"Woolverstone Hall Saved Me 1" (pdf)  Michael Volpe - in "The Daily Telegraph"

2013
  "Boarding school for inner-city kids: never mind the 'sexual volcano " URL  "The Guardian" / Michael Moran



 "An OB Blogger's Personal View" (URL)
 Jonathan Gornall

17/10/2002
  "Woolverstone House" (pdf)
 "Country Life"
v>



The Duke of Edinburgh's Award programmes take between one and four years to complete, and they must be completed by the participant's twenty-fifth birthday. There are around 300,000 new participants annually, with an estimated 461,000 current participants in the UK. The programmes are at three progressive levels which, if successfully completed, lead to a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award. With assistance from adult Leaders, participants select and set objectives in each of the following areas:

  • Volunteering: undertaking service to individuals or the community.
  • Physical: improving in an area of sport, dance or fitness activities.
  • Skills: developing practical and social skills and personal interests.
  • Expedition: planning, training for, and completion of an adventurous journey in the UK or abroad.
  • At Gold level, participants must do an additional fifth Residential section, which involves staying and working away from home for five days, doing a shared activity.

    • To achieve an award, the participant must work on each section for a minimum period of time, and must be monitored and assessed by someone with knowledge of the chosen activities. Each progressive level demands more time and commitment from participants: Bronze 3–6 months; Silver: 6–9 months; Gold: 12–18 months. Participants are required to show regular activity and commitment to the award for the duration of their DofE programme, which is usually at least one hour per week.

    		 



     

     

    Phil Melville writes:
    ('61 to '69 Johnstons House)


    "Carmina Burana" was performed
    with the help of girls from IHS and professional musicians & singers.

    I still recall the moment the counter tenor(?) started to sing in a not very macho sounding voice; but I was so inspired I have attended several performances and have recordings both on vinyl & CD.

    I recall hearing Barry Salmon
    leaving the dress rehearsal
    saying something like:

    "It had better go better
    than that on the night!"


    Youtube video

    lyrics & music

     

     

    "The Sunday Times Magazine"   -  10 July 1963                                                                            (pdf version here)

    This article was very kindly sent to
    us by Amanda Swift, whose father
    was the Editor of the STM from 1965
    to 1972 and knew Jim Hyde very well.

    She writes:

    "I’m pretty sure my dad knew Jim through
    the Vocational Advisory Service they both
    worked for in the Middle East in 1946/47."

    Amanda is an author of children's books.

     

    right: Mrs. Mrs. G.H. Bailey

    G.H.B. was the much-loved
    Head of Woolverstone Hall
    School from 1960 to 1974.



    In the photo of the car from left to right:

    Peter Almond - Douglas Woodgate - Peter Whittaker - Mark Bond - John (Jim) Allgrove

    Jo Briggs writes:"As usual the newspaper got it wrong, no money involved. Dr. Hassell-Smith was annoyed with me as when teaching us to drive the tractor, when I was about 14, I just put it in 4th gear and moved off - He had been telling us to start in first, stop; put it in second, move off, stop; and like that and like that - I argued that it was pointless as, being a tractor, it was so low geared that on a tarmac road anything other than 4th was uneccessary. I think, as a consequence, he thought me getting above myself, so one day he came to me saying that the car club could have the Morris if I could get it back to the workshop. On asking what was wrong with it I was told that the clutch didn't work - No problem, I just started the car with the box in gear and drove it back to the CC changing gear without the use of the clutch, easy to do on a non-syncromesh gearbox and something I had been doing since I was 12/13. Back at the workshop Chris Fuller and I installed a new clutch thrust-bearing and all was well."