then joined the NorthernIreland Treasury. He later left, became a localcouncillor and studied Economics and Politicsat Queen’s University, Belfast, before moving toOxford, where he undertook research at St.John’s College, supervised by the formidableProfessor Finer of All Souls.

David brought this academic excellence andwide experience to Habs. He concentrated onteaching Economics, specialising in AppliedEconomics and the Labour Market, andprepared pupils for PPE at Oxford and SPS atCambridge, besides teaching General Studiesand, on occasion, Latin. As a member of theCareers Team he was responsible forEconomics and related subjects and as a FormTutor he advised, guided and supervisedsucceeding groups of Sixth Formers.

In addition to his academic and pastoral work,David took Wednesday afternoon golf for manyyears. Moreover, as the school’s European

Fellow he organised the highly successfulEuro-days and Boulogne Trips and was masterin charge of the European Youth Parliamentteam, which on several occasions he coachedto the UK finalp; one memorable year he tookthe team to represent the UK in Paris, aftercautiously assessing and dismissing the risksposed by rioting and striking Frenchmen.

In everything that he did, David was a masterof detail, hard working and thorough, totallyprofessional and so widely respected. As ateacher he set very high standards and coaxedpupils up to them. As a Form Tutor he was firmand patient and solved problems by tact andunderstanding. As a colleague he was his ownman and also utterly reliable. It was entirelyfitting that he was Head of Departmentbetween my departure and Mrs. Shah’sappointment.

Generations of pupils benefited from David’swork. They knew his dry humour but not that,in private, he enjoyed good food and wine andrelished spending his holidays absorbed in theculture and language of Italy. They rememberhim for his intellect, his knowledge and histeaching. Many of them recount that they usedhis lesson notes throughout their study ofEconomics at university. On their behalf, of hiscolleagues, and of the school to which he gaveso much, I wish him a very happy retirement.

John Wigley

Rev Jane Markby

The Reverend Jane Markby arrived atHabs five years ago. She was appointedas school chaplain, and also as a part-time teacher in the Biology Department.Her vivacious and cheerful manner andempathetic warmth for others, wasmatched by a fierce intellect, and a robustsense of adventure.

Amongst her numerous roles as SchoolChaplain, she was responsible for organisingall the major spiritual events of the schoolcalendar. Many staff and pupils will recall herfondness for the theatrical in her Christmas

Carol Concerts in St Albans Abbey; hersermons were always engaging, and neverpredictable! There was often a certaindisarming honesty in the way in which shedealt with the moral issues of the moment.

Jane was often sought out by staff and pupilsseeking solace and advice, and she took greatinterest in the welfare of the whole schoolcommunity. She often was in the vanguard ofvisitors to staff and pupils who had beenhospitalised.

In her teaching of Biology, she brought a razor-sharp intellect and clear sense of purpose intothe classroom, which was appreciated by thoseshe taught, as well her teaching colleagues.She was well aware of the ridiculous stancetaken by creation “scientists”, and was aconfirmed neo-Darwinist. She was oftenamused that some pupils thought that, asmember of the clergy, she should subscribe tothe nonsense touted by biblical fundamentalistsabout evolution. Jane was an enthusiasticanatomist, and her demonstration mammaldissections for the Junior Science Society wereone of the highlights of the Society calendar.Jane was responsible for proposing, organisingand running the first official field-trip for sixthform biologists at Nettlecombe Court inSomerset. This course provides a fantasticopportunity for sixth form biologists to carry outtheir A2 investigations, saving them a hugeamount of time in the classroom later. This

course is now a compulsory annual feature forall pupils studying biology in the sixth form.

Jane loves the outdoor life, and is a keencamper, cyclist, sailor and mountaineer. Shegenerously employed these skills in helping torun Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions, and alsomany Mountaineering Club trips; in fact mostof the summit-photographs from expeditionsseem to feature a line of Neanderthal maleswith one diminutive female human nestledamongst them!

Jane has now moved to Berkamstead Schoolas full-time Chaplain, as well as a teachingtheology. The biologists shall greatly miss herkindness, intelligence and generous sense offun, and the Mountaineering Club will miss astaunch supporter.

Roger Delpech


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Upon the Retirement of RobertJames Welsh

11th September 1940

“These cruel indiscriminate bombings ofLondon are, of course, a large part of Hitler’sinvasion plans. He hopes by killing largenumbers of civilians, women and children thathe will terrorise and cower the people of thismighty, imperial city. Little does he know thespirit of the British nation or the tough fibre ofthe Londoners”.

Five years later, on 15th April 1945, followingthe ravages of the Second World War, aglimmer of hope returned to 11 MarlboroughRoad, Islington with the birth in the front roomof Robert James Welsh.

Bob’s formative years were spent in Elstree.The area was surrounded by film studios andhe soon smelt the grease paint and headed forthe bright lights, when he left Furzehill Schoolat 14 to take up his first job at the local gardencentre.

Given the demanding job of planting onemarrow seed in one hole, covering it withcompost and repeating several hundred times,the thrusting Welsh soon became impatient,planting 3 or 4 seeds in the same hole. Theensuing rain and mild weather gave rise toperfect growing conditions much to Bob’schagrin. And on the fourth day with marrowplants sprouting up everywhere, our hero wasdismissed from his post.

Bob spent the next 5 years working for BarnetCouncil tending the parks by the OldCourthouse (in front of the petrol station whichis on the right as you drive into Barnet).

Following this Bob strode purposefully into hisnext position at Wall Hall Girls’ School, inAldenham, now the site of a large housingdevelopment. He became know for his workethic and attention to detail.

Five years were spent at Wall Hall followed byanother five at Queens College, Bushey. Beingconcerned with his career development, Bobhad clearly decided that five years would bespent at these establishments before movingon to better things. The next five years werespent at Bushey Hill School, the first school tohave a redgra playing surface in the country.You’ve got to admire the attention to detail …

Bob’s most demanding position was as HeadCaretaker at yet another girls’ school,Northfields by Watford Junction Station. MrWelsh was the only male on the books and hewas soon granted ‘god-like status’ amongstthe ladies. In a single week, he laid 250‘flagstones’ covering 150 square metres, trulya phenomenal feat. But it soon dawned onBob that his employers may have been takinghim for granted when he was asked to dig anOlympic sized swimming pool with a trowel.However, the slings and arrows of outrageousfortune were waiting in the wings, soon to play

their hand….

In 1980, Bob first applied to Haberdashers’answering an advertisement for the position ofGroundsman and Cricket Coach. But hisapplication was rejected on the grounds thathe was overqualified for the cricket coaching.A year later, Bob answered the call for aGroundsman only and he was immediatelysnapped up and put on the payroll.

Bob’s big break arrived in 1985 when DavidDavies, Director of Sport, invited him in fromthe cold to work as the Sports Hall Supervisor.And it was here that Bob really made his markwith the boys and staff of the school.

The job title has changed over the years fromSupervisor, to Sports Assistance to finallySports Hall Manager but the Sports Hall hasalways been simply Bob’s place.

Under Mike Davies, Bob used to basically work70 hours a week, his daily work of organisingand maintaining the equipment, all of thelettings in the evenings and driving minibusesat weekends.

He helped, and continues to help at athleticevents, sometimes as far away as Gatesheador Manchester and he has recorded a numberof world records on his trusty stopwatch.“Guns up, Bob”, I cry as the starter prepares tofire and Bob prepares to take another lick ofhis ice cream. “100 metres’ time for lane 4,please,” the recorder asks; “9.45 seconds,”Bob replies.

Bob has seen the passing through of 5Directors of Sport. At one stage 5 years ago,the Sports Hall was like a drinks station at theLondon Marathon with 3 Directors coming andgoing in 2 years. Thankfully the last few yearshave passed relatively peacefully with Ryan atthe helm.

Bob used to go regularly to the Junior Rugbytour to Wales kindly hosted by Clive Rees andone of the many highlights each year was towalk around the sealife centre in St Davids andcheck as to whether the owners had expandedon their collection of 1 cuttlefish, 2 commoncrabs and an eel.

When Bob was working at Haberdashers’, hebecame one of the most dependable andreliable of colleagues. At late notice he wouldanswer the call of many a distressed teacher.He would drive vans on social outings, toBrighton for Holmesy for the London-Brightonbike ride and up to Northumberland for theCCF, all at the drop of a hat. He is one of thekindest of men.

He is the longest serving Presidents ofHertfordshire Badminton. Bob has himselfplayed badminton for Hertfordshire andcoached a full England International in AndrewSalvage.

I think of the thousands of boys who willremember you Bob, woe betide any of themwho wore shoes that marked the Sports Hall

floor. You were always harsh but fair and theboys loved you for it.

A Metcalfe

Amy McKenzie

Those of uswho are keengardenersknow thatsome plants,althoughpossessed ofa relativelyshort growing

season, nevertheless make such an impactthat a plot is all the better for their presence.Amy McKenzie’s two-year stay has been akaleidoscope of impacts, both parochially within theGeography department and also extending acrossthe wider extent of the school.

Amy’s academic engagement with Geographywas first fostered through schooling in Qatar,where her engineer father worked, and then inSussex. At Cambridge, she became fascinated bythe wide range of hazards which humankind triesto understand, to predict and to manage. Inparticular, and perhaps as a counter-point to hertime in the heat of the Middle East, Amy saw bothintellectual and emotional challenges in trying tofathom the way of life of the indigenous peoplesof the Arctic region. These peoples areexperiencing great turmoil in their lives as theyface profound environmental change with all itsimplications for their economy and society. It is inthis personal and sympathetic response to theneeds of others that we begin to understand Amy.For it was soon after her arrival at Elstree straightfrom her PGCE year, that Amy took on the role ofschool charity co-ordinator. She speaks inadmiration of the impressive multiplicity ofinitiatives boys come up with to raise bothawareness of, and funds for, charities of all sorts.

It is that same sense of concern which hascharacterised Amy’s time as a Joblings Form tutorin the Middle School, where her firm care will bemuch missed. In equal measure to sympathy isAmy’s belief that challenge is important forpersonal growth and development. Herencouragement of boys to participate in the Dukeof Edinburgh’s Award Scheme exemplifies apractical approach to this belief.Within Geography,Amy has established the GAIA society, anopportunity for Sixth Formers to be introduced toideas, theories and concepts beyond the realm ofthe A level specifications. Amy has not neglectedpersonal challenges, as she has learned to sailwhile a member of the Navy section of the CCF.

And so Amy migrates north to Repton, whereshe will continue to encounter fresh challengesrunning their Geography department. With herdesire that, through her teaching and co-curricular activities, young people live lives asfull as possible by making the most of theirtalents, Amy has much to contribute within aschool. We wish her well in all her endeavours.

Dr Stiff


146

Skylark 2010

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ SchoolNurturing Excellence

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Skylark 2010 Skylark Team

The Skylark Team

Editor Aneesh Misrah Assistant Editor Josh Goodman Technical Editor Joe Gaus Deputy Editor & Events Tom Ough

Music Zachary Spiro Drama Anthony Meyer Clubs & Societies Christopher Howarth

CCF Moshin Saleh CCF Charlie Johnson

SCS Christopher Au Sport Joe McCormick Sport Oliver Goldstein Houses Alex Hughes-MontoutePrep David Lawrence

Trips Nikesh Arya Originals - DT Danny Wirth Foundation/Old Boys Joel KarielOriginals - Literature David Joels

Originals - Art Eden Tarn

Features Ameya Tripathi

Photographer Tom HaniffCommon Room Marco Marcello Head Photographer Andrew Jones Photographers Neil Shah Staff Editor Jill Gleeson

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ SchoolButterfly Lane, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 3AF

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HaberAske Skylark 2010

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