May 2016

Dear <<First Name>>

This is our second newsletter of 2016. For those studying at tertiary level this is a reminder to start thinking about applications to the John Hamden War Memorial Fund to help with the purchase of books etc. (We were reminded of this as we are already receiving enquiries.)

Next Committee Meeting is scheduled for 14 May so please send us any thoughts about what the OTA can do for you.

Best wishes.
The Editor
email here please with your news.

Reunion - class of 1981

A reunion is being organised for the Class of 1981 for 26 November 2016. Details on our Facebook page or contact mandykmorgan1965@gmail.com

The remains of prehistoric monuments and settlements going back to the Neolithic period were among the exciting discoveries made during a seven-month excavation of Bloor Homes’ Thame Meadows site, at Oxford Road, opposite Upper School.

Archaeologists have described the dig, which was carried out by experts from Oxford Cotswold Archaeology, as one of the most significant undertaken in Britain last year.

Chris Ellis, Senior Project Officer at Cotswold Archaeology, part of a joint venture with Oxford Archaeology, presented the findings to the students: “It was such a fantastic experience to show prehistoric remains and artefacts to that many students in one go. They were very enthusiastic and interested in all the items we have discovered just over the road. For the sheer density and range of archaeological features and the long period which they span, this has been the most fascinating and exhilarating excavation I have been involved with in my 25-year career.”

One of the most important finds was the discovery of a rare causewayed enclosure dating back to around 3,700BC, one of only 80 such monuments known to exist in Britain.

Consisting of one or more circuits of bank and ditch, they are the earliest known monuments made by some of the farming communities and were constructed to enclose areas of open space where communal gatherings would take place.

Archaeologists also uncovered the remains of at least three roundhouses from the early Iron Age period (700-400BC), and more than 150 pits, used for storing grain and later disposing of rubbish, some containing human remains where settlers had buried the dead.

Discoveries from the Roman period (AD43-410) include a number of enclosures which housed corn drying ovens, while around 14 small Saxon buildings, dating from the 6th to 7th Century AD and believed to have been textile workshops, were also uncovered.

Flint tools, pottery and combs made from animal bone were just some of the thousands of artefacts discovered.

OTA News

Twinning News: Some of our readers maybe aware that Thame is twinned with the French town of Montesson. Visitors from the town will be taking a guided tour around the School on May 15 and they will be handed a school history to take back with them.

The Archbishop of Canterbury asked has churches to mount a music or flower festival to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday. In Thame’s this will be part of the flower festival in St Mary’s from Friday 20th May – Sunday 22nd and we will arrange for a flower display to be mounted adjacent to Lord Williams's tomb.

Robert Sankey I left school (1963) to join the Oxford City Police but after its amalgamation into the Thames Valley Police I left in 1969, as I discovered big organisations were not my forte !! When one thinks of the formative years of one’s life the size of LWGS was sub 200 and everyone knew everyone else well and it added to the cohesion of the society we lived in

I played a lot of sport at school and after leaving played a lot of rugby, namely Oxford RFC, Wasps, Leicester and Oxfordshire in the County Championships of the early 70’s

since then I worked in property both here and abroad, Europe and Africa and took 3 years out to get a degree and a professional qualification. I have a family from my second marriage and the children live in London so I get back regularly to see them and would be happy to meet up with anyone who is around

I am now retired to France near Avignon in the south and would love to hear from any old friends from that period

Unfortunately a few have passed away that I have tracked down namely Don Rogers, killed in a car accident some 15-20 years ago, and Peter Hanks who died of a heart attack a couple of years ago
Robert Sankey
16 Chemin De Gavot
SAINT MAXIMIN 30700
GARD France

Stephen Jones (2004 - 2011): Starting in September 2016, I have been offered a place on the M.A Magazine Journalism course at the University of Sheffield. It has long been my aim to be a Journalist and by attending this course I will be helping to fulfill this lifelong dream.

What was the CCF badge, we asked? I don’t know about in 1949 but in the date range of approximately 1988-1990 it would have been the Royal Army Ordinance Corps whose badge features three canons and three oversized canon balls with the motto Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense. I was at the school around this time and an active cadet rising to the rank of Company Sergeant Major when Captain Mike Anderson was leading the contingent. I’m now a Professor at the University of Colorado, living in Boulder for the last 12 years. Tod Duncan

Cliff Nixey: Some of you will have been at LWGS at the same time as my younger brother, Roger, or met him at one of the OT golf days. Unfortunately he died on Monday from Acute Myloid Leukaemia. He fought a very courageous battle with it. When it was diagnosed out of the blue, he was given 2 months to live. He lasted 20 months with 3 chemo sessions and numerous blood transfusions.

Steve Bingham: Today sees the launch of a Kickstarter project for PartPlay, which is a new interactive online system aimed at classical musicians. There are some amazing rewards on the Kickstarter so get in early and be one of the first to join the PartPlay community.....www.partplay.co.uk

Flower Festival: The Archbishop of Canterbury has asked churches to mount a music or flower festival for Queen's 90th. Thame’s flower festival is in St Mary’s from Friday 20th May – Sunday 22nd and, as our contribution, the OTA will be putting a display of flowers adjacent to Lord Williams's tomb.

Lord Williams's Festival Chorus: Summer Concert

Date: 10/7/2016, Time: 7:30pm
Location: Thame Leisure Centre, Oxford Road, Thame, OX9 2BB
Cost: £13 (£10 concessions)
Supper concert
Gershwin – Excerpts from Porgy & Bess
Jim Brown – The Jumblies
Beatles - Medley

Lindsay Millburn: Cloud Productivity Landing Lead UK - Solution Specialist Worldwide at Microsoft.

Tom Grellier (1999- 2005): has spent most of his career in pharmaceuticals after going to Manchester University. Currently with Bristol Myers Squibb as a Key Customer Manager, he has worked at Astra Zenica and Merck among others. Currently based in SE England.

Michelle Hewison (1997 - 1999): is working at Shout Digital in Newcastle.

Nathan Swift (1987 - 1995): is a DJ and Assistant Manager at Peach Pubs.

Lawrence Stocker: is a Business Manager at Oxford Web Applications

GOLF 2016 - A change of date (just a reminder.)

Hi OT golfers,

I have felt obliged to re-schedule our date from 17th June to Friday 27th May at Studley Wood.
Reasons are several, namely
a) OT Neil Pettit is Captain at Studley Wood this year & his Captains Day is the following day. This will preclude some of us playing. similarly
b) Euros in France are in full swing. It's England v Wales day before with number of OT's going to Lille.
c) Royal Ascot week. 3 more known to be attending the races.
so all in all to try & maximise numbers I decided upon the change.
That caused a number of problems as Studley is so popular with societies & Charities, also some OT's are away on golf tour.
27th May is the Friday before Whitsun Bank Holiday so not ideal, but I trust it will not stop you playing. No date is convenient for everyone!
If you have already booked holiday for June date, then I hope you can change it. Otherwise my apologies.
I will come out with full details & cost in next couple of weeks time.
Best wishes,
Barry
Also contact us if you want to join the golf this year and wish to be updated.

Reunions.

Why not organise a reunion to co-incide with Founders Day on 5 November. The advtanges are:
- free coffee in the morning
- school tours
- lunch is provided (but costs £12 per head)
- use of the school hall during the day
- music from current students
- tea in the afternoon
- possible use of outdoor sports facilites

School News

A school expedition to Borneo in 2017 is being organised with Outlook Expeditions, the leading independent provider of youth expeditions.

Lord Williams’s School is one of the largest employers in Thame and we regularly advertise both Teaching and Support Staff posts. In the last few months we have been advertising via InTouch emails to parents/carers and this has quickly become the most successful method for recruiting staff. It is also the most cost-effective way to advertise compared with advertisements in the local and national press.
We are now planning to extend the use of electronic media by introducing a Twitter feed for our vacancies:
@LordwilliamsJob

Where else can you find us?

There is a continuous update of our digital footprint with many more stories and news than we publish here so it's worth exploring the links below to our Facebook, Twitter and web-site. We're also on Flickr with our amazing archive of images.
And if you wish to contact us…click on the e-mail icon.

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