February 2008

KIN OF SHEBBEAR COLLEGE’S FORMER HEADS AT HISTORIC REUNION

Descendants of headmasters who shaped Shebbear College were guests of honour at the Old Shebbearians’ Association Centenary reunion dinner in London .They included Professor Jennifer Tann, great granddaughter of Thomas Ruddle (1864-1909), Julia Howell, great niece of John Rounsefell (1909-1933), Patricia Johnson, daughter of Leslie Johnson (1933-42) and Eva Woodhouse, granddaughter of Jack Morris (1942-64).

Also there were Mrs Alice Kingsnorth, widow of George Kingsnorth (1964-83), Russell Buley (1983-1997) and his wife, and Leslie Clark (1997-2002) and his wife. Best wishes were received from Mrs Gwenda Wylie in Western Australia, great, great, great granddaughter of the Rev.William Kelly (1847-1855).

A record number of almost 150 former pupils, spanning the years from 1936 to the present time, and guests attended the event at the RAF Club in Piccadilly. Among four most recent Old Shebbearians present was last year’s head boy, Josef Schmalfuss, who is a student at Cambridge University.

Air Commodore Chris Blencowe, President of the OSA and now Bursar of Pembroke College, Cambridge, was in the chair. He was a pupil at Shebbear in the 1960s. Responding to the toast to Shebbear College, current headmaster Mr Robert Barnes, who attended with his wife Jo, said the school came through two rigorous inspections last year with flying colours and had retained its position as the most successful of all the Methodist residential schools in the United Kingdom.

He congratulated the OSA on reaching its centenary and said the association and the achievements of former pupils were an inspiration to the college’s 338 pupils, the highest number ever.

A second reunion to mark the association’s centenary will be held at Shebbear on Saturday, August 30th. For further information on this event log on to the Old Shebbearian website www.oldshebbearian.co.uk

(queries etc to Harry Aspey 01628 638244)

Pictured are back row L-R Norman Venner, Patricia Johnson, Eva Woodhouse, Lynda Clark, Mike Saltmarsh, Front Row Leslie Clark, Alice Kingsnorth, Jo Barnes, Chris Blencowe, Bob Barnes , Prof Jennifer Tann, Russell Buley, Caroline Buley (picture courtesy of Jim Hammond Simply Photography London)