"The manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured" US Secretary of State Dean Acheson (who was Guest of Honour at the College's first Speech Day in 1958)
	A light-hearted (and unofficial) look back over the past 57 years

    100 Club Draw news:

The July Old Wymondhamians 100 Club draw took place at The Vernon Arms at South Repps last night and we were joined by a contingent of Guinea Pigs who were the first boarders to arrive at Wycol in 1951. It was good to see them all looking so sprightly!

This month's winners of cheques for £40.00 were:

• Carole Arnold – past Secretary of the Wymondham College Association and current Committee member – resident of Norwich

• Adrian Dubock – a relatively new member who currently lives in Switzerland.

The August draw will be held at The Three Boars at Spooner Row near Wymondham on Wednesday 27th August 2008 at 8.00 p.m.   Hope to see some of you there.

Thank you for your continued support of the 100 Club.

Phil Robinson
Old Wymondhamians 100 Club administrator

Honours and awards:

Pamela Brooks (nee Sewell; Cavell 1977-82 and Peel 1982-4):  Since leaving the College, Pam has had a most successful career as an author, writing health and local history books under her own name and producing many romantic novels under the pen name Kate Hardy (currently writing her 34th title for Mills & Boon).  Find out more at www.katehardy.com.  She has recently been awarded the Romance Prize for 2008; awarded by the Romantic Novelists’ Association.  The press release reads:

In the week of celebrating 100 years of publishing, Mills & Boon also took the Romance Prize 2008, awarded to author Kate Hardy by the Romantic Novelists’ Association.  All six short-listed books were published by Mills & Boon, to the delight of executives Randall Toye, Karin Stoecker and Linda Fildew, who attended the Awards Lunch on 4th February at the Royal Garden Hotel.

In the winning novel, Breakfast at Giovanni’s, recently-fired Fran takes on a new job, but also finds herself pretending to be her boss's adoring girlfriend in order to get his matchmaking family off his back.  But when the kisses start happening in private, Fran discovers that breakfast at Giovanni’s has a whole new meaning.   Winner Kate Hardy was thrilled. “It's such a huge accolade - it's a real high point in my career.  It's the only award for category romantic fiction in the UK, and I can’t believe my name is engraved on the Betty Neels Rosebowl along with authors such as Liz Fielding, a writer whose books I've enjoyed so much over the years. I haven't stopped smiling for a week!' Breakfast at Giovanni’s is Kate’s 25th novel for Mills & Boon and she was ‘over the moon’ to win in the Centenary year.  Kate lives in Norwich with her husband, two children, a very soppy spaniel and too many books to count. She's been writing for Mills & Boon since 2001, having known her career choice from a very early age - her first typewriter was a present for her sixth birthday.  Following an English degree, Kate worked in marketing communications for ten years before going freelance.  She also writes bestselling local history books.   Judge Trisha Ashley, who presented the award, said of the winning book:  “Because myself and my fellow judges are all novelists, we tend to read other people's work with an inner critic pointing out weaknesses.  But we were all in agreement that this book was so warm, believable and engaging, that not only did we entirely forget our inner critics, we couldn't put it down until we got to the very end.”

    In the news:

Wymondham College girls serve up victory
Norfolk Eastern Daily Press - Norwich, England, UK
The Youngs Cup winners were Wymondham College by just two points over Norwich High, who have held the trophy for at least five years in a row. ...

Whodunnit boosts school techno day
The Wymondham and Attleborough Mercury - Wymondham, England, UK
But happily, the untimely demise of Wymondham College principal Melvyn Roffe on Tuesday was a case of fiction not fact. And Norfolk's scenes of crimes team ...

Monty gets 'Deadly' backing
Norwich Evening News - Norwich, England, UK
The former Kent and England match-winner, who opened Wymondham College's new six-lane cricket nets yesterday, declared himself a big fan of Panesar, ...

College trio's England call-up
The Wymondham and Attleborough Mercury - Wymondham, England, UK
Three Wymondham College students have been selected for England rounders teams. Pippa Curtis (U18), Abby Morgan (U15) and Amy Partridge (U14) have started ... 

    Do you remember ......

Back to what would possibly have been about 1979 and my earliest months at Wymondham. I have vague recollections of a 'fleeting' visit to the school site by a Lotus Racing Car + Driver one evening???  The 'fleeting and the 'vague'...are possibly accounted for by the youth of my then 11 years .... but equally, it could have been because car, driver & engine roar, seemed to be no sooner there than they were gone. (If so, no wonder - the site hardly cried out for an exuberant & lengthy demonstration of power and acceleration did it!).  

Does anyone else recall this visit? Does anyone have any records? And, more pertinently perhaps, does anyone want to verify or dispel the myth that has stuck around in my mind ever since... that the driver was a young Brazilian from Sao Paulo - then cutting his teeth in Formula 3000 with a Norfolk-based team??

It maybe that the query gets exposed to ridicule and I find out that this was actually no more than a Go-Kart built as part of a student's engineering project or something! (Strange that no mention was ever made by any staff at the time - either before or after). The 'Senna' link may also be the product of a very hazy memory and the wishful thinking of youth. That, or I've got my times wrong. He didn't arrive in Norfolk until 1981.   Whatever ... someone may be able to set the record straight!

Will Cook 1979-1986

The driver of the racing car was Louis Schaeffer (although I think it is spelled somewhat differently!) and I too remember the visit. I remember especially Mr Seeley getting excited at the quality of the welding!  I seem to remember they had some difficulty starting the car outside of the engineering block but eventually got it going and Louis drove it down to Lincoln Hall and back. 

If my memory serves me right Louis was indeed Brazilian and I believe the car was actually Formula Ford or something of that ilk I'm afraid I've used up all my knowledge of the event now!   Hope this helps!

Bren Taylor

If you can shed any more light on this, please let us know. 

    We have heard from:

Cherry Knights (nee Hillen, Westminster 1969-1971):

I was at Wymondham College for 2 years; Sept 1969 in the 5th year as a new 3rd (do they still have them?), leaving July 1971 from the Lower 6th. The name of my House was Westminster - Mr & Mrs Brand were in charge. I still think of Mr Brand whenever I hear "Three little maids are we" from the Mikado - he was brill in that!  If they are still there, perhaps you would send my regards to them both please?

Through Friends Reunited, I've "talked" to Lori Kent & Julia Braithwaite. I'd love to contact Christine Meilsch (whose nickname was Fred because no-one could pronounce her surname).  She was a new 3rd as well, but very brainy!!  She was from North Walsham. As I had only just moved to Norfolk a month before, I didn't know where that was! Lori, Julia & Fred were all in my house.

Sue Napier is Sue Lowe from Winchester House (over the far side!); she lives round the corner from me. She's very disabled with rheumatoid arthritis. Also from Winchester is Christine Roberts. Her nickname was Harry as she looked & walked like the Great train robber Harry Roberts. She's married. Became a nurse, then a sister in Midwifery, travelling all over the poorer parts of the world. Most people get fatter as they get older - Harry went the other way! I still keep in touch with her via email & Christmas letter (as you do!!). She & her husband Walter live up North. Sue, Chri & I were in classes together.

Alan Webb lives round the corner from me in Hellesdon. I don't know what house he was in. His nickname was "Killer" - he nearly throttled a boy who made a pass at his then girlfriend Sylvia Skpanski (that's how it sounds not how's it's spelt!) [I believe it's Szczepanski - Ed.].  Sylvia was in the 5th & Lower 6th with me. Alan was a year ahead.  My boyfriend was Mike Frosdick. He had a brother called David ('Diddy') & a sister who were all there at the same time as us. Mike & I were engaged, but distance became a real problem for us. He went to Uni in the Midlands somwhere. I applied & was accepted at Addenbrookes & one in the Midlands near Mike but I had to get Maths 'O' level. I had 3 attempts but just could not pass (I ended up working for Midland Bank for 24 years instead - all figure work!!). I wanted to be a radiographer or a physiotherapist. I had the Human Bio AS level but  - no maths, no place. So Mike & I split up.

I've never seen Nick Excell again but I "kept tabs" on him via his older brother, who was one of my customers at the bank. You can see where I work now by my details. I've been here 6 years now. The pay is awful but I have the best boss EVER & I love it. Like the footballers say "I want to end my working career here if I can." My profile on Friends Reunited is slightly out of date now I suspect!

Thank you for reading my rambling email - allowing me to think back to the good old days!

Kind regards,

Cherry Knights (nee Hillen)
Lotteries Office
Norwich City Football Club
Carrow Road

Tom Hampson (1990-98):

I was in Kett Hall and enjoyed my time there immensely.  I was a keen member of the CCF and left WC as a Colour Sgt.  This is what I thought I wanted to do so I tried for the Army Air Corps but, with regret, I was not successful with the medical as I had hay fever.   I have lived all over the UK, including Sheffield and London, where I worked as a cameraman for a number of years.  I got married in June 2004 and moved to Florida to train as a helicopter pilot for 2 years.  I am pleased to say that I have recently moved back to my home town of Norwich and work for Bristow Helicopters as a pilot.  It was great doing my training out of Norwich airport as I got to fly over WC a number of times and I must say it has changed a great deal since I left.

 

Flt Lt Chris Collins (1990-97):

"Having spent 6 years in Fry and a year in Lincoln, old comrades will be bemused to hear that the ex-RSM of the CCF finds himself serving as an RAF Police Officer; this story is best told over a few beers. Having served in Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands and Afghanistan, I can confirm that being a prefect and Mr Brand's House Captain in Fry, particularly with the last Year 7 main boarding house intake, was the best possible work experience for a military policeman - I know when to coerce people with threats, promises or blackmail, and when to clip their ears and send them to bed. Married to Ross, an Army Captain, my latest challenge is anticipating the kamikaze curiosity of my 7-month old son, Harry."

    We were sad to learn that Jack Cassie passed away in December last year.  Jack came from Hunstanton  and joined the College in 1951 as a member of the Grammar School (East House).  "I visited Jack and his wife in Queensland about 6 years ago. He was then retired and living in a beautiful flat overlooking the ocean.  He had been state manager for Target, a major Australian store chain in roughly the same position that Woolworths had in the UK at that time.  I have some photos of that visit and will try to look them up." - Mike Herring

    At last!  It's no longer necessary to have full (i.e. paid) membership of Friends Reunited in order to send and reply to messages.

 

    The College has launched a superb new web site - check it out at http://www.wymondhamcollege.org/

 

    Jennie Rogers (nee Sedgley) - jennierogers@hotmail.com  - writes:

Many people refer to the fact that their fathers were in the RAF.  As I am researching my father's time in the RAF at Marham from 1956-1963 do you think it would be outside the intent of your site to have a notice asking that if anyone has memories of RAF Marham during this time they email me at my hotmail address - other people seem to have far better recall than I do!  I understand if you feel this is not appropriate, but I've become a bit obsessive and have run out of info I can glean from the internet!

    The very first College intake, the Guinea Pigs, will be 70 years old this year (if not already!).   All the very best to you all; we wish you a happy and healthy future.  Thanks to Mike Stacey for alerting us to this significant occasion.

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