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Issue 7

Winter 2005

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eeyyTheWayForwardYou will have received information recently regarding the

Governors’ future development plan for Bury Grammar Schools.Throughout the history of our Schools and often during the most

difficult economic periods we have turned to our alumni, friends andparents to ask for help.

We must do this once again if we are torealise our ambitious plans which willensure our pupils now and to comemaintain our position at the forefront ofeducation. At the same time we are mindfulof the aims of our original founders tosecure an education at our Schools forpupils whose parents cannot afford our fees..

If we are to meet the challenges that lieahead we shall need the support of all ourSchools’ community. We want our pupils tobenefit from the finest facilities for theirlearning. At sixth form level our studentsshould have all the advantages of single sexeducation where appropriate, but enjoy co-educational university style lectures andsocial facilities.

Early next year we shall be appealing foryour help and asking you to considerinvesting in our future.

If you are a former pupil please registeron our alumni database www.bgsdev.co.ukand renew contact with former friends andclassmates. Full information regardingfuture events and development plans willsoon be available. We invite you to visit ifyou are in the area; you will recognise thespirit and warmth within our buildings;our Schools remain a happy, vibrant andproductive environment.

In the meantime we shall continue tobring news of your School.

Please read on ...

Bury Grammar School at The Festival ofRemembrance 2005Reverend Hugh Bearn, Chaplain to the Bishop, writes:

It is a singular honour for any BritishServiceman to be on parade and representhimself in the presence of his Sovereign.Such an honour was made possible forPhilip Douthwaite the Senior Cadet of theBury Grammar Schools CCF. From all theForces in the county only three cadets arenominated and selected to parade with theCCF National Standard at the RoyalBritish Legion Festival of Remembrance

at the Royal Albert Hall.It is a service which is

televised throughout theworld and in the highoctane atmosphere of thenight Philip acquittedhimself magnificently.Very conscious of thepresence of Her Majestythe Queen, an audienceof some 6,000 in the Hall, in the glare oftelevision lights andcameras and with anestimated televisionviewing figure of 8million people he stepped off proudly,impeccably turned out,hackle to the front andshouldered the BGSbrevet with great

distinction.At this very poignant time in the

Nation’s consciousness and as the poppiessilently drift onto the muster parade one isvery aware of the privilege it is to be thereand to remember.

What a proud moment for Philip’sparents, both former pupils of BGS, to seetheir son discharge his duties in such acreditable manner.

The Standard Party – Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, LondonArmy Cadet Force Standard Bearer, Bishop of Manchester, Reverend Hugh Bearn and Philip Douthwaite, Senior Cadet.

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It has been a busy six months in theDevelopment Office,much of it spent inpreparation for The Bury GrammarSchools Centenary

Appeal early next year. Prior to appealing to our whole School

Community we have gained early support andendorsement of The Way Forward. We have beenfortunate in securing the help of Appeal Patrons,amongst them many well known Old Boys andGirls. We have received donations and pledges inrespect of both our Building Fund and ourBursary Fund and are greatly encouraged by

this early demonstration of commitment to our Schools.

We were delighted with the response to ourChairman’s Dinner in September which was wellrepresented by the local Business Community,highlighting the importance of our Schools in theborough of Bury and surrounding areas. We areever grateful for the support of our CorporateSponsors and individuals who show a keeninterest in our future. Many of our current pupilsowe their education to generous benefactors andtheir kindness makes a very real difference in ourSchools and the community.

Reunion events once again reached recordattendance and this year Old Boys and Old Girlswelcomed the opportunity to tour both Schools andview archive displays and plans for future building developments.

Francine Healey, Development Officer, writes:

Appointment of HeadmasterThe Governors aredelighted toannounce that,following interviewsin September andOctober, The RevdSteven CharlesHarvey has beenappointed to succeedMr Keith Richards asHeadmaster of BuryGrammar School. Hewill take up hisappointment at thebeginning of theSummer Term of2006, when KeithRichards retires after16 years’ distin-guished service.

Mr Harvey read History at Reading and Theology atOxford, and did his teacher training at Cambridge. He hasextensive teaching experience, including 7 years as SeniorDeputy Head of Kingswood School, Bath. He has beenSenior Provost and Education Officer of the WoodardCorporation since 2003, with wide-ranging educationaland managerial responsibilities for 38 independent andmaintained schools.

Mr Harvey is a priest of the Church of England. He iswholly committed to the Governors’ stated policy ofoffering full and equal access to all parts of the school’s lifeto all pupils, irrespective of race, religion or culture. Underhis Headmastership, Bury Grammar School will continue tobe a generous, diverse and inclusive community.

Beyond his work in education, Mr Harvey’s interestsinclude squash, rugby (he is a qualified referee), music,theatre, reading, travel and wine. Commenting upon hisappointment, he said: “I am delighted to have beenappointed Headmaster of Bury Grammar School. It is aschool with a fine reputation for academic excellence andfor providing a rich all-round education. I look forward verymuch to joining the school in April and to working with thevarious parts of its community to ensure its continuinggrowth and prosperity.”

Forthcoming Events

The RevdSteven CharlesHarvey

Presentation events for The Way Forwardwere well attended in both Bury and London andmet with a positive response. There are moreevents planned next year and details will beposted on www.bgsdev.co.uk. Please take a fewmoments to visit the site; we would welcome yourcomments. We are trying to build a photo archive;if you have any school photographs please sharethem with us.

We love to hear from former students; pleasekeep us informed of address changes, career devel-opments and personal news. We would also begrateful if you could let us have your emaildetails. If you would like to visit school, receiveinformation about our School funds or enquireabout future events, please do not hesitate tocontact me.

Francine Healey, Development OfficerFarraday House, Bridge Road

Bury BL9 0HG. Tel: 0161 764 1733www.bgsdev.co.uk

Old Boys & Old GirlsAnnual Lunch & Reunion 2005The 1st October 2005 marked a change in tradition here at the BuryGrammar Schools; we held the first joint reunion lunch for both ourOld Girls and Old Boys.

The Schools’ doors openedat 10.30am to receive thegathering crowds of OldGirls and Boys eager to viewthe new developments andsense the familiaratmosphere within theschools. There were archivedisplays in both schoolswhich caused many of our

alumni to take a step back in time and recall the forbidden staircase,the Strangeways Library, the old gymnasium and tea dances in theRoger Kay Hall.

A splendid lunch was provided as was the opportunity to reminiscewith fellow classmates throughout the day. Guests travelled from as farand wide as New Zealand and the United States.

It was the first time the Old Boys had joined the Old Girls for theirannual reunion and we hope that many of you will return in 2006.

If you would like details of the next reunion lunch or are interestedin contacting former classmates please contact Michelle Bradshaw atthe Development Office michelle@bgsdev.demon.co.uk or visit ourwebsite at www.bgsdev.co.uk

Head Girls’ Honours Board Unveiling, Roger Kay HallSaturday 14th January

Centenary Celebrations Tuesday 17th January Boys’ School Parents’ Association Murder Mystery Night

Saturday 11th FebruaryFestival Choir and the Rossendale Male Voice Choir,

Valentine’s Day Concert Tuesday 14th FebruaryCareers Convention Thursday 16th MarchKarl Jenkins’ Choral Concert Wednesday 5th

& Thursday 6th AprilOld Girls’ Dinner and AGM Thursday 4th MayFounders’ Day and Old Boys’ Dinner Friday 5th MayLondon Old Girls’ Annual Lunch Saturday 6th MayLondon Old Boys’ Annual Dinner Tuesday 9th MayMay Gala Saturday 13th MaySilver Swan Challenge Friday 26th MayChairman’s Invitation Dinner Wednesday 14th June

As Christmas fastapproaches the time hascome to review thehighlights of a busy andsuccessful term. Themajor event of Sept-ember was undoubtedlyour Prizegiving held onthe final Thursday of the

month and the visit of our Chief Guest,Brigadier Alasdair Wilson, OBE, HonoraryColonel of the CCF. One of five brothers to beeducated at BGS, he entertained the audience ofboys, parents, teaching staff and Governors withstories of his schooldays and words of advicebased on his experiences in the Army andCivilian life. At the end of the evening,following votes of thanks from Richard Turck,the School Captain and Simon Curtis, the ViceCaptain, last year’s Senior Cadet MatthewWood presented Alasdair with his MaxwellBarlow CCF Prize which he had been unableto collect in person because he was on militaryduty at the time. We thank Alasdair for hismajor contribution to an evening not only ofcelebration but also of great enjoyment.

October saw a highly successful OpenEvening for prospective students and theirparents, CCF Field Day and the annual

History Department’s Battlefields Tour toBelgium, but most importantly a reunion on thefirst day of the month for Old Boys and OldGirls. A drinks reception in the Boys’ SchoolLearning Resource Centre was followed bylunches in the two schools and tours for thosewho wished to visit their old haunts. JohnFindon, Chairman of Governors, outlined theSchools’ plans to raise funds for Bursaries, theconstruction of a new Kindergarten and theprovision of improved facilities for SixthFormers, topics which also featured prominentlyat the Chairman’s Invitation Dinner inSeptember and our two Receptions in earlyNovember, one in Bury and the other at theOxford and Cambridge Club in London. AnyOld Boys who were unable to join us on thoseoccasions but who wish to visit the School willbe made most welcome; please contact FrancineHealey in the Development Office if you wouldlike to come and see us.

In November our Senior Cadet, PhilipDouthwaite, together with the Bishop ofManchester Rt. Rev. Nigel McCulloch andRev. Hugh Bearn, took part in the Festival ofRemembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. Philipwas the escort to the Banner for the CombinedCadet Force and discharged his duties withcommendable composure and efficiency. Later

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Keith Richards, Headmaster of the Boys’ School, writes:

When we all arrived backat school at the start ofterm and gathered in TheRoger Kay Hall formorning assembly thegirls immediately noticedthat the proscenium arch

had changed. Gone was the pine cladding andin its place wood panelling of the same shapeand colour as the rest of the Hall. So well itfitted in it was hard to believe it had not alwaysbeen there. In its centre directly above the stagewas a magnificent carved swan carrying thekey in its beak and below, of course, our motto,Sanctas Clavis Fores Aperit. As it has been forHeadmistresses before me, it became the themeof my first assembly and our Deputy Headgirl,Charlotte Scott was later to develop it at ourPrizegiving in the Bridgewater Hall. Theswan, she told us all, reminds the girls everyday in the nicest possible way of the key thatopens holy doors.

When our Old Girls returned for theirreunion lunch in October I asked them whatwas different about the Roger Kay Hall. Atfirst they could see nothing that they did notremember. It was as if the swan had alwaysbeen there throughout what is now very nearlya century of the Hall’s history. Swans, then,slip into our consciousness at BGSG and themessage the swan gives is as important to girlsnow as it has been to those in the past.

For last year’s upper sixth the doors whichopened for them when they gained theirexcellent A level results, 83% of which were allat grades A and B, led them to universities with

9 taking up places at either Oxford orCambridge. Year 7 girls were opening the doorinto the senior school for the first time and hadonly been in school for three weeks when theytook off on an adventure holiday together toGlaramara in the Lake District. Our youngestchildren who arrived in Reception in

September have accomplished a great dealincluding being a part of the £4000+fundraising venture accomplished by theKindergarten as a whole to launch the Appealfor the new Kindergarten and sixth form centre.

The Junior Girls have not only worked andplayed hard, they too have raised moneythrough their harvest collection to sponsor anAfrican girl and to purchase a herd of 12 goatsto support a community. We have anexpectation that our students who achieve so

much will one day use their skills to help othersand so it is perhaps no surprise that ourprogramme of service in the community in thesixth form is thriving.

Some students have a great spirit ofadventure which at BGSG we help to promotewell before adulthood. We currently have onegroup of students preparing for an expedition toMorocco while a second will be heading toKenya in 2007. They have to raise the fundsthemselves and so a spirit of enterprise goeshand in hand with a step into he unknownwhich is, of course, excellent preparation forfuture life.

Another area in which girls push themselvesto their limits is sport. We held our first inter-form sports day for many years last summerwith many close (and fast) races while AbigailIrozuru qualified for the national champi-onships with a record breaking long jump of5.55 metres. Our tennis players includingEngland Futures player Elizabeth Ullathornereached the final of the national Aberdare Cup.Most recently our U14 netball team becameNational Schools County Round Championsby defeating some very tough opposition.

Next year we celebrate the centenary of ourbuilding. It seems entirely right that the swan inthe Roger Kay Hall will watch over many ofthe celebrations. As generations of girls movethrough the 21st century, it will remain toremind everyone that nothing opens the doorsfor the future more widely than an all roundexcellent education.

Bobby Georghiou, Headmistress of the Girls’ School, writes:

that month students from the two schools joinedforces to give three entertaining performances ofthe musical “Souled Out” in the Boys’ SchoolAssembly Hall.

December began with World Aids Day andyet more fundraising for charitable purposes.The School had already raised over £2000 thisterm for the S.E. Asia Earthquake Appeal andBBC’s Children in Need, and parents and boyshave have also contributed toys and tinned foodfor the Wood Street Mission in Manchester.Money raised on World Aids Day will bedonated to the George House Trust which helpsthose in the North West living with HIV andAIDS.

The final fortnight of term will witness twoperformances of our Christmas Concert in theParish Church, our quarter-final ISFA Cupmatch against King’s School Chester, and ourteam’s participation in the National Final of theOgden Trust Schools Business Competition atthe Judge Business School in Cambridge. Andthe Second Master will finish distributing thefinal copies of the splendid whole schoolphotograph taken on Monday 17th October,which we hope will serve as a permanentreminder for boys of happy and successful daysat BGS.

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The Bury Grammar Schools ConcertBand and Dance Orchestra completeda successful musical tour of Paris inthe Summer Term. The group of 60pupils from both schools between theages of 12 and 18 made the gruellingjourney to France for their two-daytour of the capital.

The two musicgroups spent the firstday absorbing thedelights of the EiffelTower, the SacreCoeur and the RiverSeine before enter-taining a largeParisian audienceoutdoors in LeJardin deL u x e m b o u r g .Despite the chillyweather the bands filled the park withthe sounds of music for all ages. TheDance Orchestra, conducted by MrDerek Southcott, opened the concertwith the dance band sounds of GlenMiller. This was followed by the sixty-strong Concert Band led by theirconductor, Mr Chris Hyde. Theenraptured audience fought off the

July 2005 saw the Festival choir visitingKrakow, one of the world’s great historiccities. The girls were accompanied by their conductor, Mrs Stoddard, MissCerbertowicz, M. Bret and myself.

Krakow was for many an unexpectedjoy and its fine ramparts, towers, churchesand magnificent medieval market place(Europe’s Largest) helped make this anespecially memorable visit. We also had

Andy McNab & RobertRigby Visit to BuryGrammar School Boys

Bury Grammar School Boys was delightedto receive a visit from former SAS and MI6man Andy McNab. The visit was acomplete surprise to both staff and boys asany former publicity could havejeopardised his personal safety. McNabwas accompanied by writer Robert Rigby.Rigby is famous for writing the televisionseries ‘Byker Grove’ as well as his work on‘Playschool’ and ‘Thomas the TankEngine’. He more recently wrote the novelaccompanying the film ‘Goal!’ which starsDavid Beckham.

McNab and Rigby spent the morningtalking to third and fourth year boys abouttheir experiences. McNab talked in detailabout his life in the army and how heapplied to be a member of the SAS. Hetalked about how he had been asked towrite the best selling book, ‘Bravo TwoZero’, and explained how everything inthe book was based on real lifeexperiences. He also made it clear to theboys that he did not believe in glorifyingviolence.

Robert Rigby then spoke about hiscareer as a writer for both books andtelevision. He then talked further abouthow he and McNab had decided tocollaborate in writing fiction for children,particularly teenage boys. Rigby said“Both of us feel strongly about getting kidsto read. That was part of the motivation ofworking together.” McNab explained tothe boys how he had a reading age of 11when he first joined the army and how,through hard work and determination, hehad improved his English to become thebest selling author in this country.

Both McNab and Rigby are currentlyworking together writing fiction for boys.They have already written one book, ‘BoySoldier’ and published the second in theseries ‘Pay Back’ which was published inearly October. The series follows 17-year-old Danny Watts, whose ambition it is tobecome a soldier – and to track down hisgrandfather, Fergus Watts, an SAS manturned traitor. Little does he knowhowever that the Secret IntelligenceService also wants to find Fergus and isfollowing Danny’s every move.

At the end of the talk, McNab andRigby gave boys the opportunity to buy acopy of their books which they signedindividually for each pupil.

Bury Grammar Schools Concert Band Trip to Parisdrizzle to clap and sing along to twomarvellous performances from the bands.

On the second day of the tour theband and orchestra then went on to thehighlight of their trip, playing in one ofthe theatres in Disneyland. The twobands entertained an audience of multi-European tourists on a brightly lit stageinside the theme park. The pupils were

pleased to receivecompliments fromthe DisneylandEntertainment Stafffor their impressiveperformance beforeheading off to spendthe afternoon in thetheme park.

Head of Music atthe Boys’ school, MrChris Hyde, said “Iam really impressed

with the performances on both days ofthe tour. It gave me such a feeling ofpride to see this school from Burysharing its love of music with such amixed European audience. The pupilswere very tired from the demandingschedule but they put their hearts intotheir performances.”

Festival Choir Trip to Polandthe opportunity to visit Zakopane,the highest town in Poland, nestledat the foot of the Tatra Mountains,with its splendid market andelaborate carved-wood architecture,and Wadowice, the birthplace of thelast Pope. We were fortunate to gainentry to Oscar Schindler’s factory(which is not as yet open to thepublic) and the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, with the cynical slogan‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ (Work FreesYou) over its gates, was a moving,chastening and I would suggest,important experience for us all. Theraison d’être of the tour is, of coursethe singing and it goes withoutsaying that the girls sang magnifi-cently, the beauty of their voicesenhanced by three very lovelyvenues: the fine fourteenth centuryGothic St. Catherine’s, St.Francissco’s and St. Mary’s Churchin the Old Town Square with itsimpressive wooden altar. The finalevening saw a splendidly jolly meal

at a Krakow restaurant: the food was,perhaps, not to everyone’s taste (it was tomine!), but the dancing certainly was andboth Mrs S. and Sarah Lewandowskirevealed themselves to be candidates forthe next series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.The tour saw the final appearance of SarahLew and Lauren Mayer, both of whomhave been such fine ambassadors for theschool over the years.

Michael Joyce

St Mary’s Church

Each tour has an individuallyresearched itinerary based around visitinglocations connected with old boys of theschool, local soldiers and regiments andthe relatives of people on the tour. Thisyear’s theme was the ‘forgotten battle-fields’ of 1915 and from our base near theBelgian town of Ieper we visited sites atHooge, Loos and Aubers Ridge amongstothers. Hooge, only a couple of miles fromthe town centre of Ieper was the scene ofthe first use of the terrifyingFlammenwerfer or flamethrower by theGermans against British troops on 31stJuly 1915. Two Bury Grammar Schoolboys were involved in the desperatestruggle to prevent an enemy break-through. Rifleman Denis Lauria fromAinsworth was killed. Corporal PhilipHolmes, from Whitefield, survived only todie later in 1915. A letter home that hewrote gives a vivid account of the ‘flamefight’ and at Hooge we were able to see theBritish trench positions and mine-cratersdetonated by both sides that are nowwater-filled lakes. At Loos we visited thetown’s museum, which contains manyfascinating relics of the fighting in the areaand were taken up the imposing coal spoilheap the Double Crassier, a relic of thearea’s mining past, for a panoramic view ofthe battlefield. We also paid tribute toBury Victoria Cross winner GeorgePeachment who is commemorated on theLoos Memorial To The Missing. Georgewon the award posthumously attemptingto rescue a wounded officer. He was only18 years old. His nephew GeoffreyPeachment went to BGS and was killed inthe Second World War, also aged 18.

First Book by Old BoyChris Foote-Wood, a BGS Old Boy, ishaving his first book published inFebruary. “Nellie’s Book” is the true storyof the early life of Nellie Mape. Born in1919, Nellie grew up in extreme povertyin the Bradford district of Manchester, oneof the most heavily industrialised andpolluted areas in Europe.

The book, written by her son Chris, is based on Nellie’s ownwritings and is an uplifting story of her battle against poverty andignorance. Nellie left school at 14 to work in the local steelworks,but later in her forties she went back to school, gained BA and MAdegrees at Manchester University, and became a college lecturer.She died in 2001.

Nellie married author and playwright Stanley Wood in 1940.They settled in Bury and had four children, Chris, Penny, Rosalindand Victoria. Chris was a pupil at BGS (1950-59), while Penny andVictoria are both old BGS girls. Victoria Wood is of course thecountry’s favourite comedienne, actress, writer and singer-songwriter. Victoria has written a foreword to “Nellie’s Book.” Therewill be a book-signing in Bury, probably in March.

After completing his four-year BSc honours course at DurhamUniversity without being awarded a degree, Chris first worked as acivil engineer before becoming a publisher and freelance journalistwith his own agency, North Press. He recently gave up his 30-yearold business to write and perform full time. While Chris haspreviously published his own books of local interest himself, this ishis first “national” publication.

Chris, who changed his name from Wood to Foote-Wood whenhe married, lives with his wife Frances Foote BA OBE (like Chris’smother, Frances is another late developer who left school with noqualifications whatsoever) in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.Chris and Frances can be contacted on 01388 605181 or by e-mailat footewood@cix.co.uk

Bury Grammar SchoolBattlefields Tour 2005During October half term the Boys’ School staged its twelfth annual battle-fields tour. Although many schools now run trips to the battlefields of the Firstand Second World War, we are virtually unique in the country in planning andguiding the tours ourselves and taking pupils of all ages from 12 to 18.

A few miles north of Loos, we paidtribute to two BGS friends who bothenlisted in the Seaforth Highlanders andwere killed together in the Battle ofAubers Ridge on 9th May 1915. HarryRatcliffe died of wounds and is buried inthe British cemetery at Cabaret Rouge. Hisfriend John Whittam has no known graveand is commemorated on the beautifulmemorial at Le Touret. We visited both aswell as the imposing Indian Memorial onthe heart of the battlefield. The part playedby troops from the British Empire is oftenoverlooked and most people do not realisethat the Indian Corps, made up of troopsfrom modern dayIndia, Pakistan,Bangladesh andNepal, foughtvaliantly on theWestern Front inthe first year of the war.

Our Belgianfriend, historianand archaeologistKristof Blieckmet us at ther e c o n s t r u c t e dGerman trenchsystem atBayernwald, where a certain CorporalAdolf Hitler spent part of the war. Kristof,dressed this year as a 1915 GordonHighlander, give the boys another demon-stration of his encyclopaedic knowledge ofthe war and his extensive collection ofauthentic weaponry and equipmentincluding a primitive gas mask. On thelast night of the tour, members of theCCF, commanded by RSMPhilip Douthwaite oncemore took part in theworld-famous Last Postceremony at the MeninGate in Ieper before alarge crowd. DenisLauria, killed in theflamethrower attack, isone of two BGS oldboys commemoratedon the memorial. Itwas the eighthoccasion we haveparticipated in thismoving ceremony. Ourtraditional ‘war timesing along’ and awardspresentation formed arousing conclusion tothe tour.

Mark Hone

Terry Caffrey Visits Bury Grammar School

Bury Grammar School boys were recently visited by famousperformance poet, Terry Caffrey. He was on somewhat of anostalgic visit to the town having played football for BuryFC during his years as a professional footballer.

Caffrey spent the whole day performing his poetry to boys fromthe First Form bringing his so-called ‘performance pieces’ vividly tolife by using rap music to communicate rhythm and beat in poetry.Caffrey fascinated the pupils by his use of sound effects to addenergy to his poems, using his voice to create a series of clicking,thumping and whirring noises. His main aim, he said, was to makethe boys realise that “when books are closed, the words are asleep.The only way to wake up words is by opening a book and readingit!” During the workshop, he told boys of his past and persuadedthem that “it’s possible to achieve anything if you really work for it.”

Caffrey was a writer-in-school with the Royal Ballet and hascollaborated with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He has wonseveral prestigious prizes and has worked in over 500 schools, aswell as seven prisons around the country developing writing andliterary skills. He is currently the poet in residence at theBridgewater Hall in Manchester.

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Bury Grammar SchoolBattlefields Tour 2005

Asil Khan lays a wreath at the Indian Memorial

The youngestboys on the tourlay a wreath at

the grave ofBGS Old Boy

Hooge trenches

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This year’s Economic AwarenessCross-Curricular Event was heldover two days, 8th and 9thNovember 2005. Over the course ofthese two days all of Year 8 weretaken off timetable and wereplunged into ten teams each ofwhich had to form a fictitious bank.

Their remit was to design a bankingproduct specifically aimed at teenagers.In addition the teams had to planand furnish the salesfloor of thebank, working within strictconfines such as budgetsand legal requirementsto provide disabledaccess to theb u i l d i n g .Furthermore thenew teen producthad to bemarketed; thisnecessitated theproduction ofposters, badges,business cards,flyers and theprovision of‘special offers’.Needless to say,monetary controlwas vital. Allgroups had toprovide accurateaccounts and setinterest rates to attractjust enough savers andborrowers so that ahandsome profit was made.

The two days always lead to ahive of activity. It was really pleasing tosee how girls showed initiative,independent thinking, team-working

Bury Grammar School boys have beenwidening their understanding of the majorreligions of the Manchester area afterbeing given generous sponsorship by MrHerzl Hamburger. Pupils spent five weeksof their Summer term studying differentreligions, including visiting the places ofworship of all the key religionsrepresented in the Manchester area. These included the Manchester JewishMuseum, Manchester Cathedral, the SikhGurwara, the Manchester BuddhistCentre, Victoria Park Mosque and theGeeta Bhavan Mandir.

Each venue provided an opportunityfor the boys to participate in a variety ofcross-cultural activities which enabledthem to experience the vibrancy of thedifferent religious faiths in the localcommunity. There is no doubt that theirmemorable visits will help to foster mutualrespect for different faiths and cultures.

After the visit pupils were involved invarious school activities which included aclass display on the theme ‘Religion in myNeighbourhood’. They also producedpresentations communicating theirknowledge and understanding to fellow pupils.

Mr Herzl and Mrs RosemaryHamburger, whose kind sponsorship madethe scheme possible, visited the school topresent certificates of achievement to theFirst Form boys who had created the mostinsightful record of their experiences.They spent time talking to the pupilsabout their visits and finding out whatthey had gained from the scheme. Pupilsand staff were very appreciative of theopportunities and support given by theHamburgers in educating boys to promotefuture religious harmony and understand-ing in the Manchester area.

skills and endless amounts of energy. Ithink it is fair to say that ICT skills werevery much in evidence this year and thestandard of their ‘Powerpoint’ work wasespecially high.

The days culminated in each teamacting out its TV advertisement (always apopular task) and giving a presentation infront of an audience of their peers, someparents and members of staff. We werevery pleased that Mrs Harris, a formerBuisiness Studies teacher at BGSG, kindly

joined us to act as judge. Therewere several marking

categories; display work,account accuracy and

profitability, marketingand presentation. The

groups were veryclose this year andmention must go to‘Goldmember’ and‘Totally Teens’ fortheir excellentdisplays and‘Bling Bling’ fortheir 100% accur-ate accounts.‘Fivers for YourFingers’ werealso impressivefor their general

overall standard.The overall winner,

h o w e v e r , w a s‘Money-spots’. They

impressed most becausethey had a clear focus on

a TEEN product. Theylooked very professional and

business-like during theirpresentation and there was clear

evidence of research in their display. Theyclearly enjoyed the experience.

Lee Bergin

Economic Awareness Cross-Curricular Event

“We had LOADS offun creating the bank and

the project gave us a valuableinsight into the world of business.We have learnt a lot over the last

couple of days and have found out thatearning money involves plenty of hard

graft and TEAMWORK.”The team consisted of:-

• Jennifer Hampson, Bank Manager • Sophie Whitehead, Marketing Manager

• Elle Kirsh, Marketing Manager• Eleanor Noble, Marketing Manager• Emily Dubois, Marketing Manager• Harriet Macfarlane, Accountant

• Lucie Brady, Accountant• Laura Iddles, Accountant

• Hannah Rowland, Personnel• Alexandra Stott, Personnel

• Lisa Alexander,Personnel

Herzl Hamburger’s visit to BGS

Mr Herzl Hamburger donatesa generous sponsorship toBury Grammar School toenhance pupils’ religiousunderstanding.

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The magnificent surroundings of The Roger Kay Hallprovided the perfect setting for the Girls’ Junior SchoolPrize Giving ceremony in July. It was a splendid celebrationof achievement in all areas of school life.

Reverend Findon welcomed everyone on behalf of theGovernors and introduced Mrs Lomas who would present theprizes. The girls listened intently as groups of prize winners’

names were announced by Mrs.Bottoms. There was an exciting atmosphere as none of thepupils had been told who would be receiving awards. The secret was worth keeping, as itwas an absolute joy to witness the modest surprise on the faces of many winners, and thegenuine appreciation of their successes by their friends. Achievement, progress and effortwere recognised in each form. In addition there was a range of awards for individualsubjects, particular skill in practical subjects and contribution to school life.

Prizes awarded were a mixture of medals, books, tokens and some wonderful trophies.The school is indebted to the great number of people who donated prizes for the occasion,and for years to come. Many supporters of the Junior School chose to give a prize for aspecific subject, age group or area of personal interest.The Guild was especially generous and the Lilian NieldTrophy was awarded for ‘Service to the School’. This wasin special recognition of Lilian Nield, an originalfounder of The Guild many years ago.

Performances of dance and singing interspersed withpoetry recitals delighted the audience of parents andinvited guests. The inspiring poems, entitled ‘OurSchool’, were written by the girls themselves. A group ofYear 6 dancers performed ‘The Burglars’ and both thejunior, (year 3 and 4), and the senior, (year 5 and 6) choirs delighted us with polishedperformances of some challenging songs. It was an honour to have Miss Nield present, asa special guest, in the audience to enjoy the performances of the children.

Mrs. Bottoms congratulated all the staff and pupils on all their successes, and acknowl-edged the hard work that had happened to facilitate the high level of achievement in allareas of school life. She gave a brief summary of some of the many activities of the year.

Mrs. Lomas was kept busy for the whole afternoon as she presented the girls with theirprizes. She also spoke to each year 6 girl individually, as they received their portfolios ofmemories of BGSG, which they had worked on in school, under the guidance of their formteachers.

Mrs.Lomas concluded the afternoon with a warm and witty address to the staff andgirls, congratulating them on the success of the afternoon itself and of the year as a whole.

Barbara Bottoms, Head of Girls’ Junior School

Boys’ Junior SchoolThis is my first article for The Key and I hope to bringyou news of the Junior School in future editions. Forthose of you who do not know, the Junior School movedinto the old Magistrates Court, opposite the SeniorSchool, in the Autumn Term 1993. In the buildings wehave eight classrooms, an Assembly Hall, an Art room, aScience room, a Library, a Music room, a Computer Suiteand Music practice rooms. Our role number is 167 boysranging from seven to eleven with two classes in eachage group. We have ten members of staff, a SpecialNeeds Assistant and a Welfare Assistant. As a resultboys at the Junior School enjoy the advantages of beinghoused on a separate site while remaining very muchpart of the longstanding tradition of the school.

Our main news is the completion of the newComputer Suite. The Governors granted permission forthe Bursar’s old office to be converted into our ComputerSuite. Under the guidance of Peter Skinner and AdrianBrooks, they have designed and built an excellentfacility which houses twenty-seven PCs and an overheadprojector in a bright and air-conditioned room. The boysand staff really enjoy this new facility and it has alreadyenhanced the teaching of Information CommunicationTechnology. My thanks must go to Peter and Adrian andall the Maintenance staff for all their hard work over thesummer.

At the beginning of September Transitus II had atwo-day outdoor activities trip to Ambleside. Theystayed overnight at Ambleside Youth Hostel and had anenjoyable time tackling the gorge walk, the visit toCathedral Quarry and the night line on the first day andkayaking and climbing at Keswick on the second.

Exitus had a very interesting morning visiting theLancashire Fusiliers Museum in October, looking aroundthe museum and seeing how you take machine gun to pieces.

In sport we did very well in the Association of JuniorIndependent Schools cross-country. The under 11 teamcame second and the under 10 team came ninth out oftwenty schools; these are the best results we have had inthis competition. We have made a good start in the BurySchools football league and the knockout cup bywinning our first round fixtures.

David CrouchHead of Boys’ Junior School

Bury Grammar School Success atthe Ogden Trust Competition

Three members of Bury Grammar School Boys’ Sixth Form have shownimpressive business expertise by reaching the National Final of TheOgden Trust National Schools Business Competition.

Alex Robinson, Tom Lomax andStephen Gillan initially won the local heatwhich was held at Manchester GrammarSchool in July. From this success they wenton to qualify for the Regional Final whichtook place at the Manchester BusinessSchool on Wednesday 28 September.

The Regional Final saw the threestudents face challenging competitionfrom Leeds Grammar School, RoyalGrammar School (Newcastle) and YarmSchool, amongst others. The team had towork on a business problem for three hours

before presenting their ideas to the judges and audience. The three Bury Grammarstudents impressed the judges with the quality of their business thinking, thecreativity of their solutions and the quality of their presentation.

The team will now progress to the National Final which will be held at the JudgeBusiness School at the University of Cambridge on 13 December this year. This willsee the three students compete for the winning prize against six other top schools fromaround Britain. The three students have the potential to win visits to either theFinancial Times, HSBC World HQ in Canary Wharf or Manchester United FC at Old Trafford.

Malcolm Curtis

(Left to Right) Stephen Gillan, Alex Robinsonand Tom Lomax with the glass trophy

they won at the Regional Final

Girls’ JuniorSchool Prize

Giving

8

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The Girls’ School Prizegiving CeremonyBridgewater Hall, Manchester

Tuesday 27th September

Fighting their way throughManchester United supporters andcity centre traffic jams the 700girls, staff, governors and parentsalong with the Mayor andMayoress of Bury arrived just intime to take part in the firstPrizegiving to be held in theBridgewater Hall, one of the moststunning venues in the North West.Many former upper sixth girls alsomanaged to return for the eveningwhich celebrated their achieve-ments along with those of theupper fifth and other prizewinners.

It was, of course, the perfect locationfor the Festival Choir which sangBorodin’s Polovtsian Dances and for theorchestra plying Dvorak and Vivaldiwith a solo from cellist, Alicia Pylpczuk.While the whole school just fits into the

Roger Kay Hall, there would be noremaining space for parents and so formany of them this was the first timethey heard the school song and for theold girls among them that was a movingexperience.

The Headmistress recorded themany successes in the Girls’ School overthe past year. She paid tribute to retiringstaff and to the teachers who help thegirls achieve so highly. Speaking of themany activities the girls engage on shesaid it was important that they shouldbe encouraged to rise to challenge andhave a spirit of adventure or eventhough highly educated they would belike goldfish in a glass bowl who, onbeing introduced into the pondcontinue to swim round in small circles.

The guest speaker was ProfessorDame Nancy Rothwell, an eminentneuroscientist from ManchesterUniversity honoured by the Queen forher services to science in June 2005.Dame Nancy spoke passionately aboutscience and, indeed, passion was hertheme as she encouraged all of the girlsto choose to pursue in life a career whichabove all things else they would enjoy. Itwas clear that she loved her own job andmany regarded her contribution asinspirational.

The evening gave everyone manyreasons to be proud of Bury GrammarSchool Girls The girls were the clearcentre of attention and the focus for welldeserved praise.

FragmentsFrench Series no. 113

This painting is one of a series of similar worksinspired by a trip to France in 2003.

For a while now I have been interested in the wallsof old buildings and the cracks that randomly appear asa result of aging.

These cracks divide the surface space of the walls,isolating textured and sometimes decorative areas, onefrom another. Each is therefore a separate entitycontaining its own unique combination of texture andpattern. Each is a fragment of a former whole whichpresents itself to our gaze with a new identity.

As an artist I represent that fragment but as a wholeagain with an even newer identity, that of a textured anddecorated painting.

This particular fragment was part of the church wallin St. Emillion in the Dordogne, famous for vineyardsand wine.

My hope is that some of the contemplative calmwhich I was aware of as I sat quietly drawing might alsobe captured in this painting and afford the viewer anopportunity of quiet, personal reflection.

Gerry HalpinThis printing has been donated by Gerry Halpin

and is on display at Farraday House, DAH.

Bury Grammar School Bridge ClubOne of the best-kept secrets of BuryGrammar School is that there is acongenial and informal get-together ofBridge players on the first Wednesday ofevery month.

The club, which accommodates allstandards of players, has been running forover 20 years and is now seeking to enlargeits membership. It is an opportunity foranyone who enjoys a game of Bridge tocome along and join us. You do not have tobe a good player as the atmosphere is farremoved from being ‘cut-throat’. Starting at7:30pm, there are 4 half-hour sessions witha break for coffee and biscuits in themiddle. The venue is in the JuniorCommon Room (JCR), which is situatedbehind the baths in The Boys School. The next meetings are as follows:

Wed 2nd November, Wed 7th December, Wed 4th January, Wed 1st February, Wed 1stMarch, Wed 5th April, Wed 3rd MayJust turn up or if you would like further details

please phone Stephen or Phyllis Bleakley on 01706 644032.

Craft Fair 2005The 11th Craft Fair was the first to be heldunder the Guild’s new name: the BuryGrammar School Girls Parents’ Asso-ciation. The day dawned wet and chilly,especially if you were carrying a sack ofice kindly donated by Ronald McDonaldfor the refreshment stall. The greeter onthe front door managed a frozen smile inthe face of the icy blast. At one point wethought Father Christmas might arrive onwater skis instead of the traditional sleigh.

Inside the school, however, all was warmand inviting. The newly-installed swancarving in the Roger Kay Hall gazed downon the rows of stalls: brightly colouredcards, photographs, wooden puzzles, andjolly balloons. You could immerse yourselfin snuggly fleece wraps, spider cushions andmohair teddy bears. A trail of merry face-painted children led the way to FatherChristmas’s magical grotto. An excitedqueue waited to be admitted, trying todiscover where the reindeer had beenstabled.

Scents of Asian food mingled with thearoma of mince pies and cakes in the

refreshment area of the sixth form centre.The bright new sofas and tables made theroom feel less austere and it was soonteeming with customers seeking a welcomeplace to sit. Tea urns were bubbling anddrinks chilling. The Young Enterprise andWorld Challenge Teams plied their wares,the latter raising funds for their expeditions.Soloists from the school played for visitorsin the hall during the day, the musicalternating with the sonorous tones of LizShaw’s announcements. As usual, parentsand staff generously volunteered their helpon the day, and the caretaking team was onhand to help with lifting and shifting.

New stallholders are always welcome:please contact the school office for details.We are indebted to Mr Stephen Harris, aformer parent at the school, who hasorganised bookings for several years. Wehave managed to retain his services evenafter his daughters have left, but he is nowretiring from the role. Dr Kim Scott hasvaliantly offered to take his place.

Finally, all I want for Christmas is agingerbread house – well not exactly – butthose in Angela’s Pantry were verydesirable!

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On 21st September we held our fifthInvitation Dinner in the Roger Kay Hall.The event was hosted by Reverend DrJohn Findon, Chairman of Governors,Keith Richards, Headmaster and BobbyGeorghiou, Headmistress.

The evening was very successful andJohn Findon was delighted to welcomecurrent supporters and an excellent repre-

University. We wish her well in herchosen career.

Bobby Georghiou highlighted the needfor a new Kindergarten which will providethe space needed for active learning in the21st Century; she also spoke passionatelyabout the need to provide our oldest pupilswith the facilities they need for a pre-university education. Richard Turck,School Captain and Natasha Muszanskyj,Head Girl, emphasised the need for newsixth form facilities and the benefits thatthese would bring to our pupils.

The evening concluded with guestsbeing offered tours of the Schools. If youwould like to receive an invitation to afuture event please do not hesitate tocontact Francine Healey in theDevelopment Office.

The Way ForwardPresentation Events

Chairman’s Invitation Dinnersentation from the local businesscommunity.

The purpose of the event was toincrease awareness and encourage supportfor our Building and Bursary Funds.Plans of the proposed new developmentswere on display and attracted greatinterest. Keith Richards spoke of theimportance of wide access to our Schoolsand of the many benefits of corporatesupport.

Katie Schofield, a bursary recipient,acknowledged the value of her educationand spoke from the heart when she paidtribute to the School and staff. Katie hasparticipated fully in all areas of School lifeand has made the most of the opportunityshe has been given; her examinationresults at GCSE were outstanding and shehopes to study Law at Cambridge

3rd November Presentation in Boys’ School Assembly HallOn the evening of 3rd Novemberwe held the first of many presen-tations of The Way Forward.Reverend Dr John Findon,Chairman of Governorswelcomed staff members, formerstaff and members of ourSchools’ Associations and paidtribute to their commitment toour Schools.

We were treated to a shortmusical repertoire from the talented children in our Kindergarten who performedbeautifully under the watchful eye of Mrs Duckworth. Later the children presented acheque for an amazing £4,268 to the Chairman of Governors; the money was raisedby from sponsored events in which all the children participated with greatenthusiasm.

Diana Robinson, Head of Kindergarten, David Crouch, Head of Boys’ JuniorSchool, Barbara Bottoms, Head of Girls’ Junior School, Howard McWilliam Head ofBoys’ Sixth Form and Judith Skinner Head of Girls’ Sixth Form spoke of the Schools’vision for the future and highlighted the need for our new facilities and the benefitsthey would bring to our pupils.

Our Schools’ owe their existence to founders and benefactors who haverecognised the importance of the highest quality of education for children from allbackgrounds. Ensuring the access, resources and facilities required for an academicand highly technological twenty first century is our responsibility and the purpose ofthe evening was to demonstrate how we shall continue to do this.

7th November London Presentation at The Oxford and Cambridge Club, Pall Mall

This very special evening was hosted by John Findon, Chairman of Governors,Brian Allan and Alan West, School Governors, Keith Richards, Headmaster, BobbyGeorghiou Headmistress along with senior members of staff and Richard Turck,School Captain, Natasha Muszanskyj, Head Girl and Katie Schofield.

The auspicious venue of the Oxford and Cambridge Club proved to be a greatsuccess. We were delighted with the support shown by our southern alumni andpleased to bring them news of their School and present our future developmentplans. Great interest was shown in the building plans which were on display and theSchools’ vision for the future was greeted with enthusiasm. Whilst the new buildingdevelopments are of paramount importance the need to provide assistance forchildren whose parents cannot afford fees was also emphasised.

There are active branches of the Old Boys’ and Old Girls’ Associations in Londonand each holds an annual event to mark Founders’ Day in May.

We shall be organizing many other Presentation Evenings in the New Year.

Sponsored event for New Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten is very excited at the prospect of a newbuilding, especially as it is going to be such a special design.

We thought it would be really good if every child in theKindergarten could take part in a sponsored event to raise moneyfor the Appeal. All the children were sponsored by members ofstaff and also Boo Boo Bear to make sure that they were able to be involved.

Reception children took part in a sponsored push. They had tenminutes to push a bicycle, pram etc. round their part of theplayground. It was jolly hard work but they kept going and didreally well.

Year 1 and 2 children took part in a sponsored team obstaclerace. This involved going from one end of the sports hall to theother in relays travelling along a bench, doing a bat and ballbalance, a sack race, through the hoops and aiming the bean bagsat the bucket.

The total raised was £4268.28 which was presented at aCentenary Appeal Launch evening in early November. 12 Kindergarten musicians played their violins and cellos beforethe presentation. Since then the total has risen to £4329.28.

We are grateful to all our sponsors and are very much lookingforward to our new Kindergarten.

Diana Robinson, Head of Kindergarten

TThhee KKeeyy

There was a very high standard of golfplayed on the day (most of the time) withan equally high standard of entertainmentand banter! The atmosphere was one ofgreat camaraderie and the day concluded

in the eveningwith a meal andthe presentationof a splendidSilver SwanC h a l l e n g eTrophy donatedby Melvyn Inceand an equally

Old Clavians Golf SocietyThe Old Clavians Golf Society is open to all Old Boys who wouldlike to participate in enjoyable social golf; there is a choice of annual or lifetime membership and new members are always welcome.

If you would like further information about becoming amember and you are interested in attending any of thefollowing events please do not hesitate to contact the HonorarySecretary, Melvyn Ince on 0161 4824016

Annual Membership - £6.00 Life Membership - £40.00

Date to add to your diaryChallenge Trophy Fri 19th May Bury Golf ClubSilver Swan Challenge Fri 26th May Rossendale Golf ClubInvitation Day Fri 16th June Nelson Golf ClubLord John Morley To be ArrangedSchool Challenge Fri 7th July Walmersley Golf ClubFestival of Golf Thurs 13th July Whitefield Golf ClubCaptains Day Fri 4th August Chorley Golf Club

The Silver Swan Challenge Trophy 2005June 3rd 2005 was a momentous occasion when the first Silver Swan GolfChallenge match was held between BGS ‘old boys’ (the Clavians) and BGS‘old girls’. The event was a great success despite the weather (as most of usgot rather wet) and it was an enjoyable and successful day which I hope wewill be able to repeat next year.

splendid ‘mucky duck’ runners up trophy. Due to slight confusion on our agreed

format, a conclusive win could not besettled upon so a rather fitting agreementwas made for this inaugural match withthe outcome being declared a draw andeach team to receive the Trophy for sixmonths each.

However, there is now everything toplay for next year so anyone interested orwishing to participate please do get intouch. The event will be held atRossendale Golf Club on Friday, 26th May2006 and I am sure you will have a mostenjoyable day.

P. Brown, M. Ince, K. Emery & J. Dyson

J. Riggs, T. Verber, S. Savasi & D. Hinton

... and a good day was had by all!

D. Dickinson, Carolyn Taylor, V. Rigby & C. Neal

J. Keate, Hilary Ankers, Liz Tomlinson & P. Wright

V. Bailey, J. Winterburn, A. Rigby, J. Holland

S. Spencer, E. Hill, S. Crompton, & D. Holland

Our six fourballs poised to take on the challenge!

Anyone wishing to play next year or who would like further information

please contact Pam Brown Tel: 01204 88 2622

Email: Pam@Inwood20.fsnet.co.uk

10

This Rose bowl was originally presented toArthur Ince upon his retirement by the Old boys’

Association and has been kindly donated by his son Melvin

11

Jeremy B. Surr, CB, FRSAJeremy Surr was born in January, 1938 in Dulwich, London and in 1951, aftermoving several times around the country, Jeremy’s family came to Bury where, atage 13 he obtained a place at Bury Grammar School.

Here, he joined the C.C.F. and developed his interest in cross-country running which kept him fit in later life.Leaving school after O levels in 1954, Jeremy joined Hope, Halstead & Co. where he worked for a year beforedeciding that accountancy was not for him. He then followed his father into the Civil Service and started in theMinistry of Labour Office (now Job Centre) in Eccles before being called up for National Service in the Army.Most of the next two years were spent in Germany in the Royal Signals where he further developed his cross-country activities to the extent that his services were competed for by different units, each anxious to improveits inter- company sporting achievements. This enabled him to describe his National Service years as ‘a cushy number’.

Back in civilian life, Jeremy returned to work in Eccles but in 1961 was offered a transfer to London which he took on the basis thatLondon was likely to offer more career opportunities than Eccles. It was a wise decision.

For the next 20 years, he moved rapidly upwards, mostly in the Ministry of Labour (renamed Department of Employment) and beingtrained in computer programming, systems analysis, incomes policy research and planning. In 1965, he married Gilly to whom he remaineddevoted for the rest of his life. His success had brought him to the attention of senior mandarins and he was chosen to serve a team in theCabinet Office during the premiership of Harold Wilson. In a much more senior capacity later on, he also served under Mrs Thatcher andother leading politicians.

In 1978, he was offered an exchange posting with the Australian Government and he and Gilly spent two very happy years in Melbourne.On returning to the U.K., his career really took off. In the early 1980’s, The Department of Employment was decentralising out of Londonand Jeremy agreed to move to Sheffield where he was to live for the rest of his life, a complete change from the rather nomadic existence ofhis early years. In Sheffield, he became a senior executive of the Manpower Services Commission where he developed and managedprogrammes to provide temporary work for the unemployed. These programmes were eventually to provide help for over 1 million peoplea year. Later, he took responsibility for all the Employment Services activities and also represented the U.K. on the European Unions StandingGroup of Directors General of Employment Services.

In 1988, he established a new division to develop and deliver an adult training programme with half a million places. The followingyear, he took up his final position when he became Divisional Director in the Department of Employment. Here, he established the Trainingand Enterprise Councils which, in turn, created independent private companies to deliver training education and local economic developmentin England and Wales. He also took responsibility for the Training, Education and Enterprise Directorate of the Department of Employment.After 3 years in this role, Jeremy opted to take early retirement but, in fact, his working life was far from over. He was a known ‘workaholic’and, with the encouragement of H. M. Government, he set himself up as a consultant to advise the newly independent countries of EasternEurope on policy development and organisation of labour market institutions. In this role, he joined projects financed by the World Bank, theEU and by our own Department of International Development and, over the next 13 years, spent many months in Armenia, Bulgaria,Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania, Russia and, in the year leading up to his death, Macedonia and Turkey.

In between all this activity, in so-called retirement, he worked many hours with Gilly in developing their garden in Sheffield to showpiecestandard and also became a golfer – to the extent that he played for both the ‘Rabbits’ and the Veterans’ on the same day! In typical fashion,he also became an active and vociferous member of the golf club committee. Latterly, he had become interested in classic car rallying, whichappealed to his ever-competitive spirit.

After his ‘official’ retirement in 1992, the next Honours List appointed Jeremy a Companion of the Order of the Bath ad he was subsequently invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts which he was pleased to accept.Jeremy Surr died suddenly, at home in Sheffield, on 25 September 2005 and, in the following days, his family and close friends werecomforted by tributes received, not only from his fellow golf club members and ex Civil Service colleagues but also from the many people hehad met in different parts of Eastern Europe whose lives and careers had been enriched by the guidance he gave as they emerged intodemocracy for the first time in decades. I, too, will miss him. I knew him for 54 years and, having married his sister, Noelle, was his brother-in-law for 43 of those years.

David Ingham (1953)

50th AnniversaryCelebrations of theCologne Exchange

I read with great interest your article on 50thAnniversary Celebrations of the Cologne Exchangewhich was published in issue 5 of The Key. As I wasone of the pupils involved in the original exchangevisits, I thought you might be interested to know howthey came in to being.

In the football season 1954/55 the school had avery strong 1st XI. As a result of our success, wedecided that we would like to test ourselves againstschools other than the ones that we had playedagainst on a regular basis throughout our schoolcareer. We approached Bert Asquith, Head of Englishat the time, and also in charge of the senior footballteams. He agreed it would be a good idea and said hewould approach some schools in the Blackpool areafrom where I think he originated. We were disap-pointed at this as we were hoping to travel a bitfurther afield.

Consequently, David Meier said he would have aword with his father, Dr. Arnold Meier, as he may havecontacts in the Brighton area where he had lived atone time. You can imagine our surprise when we weretold that Dr. Meier and Bert Asquith had got togetherand that we were going to play against a Germanschool.

Our excitement was somewhat diminished whenwe learnt that the German school was, in fact, comingto Bury at Easter (1955) and that we were not going toGermany until the following year. However, althoughwe lost the match 0-2 to a side that was on average 3to 4 years older than ourselves, the game was a fittingclimax to a great season. The Germans also playedanother match and, much to our chagrin, lost 2-4 toour old rivals Stand GS.

The next year we, of course, travelled to Colognewhere we lost the return match 2-3, being denied adraw when an equalising goal was disallowed becausethe ball entered the net a split second after the finalwhistle had sounded with their goalkeeper, it goeswithout saying, hopelessly beaten.

Full reports of these first two exchange visits werein the Clavians for July 1955 and July 1956.

It is a fitting tribute to both Dr Meier and BertAsquith that these exchange visits continue to this dayand have given such pleasure to hundreds of pupilsover the last 50 years.

CW Neal (1956)

My years at BGS were 1952-59, and I wenton to take two Music degrees at ManchesterUniversity, graduating finally in 1965 and joiningthe BBC.

My big things at BGS were winning someMusic and some Essay Prizes, but the brightboys were all being steered towards a scientificcareer (Harold Wilson’s “white heat oftechnology” etc). Having been through theScience Sixth, I switched to a musical career atalmost the last moment and honestly haven'tregretted it.

Following 5 years in BBC Radio, I’ve enjoyed35 wonderful years producing and directing over300 TV classical music programmes, freelancinghere and abroad since 1980. I’ve had theprivilege of collaborating with numerous musicalheroes, winning Emmy Awards for programmes inNew York, and directing cameras at the LastNight of the Proms eight times.

My ally at BGS was the then Music masterand parish organist, Joseph H. James, whostarted a school orchestra. He had two sons:violinist Anthony; he became a judge in Cumbria.Hugh went to live in Pittsburgh, and we met up25 years later when I got my big break to work inAmerica and went over to televise an AndréPrevin series with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

BGS masters were happy to support theschool orchestra. The History man (Mr Hindley),Latin master (“JED” Ferley), and P.E. teacher(Mr Price) were among the strings, and theGeography master, Mr Spencer, on double-bass.

Our finest hour was a performance of aMozart-style Piano Concerto which Mr Jamescomposed with me in mind. Later I played theconcerto with the Bury Orchestra in the RogerKay Hall, on 30 April 1955. I was 14, and theevent gave BGS quite some publicity. The photoshows Mr. James on the right, and the manshaking hands with me is the conductor, Albert Conway.

Years later my BBC personnel officer turnedout to be related to the James family bymarriage, and said we should set up a 50th-anniversary performance (April 2005) at theschool. But I would have had to make new instru-mental parts from Mr James’s originalmanuscript score, and I knew BGS now had awind band rather than a “classical” orchestra.

Best wishes, Rodney Greenberg (1959)

TThhee KKeeyy

Contact Details

Keith RichardsHeadmaster

Bury Grammar SchoolTenterden Street,

Bury BL9 0HN

Telephone:0161 797 2700

Email:keith.richards@

burygrammarschoolboys.co.uk

Roberta GeorghiouHeadmistress

Bury Grammar School GirlsBridge Road, Bury. BL9 0HH

Telephone:0161 797 2808

Email:info@bgsg.bury.sch.uk

David HarrisonBursar

Bury Grammar Schools Bursar’s Office,

Farraday House, Bridge Road, Bury BL9 0HG

Telephone: 0161 764 4442

Email: dah@burygsoffice.demon.co.uk

Francine HealeyDevelopment Officer

Bury Grammar Schools Development Office,

Farraday House, Bridge Road, Bury BL9 0HG

Telephone:0161 764 1733

Email:francine@bgsdev.demon.co.uk

Have you visited our Website?January 2006 marks the re-launch of

www.bgsdev.co.ukA BIG thank you for all the comments and suggestions made to us

about our website; we have taken your ideas and have, we feel, madea site that will be both entertaining and informative.

Please bear with us over the next few weeks while we make thefinishing touches to the site before going live in mid January. If you

would like confirmation of the launch date please let me knowlouise@bgsdev.demon.co.uk.

We have taken your comments onboard and have added to the site animage gallery, message boards, straightforward registration and

navigation for finding old friends and much, much more.Make a date in your diary to visit our new site in January and remember

it’s your site so we need your help - please send us your stories,photographs, suggestions, articles and personal updates.

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Old Boys’ & Old Girls’ AssociationsWHY NOT JOIN TODAY!

The Old Girls’ and Boys’ Associations are actively seeking new members across all year groups. Not only do they have representation in the North but they alsohave a thriving London membership. Both Associations are committed to theirmembers and arrange fantastic events and reunions throughout the year.

As members you receive an annual newsletter, invitations to all events plus access to the schools facilities. There is also an active Sport and Social Section,including Football, Basketball, Table Tennis and Bridge teams, together with a swimming section and a keen Golf Club.

For more information on becoming a member please contact Michelle at theDevelopment Office on 0161 764 1733 or michelle@bgsdev.demon.co.uk.FORTHCOMING EVENTS INCLUDE –

• HEAD GIRLS HONOURS BOARD & CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS• ANNUAL FOUNDERS DAY DINNER (NORTH & SOUTH)• GOLFING TOURNAMENTS• BRIDGE EVENINGS

Centenary CelebrationsTo mark the start of the Centenary Celebrations of the Roger Kay Hall

we plan to unveil Honours Board for all the Head Girls of the last 100 years.On Saturday 14th January 2006 we shall be unveiling the new boards and

celebrating the event with former Head Girls and their families.Unfortunately, we have lost touch with the following Head Girls and we would be

grateful for any information that you may have of them or their relatives.

Do you know who the Head Girls were prior to 1920?We also need to find contact information for the Head Girls of 1930, 1932 and 1933.If you have any information please contact Betty Kenyon, Secretary of the Old Girls Association on 01204 887 222.

1921 R Marjorie Heywood1922 Maureen Cowan1923 Florence Barlow1924 Beatrice Roberts1925 Kathleen Cowan1926 Alice Lomax1927 Edith Richards1928 Elizabeth Harrison1929 Margaret Wilkinson1931 Lucy Lomax1934 Frances Hurst1938 Marie Scholes

1940 Marjorie Hulme1941 Audrey Brown1942 Margaret Howell1942 Marjorie Dawson1943 Joyce Ashworth1944 Doris Coutie1946 Jose Newbold1947 Joan Cooper1948 Eileen Dawson1949 Lorna Davis1950 Doreen Prestwich1953 Anne Parkin

1954 Pat Denney1955 Susan Peacock1957 Vera Crossland1960 Joan Wilson1961 Jacqueline Whittle1963 Gillian Hind1965 Brenda Clark1967 Susan Hollows1970 J Lesley Fitton1971 Elisabeth Bell1988 Jessica Waywell