I was very sad to learn recently that Bryan Weaver has died from a long-term illness - sometime in August 2024 I believe, but I do not have any details. He was a chum of mine at WHS - not a close friend I could confide in (I had none of those), but we spent 7 years in the same houses, classes and rugby teams.

I only saw him twice after leaving school: one in 1966 when I went to visit him and Cedric Delves at a school in Bungay where they were doing work experience and then again sometime in the early 2000s at one of the Victoria Pub reunions. Other than that we had no contact and I cannot therefore say that we were in any way close, but his passing has saddened me more than I would have expected - and indeed diminished me in the Donnian sense as explained in his poem, which I believe to be the most beautiful and sublime ever published. Our generation can now expect to lose on a regular basis those we went to school with - but that in no way makes it any easier.

Bryan at school was lively, communicative, big, strong, particularly gifted in maths - and a formidable rugby forward. As for his strength, I never knew him to use it in any negative way or indeed witness him being nasty to anyone at any time. I always thought myself lucky to have spent my schooldays with him and deeply regret not keeping in touch thereafter. He certainly didn't know how much I appreciated him - I should have told him, then and later.

According to Barry Clark (WHS and later staff) Bryan was heavily involved in the computerising of WHS when they came in around the 80s or so. Barry will know more.