Old Sulians' Association

Archive for June, 2009

Golf – Association and Approach Competitions Reminder

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Just a reminder that the Sulian Golf Tournament is on June 19th at Sham Castle.
It’s not to late to get an entry, just contact Mike Wood for the details or look on the website: www.oldsulians.org.uk and find the last newsletter
Mike is on 01225 335250 or mike@systemagic.co.uk

Approach Golf

Most remiss of me but I failed to include it in the newsletter. It will be at Victoria Park on Wednesday 1st July. Tee off from 6 pm. You should find Pebble Beach in the Clubhouse area and others milling around looking lost because there is no bar!
Results are usually mulled over at a local hostelry afterwards.
All welcome, no handicap needed as Pebble’s Book of Doom takes care of everything!

Roger W.

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Beechen Cliff School Yearbook – ‘The Gryphon’

Monday, June 8th, 2009

The School Yearbook ‘The Gryphon’ has now been published. Copies are available as detailed below and there should be a modest Sulian entry. The Editor, John Cruickshank, has provided the following:

THE GRYPHON
The inaugural edition of the School’s yearbook has now been published.. You can order your copy at £10.00 plus postage (£2.50 in UK, £5.00 overseas) (Cheques payable to Beechen Cliff School) through the Old Sulians, (use the Hon Correspondent/ Editor at 101 Hansford Square, Bath BA2 5LL) or from the School Office at Beechen Cliff School, Alexandra Park, Bath BA2 4RE. The Gryphon has articles about developments at the school, creative work by students, trips and activities, sports and miscellaneous news about the school. In future years we hope it might also be another way of keeping in touch with news of past pupils. We all hope this will be an annual event. Any further enquiries please email me at the school.
John Cruickshank johncruickshank( at )beechencliff.org.uk

The Headmaster’s Newsletter to the School also has the following: “Mr Cruickshank is currently putting together the final touches to the Beechen Cliff year book. The Gryphon celebrates aspects of school life, with many articles being provided by the boys and students themselves. A large number of our boys and girls are represented, either in written or photographic form, and we anticipate that The Gryphon will become another tradition of the school – to be proudly maintained in the years to come. The production of this impressive book has come at a significant cost – not least to Mr Cruickshank who has spent countless hours poring over draft texts and photographs but we have been able to offer it to parents and students at a close to cost price of £10. We very much hope that you will want to buy a copy of The Gryphon as we are certain you and your son or daughter will value it for some time to come (please see the ordering slip on the next page of this newsletter).”

You can find the full newsletter and other pages about The School at: www.beechencliff.org.uk/index.html

Roger W.

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Tony Sweet – A Poem from Mike Oura

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

Mike Oura, former Deputy and Acting head at School, sent me this tribute to Tony Sweet who he knew well.
In National Poetry Week it seem both opportune and appropriate.

Tony Sweet
Where Oldfield, stone and solid school, well stood.
Now demolished, destroyed and
Deleted by soaring constructions of new Academe
Brown-tiled, pupil-proofed classrooms
Piled into dust
Where once an overseeing Head had several-sight
From raised rostrum, of strict classes.
Shut the lidded desk and, register called,
The black-gowned are departed.

A morning has broken, ushering a
Chip and byte-bound world to new
Bright-eyed and shining students
Where still a blackbird sings.

Time changes_ Systolic and Diastolic
The blood beats out our seconds. Pausing
Reaction slows to the skull
To the slack, sagged jawed
Decease.

Now sober-suited amidst the subdued clamour
Of our pre-Christmas town,
We gather on church steps,
Like rooks alighting.
All are lives once touched by his
Disparate flock, academic and those, like him,
Who knew the thrill of the charging rush
From twenty five yard line to winning,
Three point try.

Heavy front-row forwards hunching
Hesitate on half forgotten hymns
Perched on awkward stools.
A final scrum,
Packed, in passing farewell
To the man, player, teacher, parent. Lover
As tears hide times stumbling
Past and working years.

All will in silence stop.
Cease as the night comes down.

Yet we remember still, his patient smile
And quiet soul.
Our day’s labour rewarded with a
Single, silver coin.
We earn our fare.
Flesh melts, but
All must grin, into the face
Of eternity.

Behind us are the voices stilled
By songs no longer thrilled
We complete our task.
As time slips steadily past
Memories dispersing, as lingering scents
Of apple blossom.

Will be renewed Youth’s hope
Within those shinning eyes;
To rush and score again
Tries from a reborn metric line.

M J Oura. Nov 08