M A G A Z I N E F O R F O R M E R

P U P I L S , S T A F F A N D F R I E N D S

MyTrinity

ISS

UE

2 SU

MM

ER

2020

Tenor of the Ensanche

JOEL WILLIAMS

ROBIN WILSON HEADMASTER 1972-94

BARRY MACEVOY IN MALAWI

WHERE IN THE WORLD

RAISE YOUR GLASS TO GEOFF WILSHER

02 www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Welcome

MyTrinity

“We are really grateful that under challenging circumstances, the school and teachers have managed to keep our child motivated and positive about their education, and provided a way for them to maintain a routine that is so important for their well-being.”

TRINITY PARENT

Our news sections bring you a few highlights from the

school and our alumni community as well as reviews of

the events we have been able to host prior to lockdown.

I hope you enjoy reading about 2010 leaver and up and

coming opera singer Joel Williams, alumnus and governor

Barry MacEvoy’s trip to Malawi, and the articles on former

Headmaster Robin Wilson and alumnus and stalwart of the

Trinity Club, Geoff Wilsher.

As I write, we are gradually easing out of lockdown whilst

still in the grip of the worldwide pandemic. I sincerely hope

you have kept safe and well during this time. My condolences

go out to all of you and your families where you have been

affected in different ways by the virus.

I could not be prouder of the way in which the staff and pupils

at Trinity School have responded to the unique challenges

that face us. Our staff trained over the Easter holiday for a

week and have been delivering online teaching via the Teams

platform throughout the summer term.  Learning virtually is

an intense experience for students and staff, so we introduced

a slightly reduced timetable for teaching remotely, with a

longer lesson length than at school. Staff have been sharing

innovative ways to teach and learn with each other, and

parents have been generous in their praise for the engaging

lessons that staff are creating. We have had to learn quickly,

and the broadband networks of South London have been put

through their paces, but our governors have paid tribute to

the dedication of our teaching and support staff in delivering

a very high level of teaching remotely.

As our GCSE cohort had no exams to sit, we introduced

a new programme for them to start to engage with their

A level subjects. I have been incredibly impressed by the

set of ideas and resources our staff have produced for the

pre-A level programme, which is also being shared with

the 43 external students joining our Sixth Form in September.

Dear alumni, former staff and friendsWelcome to the second edition of My Trinity magazine.

As I write, our Junior Year is about to start a phased return with

our Years 10 and 12 also returning in small groups over the last

two weeks of term. We are working through the complications this

creates as remote teaching still needs to continue for everyone not

in school. The phased return will enable us to test the measures

we have introduced before the school returns in September.

When this magazine reaches you, we will know the outcome of

our first Giving Day, which is being held in support of our Bursary

Fund. Bursaries make a crucial difference to our school. To the

individuals who receive them, we hope we can give them a life

changing opportunity. But the impact is even greater on all of

our students because it means that they will grow up and rub

shoulders with children from all kinds of backgrounds and we

think this can shape powerfully the kind of young person they will

be when they leave us at eighteen. Trinity has always valued this,

but the cost of a private education means we have to do more to

address the structural inequality of access to schools like ours. 

I would like to thank the hundreds of you who have already

generously supported the Bursary Fund. Our longer-term

ambition is that one in every five Trinity students will be supported

by a bursary, but the pandemic is going to impact a number of

current Trinity families economically for the foreseeable future,

so we also want to be able to support them to keep their children

at school.

I hope we will be able to resume our programme of events

for alumni over the next academic year and I look forward

to seeing many of you then.

With my best wishes

Alasdair Kennedy, Headmaster

www.trinity-school.org/alumnidirect line 020 8662 5159 03

My Trinity Magazine is published by

the Alumni and Development Team

at Trinity School

Edited by Melodie Johnson,

Head of Alumni Relations

Comments and suggestions for

content, or requests for copies of

photographs can be sent to Melodie by

email: maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk or

by post, addressed to Melodie Johnson,

Alumni Office, Trinity School, Shirley

Park Croydon CR9 7AT

contents3 My Trinity engagement

platform

4 School News

6 Joel Williams – Tenor of the Ensanche

8 Review of Events

12 School News

13 Alumni News

16 Barry MacEvoy in Malawi

18 Where in the World?

20 Trinity Gives

21 Lisa Kladitis

22 The Return of the Alumni

24 Robin Wilson, Headmaster 1972-1994

26 Destination of 2019 Leavers

28 Trip down Memory Lane

29 The Trinity Club

32 Raise your glass to Geoff Wilsher

34 In Memoriam

35 Alumni & Development Team

36 Dates for your DiaryJoin us on our social mediafacebook.com/TrinitySchoolCroydonAlumni

linkedin.com/in/trinityalumni

twitter.com/TrinitySchAlumn

instagram.com/trinityschoolalumni

Have you registered on our alumni networking site My Trinity yet? Join over 1,400 people from our Trinity

community and keep in touch with the

latest news from the School and former

students, see our forthcoming events, view

photographs and connect with your peers

and fellow alumni. Alumni can also seek and

give careers advice and search for, or offer,

mentoring opportunities, jobs and other

forms of support through our secure site.

Introducing our new Business DirectoryWe have recently launched our new

Business Directory on My Trinity, where

you can add a free listing to promote

your company to our excusive Trinity

community. People have already started

posting their businesses, including those

offering financial advice, IT support and

handmade bespoke cakes.

Why not add your company now?

How to registerIt is simple to join us on My Trinity, just sign

up using your LinkedIn or Facebook log in,

or register with your email address. You can

tailor your profile by offering as much or as

little support to others as you want.

Alumni newsMY T R I N I T Y CO M M U N I T Y O N L I N E

New Resources section on My TrinityWe have also enhanced the site with a new

Resources area, which we have started to

populate with Media; including alumni

performing in lockdown and an interview by

alumnus Alistair Kitchen, who left Trinity in

2001, with composer and film maker, Tony

Britten, who left in 1973,

Publications; where

you can find the latest

editions of the School

and Alumni magazines,

and an Obituaries

section.

These two new sections

can be accessed from

the menu.

Register now at

www.mytrinity.org.uk

Ollie ScarlesThird Year student Ollie

Scarles was selected

for the England U15

football team in

January following his

success as part of the

FA Development Squad.

He demonstrated his

excellent football skills

during a match against

Belgium in February.

04

Trinity win against MCCTrinity’s 1st XI claimed victory at our

annual fixture against the prestigious

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) last

summer. Our team bowled the best

they had all season, restricting the MCC

to 109 all out. The match culminated

in ‘Spirit of Cricket’ award winner Alex

Connaghton, who hit two enormous

sixes to win the game; our first win

against the MCC for some time.

Tayla LockSixth Form student

Tayla Lock completed

trials last summer at

the ISFA (Independent

Schools Football

Association) camp

for the U18s team.

Tayla also plays for

Crystal Palace ladies.

Lanre OlatunjiFirst Year student

Lanre Olatunji

signed for Charlton Athletic

FC academy in February.

Archie WarrenSixth Form student, Archie Warren,

represented Surrey as part of their U20

rugby squad in March. It’s a great accolade

for Archie, who was selected to play for the

U20 team despite

the fact he is only

18. He played the

full 80 minutes

against Sussex RFU

on the 1st XV pitch

at Esher.

Henry MolyneauxFourth Year student

Henry Molyneux

signed a two-year

contract with Crystal

Palace FC Academy.

Top 100Trinity has been named one of the top

100 cricket schools in the country by

The Cricketer magazine for the fifth

year running. The listing follows an

exhaustive process where all entries

are judged against an extensive set

of criteria, with all the chosen schools

having outstanding facilities, fixture

programmes and coaching.

School news

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

F O O T B A L L

H O C K E Y

Joe CottonFifth former, Joe

Cotton was named

“Player of the

Tournament” at

England Hockey’s

Futures Cup. Along

with securing this

coveted title, Joe was

also selected for the England U15 squad.

William HaspelFirst Year student

William Haspel was

named Player of the

Season for the U13

Surrey Boys Panthers

Team last year. William

was also invited to

attend a trial for the

England hockey Southern Counties

Performance Centre selections.

Three students selected for Harlequins U13 programmeSecond formers Joseph Jenkins, Conor

Maguire and Cuthbert Bashukwa were

selected for the Harlequins U13 Developing

Player Programme in February. All three boys

already make a great contribution to our

teams at Trinity and will certainly benefit

from this level of training and coaching.

C R I C K E T

R U G B Y

05www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Fifteen Rugby Team of the YearTwo Trinity

students were

voted into the

starting XV

for ‘Fifteen

Rugby Schools

Rugby Counties

XV’ in April. Alex

Connaghton was

voted into the

second row while

Chris Lipczynski

was selected at

inside centre.

Trinity Boys Choir back at Abbey RoadThe Trinity Boys Choir, currently the busiest

studio session recording children’s choir in the

UK, make regular visits to famous studios like

Abbey Road. Some projects they can excitedly

tell us about, and some they can’t yet reveal.

The Choir recorded the score by Nicholas

Britell for the Netflix film The King, starring

Timothée Chalamet, and spent a further two

days at Abbey Road recording the soundtrack

for Maleficent 2.

The Choir also recorded the song Monsters

with James Blunt for his new album Cold,

which was recorded in the Guards Chapel

at Wellington Barracks. It is a very touching

ballad, written in homage to Blunt’s father.

Five Gold Medals!Third Year student, Zain Lam, returned

to school with a suite of medals after

competing in the Surrey Swimming

Championships in March. He won five

gold medals across the 50m, 100m and

200m breast; 50m free, and 50m fly,

and he won silver in the 100m fly.

Gold and Silver for Water Polo TeamsOur U15 and U18 Water Polo teams

claimed gold and silver medals

respectively at the ESSA National

Finals. The U15 team won the national

title following a closely-fought match

at Northampton School for Boys

against Bolton, with the U18s claiming

silver in their final match, also against

Bolton, after a semi-final victory

against Alleyn’s.

Anna ESSA ChampionSixth Form

student Anna

Bradescu was

crowned ESSA

national diving

champion in

December in

the Senior Girls

diving category.

Her win also

contributed

to the London

team winning

overall.

Ross SinclairFifth Year student,

Ross Sinclair, was

selected for the

Scotland U16

Exiles Green Squad

at Murrayfield

stadium in March.

The camp involved

work on individual

development,

team organisation

and game opportunities against

Scotland U16 Blue and Scotland

U16 Red teams, giving participants

the chance to impress the national

selectors and earn a Scotland U16 cap.

Alfie VelascoUpper Sixth

student, Alfie

Velasco was

selected for

the U18 Welsh

Exiles squad last

September.

R U G B Y C O N T I N U E D

M U S I C

W A T E R S P O R T S

Student awarded Royal College of Music scholarshipSixth Form student,

Amiri Harewood,

has been awarded a

scholarship to the Royal College of Music.

Amiri is one of our most talented pianists and,

at the age of 13, became our youngest Steinway

Scholar. He has since won a number of awards,

including our annual piano competition on

three occasions and, in 2018, was named

our Trinity Musician of the Year. Amiri has

performed at prestigious venues across Europe

including Venice, Bologna and the Steinway

Hall in London. He recently gave a brilliant

performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A

minor at the newly-refurbished Fairfield Halls.

Students mark Holocaust Memorial DayOur Lo Quartet performed at a service

on Holocaust Memorial Day in January

at the Council Chamber at Croydon

Town Hall, which was attended by the

Mayor of Croydon, local faith leaders,

Councillors and other local schools.

06

We speak to rising star, Joel Williams

JOEL WILLIAMS Tenor of the Ensanche

Joel Williams left Trinity School in 2010 having attained A levels in English, History and

Religious Studies, but his passion has always been his music. Whilst at Trinity, Joel was

a chorister in the Trinity Boys Choir, played the cello, clarinet and piano, and was awarded

Trinity School’s Music Prize for Singing. Joel was also leader of the concert band and

through all this, he managed to fulfil his duties as Deputy Head Boy.

Joel said: "I feel incredibly lucky to have

spent seven years at Trinity. It is with

the music department that many of

my happiest memories were formed.

The opportunities under the helmsmanship

of David Swinson were astonishing. Within

the relatively short life-span of a boy treble,

I ended up on many of Europe's greatest

stages and sang with many of the world's

greatest conductors. Of course, at the time

I was mostly excited about races through

the frozen streets of Venice and the

smoothie selection in the Royal Opera

House canteen. Alongside races run and

smoothies drunk, I was exposed to art of

indescribable beauty, passion, and love,

and was piloted through this world by

teachers for whose patience, knowledge

and humanity I will be forever grateful."

Joel went on to read History at King’s

College, Cambridge, where he was an

academic and choral scholar, singing

in the world famous choir in their

international broadcasts, and singing solos

in the National Centre for Performing Arts

in Beijing, the Royal Albert Hall and the

Sydney Opera House, reaching combined

audiences of many millions. He then

gained a post graduate place at the Royal

College of Music Opera Studio, where he

studied for five years. He was awarded

a Kiri te Kanawa Scholarship, following

a rigorous audition process, attended by

Dame Kiri herself. Whilst still a student

at the RCM, Joel built up his solo career as

a tenor, performing in Adriana Lecouvreur

under Valery Gergiev in Verbier and with

the LPO and Vladamir Jurowski.

Described by Opera Magazine as a singer

"with flair, his tenor simultaneously

caressing and resilient", Joel is now a

member of the Centre de Perfeccionament

Palau de les Arts in Valencia. Joel is

the recipient of an Independent Opera

Fellowship which is awarded annually to

talented singers in the early stages of their

professional operatic careers. His studies

up to this point have been generously

supported by many charitable bodies

which he lists fully at tenorjoelwilliams.com.

On stage, Joel, aged 28, has already

played a multitude of roles and made

debuts for major companies including

Basilio in Nozze di Figaro at the Palau

de les Arts Reina Sofia, Facio in Fantasio

at Garsington, Le Ruisseau in Les Fêtes

D'Hébé at Bastille, Opéra de Paris, Don

Ottavio in Don Giovanni at Holland Park,

Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream,

Count Belfiore in La Finta Giardiniera, Hexe

in Hänsel und Gretel at the Royal College

of Music International Opera Studio,

Odoardo in Ariodante at the London

Handel Festival, Oronte in Alcina at the

Ryedale Festival Opera, and he also created

the role of Captain Vere for the Royal

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

We are hugely proud of his achievements and it is an inspiration for our young singers to see one of our own doing so well.David Swinson, Director of Music at Trinity

© Ben Ealovega

07

Opera House's Learning and Participation

reduced version of Billy Budd.

Joel arrived in Valencia with only a

smattering of Spanish, and was thrown

into rehearsals on his induction day

for a production of Nozze di Figaro for

a main house production. Rehearsals

were almost entirely in Spanish.

"I was so fortunate and grateful that I had

already performed the role of Basilio under

the direction of Sir Thomas Allen, and

thanks to the international language of

gesticulating I ended up standing roughly

in the right part of the stage at roughly

the right time", Joel said. Mauricio Villa

from Operawire was impressed "I have

to mention Joel Williams as Basilio... this

young tenor created a humorous creation

and, above all, his voice was projected

wonderfully."

Joel was singing in Rossini's Viaggio a

Reims at the Palau in Valencia when the

Covid-19 outbreak took hold (rehearsals

this time were almost entirely in Italian),

so when the country went into lock-

down, Joel had to resort to singing at

home and taking online classes with his

teacher, which "works surprisingly well,

and I am enjoying this time to focus

on my technique, but I feel bad for my

neighbours when I practice vocal

exercises without any tunes!"

It was actually one of his neighbours who

suggested Joel perform for the street after

the nightly applause for health workers at

8pm. "I had seen other people entertaining

their local community in Italy, so I thought,

why not? I go out onto my balcony to pay

tribute to our wonderful health workers

with others in our street, and when the

applause stops, I sing. I've performed

almost every night for two months".

Joel’s neighbours came to know what was

coming and waited in anticipation on their

balconies to listen to him. With his ipad

and small speaker to accompany him, Joel

became the Tenor of the Ensanche. Singing

in his unmistakable and powerful voice,

Joel delighted his audience with favourites

such as Brindisi, Nessun Dorma, and

La Donna È Mobile. When David Swinson,

our Director of Music, came across one of

Joel's videos, we posted it on our social

media, and Joel went ‘viral’. Many people

shared the videos via their social media

and mobile phones during Covid-19 as

a way of connecting with others and

Joel’s videos became firm favourites.

He has been interviewed (in Spanish)

and performed on Spanish television

channel A3TV and has been played

on ITN in Britain, reaching millions of

viewers with his balcony performances.

David Swinson said of Joel: “It’s 10

years since Joel left Trinity but, of course,

I remember him well. His highlights as a

treble included a solo with Paul McCreesh

at the Gabrieli Consort in Madrid and taking

the role of Cobweb in A Midsummer Night’s

Dream at La Monnaie, Brussels.

www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Xxxxxxx

Music is such a powerful force to unite and inspire us. Now, we need it more than ever.

We are sure to see more of Joel as

a young and upcoming opera singer,

so watch this space - for updates,

follow him @TenorJoel on Facebook and

Instagram and tenorjoelwilliams.com.

If you have not already heard Joel sing,

log in to our My Trinity alumni

engagement platform at

www.mytrinity.org.uk where you

can see one of his performances

from his balcony.

He was an excellent and charismatic

Cobweb and it doesn’t surprise me at all

that he is doing so well as an operatic tenor.

We’ve kept in touch, partly because he has

sung alongside current Trinity boys, both at

the Royal College of Music and at Garsington

Opera, and also on a tour to Italy. We are

hugely proud of his achievements and it is

an inspiration for our young singers to see

one of our own doing so well.”

For Joel’s neighbours, his performances

were awaited with enthusiasm. One of his

neighbours wrote to him saying, "I wanted

to thank you from me and on behalf

of my 8-month pregnant wife for your

encouraging music every day. In these

difficult days, going out on the balcony to

clap and to listen to your awesome voice is

like having an oxygen balloon that makes

us forget all the bad things for a while".

Joel says he is "So happy to do my small

bit for the community around here and

the people who see recordings. These are

difficult times when we need the human

connection and community denied to us

by quarantine. Music is such a powerful

force to unite and inspire us. Now, we

need it more than ever."

Joel as Basilio in Nozze d Figaro - © Chris Christodoulou Joel as Odoardo in Ariodante - © Chris Christodoulou

Click here

08

Afternoon of SportMembers of the Trinity community came together at the beginning of this

academic year for our annual Afternoon of Sport where our alumni challenged

our current students and staff in hotly-contested rugby, hockey, netball,

football and water polo matches.

Over 300 alumni, parents, students and staff joined us for a fun-filled day for

all the family. Our tennis, squash and badminton courts were open for people

wanting to play; we had a bouncy castle on offer for younger children, and all

our guests enjoyed a delicious BBQ.

Review of events

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

We were delighted to host Trinity

RFC’s 1st XV as they took on the

mighty Purley John Fisher’s 1st

XV in their first warm-up game of

the season. We witnessed a great

performance by Trinity RFC in an

exciting match which culminated

in a win for Trinity RFC.

Celebrity Organ RecitalWe hosted a special event in September to celebrate the installation

of our Wyvern Organ in Trinity Concert Hall. The best seats were

occupied by our supporters, who so generously donated to our

Organ Fund; enabling us to bring organ music back to School.

Internationally renowned organist, David Briggs gave an electrifying

performance on the night, demonstrating what this magnificent

instrument is capable of.

David’s playing was incredible; with enthralling and masterful

performances of Bach, Gustav Mahler, and Widor, followed by

a memorable performance of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which

had the whole audience humming and toe tapping.

The second half of the evening included a captivating improvisation

by David to the Charlie Chaplain film The Immigrant. The organ was

dedicated by the Reverend Canon Dr Andrew Bishop, Chaplain to the

Whitgift Foundation, and guests were treated to a thrilling finale of

Hubert Parry’s I Was Glad, accompanied by a massed choir of alumni,

parents, students and staff. Fabulous!

09

Reception for our SupportersWe were delighted to welcome alumni,

parents and friends of the School to our

Reception for Supporters of the Trinity

Bursary Fund in November. The room

was buzzing with energetic and lively

conversation as we thanked members of

the Trinity community for their generous

donations to our Bursary Fund.

2015 leaver and bursary recipient, Lisa

Kladitis, gave a moving speech about her

journey from her local state school to

Trinity, and then on to Oxford, where

she graduated with a First in History.

You can read more about Lisa on page 21.

www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Edinburgh ReunionIn November, David Young, our Director

of Development, hosted drinks for alumni

based in and around Edinburgh.

“Thanks for a great evening David.

It was lovely to meet you all!”

Spencer Collingwood, Alumnus, left 1986

Can you help with a venue for networking?

We would love to hear from you if you are prepared to

host one of our networking events, whether it be a drinks

reception, working lunch or breakfast at your place of work

or a venue you are associated with. Please get in touch with

Melodie by email maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk if you are

able to help.

10

Battle of the BluesWe arranged for a group of our most ardent rugby

fans to join us at Twickenham Stadium for the

Varsity Match, with George Chuter (Mid Whitgiftians,

Saracens, Leicester, England and, most importantly,

Trinity, 1994), as our guest of honour.

The Alumni Team provided hospitality in the Rose

Room before and after the match as part of the

Varsity Gathering – a space reserved for

university college supporters and teams.

Thanks to a combination of links to senior

members of the OURFC and sheer effrontery,

Trinity School has a standing invitation as

the only non-Oxbridge group in attendance.

The Trinity party had lots of time to

reminisce about past and present rugby

glories – not least when an Old Whitgiftian

who was there as part of his university

college party was attracted to our banner

and, having confessed that he was part

of the 1977 Whitgift XV, which was the

first ever to lose to Trinity, was promptly

introduced to Laurie King and Nick Woodman

who were part of that victorious Trinity team!

Oh, and the matches? Cambridge won both men's

and women's games. Oxford will be seeking revenge

this December. We hope the match will go ahead and

that we will be able to attend with alumni again.

Christmas Jazz eveningOur jazz enthusiasts were blown away by

the quality of our students’ performances

at our annual Christmas Jazz evening in

December, which had to be rescheduled

at very short notice due to a clash with

the general election.

There were so many fantastic

performances, including from The Jazz

Collective, comprising Sixth Form students

Will Hardy, Ben Peck and Luca Wade,

accompanied by singer Alex Persinaru.

During the evening, Ben Peck played

a gold-plated Selmer Radio Improved alto

saxophone from 1935. The saxophone,

donated to the School by alumnus Bob

Beere, who left in 1958, is one of only 2,000

made. Bob and his wife Tricia drove up from

Devon to hear Ben put it through its paces

and they were thrilled to hear it being

played so professionally.

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

CANCELLATION OF EVENTSWe were looking forward to the Founder’s Day Supper, Class of 2015 Reunion,

City Careers networking event at KWM, hosted by Trinity alumnus Darren Roiser,

our Evensong at Bath Abbey, our Trinity Golf Day, Milestone Reunions and, lastly,

our Afternoon of Sport at the start of the autumn term, but due to social distancing

measures, we had to cancel the rest of our alumni events for this academic year.

We have delayed our programme of events until late autumn, but are currently

working on ideas for virtual events we hope you will enjoy.

Review of events

11

New York ReunionDavid Young flew over to New York in February

to meet with alumni and organized a reunion

for ex-pats over there at The Shakespeare Pub,

which was really well received.

“The first Trinity School alumni reunion

get together in NYC. Great to catch up with

everyone. Well organised by David Young.”

Richard Sexton MBE, Alumnus, left 1988

Christmas DrinksOver 100 U25s enjoyed Christmas drinks at our Sports Pavilion after

term finished in December. Thankfully, the music provided by Nathan,

the youngest member of our team, outplayed the racket made by the

fire alarm we managed to set off in the kitchen at the start of the event.

It was an evening full of fun and laughter, with lots of hugs and ‘hi-fives’

in abundance as our young alumni gathered to eat, drink, socialise and

upload photos and videos of the event to their social media.

www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Ladies who lunchMuriel Stocker, the widow of Brian,

who left Trinity in 1952, and her sister

Pamela joined Melodie and Donna for

lunch at Chapter 1 in February. It was

a wonderful opportunity to meet up,

share memories and talk about our

outreach to alumni and their families.

London DrinksIt was great to meet up with alumni

and parents for an evening of lively

conversation at The Yorkshire Grey

in London in February. The reception

enabled those attending a chance to

enjoy mini reunions, network with

others, and, for our younger alumni,

to seek careers advice.

12 www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

D R A M A

It was inevitable that the students would

miss the vast number of extra-curricular

activities available to them at school,

but staff and students have risen to the

challenge by enriching their lives and

others in many different ways. 

There are so many initiatives to mention,

but they include the launch of our Blue Cube

Gallery by the Art Department where staff

and students can share the art they produce

during lockdown, our Head of Drama is

working on a production ‘Shakespeare in

Pieces’, which will comprise a compilation of

individually recorded parts from the bard’s

plays, and groups of musicians have created

memorable performances on video together.

Spanish cooking has seen 40 students (and

their families) each week joining our Head of

Spanish in his kitchen over Friday lunchtime.

Foundation schools and care homes have

really come together. Volunteers from the

Rave reviews for JosephThe School’s production of Joseph and

the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

was met with rave reviews following

a sell-out in December.

With a cast, orchestra and stage

crew of 80 students, this firm musical

favourite was a spectacular show.

Featuring an original technicolour coat,

designed and made by staff member

and alumnus Will Coma; a complex set;

live music, directed by Head of Music,

Richard Holdsworth, and innovative

stage direction, led by Head of Drama

Productions Chris Chambers, it was

thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Paul Johnson, editor of "Sardines",

a leading theatre magazine, gave

the production five stars, saying “…

for sheer bravery, team spirit, ambition,

enjoyment, audience reception,

commitment, attitude and downright

entertainment, I cannot fault Trinity

Drama Productions’ latest show

in Croydon”.

Paul praised individual student

performances, stating that “it’s

a statistical certainty that one or

two will end up in the West End”.

Fifth formers get a taste of A levelsDesigned to keep young brains engaged, and in the absence of formal examinations,

our Fifth Form students have benefited from exciting and enriching opportunities

to enjoy intellectually stimulating work to give them a taste of what it is like to

study A levels at Trinity.

School newsTrinity in Top 50The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools

Guide 2020 has ranked Trinity School in

the Top 50 independent secondary schools

in the UK for the fourth year running.

Extra-Curricular Activities during lockdown

Staff provide PPE to NHSOur DT staff have been producing protective visors

using our 3D printers and laser cutters to supply to

local care homes and GP surgeries, as well as local

hospitals with much-needed PPE. Other members

of the staff community are contributing to the

nationwide ‘Sew for the NHS’ initiative, working

with local groups and sewing shops to create scrubs,

hats and face masks for medical staff, with patterns

and instructions being shared via our Intranet.

Photo: Senior Partner of Forge Close Surgery in

Hayes, Dr Sarah Young, will be sharing the kits

we supplied with the local midwifery team who

have been running critically short of PPE.

schools have been driving care home staff

to and from their shifts to save them having

to use public transport, DT departments

have been providing PPE for care worker

staff, and students have been supporting the

residents with cards and letters. I don’t think

the three schools have worked together

so closely before.

Alasdair Kennedy, Headmaster

Jasper Bew, son of a key worker, plays his part in

Trinity guitar group, The Axemen from the school library.

Click here

13

Alumni news

Simon White, FRSB1977 leaver, Simon White, has

been elected to Fellow of the Royal

Society of Biologists. Simon is Chair

of EFPIA (European Federation of

Pharmaceutical Industries and

Associations) Supply Chain Working

Group and a Director at Pfizer. Any

thoughts about ‘winding down’

have been put on hold as it is ‘all

hands on deck’ to supply hospitals

worldwide during the current crisis.

Simon said: “I thought the School

would like to know as it all started

with A-level Biology.”

Simon’s FRSB certificate is dated

the 1st April, but he assures us

it is genuine!

Imani’s GB Team raise funds for NHSAlumna Imani-Lara

Lansiquot, who left in

2016, participated in the

#DontRushChallenge

fundraiser for the NHS

with her fellow members

of GB’s 4x100m women’s

relay team. The girls

recorded a fun video

of the team in lockdown.

www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Harry Petty appears on ITV2015 leaver and English Teacher at Trinity,

Harry Petty, performed his self-penned

lockdown poem ‘Another Day’, which

was broadcast on ITV news.

Organ Scholarship for Luke2017 leaver, Luke Saint, who graduated

this summer from Royal Holloway,

University of London, has been awarded

an Organ Scholarship at Guildford

Cathedral where he will be working

alongside Cathedral Organist Katherine

Dienes-Williams and Sub Organist

Richard Moore.

It is a fantastic opportunity for Luke who

is really looking forward to joining them

in September.

Engineering Scholarship for Niamh2019 leaver, Niamh Singleton,

has secured a Quest undergraduate

scholarship with the Institute of

Civil Engineering (ICE), sponsored by

construction group Taylor Woodrow,

part of Vinci Construction UK.

Niamh will study at a leading UK

university, while gaining valuable work

experience. With the added benefit

of financial support, mentoring and

networking opportunities, VINCI say

that the sponsorship route is taken

by “many of our rising stars”.

LOCKDOWN FUNLondon Quartet’s parody

Trinity alumnus, Mark

Fleming, performed

a parody of Fat Larry’s

Zoom with his fellow

members of Cantabile

– The London Quartet

during lockdown using

the video conferencing

app of the same name.

Mark and the rest of

the group got together

to give a wonderful

recital with a great play

on the original lyrics.

14 www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

PhD beckons for Tom WoodThomas Wood is starting a PhD in Genetics and Development at Columbia University this

autumn. Tom, who left Trinity in 2016, has just completed studying Genetics at Rutgers

University in New Jersey, USA and is looking forward to starting his PhD in New York City.

Columbia University is an Ivy League research university, founded in 1754 by royal charter

of King George II. Based in Manhattan, the University is the oldest institution of higher

education in New York and the fifth-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

We asked Tom to tell us about his course at Rutgers and the focus of his PhD:

“A highlight of my course at Rutgers was the level of interaction you get to have with

your professors. The class sizes in the upper level classes are small and allow for seminar

style lectures where you can build relationships with the faculty. This interaction is

fantastic, as all Genetics majors are also required to join a research lab and conduct

their own independent research project to complete the degree.

I joined the Nakamura Lab two and a half years ago and this experience has allowed

me to develop professionally in ways that would not be possible with a lecture-based

course. We conduct research into the genetic mechanisms underlying the fish to

tetrapod transition, with my focus being on bone formation and neck development.

In the lab, I have managed to publish a first-author paper on the subject, as well as

use an integrative approach of functional gene knockout via CRISPR-cas9, CT scanning

and live cell fate tracking to show the role certain genes play in the evolution of the

neck and differentiating bone fates. Such genetic understanding can have important

implications for developing therapies for numerous bone diseases further down the road.

PhD programs in the life sciences in America tend to allow students to rotate between

labs in their first year to find the lab that is the perfect fit of research interests and

personality. However, I know that there are lots of fantastic labs at Columbia investigating

areas such as hematopoietic stem cells, heart development and how bone can function

as an endocrine organ. Any of these areas (and many more) would be amazing to

work in so I can't wait to get started and see what I like!”

Tom’s education at Trinity laid the path to his

further education: “My time at Trinity was shaped

by some fantastic members of staff such as

Mrs Anderson and Mr Johnson who went above

and beyond to inspire me in their subject. I am also

particularly grateful for the career support that was

provided, as I would not have been able to navigate

both UCAS and American University applications

without the help of Mrs Highmore. In short,

I would not have been able to be successful

in America without Trinity helping me get there.”

My time at Trinity was shaped by some fantastic members of staff such as Mrs Anderson and Mr Johnson who went above and beyond to inspire me in their subject.

Tom with 2003 leaver and former Head Boy,

Ben Shorten at the New York Drinks in February

Trinity alumnus selected to attend One Young World Summit2012 leaver, Francis Beechinor-Collins,

was selected to attend the One

Young World Summit 2019 by his law

firm, Clifford Chance, whilst he was

training to be a solicitor. Francis is

now an Associate at this prestigious

law firm, working in the Project

Finance team at their Frankfurt office.

The Summit acts as a forum for young

people from over 190 countries,

allowing them to come together

to accelerate the resolution of the

world’s biggest threats, such as

climate change and extreme poverty.

Francis said: “This was an excellent

opportunity to represent my law

firm, as well as network with young

people working for large companies,

NGOs and charities. I came away

inspired to take action against the

global threats we face. Being in

a Q&A session with someone like

Muhammad Yunus, who forged

the idea of microfinance, suddenly

made solving big problems far more

tangible and realistic. I left feeling

that helping to stop climate change

or alleviate poverty is something

I could actually do, rather than

just aspire to do.”

Tom outside Rutgers

15www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Alex Willis2018 leaver Alex Willis started a 4-year

apprenticeship in Farriery with Nigel Brown

in Abergavenny after completing a pre-

farrier course at Warwickshire College, where

he gained three distinctions and a merit.

Alex got the bug for farriery after completing

a blacksmithing taster course, then going on

work experience with various farriers.

Alex says, “I’m really enjoying myself and have been able to work all through lockdown - horses’ feet don’t stop growing! I’d like to thank the school for its support in my career choice, particularly Mrs Highmore and Mr Price for their help and encouragement”.

Oscar SteeleOscar, who left Trinity in 2019, has secured

an apprenticeship in the asset management

division of global investment company

First State Investments.

The journey to securing the position at First

State certainly wasn’t straightforward, but

Oscar’s perseverance and determination paid

off in the end. Oscar said: “Going through various interviews and assessment days was initially very difficult and something that required a lot of practice ... The main thing I learned is that preparation is key and will give you confidence throughout the process”.

George RailtonGeorge, who left in 2018, started a degree

apprenticeship with Commerzbank the

September after leaving school.

George said: “I’ve always wanted to work in finance and when I saw the opportunity at Commerzbank, I realised I could do something I enjoy whilst studying for a degree without getting into debt. I’m proactive and wanted to take on a role where I could make a difference and learn

invaluable work skills, so it was a perfect fit”.

George attended our Higher Education

week last summer to share his experiences

with our Lower Sixth students. George’s

degree apprenticeship is partnered with the

European College of Business Management

(ECBM) and the degree is sponsored by

the University of South Wales.

Dukinfield Darbishire Scholarship for KieranThe Headmaster was delighted to receive

a letter from Somerville College, Oxford,

announcing that 2018 leaver, Kieran Moore,

had been awarded a Dukinfield Darbishire

Scholarship and College Prize.

The award was granted to Kieran in

recognition of achieving a distinction

in his first-year exams. The college said:

“Somerville will always be pleased to

welcome entrants from Trinity School, and

we hope that Kieran’s success here will be

an encouragement to other applicants.”

Alumnus secures prestigious scholarship

Alumni choosing Apprenticeships over universityMany school leavers are looking at apprenticeships as an alternative to university and the number of degree apprenticeships on offer is on the rise, as are the industries where they are offered. However, the sheer number of candidates applying means applicants need to work very hard to get noticed.

Here are three Trinity students who have been successful in their endeavours:

Alumna awardedGold D of E Award2018 leaver and former Head Girl, Deesha Ganguli, was presented with her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award at Buckingham Palace last summer. Deesha said “I thoroughly enjoyed completing my Gold award and learnt so much whilst doing it!”

Oscar with proud parents Nina and Simon

(Simon is also an alumnus, leaving in 1981)

16

Barry MacEvoy in Malawi

“I flew to Blantyre in Malawi and was

greeted by our local outreach contacts and

a gaggle of our (rather tired) Sixth-Formers

and (similarly tired) teachers. Students and

teachers stay at “Fisherman’s Rest”, a lodge

set up to support community projects.

Our contribution is set into the context

of Hope 4 Malawi, a charity dedicated

to bringing food, water, education and

sanitation to the south of the country.

I have travelled widely in sub-Saharan Africa

over the years and I own land in a poor, rural

part of India. I had thought I had seen, and

understood, poverty. I did not. In the absence

of electricity, gas, heavy oil and petrol, the

population has deforested large swathes

of the country to create fuel for cooking,

heating, brick-burning and tobacco curing.

To come from a country where we have the

luxury of being able to travel and then talk

about offsetting the effects of that travel

by planting trees, to one where the people

would have starved had they not cut the

trees down, is quite a jolt. This deforestation

has brought, inevitably, problems with

soil erosion and the landscape has been

ravaged in places.

In the south of the country, there are some

twenty-five primary schools but only a

handful of secondary schools. The reason is

that, most children leave school at the age of

12 and go into subsistence farming. Around

20-30% of children don’t even make it to the

end of primary school. When these children

finish their education, they work with their

families, in unforgiving conditions, growing

staple crops such as maize. At the end of the

year, it is often the case that imported food

is cheaper than what they can produce at

home. In purely economic terms, the people

are working … for nothing.

Class sizes can be anywhere between 10 to

well over 100. A classroom scene typically

consists of a large room, unbearably hot,

with one window and the children sitting

in the half-dark on soil, among puddles of

water. Conditions are deeply unsanitary and

toilets – if they exist – are shocking. Books

are virtually non-existent and teachers use

chalk and blackboards. Even chalk is scarce

and many of the teachers themselves have

left education before the age of 18.

Trinity School has carried out a great

deal of work at one particular school in

Chipwepwete, where we’ve helped to

build new classroom blocks that seat 30

children, at desks, in a clean and well-lit

environment. We take books with us each

year. People have been taught how to make

their own lightweight concrete blocks and

timber trusses. UN agencies have helped

by drilling boreholes, as river water is

often dirty and contaminated. We provide

vitamin-enriched maize to each child, which

costs £12 per child per year. Without that

food, many children will go hungry until the

evening, making school attendance almost

pointless because they are exhausted and

undernourished.

On one particularly fierce day, when the

temperature in the shade was around 30

degrees, I was driven to a distant school.

This meant 30-odd minutes down a dirt-

track in a 4x4, during which I wondered

if my teeth were going to fall out. There

was no town as such, but people scattered

around the hills thereabouts sent the

children down every morning and the

We provide vitamin-enriched maize to each child, which costs £12 per child per year

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Governor and Alumnus Barry MacEvoy talks about his visit to our partner school in Malawi. Barry wanted to get a sense of why we, as a School, are involved, how the money we raise is spent, and if our students, when visiting, truly benefit from the experience.Here is an account from Barry about his trip:

Barry left Trinity in 1990 and read Physics at Balliol College, Oxford. After completing a PhD in Particle Physics, he spent 17 years working on the Large Hadron Collider project at CERN and teaching at Imperial College London. Simultaneously, Barry built up a now sizeable business acquiring, managing and developing residential and commercial freehold property in the South-East. Barry is a Governor on Trinity School’s Committee.

The programme plays to everything we should like our young men and women to be; outward-looking, kind, polite, sensitive, ambitious for themselves and others and resilient.

17www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

school had been positioned roughly in the

centre-of-gravity of the local population.

Our outreach partner explained that the

program wanted to update the school

because it was shockingly dangerous.

He was not wrong. To do so would mean

levelling an adjacent plot to build on.

As I turned to look at it, what with

construction being one of my core

businesses, I immediately thought that

a 17-tonne excavator, 8-tonne dumper

and 2 competent operators would make

a nice job of it in one week and a perfect

job in two. But there is little in the way

of machinery and even if there were,

transporting it to site is not easy. Much of

the work must be done by local people by

hand, when they are preoccupied with the

more pressing issue of earning enough to

live. When I picked up a mattock and struck

it against the soil, it didn’t leave a mark.

The ground may as well have been iron.

Despite the dreadful poverty, people were

warm and gentle and I didn’t at any time

feel unsafe. I was waiting for the hassle

to start, but it never did. This was in stark

contrast to a number of the other countries

I’ve travelled through over the years.

What with a lot of travel and, I suppose,

culture shock, I was by this stage dishevelled

and discombobulated. It was perhaps

therefore unfortunate that, I was thrust

with no warning in front of an audience

of several hundred children and teachers

“to say a few words”.

I was not prepared, so all I could do was

come out with what was in my head.

I said that the country was beautiful, but

we could see the people were struggling

and we wanted to help. That education

Trinity School’s Malawi Project supports local charity Hope4Malawi through fundraising and volunteering for our partnership school in Chipwepwete. Founded by Trinity parents Sara and Mark Goodman, the charity helps schools and orphanages in Malawi provide a better life for the children in their care. Our school community has raised over £100,000 since the project began and since the start of our collaboration, 116 Trinity students and staff have volunteered in Malawi; teaching the children and helping with building projects.

Maize arrives to feed the children.

L-R: Nick Denman, Stephanie Justin, Hannah Carey,

Barry MacEvoy and Lucy Charlton.

Staff and students gather outside the school.

was their future. That in return, they had

given something back to us. They made us

re-examine our own lives in the UK and we

would not forget their kindness, hospitality

and fortitude. This seemed to go down well,

although my thoughts at that stage had

not really crystallized.

The programme plays to everything we

should like our young men and women to

be; outward-looking, kind, polite, sensitive,

ambitious for themselves and others and

resilient. It is almost a “finishing school” for

the students who have been lucky enough

to join the team in Malawi over the last six

or seven years. Digging trenches and fixing

boreholes beneath an unforgiving sun,

teaching in desperate conditions and seeing

that life is not all skiing holidays and nice

dinners is, we hope, life-changing for them.

It’s not for the faint-hearted and it’s

certainly no holiday.”

18

Chris O’ConnorVictoria, BC, Canada1987Chris joined the Foreign Office in 2003 and enjoyed postings in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Lebanon, Tunisia and the USA. He was awarded an OBE whilst UK Ambassador to Tunisia where he oversaw the UK’s response to the first of the “Arab Spring” revolutions that shook the region. Chris now works freelance from Canada, developing innovative approaches to addressing insecurity and conflict in the Middle East.

Basit SheikhOrange County, CA, USA1986 Basit is Vice-President of Emerging Technology at Capital Group, an asset management firm based in Southern California. In his role, he drives research into new technology trends including AI and Cognitive Computing as well as incubating the firm’s FinTech and Blockchain domains.

Richard SextonNYC, USA1988Trinity Ambassador for USA Richard is the CEO of Office Concierge which helps companies navigate their office leasing options. He is also the Founder of Captain’s Knock, which creates inspiring public and private events that champion sports and expat communities. Richard was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to British and Commonwealth charities in New York.

Ross AngelPadova, Italy1978Ross is a crystallographer whose research has taken him around the world. After a PhD at Cambridge, Ross worked in New York, Washington, University College London, Bayreuth in Germany, and Virginia Tech in the USA before he moved to Italy. He is now in Padova at the National Research Council.

Indy KlerAmsterdam, Netherlands 1988Former Head Boy, Indy, is Regional Sales Manager (UK & Scandinavia) for Silicon Refractory Anchoring Solutions - a world leader in the manufacture of refractory anchoring systems for multiple building industries.

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Where in the World?Our alumni network reaches across the globe. Here are some snapshots of some of our alumni from around the World.

Haroon NiaziDubai, UEA 2000 (Class of 2002)Haroon is a Partner (Head of Middle East) for HKA, a global Construction Claims and Consulting firm, and is based in Dubai. Haroon holds dual qualifications in law and construction and previously worked as a barrister in London before moving to the Middle East 10 years ago. Haroon has been instructed on various construction disputes and is a testifying expert witness.

Lali WiratungaSydney, NSW 1993 Trinity Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Lali, a former lawyer and management consultant, is now National Manager of Westpac’s Davidson Institute, in Sydney. Lali volunteers on the board of community organisation TAD, and serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of UNSW Business School.  He advocates for financial wellbeing, innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2016, Lali was recognised for helping in the community by Pro Bono Australia's Impact 25.

Jason TomsHong Kong 1986

Jason is a Commercial and Maritime litigation solicitor and Partner at Reed Smith LLP. He is experienced

in dealing with dry and wet shipping claims and

investigating maritime accidents. Jason acted for the estate Administrators in Hong Kong's highest value contested probate proceedings and in proceedings resulting in Hong Kong's largest ever divorce settlement.

Simon White, FRSBTours, France 1977Simon is Chair of EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) Supply Chain Working Group and a Director at Pfizer. He has recently been elected to Fellow of the Royal Society of Biologists.

19www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Percentage of Alumni outside the UK

23%

20%

40%

14%

2%

1%

AU ST R A L A S I A

E U R O P E

A S I A

A F R I C A

N O RT H A M E R I C A

S O U T H A M E R I C A

20 www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Trinity GivesYoung alumni raise over £120,000 for bursaries

Why do we need to raise money for bursaries?

We held our first telephone fundraising

last summer, with 12 young alumni

ambassadors contacting over 500 Trinity

parents, alumni and other supporters

of the School to talk to them about

the Trinity Bursary Fund.

These incredible students raised gifts

and pledges amounting to £120,475;

surpassing all our campaign targets.

Holly Bishop and Oscar Lally (both

Trinity leavers from 2015) were joined

by Callum de Freitas and Pearce Jennings

(2016) , Jack Grainge, Robert Good,

Joseph Francis, Harry Jackson Priya Patel

and Yunus Skeete (2017) and James

Hammond and Munaiza Hoq (2018)

in the call centre set up in our library.

Their teamwork and sense of fun was

really remarkable during a fortnight

of cheerful and enjoyable telephone

conversations.

Support came from every quarter,

with parents and alumni alike signalling

their approval of our drive to increase

the number of bursaries we can offer

at Trinity. Our thanks go to all our

donors for their generous support and

encouragement for the campaign.

We want Trinity to remain within reach

of any child who would thrive here, not

only for the difference it will make to

them, but also for the way it shapes

our school experience and values of

our whole community.

Less than 20 years ago, schools like ours

received massive funding from central

government and local authorities to fund

scholarships and bursaries, ensuring

talented students from poorer families

aspiring to come to Trinity did not have to

pay school fees. The last of this funding was

withdrawn in 2004. Trinity is more fortunate

than most because the John Whitgift

Foundation endows around £1.9 million

p.a. to be spent solely on bursaries to

support children from low income

families, but there is a need for more.

We are aware of many talented children at

local primary schools who would thrive at

Trinity if they are given the chance of a place.

We aim to make our entrance examinations

almost unteachable, ensuring those families

with money to coach their children do not

gain advantage over poorer pupils with

greater potential. However, we still have to

turn away bright children because of their

inability to pay.

The exponential growth in demand for

bursaries at Trinity is fuelled by the failure

of local state secondary schools to meet the

needs of their brightest pupils. Sadly, levels

of attainment in A-level exams in Croydon

are 62% below the national average.

Our ambition is to increase the

percentage of students who currently

receive bursary support from 17% to 20%.

One in Five.

As we go to press, we are about

to embark on our first ever Giving Day,

on Thursday 18th June.

In addition to supporting Headmaster

Al Kennedy’s One in Five bursary funding

goal, the Covid-19 outbreak has introduced

a new challenge for us with many Trinity

families affected by bereavement or

financially through illness, unemployment

and business failure. So, while raising funds

Trinity Giving Day

to open our doors ever wider, Trinity's

first Giving Day will also be used to

help those who are already part of the

Trinity community, providing temporary

bursary support for families who might

otherwise have to withdraw their

children from school.

Why not visit the Giving Day website

at www.TrinityGives.org.uk to see

how we got on!

21www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

We were delighted when she agreed to

speak at our Reception for Supporters

of the Bursary Fund last November

about her journey from local state

school to Trinity and then on to read

History at St Catherine’s College,

Oxford, where she graduated with

a 1st Class Honours degree.

Lisa said: “I still vividly remember the

excitement of finding out I had been

accepted at Trinity after a challenging

interview and examination process.

However, after this initial excitement,

there was an agonising wait. Coming from

a single-parent household, there was no

way that my mother could afford to pay

the school fees. While I had been told I

was academically good enough to attend,

my mother was careful to manage my

expectations and I knew that without

a generous bursary I would have to turn

down my place. Our happiness and

excitement when we found out that

I would receive a bursary and was able

to come to Trinity is hard to describe.

I am unbelievably grateful to donors who

made this possible, as well as the staff

and students who made my time at Trinity

so life changing. I am so pleased that the

opportunities I enjoyed are now being

given to more students like me.”

When talking about the difference

between her previous School

and Trinity, Lisa said:

“The change from my previous

school was disorientating; I

vividly remember comments

on one of my first essays

asking what subject

I was planning on reading

at university. Had I

considered Oxbridge?

I was encouraged to

read beyond the A Level

syllabus. Whereas before

I had been allowed to

coast, I was suddenly

being given extra work

and I engaged with my

Alumna Lisa Kladitis talks about being awarded a bursary2015 leaver and former Head Girl, Lisa Kladitis joined the Sixth Form in 2013. She moved schools because she was concerned she would not realise her full potential at A level and recognized she would be more challenged academically at Trinity. Having attended the Sixth Form Open Evening, she was certain where she wanted to study and applied.

Encouraging me to achieve the best I possibly could in everything I attempted has had a profound impact on my approach to all aspects of my life...

subjects in ways I never had before.

Perhaps most startling was the other

students. Previously, my desire to do well

academically had made me an outlier,

and often an object of gentle ridicule.

I was suddenly in an environment where

a desire to achieve the best possible

results - academically and otherwise -

was the norm for all students. Rather than

being embarrassed because I had actually

bothered to complete the homework set,

I was now surrounded by students who

also had a passion for learning.”

Lisa confessed she was a “painfully”

average sportswoman. She played netball

from young age, but she had never taken it

seriously. At Trinity, she had the opportunity

to develop her skills and be coached in

a way she had never been before. She

improved significantly and enjoyed

netball all the more for it.

“Encouraging me to achieve the

best I possibly could in everything

I attempted has had a profound impact

on my approach to all aspects of my life,

and is what makes Trinity such an

inclusive and enriching school.”

22

The Return of the AlumniMany of our alumni have visited us over the past academic year to talk to our current students, help with practice interviews, or join our Alumni and Development team for a social visit and tours of the School.

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Young alumni impart valuable adviceRecent leavers visited the school to speak to our Lower Sixth students as part of their

Higher Education Week. Our young alumni talked about their first year at university,

stressed the importance of making new friends; advised on managing finances, and

what they might do differently if they could turn back the clock to their time at Trinity.

They encouraged our students to remain focused, examine all their options, not to

get complacent, and to think carefully about the choices they were about to make

on what to study and where.

Their key messages were: Don’t be afraid. Be determined. Be hopeful.

Empower yourselves with a good education.

David & Michael HodsonBrothers David and Michael Hodson visited

us in January for a tour of the School. David,

who left in 1977, had previously visited us for

the opening of our new Music School, and

promised to return with Michael. David is a

contemporary of our archivist and alumnus,

Laurie King, so there was much reminiscing

at the music opening and on the day he and Michael visited. Former

Trinity chorister, Michael, who left in 1978, also has a great deal in common

with Laurie, who was Head Chorister in his time, and was delighted to be

shown our recently-installed organ in Trinity Concert Hall (a.k.a. Big School).

Kjellon MorrisIt was great to see 2019 leaver, Kjellon, who returned to present us with a sequel to a comic strip he first created seven years ago. The characters are the same ones from the original comic and this one concludes the story.

Kjellon said: “One day in Year 7, I went to the library after school. I asked the librarian, Ms Parlain, if I could use some printer paper, and I started drawing. I spent an hour or so making a comic, with a simple story. I showed Ms Parlain and she displayed it in the library for others to see. I promised her I would make another comic before I left the school”.

Fast forward to now, around 7 years later, and the original comic is still displayed on the library wall. This time, Kjellon produced his comic on canvas. He said: “It’s a thank you gift to the school, for helping me find what I love to do. I like to create things, and make things that others can enjoy and learn from”.

Kjellon is currently studying Computing and Games Development at Plymouth University.

Classicists back at Trinity2017 leavers Henry Gale and Harry

Jackson returned to Trinity again in

the autumn term, this time with

2018 leaver Eliza Prentice, to talk to

current students about their university

courses. Henry is reading Classics and

Linguistics at Cambridge, Harry is

reading Classical Literature and English

Language at Leeds and Eliza is studying

Classical Studies at Exeter.

23

Sharing your experiencesWe really appreciate alumni who give up their time to help our current students. We would love to welcome you back to pass on your wisdom at a careers evening, society meeting, during our higher education week, or as a judge of one of our internal competitions.

Would you be willing to help with

practice interviews for university

admissions or apprenticeship

applications? These interviews

normally take place one evening

in November.

Do you have half an hour on the

phone to guide a student in their

choice of profession?

If you work within 10 miles of

Trinity, could we organize a short

student visit to see your industry

in action?

Interested? Please contact Sue Highmore, Head of Careers at sfh@trinity.croydon.sch.uk, or Melodie Johnson, Head of Alumni Relations maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk, so we can explore how you can get involved.

www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Anthony and Stephen HarrowBrothers Anthony and Stephen Harrow

visited us in January. Anthony, who left in

1957, is a regular visitor at our events at

Trinity and it was good to meet with him

and his younger brother Stephen, who left

in 1964. The brothers enjoyed a tour of

the School, followed by a pub lunch with

David Young and Jason Court. Anthony and

Stephen used the occasion to exchange

belated Christmas presents, which became

all the more poignant when we heard

the devastating news that Stephen had

succumbed to COVID-19 shortly after their

visit. We hope Anthony will continue to

visit us once the current crisis has abated.

Alumni help with practice interviewsOur Head of Careers, Sue Highmore, was

delighted when Architect Jamie Bell, 2007

and PHD student with a teaching role at

Reading University Alex Dean, 2011, kindly

agreed to conduct practice interviews

with students for university applications.

Alan Tomsett and Oliver TomlinIt was wonderful to reunite Alan Tomsett,

aged 97, who left in 1938 and Oliver

Tomlin, aged 96, who left in 1940. Alan

and Oliver have remained friends over the

years and still exchange Christmas cards,

but they had not seen each other for a

while. Oliver and Alan enjoyed reminiscing

and meeting our Headmaster, Al Kennedy

over tea and cake.

Alan regularly travels up from Bognor Regis

to visit St John’s Church in Shirley and his

wife’s grave. Oliver is still local in West

Wickham and we hope to see him again

soon to capture more of his memories.

And that’s not all!Other alumni dropping by to see us include

Lali Wiratunga (1993) and Mike Pougher

(1958) who were over here from Australia,

Malcolm Duncanson (1989) when he

visited Trinity for a tour of the School with

his wife and son, and Peter Tugwell (1956),

fellow golfer and friend of our archivist

Laurie King.

Of course, we see many alumni at our various events, although they were sadly curtailed from March. However, we hope to resume our programme of events later this year.

24

Headmaster of Trinity School from 1972 to 1994

ROBIN WILSON

Robin Wilson succeeded Oliver Berthoud as Headmaster of Trinity School in 1972. Oliver Berthoud had planned to retire due to ill health and Robin had been interviewed by the Governors at the Fairfield Halls for this prestigious role. Tragically, Oliver Berthoud died in office and Alan Turner was appointed Acting Head for the summer term before Robin took up his post in September 1972.

Robin studied French, German, and then

English at Trinity College, Cambridge, where

John Whitgift had been Master – Whitgift

Middle School was renamed Trinity School

after Trinity College in 1954. Robin's first

job was at a German University teaching

English and was also in charge of a British

Council Anglo-German Centre at the time.

On returning to the UK, Robin worked at the

third oldest school in the country, St Peter's

York, which was founded in 627. During his

time there, he acted in 21 performances of

the York Mystery Plays.

Robin joined Trinity from Nottingham High

School, where he was Head of English. He

faced the rather daunting task of being

a young, untried Headmaster at a school

with teachers who were much older than

him and had been at Trinity for, in some

cases, a considerable length of time. On

joining the School, Robin was asked to offer

his first impressions of Trinity, to which he

replied “The School was run in a very happy

atmosphere.”

At the start of his Headmastership, Robin

planned to bring focus to specific areas of

school life including Religious Education,

Arts and Technical Studies and General

Studies in the Sixth Form. He appointed

two new Heads of Department for General

Studies and Religious Studies by 1973

and began working on a series of building

projects to improve the facilities at the

School. Robin left his mark in so many ways

during the 22 years he was Headmaster; not

least overseeing the massive expansion of

the school buildings and facilities available

to students.

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Robin at the Founder’s Day Supper

25

The Berthoud Centre opened in 1981,

complete with Recital Room and Music

Practice Rooms, giving the growing number

of talented musicians space to practice and

learn, including The Trinity Boys Choir, which

was gaining critical acclaim under the then

Director of Music, David Squibb.

The Turner Building followed in 1987, an

ambitious project that extended the existing

School building to create the Mitre Theatre,

Mathematics Department, Economics

Department, a new room for Prefects

and a Sixth Form Games Room.

In 1994, the impressive and state-of-the-art

Shaw Building was built to house extensive

Art and Design and Technology suites,

including photographic and pottery studios,

dark rooms, exhibition areas, design and

technology work spaces, a video and CCTV

Studio, sports halls, squash courts and a fully

equipped fitness room. The Shaw Building

was officially opened on 22nd April 1994

by Dennis Silk, President of the MCC. Chris

Tolman, who was in the Lower Sixth recalls

the Mayor’s reaction to the new facilities at

the time: “Absolutely fantastic”. There are

not enough superlatives. Brilliant ”.

Robin’s last building project was the

expansion of the library to create The Wilson

Library. Robin knew all too well that all these

projects were essential to keeping Trinity

School competitive in the market place by

creating outstanding facilities to enhance

learning and get the most from each and

every student at Trinity.

www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Trinity’s intellectual status at the time was

also evident, regularly celebrating victory

in the Croydon Advertiser’s ‘Top of the Form’

competitions and becoming the first team

to win the National Independent Schools

Challenge Trophy in 1977. Notably, during

Robin tenure, the School’s rugby 1990-1991

team recorded its best ever season at the

time with 16 victories, scoring 485 points

with only 46 points scored against them.

Robin liked to get involved and was a keen

producer of school drama and children’s

operas, such as “Bang” by John Rutter; Sir

Richard Rodney Bennett’s “All the King’s

Men”, and many others. He was also

game enough to be involved in the alumni

amateur dramatic society, The Mitre

Players, from time to time.

Robin formed the Trinity Group of

Headmasters, comprising the Headmasters

at Whitgift, Caterham, Eltham College and

Dulwich, along with numerous other schools

in the South London area. The group still

meets to this day, discussing common issues

and opportunities and acting as an open

forum between what might be construed

as competitive organisations. Robin saw the

merits of acting in solidarity, particularly

as inflation in the mid ‘70s was running at

8-12%, which was affecting school fees for

all independent schools. The ‘Three-Day

Week’ action during the 1974 Miner’s Strike

and the impact of multiple three-hour

black outs of electricity during this period

were also affecting schools. Robin became

Chairman of the Headmaster’s Conference in

1993, a great honour for him and recognition

of the ever-improving status of Trinity School.

Robin’s energy and drive have continued well

into retirement. He continued to work part-

time for HMC, leading inspections of eleven

of its schools. Robin also became involved

with his wife Caroline’s work with the local

NSPCC, which for some years has included

a tea and concert at Trinity, mainly for the

elderly. He is a loyal and long-standing

member of the Trinity Golf Society and is

still a Member of the prestigious Addington

Golf Club, where he enjoyed a year as

Captain and researched and wrote the

Centenary booklet in 2013.

Robin is also a keen supporter of the

Trinity Bursary Fund, recognising that Trinity

remains the diverse, inclusive community

that embraces education for all, regardless

of capacity to pay. We salute you Robin!Robin attends a reunion

Robin joins the 1988 leavers

at their reunion

Robin at the reception

following the Re-dedication

of our War Memorial

Robin left his mark in so many ways during the 22 years he was Headmaster; not least overseeing the massive expansion of the school buildings and facilities available to students.

26

Destination of 2019 leaversName Destination Subject

Saifullah Aleem Kent Law

Euan Baird Loughborough Management Sciences

Finlay Baker Coventry Sports Management

Nicole Bambroffe BathBusiness Administration (with placements)

Abbie Bateman Loughborough Psychology

Samuel BeadleGrant Thornton Accountancy Apprenticeship

Accountancy

Billy Bearman Nottingham TrentInternational Business with Spanish

Nathaniel Bedeau LoughboroughIndustrial Design & Technology

Cameron Beglarbegi NottinghamFinance Accounting & Management

Alfie Bennett GloucesterSports Business & Coaching

Joseph Bennett Leeds Mechanical Engineering

Elijah Berhane Gap year

Chloe Beroud Bristol English

Joseph Bertolotti NottinghamInternational Management

Eva Bervas Bristol Maths & Physics

Sankalan Bhattacharyya

Cambridge Natural Sciences

Dylan Bowling NottinghamEconomics with Hispanic Studies

Zachary Bowling Exeter English

Jacob Bowry Sussex International Business

Julian Bromberg BathMechanical Engineering (with placement)

Renee Brown Birmingham Dentistry

Rory Brown Gap year

Maddy Burt DurhamEnglish Literature & History

Adam Cady University of Arts London Film Practice

Karin Camprodon Garcia

UCL Cancer Biomedicine

Jack Cernoch Oxford Law with Spanish

Joel Chan Nottingham Law

Kekeli Chen-Kwawu Bristol Mechanical Engineering

Christy Clancy Edinburgh Classical Studies

Brad Clark Exeter History

Samuel Connelly Nottingham Civil Engineering

Nathan Cook East AngliaComputing Science with a Foundation Year

Harry Cookson Cambridge Engineering

Coleman Corry Gap Year then Exeter PPE with Study Abroad

Edward Cowlard Birmingham Theology & Religion

Prashant Dandiker UCL Physics

Shivani Dattani Gap year

Charles Davies Oxford Engineering

Owen Davis Nottingham Modern Languages

Jasmine De Maid BirminghamBusiness Mgmt with Marketing and Year in Industry

Jonathan Douglas Nottingham Trent Product Design

Christopher Dray Goldsmiths Economics

Thomas Duval KentManagement with a Year in Industry

Michael Eagling Loughborough Biological Sciences

Tom Fairley LoughboroughCommercial Management & Quantity Surveying

Fred Figueira Durham Business & Management

Max Finch Harper AdamsAutomotive Engineering (off highway)

Brodie Foxley OxfordEconomics & Management

Marco Fung Warwick Economics

Shreya Ganguli Edinburgh History & Politics

Daniel Giffin Croydon CollegeCriminology Psychology & Social Justice

Daniel Gilbert Leeds Automotive Engineering

Joel Goodman Leeds History

Owen Harries Bristol Biology

Angus Harrington Cambridge Engineering

Owais Hasan St Georges Biomedical Science

Tayyab Hasan KCL Medicine (5 years)

Finlay Higgins Manchester Architecture

Harry HollandEngineering Apprenticeship

Offshore Energy

Gabrielle HugginsGap year and then Sheffield

BioSciences with Foundation Year

Iftee Hussain KCL Politics Philosophy & Law

Timothy Hutchings Destination not yet known

Edward Johnston UCL Psychology

Neal Kesterton Bristol Aerospace Engineering

Hashim Khan ManchesterModern Languages & Business Management

Alexandra King QMUL Medicine

Sam Kirby Southampton Computer Science

Elliot Knight Nottingham Trent Architectural Technology

Esteban Kumar Surrey Law

Gabriel Kuti Gap year

Ari Lalji LeedsEnglish & Comparative Literature

Krishna Lall Imperial Chemistry

William Lamont LeedsFilm Photography & Media

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Name Destination Subject

27

Daniel Le Maitre-George

Birmingham Money Banking & Finance

Jared Lee Gap year

Haig Lucas EdinburghEnglish Literature & Classics

Robert LynchGap year then Australian university

Millie Malone Gap year

Brandon Man Bristol Economics & Accounting

Toros Maraslioglu Gap year

Sophie Marie-Gallagher

BathModern Language & European Studies (Spanish and Italian)

Harry Marshall NottinghamFinance Accounting & Management

Quentin-Zach Martins

Manchester Music

Jack Maw Gap Year then Bristol History

Jack McCarthyEconomics Degree Apprenticeship

Civil Aviation Authority

Archie McMillan Newcastle Business Management

Toby Mills Warwick Maths

Joshua Mogford USA (Colorado State) Psychology

Sam Moran ExeterBusiness & Management with Industrial Experience

Funmi Morgan Leeds Medicine

Kjellon Morris PlymouthComputing & Games Development

Jenna Murphy St Andrews History

Izzy Newbold Oxford Brookes Philosophy/Sociology

Fintan O'ConnorArts University Bournemouth

Film Production

Joel Okolo-Hunter St Georges Medicine

Jabir Olatunji Leeds Languages & Culture

Joseph O'Reilly York Economics

Daniel-Paul Osahon Oxford Medicine

Madeleine Packard LeedsGraphic & Communication Design

Mollie Palmer Bristol Chemistry

Jay Paranjape Bristol Geography

Yannis Patakas LSE Accounting & Finance

Keya PatelGAP year and then Nottingham Trent

Business Management & Economics

Shiv Patel LiverpoolAerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies

Martin Percival BirminghamElectronic & Electrical Engineering (with an Industrial Year)

William Perry Apprenticeship Accountancy

John Petty NottinghamMedicinal and Biological Chemistry

Ben Phan Bath Biomedical Sciences

Kiran Pillai Bristol Law

Hugh Preston LoughboroughProduct Design & Technology

Luke Regan-Daley Newcastle Accounting & Finance

Millie Reid KCL History & Iberian Studies

Samuel Richardson KentBusiness & Management with a year in industry

Sarah RogersGap year and then Keele/Leicester

Medicine

James Rowland USA (Washington State) History

Matthew Scally Oxford Physics

Aryan Shah Lancaster Accounting & Finance

Devina Shah BristolChemistry with Industrial Experience

Jay Shah LoughboroughAccounting & Financial Management

Robert Sharrock Bournemouth Computing

Charlie Short Bristol Aerospace Engineering

Ibraheem Siddiqui UCL Biological Sciences

Niamh Singleton Bath Civil Engineering

Alexander Smith Lancaster Economics

Benjamin Smith Royal Holloway History

Olivia Smout Exeter English

Tara Snowley Bristol Physics

Nadia Soole Sanchez

LeedsCriminal Justice & Criminology

Dante Spencer-Campbell

Leeds

Computer Science with high-performance graphics and games engineering

Joseph Spiteri BathBusiness Administration (with professional placements)

Oscar SteeleGAP year then apprenticeship applications

Matthew StevenArts University Bournemouth

Film Production

Robbie Styles Chan DurhamChinese Studies (with year abroad)

Euan Tilley East AngliaModern Language with Management Studies

Lidia Toth St Andrews Biochemistry

Aidan True Bristol Economics

Lilly Tuesley Durham History

Matthew Vaz UCLEconomics with a Placement Year

Max Walker Leeds Law

Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Camberwell School of Art Art Foundation Course

Joseph Watchorn WarwickPhilosophy Politics & Economics

Lea Watson UCLPsychology with Education

Amber Wentzell Warwick Modern Languages

Daniel Williams Leeds Geological Sciences

Betty Wood Warwick Maths

Katie Woolcott Nottingham Economics

Ellen Wyllie Leeds Physics with Astrophysics

Artemis Xenitidou Bristol Economics

Nikolas Zamar Leeds Politics

www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Name Destination Subject Name Destination Subject

28 www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

A trip down Memory Lane

All the King’s MenLaurie King, our archivist, recently

uncovered a copy of the recording

of All the King’s Men, a children’s

opera by Richard Rodney

Bennett.

A performance of the opera by

the Trinity Boys Choir at the

Fairfield Halls marked the release

of the Choir’s recording in May

1971. Arthur Davison, a popular

conductor at the time, came

along to ‘launch’ the recording

and was presented with a copy

by the Drummer Boy, Bill Tucker,

resplendent in the uniform

featured on the LP’s cover.

Many of you will know, Bill is

a member of our teaching staff

at Trinity and has held the posts of Head of Physics and Head of Science.

The Abbey label record was well received with extracts being aired on the radio with

the initial pressings selling out quickly. A trade paper of the record retailing industry

commented at the time: “Every school library in every dealer's territory should want

this. So should every household with children."

The reverse side of the album lists the choristers, including the principal characters

as follows: King Charles I, Michael Flaxman, left 1972; Queen Henrietta Maria,

Paul Male, left 1975; Dr Chillingworth, Jonathan Gaunt, left 1972; Drummer Boy,

Bill Tucker, left 1976; Colonel Massey, Ashley Stafford, left 1972; Messenger,

Colin Greenstreet, left 1976; King’s Herald, Stephen Cornwall, left 1975.

Have you discovered our online archive yet?Over the years, we have built up a massive online archive

of photographs, school publications, school lists, films and

much more. To access the site, go to trinityschool-archive.

daisy.websds.net and log in with User name: guest and

Password: trinity

Happy browsing!

Please share your memories of School in the 1940s, 50s and 60sWe have started work on a compilation

of reminiscences and memories of School

life in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and would

love alumni from these eras to take part by

sending in their recollections. Please tell

us about Headmasters Horace Clayton and

Oliver Berthoud, what sport you played,

the music and drama you were involved in,

pranks pupils got up to, the subjects you

studied and, for our older alumni, what

your schooling was like during WWII.

To take part, please email Melodie at

maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk, or send

your memories in the post addressed

to Melodie Johnson, Trinity School,

Shirley Park, Croydon CR9 7AT.

We are also happy to record memories

during a telephone call or visit.

We would love to see you back

at school again!

29www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Here is the latest from the Chairman of our

former pupils’ association, The Trinity Club

and its related sports, music and amateur

dramatic clubs at Lime Meadow Avenue,

Sanderstead:

I hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy

during the corona virus restrictions, which

have kept the club closed since 21st March,

with staff either furloughed or re-deployed.

The weather has been fabulous and it is a shame our

sports facilities and clubhouse are not currently being used.

We missed the opportunity to introduce the Club and all it has to offer

to this years’ Upper Sixth leavers at their final assembly before they all

go outside for fun and frolics on the various inflatables and activities

laid on by the school. This fun afternoon helps to discourage some

of the last day pranks that happened during my time at the school!

We will be in touch with leavers in due course, to make sure they get

their Old Pupils ties or scarves. In the meantime, we wish them all the

best in their chosen further education choices and career paths and

hope that they will visit us soon. The Club is there for all ex-pupils to

be able to stay in touch with contemporaries and take part in one

of our many sports or other activities on offer. Do look us up at

www.thetrinityclub.co.uk.

Something members may wish to do is to join our 400 club. Not

only does this raise money for the Club, but also gives all entrants an

opportunity to win many monthly prizes. A £20 stake enters you for

10 monthly draws, where you can win £60, £50, £40 or £30; there is

also one final draw in the year, when you can win the big prize of £500.

Please email Trevor Stotten, 400club@thetrinityclub.co.uk to help with

this worthwhile venture.

Do keep in touch with your friends and team members. I’m sure there

are many out there who would be grateful for a message or a chat.

I hope that you all stay healthy and look

forward to us being able to meet again as

soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime,

please see news from each of the Clubs

at Lime Meadow Avenue.

Andy Thompson, Chairman

The Trinity Club, Lime Meadow Avenue,

Sanderstead CR2 9AS

The Trinity Club is your Club, so please do come

and join us!

CRICKET

A quite remarkable weekend last

September will probably define the 2019

cricket season. The final 1st XI league

game began in the knowledge that

victory was required to avoid relegation.

The match was one of the most dramatic

witnessed at Lime Meadow. Chasing a

daunting 254, at 37-3 all appeared lost.

Two excellent centuries by senior players

under the most extreme pressure batted

‘Mids’ into a winning position, only for

fortunes to change. However, a 16-year

old’s display of great maturity, with

a scrambled single from the last ball,

helped to secure a tie. Ultimately just

enough for survival.

The Surrey Trust League Finals at

Normandy the following day were perhaps

even more stunning than that of the

previous year, as the double-double was

achieved with victory in both Tier 2 and 3

finals for the second consecutive year; an

extraordinary achievement, unparalleled

and unlikely ever to be equalled.

Cricket matches should have commenced

at our beautiful grounds at the beginning

of May, but all recreational cricket is

currently on hold, including coaching,

training and matches for juniors and

seniors alike. At the time of writing it is

unclear as to whether there will be any

season (mid-April to mid-September)

at all. It is likely that any cricket played

will be on a ‘friendly’ basis and possibly

in shortened formats.

Nick Trend, Chairman TMWCC

Follow us on

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TMWCC

Instagram: @TMWCricket

Twitter: @TMWCC.

www.tmwcc.co.uk

email: enquiry@tmwcc.co.uk

30 www.mytrinity.org.uk

HOCKEY

Like many sports, Trinity Hockey

was affected by the current

pandemic and the season, under

guidance from England Hockey,

was curtailed. It was anticipated

that this season could be a struggle

given the fact that 11 schoolboy

players had moved on to University.

However, I am delighted to share

that the 1st XI were just outside

the promotion zone and were

3rd in their league. There was also

good progress with Trinity Colts

and its outreach programme to

the other schools.

From a season that initially looked as

if it may be a challenge, I am pleased

to say that club performed well and

continued to move forward. Our

prime objective is to provide Hockey

for former pupils and staff of Trinity

School and we are always delighted

to welcome new members from the

Trinity family.

If you are interested in playing,

please email me at

sanjay.bowry@btinternet.com

Sanjay Bowry, Chairman TMWHC

www.tmwhockey.com

RUGBY

We were proud to wear our new

home and away kits for our first

season as Trinity RFC. Our 1st XV

enjoyed a number of great

performances, captained by Ali Hall.

The Club is blessed to have what we

believe is the best pitch in Surrey to

play on. Although the season was cut

short with three games to play and

the 1st XV finished 4th in the league,

thankfully, we finished ahead of

local rivals Whitgiftians, Purley

John Fisher and Chipstead.

Our AXV managed to field teams

that enjoyed a couple of victories

that could easily have been mistaken

for cricket scores! Our Under 13s,

managed by Phil Mamode, were

top of the league and our younger

members’ team, the Titans are

growing stronger. Off the pitch,

Jez Glynne-Jones, aka Matron Jez, is

doing a grand job organising events

and keeping in touch with our former

players’ section, The Midwives.

www.TrinityRFC.com

twitter: @Trinity_RFC

info@trinityrfc.com

GOLF

The Trinity Golf Society was formed

in 1990 and was looking forward to

celebrating its 30-year anniversary

this year, with the original Captain,

Jez Glynne-Jones, back in post to

lead the fixtures.

The society exists to foster friendship,

fun and a bit of competitive golf

amongst not only the alumni of the

school but across the wider Trinity

community. Indeed, a growing number

of our membership started playing as

guests and have now become firmly

established members of the group.

Our Golf days planned for the

rest of this year and next are

as follows (subject to social

distancing restrictions at

the time):

• Thursday 20th August 2020,

Captain's Day, Purley Downs

• Sunday 6th – Tuesday 8th

September 2020, Sandford

Springs

• Autumn 2020, date and venue

to be confirmed

• Wednesday 30th December 2020,

Post-Christmas bash at

Tyrrells Wood

• Thursday 25th March 2021,

Croham Hurst

• Thursday 13th May 2021,

Mill Ride

• Wednesday 23rd June 2021,

The Addington

If anyone is interested in coming

along to any or all of these

fixtures, either as a guest or to join

the society as a member, please

email Laurie King for more details

lck@trinity.croydon.sch.uk.

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Lime Meadow Avenue Acoustic Folk and Blues ClubIt has been nearly seven years since the folk

and blues club opened its doors at the Trinity

Club and during that time, we have attracted

many musicians from far and wide, including

the USA and Australia, as well as those who

just like to listen and enjoy the atmosphere.

Our fortnightly club nights are well attended

and even more so on concert evenings, where

we have had the likes of Richard Smith from

Nashville, Brooks Williams from Statesboro,

Georgia and our homegrown talent of Wizz

Jones, Daryl Kellie, Jon Hart and Sanjay, who

toured the country in a show in the lead role

as Buddy Holly.

Our last concert in November was the very

popular Two Coats Colder, who have appeared

at folk festivals all over the country, even The

Royal Festival Hall.

One of our regular members has set up

a weekly Zoom meeting online during

the lockdown, which has again been well

attended to the point of making it a now

twice weekly event.

Once the Trinity Club has been given the

all clear to re-open, we hope you will come

along one evening, have a drink from our well

stocked bar and sit in our hall with stage and

soft lighting and listen to an eclectic mix of

music and if you feel so inclined, bring an

instrument and sing us a song or three.

You can see details on our website www. limemeadowacousticfolkandbluesclub.co.uk,

or visit our Facebook page.

Neil Pepper, alumnus, left 1971

The Mitre PlayersOur 2019 summer season started with our touring show, the adultversion of “Bugsy Malone”, which we performed to sell out houses at the Clubhouse at Lime Meadow Avenue and our new venue on the Isle of Wight. This was a new venture for the Mitre Players, and we spent 9 great days on the island, taking part in the local carnival parade as well as seeing the sights, having BBQs and performing at The Apollo Theatre, Newport. Our autumn show, performed in Trinity’s Mitre Theatre was the hugely ambitious production of “Big Fish”. A large cast with stunning sets, costumes and a giant, wowed the audiences each night. January 2020 saw the junior Mitres performing a magnificentproduction of the junior version of “Honk!”. Both audiences and cast had a wonderful time, selling out as usual. “Coram Boy”, due to show in March, was to be the first joint Trinity

School/Mitre Players production for over ten years. Directed by Chris Chambers (Trinity) and Julia Ascott (Mitre Players), this huge production involving Trinity students and The Mitre Players with Trinity musicians providing the music, was on course to be a greatsuccess with old links being renewed and new bonds forged. We hope to be able to perform the show in the autumn.Please visit our website at www.mitreplayers.org.uk to find out

more or contact me by email secretary@mitreplayers.org.uk.Diane Jones, Secretary, Mitre Players

31www.mytrinity.org.ukalumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

3232

Geoff was invited to join the Club’s hierarchy

in 1966 at the tender age of 25, which, he

said, seemed a great honour at the time.

He has held just about every post on the

Council over the ensuing 54 years, including

Honorary General Secretary, Founders Day

Supper organiser, Chairman of the Council and

Chairman of the General Committee. During

this time, he also served as Secretary and

then Chairman of the Hockey Club where he

captained every team from the 2nd to the 6th XI.

Geoff has been the ‘Voice’ of the Club over

the decades. He edited the magazine for over

20 years and disseminated news across the

alumni community through newsletters and

other communications, including those sad

occasions when imparting news of alumni

leaving us, which he handled in a very personal

and sensitive way. He developed the first

Association website, which he still maintains,

and also developed the first hockey club website.

Geoff was involved in re-writing the

constitution several times - every time a major

change was introduced to the Club's rules.

Most recently, he was involved with John

Parish in preparing the Articles of Association

for the new Trinity Sanderstead Sports and

Social Club, and then did the same job for

the revised TMWA.

At a more mundane level, Geoff found himself

responsible for the distribution of the TMWA

magazine, the AGM notices and any other

formal notices issued. This, he claims, was a big

mistake, as he estimates he had to purchase,

stuff, label and stamp some 100,000 envelopes

during that time, with help from a small band

of helpers. For much of the time, envelopes

and stamps were not self-adhesive, as you can

see if you examine the state of his tongue!

Geoff extended the link between the

Association and the School by becoming a

member of the External Relations Committee.

He also established an important link between

the Association and the School’s Alumni

operation. Geoff has been a regular guest at

School events, and has enjoyed coming in to

speak to Sixth Formers about to embark upon

life beyond Trinity, to talk to them about the

Club and encourage them to use its facilities.

Sadly, his dry wit was sometimes lost on

the 17-18 year olds, but not on the staff

in attendance!

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

glass to

Raise your

Geoff Wilsher

CELEBRATING60 YEARS ATTHE TRINITY CLUB

Geoff Wilsher has finally retired, having been a stalwart of The Trinity Club for more years than he cares to mention. He has literally given up years of his spare time supporting its members and the School.

3333

Volunteering is in Geoff’s blood, and despite

being kept busy at the Club, Geoff became

a magistrate in Croydon at the age of

55, and served there until compulsory

retirement at the age of 70. Magistrates

handle the early stages of every criminal

case, and take over 90% through to

acquittal or sentence. He sat as a court chair

in the adult and the youth courts, handling

cases from shop-lifting to murder. In 2008,

Geoff was elected Chairman of the Croydon

Bench, taking responsibility for about 150

magistrates. In this role, he was following

in the footsteps of other alumni, including

John Sinkins and Michael Bone.

After retirement from the magistracy,

Geoff volunteered to help at the London

Science Museum in Kensington. In this role,

he lectured to members of the public on a

range of matters illustrated by the museum’s

exhibits, focusing on the history of aviation

from the Wright Brothers to Concorde. He

often found he learned as much from the

audience as they did from him!

Sport is clearly one of Geoff’s loves,

although he admits that his enthusiasm

exceeded his ability. He was a keen and

successful sportsman at School, playing

Hockey for the 1st XI, captaining the 2nd

teams for Rugby and Cricket and hurdling

in the athletics team. He continued to

play sport at university and at the Club

www.mytrinity.org.uk

whenever he returned. Geoff not only

excelled in sport and academia, but also in

the CCF, where he reached the rank of under

Officer in the RAF section and became the

first member of the corps to take the controls

of a jet fighter; a Gloster Meteor.

The extent of Geoff’s popularity at School

culminated in him being appointed Vice

Captain of the School in 1958, the

equivalent of Deputy Head Boy today.

When he left School in 1959, Geoff went

on to read Aeronautical Engineering at

Trinity College, Cambridge, having won

a state scholarship for further education.

Career-wise, Geoff was always a techie of

some sort, initially in the aircraft industry

and then in IT. He worked for Hawker Aircraft

after University, working on the Harrier

jump jet and then on a supersonic vertical

take-off aircraft, the P1154. Geoff’s specialty

was kinetic heating, evaluating how hot a

supersonic aircraft would become at high

speed. This was with the benefit of the latest

model of slide rule, and the occasional use

of a primitive computer, a Ferranti Pegasus.

Changing namesThe Old Mid-Whitgiftian’s Association (OMWA),

was established in 1908 under the headship of the Rev.

G Jones when the School was known as Whitgift Middle

School. In 2009, some 50 years after the School changed

its name to Trinity School, it was renamed the Trinity

Mid-Whitgiftian Association (TMWA). Whilst the

TMWA is still the official trading company for the

association, it became known as The Trinity Club last year.

Did you knowNow here’s a little-known fact. Geoff was a champion Tiddlywinks player in the Sixties, playing for Cambridge University from 1961-62, England in 1962 and for Surrey in 1963-66!

From the cash-strapped aircraft industry,

Geoff transferred to the emerging world of

IT, where he worked as a programmer and

then as a sales manager and marketing

manager. In the final ten years of his

career he found a new love – teaching!

Geoff spent ten years teaching the

rudiments of computing to all ranks of

the Ministry of Defence, from the Chief

of Defence Staff to the newest recruits.

Geoff’s talented wife, Judith, attended

Croydon High School and graduated from

Newnham College Cambridge with a

degree in Mathematics. Judith has been

by Geoff’s side for 56 years and has leant

her unstinting support to Geoff throughout

his career and beyond. Their sons Stephen

and Mark both attended Trinity and are

a great credit to them both.

Now Geoff has hung his volunteering hat

up for the Club, he hopes it can continue to

preserve and propagate the values alumni

acquire at School and offer a place where

friendships, sports and networking can

thrive for many years to come.

1st XI Hockey

Team 1958.

3434 www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

In MemoriamSadly, we lost some dear friends over the past year. We offer our condolences to families and friends who have lost loved ones and we say a few words about of some of them here.

Barry Widger, staff 1968-2003Barry was a very popular teacher and contributed enormously to the life and development of the School. He was Head of

Cricket, coached Rugby; taught Classics, was Head of the Junior School for fourteen years and Tutor for Admissions. He took jazz classes for General Studies, chaperoned members of the Trinity Boys Choir on international trips and led Classics trips around Europe. It is true to say that Barry played a part in all aspects of life at Trinity. Barry died in May leaving son Andrew (alumnus, left 1989) and daughter Hannah.

Phil Broadhurst, left 1967Phil was a professional jazz pianist, arranging and composing for his own quintet as well as scores of other pieces

for various bands, ensembles and at festivals in New Zealand, where he settled and lived with his wife Julie. A presenter for radio programme Art of Jazz, Phil was the first jazz musician in NZ to be honoured as a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM). Phil passed away in April.

Ron Etheridge, left 1949In 1942, Ron received a government grant to attend Whitgift Middle School (now Trinity) and quickly developed his

ability and love for cricket. Ron was the first pupil to score a century against the staff Common Room in 1949 and in his last match played at the ‘old school’ ground, prior to its demolition, Ron topped the scoreboard with over 80 runs for a Past Captains XI. Ron passed away in January, leaving widow Olive and sons Nigel and Brian.

We send our condolences to the family

and friends of the following alumni

who we also lost over the past year:

• Kenneth Duckett, left 1944,

• Richard Fleming, left 1981

• Leslie Harris, left 1948

• Mike Mead, left 1957

• Chris Neal, left 1975

• Anthony O’Connor, 1957

• John Parker, left 1947

• Martin Taylor, left 1971

• Christian Wilcox, left 1994

Obituaries on My TrinityFull obituaries and tributes can be found on our alumni engagement platform, My Trinity

at: www.mytrinity.org.uk. Please go to the Resources area from the left-hand navigation

menu, then Obituaries.

Richard Hyder, left 1973Among the first intake at Shirley Park in 1965, Richard was, according to friend Nigel Flay “The most loyal of friends - always keeping

in touch, even during those hectic years when career and family tend to take precedence and override old connections. His gentle promptings kept nearly 20 of his classmates/teammates in regular touch; meeting up several times a year.” Richard passed away in January and is survived by his wife Denise and children Matt (left in 2007) and Katy.

Roger Hammond, left 1963Roger was a popular member of the TMWHC, making a huge contribution to the club both on and off the field. He was famously

known for his tardiness and rarely turned up for matches on time, but he could be relied upon to take on many responsibilities over the years both at the Club and prior to that, at the School where he helped behind the scenes in house and school plays as stage crew. Roger passed away in May, leaving his wife Pam.

Sir James Gowans, left 1942

Former School Captain, James Gowans, was a pioneer of immunology, whose early research demonstrated a type of

white blood cell played a central part in the body’s immune system. His research over the years was recognised with many honours. James passed away in April at the age of 95.

Stephen Harrow, left 1964Stephen divided his time between Croydon, where he was Vice Chair of the Sutton & Croydon United Nations Association, and

Exminster in Devon. He visited the School in January with his brother Anthony, so it was a shock when he passed away a few weeks later. Stephen leaves his widow Jenny and brother Anthony.

Shomari Lyon, left 2007 Fellow alumni will be shocked to hear Shomari passed away last September, aged just 30. Shomari graduated

from Bristol in 2013 and was working and travelling in Australia when eight months into his trip, he became ill. He leaves his mother Angela, his brothers Kamau and Chinyelu, and his fiancé Lucy, to whom he proposed a few weeks before he died.

How to get in touch with us:David Young

Director of Development,

email: dty@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

direct line: 020 8662 5162*

Jason Court

Development Manager

email: jtc@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

direct line: 020 8662 5147*

Melodie Johnson

Head of Alumni Relations

email: maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

direct line: 020 8662 5159*

Donna Lewis

Alumni Relations Officer

email: alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

direct line: 020 8662 5155*

Laurie King

Archivist and Alumni Relations

email: lck@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

tel: 020 8656 9541 ext 747

Nathan Lee Choon

Data Analyst

email: nlc@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

tel: 020 8656 9541 ext 266

If you would prefer to write to us by

post, please write to the relevant

team member at the following

address: Trinity School, Shirley Park,

Croydon, CR9 7AT

* Important: please note, our direct

lines may not be manned due to

the current situation. If you need to

contact us during this time, please

ring the main school number on

020 8656 9541 and they will get

a message to us to ring you back.

Thank you.

3535

The TeamThe Alumni and Development Team has been working from home since March; keeping

in touch with each other via a regular 10 am Zoom meeting every working day. We are all

looking forward to getting back to the hairdressers or barbers (well, apart from David

who doesn’t need his hair any shorter, and Nathan, who has found a way to cut his own):

www.mytrinity.org.uk

As well as keeping in touch with alumni, David and Jason have been working on the

forthcoming Giving Day, supported by Donna, our Social Media Queen, and Nathan, our

Data Analyst, who is managing to fit in studying at the same time as working. Laurie has

been keeping in touch with alumni after a short time in furlough until the Headmaster

realized he was missing and Melodie has primarily been working on the magazine.

We miss seeing our alumni at the many events we have already had to cancel, but we

loved hosting Imani-Lara Lansiquot’s Q & A with students, staff and alumni on 4th June.

We look forward to seeing many of you as soon as we are able to resume our

programme of events.

Extracts from Trinity entrance examsI came across these extracts from entrance exams in 1983

and 1984 and could not resist reproducing them here. (Editor)

• "Well be running out of oxygen soon" said Simon in moose code.

• I soon settled down at the school and got into trouble often.

• The looks on the fishes' faces ranged from superfluous to happy.

• The villigers had been hit very badly with the wind.

• We put our diving suits on and checked we had air in our water bottles.

• In the night my father searched for wild animals to see if they would come and attack us.

• To my great surprise a small tidle wave knocked over my dad on to the cuboreds.

• I've seen a hospital and they're open for vacancies.

• We sat by the fire and listened to the spockey noses.

• I was having night mayors. Why! Why was I having night mayors?

• When I saw a two faced cobra I didn't bother about thinking twice.

• I screamed quite softly.

• Armed to the teeth with swords, daggers and swing balls, they looked terrifying.

• He sprang at me with a knife in his hands. I swiftly sprang out of the way and he stabbed a boar thinking it was me.

• I will kill every one of you with my bear hands.

• Mr. Giles was quite nice. He was unmarried.

• I couldn 't swim so I went into the cabin and shot myself.

• There was no-one at home who could worry about me because I lived with myself.

• I quickly woke up Chris but he was dead.

• Suddenly I woke up. It was 23.59. We were going to die at midnight. I got back to sleep as quickly as I could.

• The guard was reading a newspaper. I could just make out the date. It was the 20th of October, 1501.

36

Dates for your diary

Monday 16th November 2020

Reception for Donors

We thank our supporters

of the Trinity Bursary Fund

Trinity School

Wednesday 12th May 2021

Mitre Society Lunch

We thank supporters leaving

a gift in their Will

Audience Chamber, Almshouses

Friday 4th March 2021Spring ConcertWe invite alumni to singTrinity School

Thursday 11th February 2021

Trinity London Drinks

Networking Event

The Yorkshire Grey WC1

Tuesday 25th May 2021Trinity Golf DayShirley Park Golf Club

Saturday 19th June 2021

Milestone Reunions

Reuniting the Classes of 1960/61,

70/71, 80/81, 90/91 & 2000/1

Trinity School

Coming soon!T20 CricketNetworking events:MedicsEngineersProperty and Construction

To find out more, or to register your interest in an event, please contact one of the team overleaf.

Make sure you receive your invitation - please let us have your up to date contact details!

We are hoping to resume our programme of events towards the end of the autumn term 2020, but please note, events are dependent on the social distancing measures at the time. Whether you are interested in networking, music, sport or would like to catch up with your peers from years ago, there will be something for everyone.

Tuesday 8th December 2020

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

Join us for festive carols

Croydon Minster

Tuesday 15th December 2020Under 25s Christmas DrinksBack from University PartyTrinity School

www.mytrinity.org.uk alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Saturday 10th April 2021

Evensong with Trinity Choristers

We invite alumni to sing

Ely Cathedral

Thursday 29th April 2021City Careers networking EventHosted by KWM‘Walkie Talkie’ Building, EC3

Friday 19th March 2021

Founder’s Day Supper

Organised by The Trinity Club

Trinity School

Friday 26th March 2021Classes of 2015 and 2016 ReunionSponsored by The Trinity ClubTrinity School

Saturday 4th September 2021Alumnae ReunionCelebrating 10 years of girls at TrinityTrinity School

Saturday 11th September 2021

Trinity Day

An Afternoon of Sport,

Music and the Arts

Trinity School

Wednesday 9th December 2020Christmas Jazz EveningEnjoy our wonderful Jazz musiciansTrinity School

Thursday 10th December 2020

Varsity Match

Twickenham Stadium