Tal Ħandaq Magazine 1962 Mikado Sports Section House Notes
(from this year the Verdala Magazine went its own way.) Best viewed in Internet Explorer /
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Royal Naval School Tal-Handaq SCHOOL MAGAZINE
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STAFF
CONTENTS
Editorial The School Magazine must surely occupy a unique place in the world of publishing. Here we have a record of all aspects in the education of a new generation. Parents may read it with pride and a tinge of nostalgia; the pupils we hope will read it critically. Some of it must be unpolished as it is not just a record of achievement; it is also a measure of progress. The standard of the literary articles here is not indeed very high; but perhaps all literary editors are dissatisfied with the entries they receive for the School Magazine. The articles submitted were disappointing too in their scope: one reason may be that we have not yet fully explored the advantages of our position. Situated as we are in the middle of the Mediterranean our pupils have a splendid opportunity to give a more distinctive character to their writing. Nevertheless humble though it may be our effort is based on a respect for the fundamentals of education, as the emphasis at Tal-Handaq is on opportunity for all. Away from home we uphold the ideals of British education with the Naval tradition of Service as our inspiration. In a confused world it is hoped we can produce citizens who know how to use their talents and will use them to good purpose. MAGAZINE COMMITTEE Chairman: Mr. C.V. Morris. Literary Editor: Miss M. McGuiness. Art Editor: Mr. R.A. Dickerson. Photographer: Mr. J.W. Evans. Advertising: Mr. E. Battye. Boys' Representative: D. Roberts. Girls' Representative: Jocelyn Duke.
Prize Day 1961
Prize Day at Tal-Handaq was held on Friday, l7th November, 1961. The Fleet Instructor Officer, Instructor Captain E.F.R. Byng, C.B.E., A.D.C., presided, and the prizes were presented by the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, Admiral Sir Deric Holland-Martin, K.C.B., D.S.O., D.S.C. The programme was as follows:—
5. Presentation of Prizes and Certificates - - The Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean. 6. Song by the School - "Grant us Light" - Eric H. Thiman. "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN". After the presentation of the prizes, the Commander-in-Chief asked for a whole-holiday. A vote of thanks was proposed by the Head Boy, David Roberts, and a bouquet was presented to Lady Holland-Martin by the Head Girl, Jocelyn Duke. The prize-winners were:— 1AG Julia Bullock, Patricia Flude, Heather Tellam.. 1BG Barbara Bunt, Lynne Jackson, Margaret Williams. 1CG Ann Davies, Alan Kelson. 1DGGraham Brunt, Lilian Roughley. 1EG Tessa Trench, Elizabeth Beech. 1R Paula Howell, Paula Grief, Patricia Benstead.. 1AM Nigel Miles, Michael Hopkins, Veronica Hickford. 1BMGeorge Snow, Rosalyn Dixon, Fiona Alexander. 1CM Christine Lambert, Robert McWalter, Gillian Clark. 1DM Ronald Bowden. 2AG Peter Heddon, Anna Sutton, James Hair. 2BG Elizabeth Barker, Elizabeth Whistler, Antoinette Wakefield. 2CG Craig Findly, John Peto, Wendy Green. 2DG Patricia Lock, Barry Turner. 2AM Margaret Summers, Lynda Gray, William Glover, Sydney Richardson. 2BM Jeffrey Dave, John Small, Patricia Jarvis. 2CM Pamela Hall, Patricia Edwards, Peter Forbes. 2DM Linda Hannell, Karla Chaplin. 2EM Susan Puttock, David Dockett. 3AG Carol Parker, Susan Bourne, Jennifer Clarke, Janice Wright. 3BG Carol Catt, John Payne, Anne Lamacraft. 3CG Tony Polkinghorne, Susan Shepherd, Elaine Covington, O'Linda Quinn. 3AM Jennifer Smith, Susan Armstrong, Roy Lupton. 3BM George Aldridge, Susan Plumpton, Hilary Dingwall, Elaine Field. 3CM Margaret Wilson, Roger Newman, Margaret Franklin. 3DM Jacqueline Saunders, Michael Wenham, Margaret Philcox, Sylvia Thurling. 3EM Martin Cooper. 4AG Lesley Turner, Paul Lovell, Roger Knight, Shcryl Akers, Gail Barkwill. 4BG Roger Wilkin, John Passmore. 4AM Bridget Smith, Elise Whapshare, David Witts. 4BM Gisela Wheatman, Jacqueline Benstead, Kenneth McKee, Robert Gorham. 4CMTerence Mountford. 5BM Desmond Fleming. G.C.E. ADVANCED LEVEL — Ian McCall, Cyril Potter, Patricia Roden. G.C.E. ORDNARY LEVEL ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS HEAD BOY — Walter Willman. HEAD GIRL — Linda Knapp, Marianne Tottman. HEADMASTER'S REPORT - PRIZE DAY 1961 Ceremonies like today's are known by different names at different schools. Some are called "Founders' Days" -- but this school has no known founders. Some are called "Speech Days" - - but this title conjures up visions of long and dreary speeches by elderly gentlemen whose school days are all too far behind them. We have always had prize days, although this title should perhaps have been abandoned last year when the prizes failed to arrive in time. This year a less serious form of absenteeism seemed to be probable, as it was touch and go up to the last whether the Headmaster would be present. The past year has been a notable one in many ways. In the first place, the Royal Naval School has been divided into two parts, officially recognized as separate schools with separate Headmasters. So we now have the Royal Naval Primary School, Verdala and the Royal Naval Secondary School, Tal-Handaq and the latter title appears on the programme for the first time today. There has been a change of House Names. Those nebulous gentlemen, Messrs. Stephenson and White, have been replaced by two flesh and blood Admirals - - St. Vincent and Hawkins. Anyone who now wishes to find out about their house patrons has only to consult any book on Naval History. We had thought of choosing names from other Services, but this ignored the fact that Verdala is almost exclusively Naval; and from the realms of Admiralty Civilians only one stood out supreme -- the great figure of Samuel Pepys. So we settled for the four names that will endure certainly as long as this school — Drake and Hawkins; Nelson and St. Vincent. To introduce a more practical and day-to-day matter of organization -the Admiralty have now authorized the appointment of a U.K. based Bursar to the school. This was a long overdue measure as the administration of the school has been grossly overloaded, with much necessary work omitted for sheer lack of time. It also means that the Headmaster and other members of the staff will have more time for educational problems, and the day might even come when the Headmaster finds time to do some teaching — a thing which all the best Headmasters aim to do — to the great benefit of themselves, if not of their pupils. For the first time since the school moved here in 1947 it is possible to report a slight fall in the numbers of children - - now about 1025 compared with 1050 this time last year. This fact, together with the gradual increase in building, means that accommodation is no longer the major problem that has faced Headmasters in the past. This does not mean that we are satisfied with the present buildings — there is a vast amount still to be done, which I will refer to later. Last March we had a visit from a panel of three H.M. Inspectors from the Ministry of Education. Their visit was of great interest and value, though unfortunately too brief for them to cover the whole school adequately. They noted much that was good, and pointed out defects, some of which were already known. Some of these defects are being remedied, and others are being studied in order to find the best solutions. There is no doubt that over the years this school has acquired a good reputation, and this is very nice to know. Furthermore, with both children and staff of above average calibre, it was perhaps inevitable. This reputation has, however, obscured the more important question — "Is the school as good as it should be?" - and has too easily led to the acceptance of the second best. If, for example, I ask for new laboratories it is easy for someone to refer to our excellent science results and conclude without investigation that 110 improvements are needed. I myself am quite sure that the school is not as good as it should be -perhaps no school ever is -- and all the time we have to seek for ways and means of making it better. One such way during the last year has been the entire re-organization of the sixth form courses. This was an overdue step as the number of sixth form pupils -- 70 — has quadrupled since I came here 2 Another most important re-organization has been in Religious Education. The new Bristol Syllabus has been introduced into Service Schools generally, and this has coincided with the arrival of a full-time specialist teacher from U.K. The Religious Instruction of Roman Catholics has also been strengthened by new staff, and Padres of all denominations are having sessions with their own flocks from time to time Our Careers Organization has been strengthened and now consists of a panel of three members of the staff. Their work has been stimulated by a recent four-day visit from a Careers Advisory Officer from the Ministry of Labour. This we hope will be an annual visit and will be of the utmost value, though not one from which the school derives credit as it was initiated by the Ministry of Labour. A word about our external examination results. At 'A' level we had roughly twice as many entries as last year, and twice as many successes. The outstanding result was that of Cyril Potter who qualified for a Major University Award, but has remained with us for a third year to achieve even higher things next Summer. Walter Willman also achieved good results, which were a factor in his being offered both a Naval Cadetship and an R.A.F. Technical Cadetship. I regret to say that he accepted the latter. 'O' level results were not quite up to last year's, on paper. This was partly due to a deliberate policy of cutting down 4th year entries. But there were pleasing features also. One was, for the first time a good number of entries and of successes in Additional Mathematics. Another was the outstandingly good results achieved by one candidate, Peter Gettings, who achieved 10 passes with a minimum mark of 65 and an average of over 80. These results would be outstanding in any school. Our R.S.A. results were again good — very similar to last year. Our various school activities would more than fill a report on their own and I can only mention a few. For the first time we managed to run an orchestra — or rather an orchestral group, the instruments ranging from recorders to a trombone. This will, I hope, be the beginning of a permanent orchestra. Another new feature was a Ballroom dancing class. This was popular with those whose only dancing talent was hitherto restricted to Rock and Roll. The classes ended with a most successful dance in this hall. Our production of "Patience" last December was a brilliant one, and a source of great pleasure to the cast and audiences. As one member of the audience who sees the school plays each night, I can say that I enjoyed it most on the last night. I hope I shall be able to say the same of our forthcoming production of "The Mikado". Other activities must be mentioned briefly. Sailing has thrived; we had a good Art and Craft Exhibition at Open Day last May; we had school visits to Sicily and to Italy and all our normal activities have continued unabated. I wish that I could say more, but can only refer you to our 1961 Magazine for further details. Among many visitors to the school I can also only mention a few. Most recent are those of the Director, Naval Education Service, Rear-Admiral Darlington and the Director of Army Education, Major-General Moore-Coulson. Earlier in the year we had a visit from Sir Donald and Lady Wolfit who entertained us in scenes from Shakespeare; and a return match was played when half the school — all that could be fitted in — visited the Manoel Theatre to see the superb production of Macbeth by the Nottingham Playhouse Company. Lastly we were delighted to receive a visit from Sir John Hunt in connection with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Although much interest had been shown in this splendid scheme previously, and we had our first Gold Award candidate last summer, there is no doubt that Sir John's visit has stimulated much greater interest. In particular we hope now to extend the scheme to girls. This scheme is a great challenge to boys and girls and fulfils a tremendous need. I must return for a moment to material matters, trying to put them into perspective by putting them at the end of this report. Stage II of the re-organization scheme is now practically finished, and we have now a splendid Music Room and, at last, a worthy Metalwork Room. I have also been able to set aside a room for full-time Technical Drawing. We now have a much needed boundary fence, and a new combined tennis and netball court. We have some covered ways and we should very soon now have a completely re-equipped galley. Delays have been frustrating but unavoidable. This Hall has now been completely rebuilt, with a new roof and floor, during the Summer holidays — a very fine achievement on the part of the Navy Works Department. As you see we have obtained new curtains; we are now awaiting a new lighting set and back curtains. Unfortunately the Hall is still as small as ever. There is now a pause from major construction and we hope to use it by doin a good deal of tidying up and laying out of gardens. The Admiralty have yet to be convinced that a gardener is necessary, but in the meantime our Industrial Staff do good work in the short time available, and I hope to get gardening started as a Duke of Edinburgh pursuit, though this will be very much an amateur effort. When the Stage III Major Works programme will start I cannot forecast. We need new laboratories, a new library, a new Assembly Hall — this one would be converted into a second gymnasium — and much better facilities amongst other items. We can only hope that these will be provided before long. Lastly a word of thanks to the staff — teaching, administrative and industrial — for their continued loyalty and service to the school; and especially to those who have kept the preparations for this prize day going in my absence. A word of thanks also to the prefects — they do a difficult job willingly and I have noticed a steady improvement in their sense of responsibility and in their achievement. Thanks, finally to our many well-wishers and active helpers from outside the school and to our guests for coming to join us today. Other people's prize days can be all too dull, I know, but at least the Headmaster's report is now ended.
The Prefects
G.C.E. RESULTS — SUMMER 1961 ADVANCED LEVEL: OXFORD AGNES HEWITT — Pure and Applied Mathematics. SHEENA HINDS -, English Literature, French. CAROL E. MATHEWS — French. CAROL H. MATTHEWS — English Literature. IAN McCALL — English Literature, History, Geography. JOHN K. MERRIMAN -- Latin. CYRIL POTTER -- Pure and Applied Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry (with 60% at 'S' level). JENNIFER POWICK — History. ANNE M. PULLEN — English Literature, Geography. DAVID J. ROBERTS — Pure and Applied Mathematics, Physics. PATRICIA RODEN — English Literature, Biology. CATHERINE SHEARS — Physics, Chemistry. PETER E. SHEPHEARD — Physics. MARIANNE TOTTMAN - - English Literature, Biology. WALTER T. WILLMAN -- Pure and Applied Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics (with 60% at 'S' level). ADVANCED LEVEL: LONDON EDWINA BENCE — English Literature, French. ORDINARY LEVEL: OXFORD ROGER A. ADAMS — Mathematics, Physics. SHERYL A. AKERS -- English Language. ROSEMARY ANDREWS -- English Language and Literature, French, History,Mathematics, Physics, Art. PAULINE BALE — English Language, Mathematics. GAIL BARKWILL — English Language. ALEXANDRA BATTY -- Cookery, Needlework. ROBIN A. BOWES — English Language, Metalwork, Technical Drawing. MARIE A. BRADLEY — English Language and Literature, French, History (British), Geography, Biology, Needlework. BRENDAN M. BRESLIN -- English Language, History (British), Geography, Mathematics. ANTHONY C. BULBECK — English Literature, History (British), Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry. JANE P. CARVER -, English Language, French, Mathematics. RODNEY L. CASEY - - History (Foreign), Geography, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. CHRISTINE M. CLARK — English Language and Literature, French, Geography, Mathematics. JANET M. CLARK — English Language, Physics. HEINTZ D. CLARKE — English Language, "German. KEVIN J. CLAUGHAN — English Language. PATRICIA A. COOPER — English Language. JEAN CRAIG — English Language. SHEILA CRUICKSHANK — English Language, French, History (British). CHRISTINE M. DANIELS — English Language and Literature, Cookery, Art. ROSALYN S. DAVEY -- English Language, Mathematics. ROSEMARY DEARDEN — English Language and Literature, French, Latin, Geography, Mathematics, Biology, Religious Knowledge, Art (9 subjects). ROGER DINGLE — Mathematics. JOCELYN P. DUKE — French. AIDAN C. ELLIS — English Language, French. CLIVE A. EVANS — Mathematics. NUALA T. FLEMING -- English Language and Literature, French, Geography, Mathematics, Physics. PETER R. FRANKS — Additional Mathematics. THOMAS R. FRASER — Geography, Physics, Chemistry. SALLY E. FROW — English Language and Literature, History (British). BRIAN C. FULLER _ Additional Mathematics. PAMELA M. GARD -- English Language, History (British), Mathematics. DAVID M. GERRARD -- English Language, History (British), Mathematics. PETER A. GETTINGS — English Language and Literature, French, German, History (Foreign), Geography, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics Physics, Chemistry (10 subjects, with average of 82%). CHRISTOPHER J. GIBBINS -- English Language, French, Geography,Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry. GWENDOLINE B. GOBLE — English Language, Needlework. RODERICK G. GOWER -- English Language, History (British), Geography,Mathematics, Physics, Technical Drawing. PHYLLIS M. HANNAN — English Language. MICHAEL A. HAY — English Language. JON HAYLOCK — English Language and Literature, History (Foreign),Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry. STUART HERRIDGE -- English Language, French, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. SUSAN HILLS — English Literature. KATHLEEN HINES — English Language, History (British). BERNARD HOCTOR — French, Additional Mathematics. MAUREEN HUTTON -- Human Biology and Hygiene. IAN INSHAW — English Language, Mathematics. SANDRA JACOBS — English Language, Art, Biology. BARRY JOHNSON — English Literature, History (British). BARBARA JONES — Additional Mathematics. MARIA KADLEC — English Language and Literature, French. DAVID KIDD — English Language, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry. CAROL KNIGHT — Needlework. KEITH KNIGHT — Mathematics. ROGER KNIGHT - - History (British), Mathematics. SARA LAIDLAW — English Language, French, Mathematics. CHRISTINE LANGLEY - - English Language and Literature, History (British).SUSAN LARGE — Italian, Biology. PAUL LOVELL — English Language, History (British), Mathematics. TERENCE MARSH — Physics. ALLAN MARTIN — French, Mathematics SUSAN MASTERS — French, Mathematics, Biology. CAROL MATTHEWS — Human Biology and Hygiene. JAMES McDERMOTT — English Language. PATRICIA McPHERSON -- English Language and Literature, French, Biology, Cookery. JOHN MELTON — Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. JOHN MERRIMAN -- History (Foreign). MICHAEL MILNE — French, Latin, History (Foreign), Geography, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry. WENDY MORRELL — English Language, Biology. DAVID ALLAN MULCAHY — History (Foreign), Art. JUDITH NEWTON -- English Language. PAT OWEN -- English Language. ANGELA PACEY - - English Language, French. JOHN PARKER — English Language and Literature. VIVIENNE PARKER — Biology. BEVERLEY PEARCE — Additional Mathematics. MICHAEL PETERS — Geography. GRAHAM PETLEY — Mathematics. LESLEY POWELL — English Language, French. EDWIN REUBENS — English Language. WENDY RODEN - - English Literature, Italian, Mathematics, Biology. SUSAN SALTER — English Language, French. ROBERT SATTERLEY - - English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Technical Drawing. PETER SEARLE — History (Foreign), Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry. MICHAEL SHEARS — English Literature, French, History (Foreign), Physics, Geography, Mathematics, Chemistry, Religious Knowledge. ANNE SKINNER — Mathematics. DAVID SMITH - - English Language, Latin, History (British), Mathematics. MARGARET SOWDEN -- English Literature, French, Geography, Art, Biology, Mathematics. MARGARET SPENSLEY - - English Literature, French, History (Foreign), Art, Geography, Mathematics, Biology, Religious Knowledge. PHILIP STUBBS — History (British). MAUREEN SWAN -- English Literature, Italian, History (Foreign), Chemistry, Mathematics. ALAN TAPP — English Language, History (British). JUNE TAYLOR — English Literature, Human Biology and Hygiene, Cookery, Needlework. MALCOLM TRIGG — History (British), Mathematics. LESLEY TURNER — English Language, French, History (British). DANIEL VADNEY — English Language. CAROLE WESTWOOD - - English Literature, Italian, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Religious Knowledge. ANDREW WILKIN — Italian. ROGER WILKIN - - Metalwork, Technical Drawing. DOREEN WILLMAN — English Literature, French, History (Foreign), Geography, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology. PATRICIA WOODWARD -- English Language and Literature, French, History (British), Religious Knowledge, Geography, Mathematics, Biology. PENELOPE WOOLLCOMBE - - English Language and Literature, French, History (Foreign), Mathematics, Chemistry, Art. PATRICIA WOOLNER — English Language and Literature, History (British), Art.
G.C.E. RESULTS — AUTUMN 1961 ORDINARY LEVEL ROGER A. ADAMS — English Language and Literature. ALEXANDRA BATTY — Human Biology and Hygiene. BRENDAN M. BRESLIN — French. ALEXANDER E. BROWN — English Language. KEVIN J. CLAUGHAN — English Language. PHILIPPA CLEASBY-THOMPSON — English Language. CHRISTINE M. DANIELS — Mathematics. THOMAS R. FRASER — English Literature, Additional Mathematics. DAVID GERRARD — Latin. GWENDOLINE B. GOBLE — English Literature. PHYLLIS HANNAN — French. MICHAEL HAY — English Language. JON HAYLOCK — French. JACQUELINE HEARNSHAW — Chemistry. STUART HERRIDGE — English Literature. DIANA JACKSON — English Language. SANDRA JACOBS — English Literature, Mathematics. MICHAEL JARVIS — Religious Knowledge, Mathematics. BARRY JOHNSON - - English Language, Mathematics, Physics. MARIA KADLEC — History (Foreign), Geography, Mathematics, Physics. DAVID A. KIDD — French. DENISE A. KYLE — French, Mathematics. PATRICIA M. McPHERSON _ Mathematics. JOHN R. MELTON — English Literature. GEOFFREY RANDALL — English Language. EDWIN REUBENS — Religious Knowledge, Mathematics. MICHAEL SHEARS -- English Language. ANNE SKINNER — Geography, Mathematics, Physics. RUTH WAGHORN — Biology. JANET WILLIAMS -- English Literature, General Science. ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS EXAMINATION RESULTS — SUMMER 1961 TANYA AMNER — English Language, Shorthand, Arithmetic, Civics. ANTHONY BARTLETT - - Mathematics (A and B), Physics, Geometrical and Technical Drawing, Metalwork, Art, Civics, Geography. ALEXANDRA BATTY - - Human Biology and Hygiene. MARTIN BOND — Mathematics (A and B), Physics, Geometrical and Technical Drawing, Metalwork, Art, Civics, Geography. MARION CLARK - - English Language, Accounts, Shorthand, Typewriting, Arithmetic, Civics . PAUL DOCKERILL - - English Language, Mathematics (A and B), Physics, Geometrical and Technical Drawing, Metalwork, Woodwork, Civics. TERENCE EASTERBROOK -- Mathematics (A and B), Physics, Geometrical and Technical Drawing, Metalwork, Woodwork, Art. LESLEY EMERY -- English Language, Accounts, Shorthand, Arithmetic, Civics, Religious Knowledge. JANINE EWEN — English Language, Accounts, Typewriting, Arithmetic, Art, Civics, Geography. PETER FIELD — Art. THOMAS GRAHAM - - Mathematics (A), Physics, Geometrical and Technical Drawing. CHRISTINE GREENING -- English Language, Arithmetic, French. CHRISTOPHER HANNANT - - Mathematics (A and B), Physics, Geometrical and Technical Drawing, Art, Civics, Geography. SANDRA HARTT -- English Language. PETER HORTON - - English Language, Geometrical and Technical Drawing, Metalwork, Woodwork, Art. JACQUELINE HUGHES — English Language, Typewriting, Arithmetic. MAUREEN HUTTON - - English Language, French. MICHAEL JARVIS -- English Language, Mathematics (A and B), Physics, Geometrical and Technical Drawing, Civics, Geography. GILBERT LEDINGHAM -- Mathematics (A and B), Civics, Geography. CAROL MATHEWS - - English Language, Accounts, Typewriting, Arithmetic, French. JANET MERRIMAN - - English Language, Accounts, Typewriting, Arithmetic, Civics, Geography, Religious Knowledge. JEAN MILES — Accounts, Typewriting, Arithmetic. DOROTHY NIX — Art. PENELOPE PLUMPTON — Art. EDNA PRITCHARD -- English Language, Shorthand, Arithmetic, Art, Civics, Religious Knowledge. DIANE ROWE — English Language, Accounts, Shorthand, Typewriting, Civics, Arithmetic. MARGARET SHEPPARD — English Language, Typewriting, Art, Civics. LINDA SKILTON — English Language, Accounts, Shorthand, Typewriting, Art, Arithmetic, Civics, Geography. JOHN SPENSLEY — English Language, Mathematics (A), Physics, Geometrical and Technical Drawing, Metalwork, Art, Civics, Geography. JUNE TAYLOR — English Language, Arithmetic, Human Biology and Hygiene.
TOUR OF ITALY - SUMMER 1961 In Summer 1961 about forty boys and girls from Tal-Handaq School had been eagerly awaiting the great day of take-off August 10th. We turned up one by one at Luqa Airport to go through the various duties we had to perform, such as weighing in our luggage and paying Airport Fees. As it neared seven o'clock everyone's heart became lighter and lighter until, when we were walking out to the 'plane after we had laid our good-byes, all hearts were in their mouths. The take-off was very smooth and we were soon over Sicily; descending near Palermo, and in no time at all, in Naples. We went through the Customs after a wait of a quarter of an hour, and got into the coach that was to take us to our first hotel in Italy. The driver opened up the sides of the coach and we piled in our luggage arid set off through the Air Force Camp, to get a glimpse of what was to come. Turning into a side-street, we stopped outside a pleasant-looking hotel entrance and told that it was ours, and after a little persuasion the boys took out the luggage from the sides of the coach and carried it through the doorway to the small, dimly-lit reception room where we were given rooms. We just had time to have a brief walk before we were led across the ''Piazza Garibaldi," passing a very large electric railway station until we came upon a restaurant where we had out first taste of spaghetti in Italy. We then went back to the hotel and to bed. For me the excitement had been so much that it woke me very early the next morning. In fact, it was I a.m. when I woke up and crept onto the balcony. There were many cars and lorries on the road, although it was very early. People were walking around as if it were the middle of the day, and the street lights were still on. I can still picture a certain street lamp in my mind; it was just outside the balcony on which I stood, only it was on the other side of the autostrada. There were bats continually circling it, searching as if they were in pain, and the heights' soft luminous blue tinge sent a warming glow through the atmosphere. I got back into bed but could not sleep with the Vesuvian railway below the hotel. So I just waited for the other four to wake up. At half past five it was very bright outside and one could see a haze in the distance with the red flames of the early morning sun trying to penetrate it. Part of the sun was blotted out by what we, half an hour later, found to be Vesuvius. So on our first morning in Italy we were all (except the older members of the party, i.e. the Staff) up and out by six-fifteen. After having managed to safeguard our money from the Italian vendors we went across the square as on the previous night to have our first breakfast in Italy. This consisted of bread rolls, butter, jam and coffee. Not really much, but we had two fairly large meals a day to make up for it. After breakfast the coach took us to Pompeii along the autostrada, a long dual-carriageway which has a toll gate at either end. The first thing we came upon in Pompeii was the old amphitheatre and among other remains were the Bakery and Mills, the House of the Vettii, the House of the Faun were there was a very small statue of a little boy, the Herculanum Gate, the Street of Sepulchres and the Forum. We went out at the back, had a drink and came back to the hotel to have lunch and a rest. There was only one drawback to the morning excursion, and that was the heat which rather spoiled things. In the evening we toured Naples, and particular part of which, the American Quarter at Posillipo, was very modern and worthy of note — quite a change from the hotel we were staying at. Also worthy of note is the fact that there was a particular tree at one side of the Bay of Naples and, we were told, it is the most photographed tree in Italy became all photographs taken of the Bay include that tree as a foreground. The coach then stopped and let us out to spend some of our money, and the one store we all made for was one called "Upim" which is really the equivalent of "Woolworth" in England. It was in one such store that certain boys bought some water-pistols. The following morning, Saturday the twelfth, found us in the train for Rome at eight-thirty, and as we pulled into Rome station we were very excited. By now the boys knew their job, so they started handing out the luggage through the carriage windows, and later loaded the cases into the boot and onto the roof of the coach. It took us to the "Casa dello Studente" the place where we were going to stay for the last few days of the trip. We only stayed here long enough to have lunch, a very good one at that. From here we started our "Tour of Central Italy", which was to last for a good week. Leaving Rome by the Via Flaminia, we had our first stop at Terni: it is a very important centre as it has chemical works and various other industries. Noteworthy among the existing churches there is the Church of San'Alo, now being restored and once the property of the Knights of Malta. It was this church that we visited, and just a week before us a Maltese priest had been there and presented the church with a very large, thick candle, which bore the crest of Malta. Continuing our "Tour of Central Italy" we were soon rolling along the road to Assisi, passing through Fonti del Clitunno, a stream which forms here at its source a beautiful limpid pool, surrounded by tall cypresses, and finally arriving at our destination. Assisi is a very quiet place, and while the boys were bringing the luggage down from the roof of the coach and the girls were telling them to be careful not to break anything, an old lady came tottering along her little garden path, opened her gate and in English, for this was her native tongue, told Mr. Gallacher that Assisi was a very quiet place and added (not in so many words) that she hoped it would remain so while we were there. The nuns there were very helpful and pleasant and whenever we thanked them for anything they always used to reply with the customary "prego". At mealtimes in Assisi the boys used to sit at one long table and the girls at another; seated at the end of the boys' table was the driver of our coach. He was a very raw character, although jolly. On the morning of Sunday the thirteenth we went to the Basilica of St. Francis with frescoes by Cimabue, Lorenzetti and Giotto, where the Saint's body is preserved. After our last lunch in Assisi and a farewell to the nuns we continued on our way. Miss Reed and Mrs. Hodgson sent a large quantity of sweets up one side of the coach, along the back row and down the other side. Those on the "other side" rarely got much if the bag had been to the back row beforehand. Our run now took us past Lake Trasimeno, scene of Hannibal's famous victory, through Chianti country to Arezzo where we stayed at the fashionable "Hotel Continentale." I think it was definitely the best place we stayed in on the whole trip, being spacious, luxurious and modern, apart from the good food. It had two lifts, and I do not think I need say they were used unduly. After dinner, we went and explored the town individually. On the morning of Monday the fourteenth we rounded up our stay in Arezzo by going sightseeing and visiting churches, until after lunch we continued our journey, passing through the beautiful Arno Valley and climbing up to Consuma Pass. This Pass was the highest place we were likely to see and there was a little stall there which sold drinks. The man serving the drinks looked very much like Peppino di Capri. We arrived in Florence in time for dinner, and it took quite a long time getting everyone into their bedrooms. After a general wash and brush up we made our way slowly down from our farm-house, said "buona sera" to the farmer outside the door, and walked underneath the horse-chestnut trees, past the hens and the dogs barking, into the Convent and settled down at our place near the driver for dinner. We stayed in Florence three days in all and visited such places as the Duomo, the largest cathedral in that part of Italy; the leatherworks, museums and churches. A visit was also made while we stayed at Florence, to Fiesole, the chief interest there being the old Roman Amphitheatre. The time to leave Florence came on Thursday the eleventh when we proceeded to Prato visiting the Duomo with the works of Fra Lippo Lipp in the morning. We went off again out of Prato looking for the place where we were supposed to be having lunch. After a long search we finally found the guest house perched on top of a hill. By this time the weather had changed and it was now absolutely pouring with rain, and the driver decided he could not go any further because there was nowhere to park up at the top. The lunch was quite good and the thing that I liked about it was that there was plenty of wine. When we had finished we were told to go into the superb orchards. Then, thinking of the driver, Mr. Gallacher and Mr. Demanuele arranged for some of the boys to take the driver some grapes, pears, biscuits and bread-rolls. The driver who, having cursed his bus and the weather, devoured the food. At Lucca our next stop we went to the Duomo-St. Martino, founded in 1060, and the Basilica of St. Frediano and then left for Pisa. On arriving at Pisa we went into the Baptistry where, when there was a sufficiently large number of people, a resident gentleman clapped his hands to attract our attention, and when there was a deathly hush settling over the building, he sang a note which echoed off into the heights of the belfry, and resounded throughout the whole of the bell shaped building. Then he improved upon this note and sang two notes. The echo was marvellous, but for these few notes the man expected a tip. From the baptistry we walked across the bush grass to the Tower itself. Most of us went up in the group and only paid two-thirds of the normal entrance fee while some girls who cannot stand heights stayed below. The Tower has a ground floor, seven storeys, and a belfry, one be"! of which was accidentally rung by Ron Richards' head. The weather cleared up on our way through Poggibonsi and it was fine again when we reached Siena at 4 p.m. We found ourselves in a narrow, dingy street, and after leaving the coach it was with some apprehension that we entered the "Hotel Senese." But as soon as our eyes alighted upon the lift, our apprehension vanished. The sleeping quarters were excellent, and the meals also proved to be very good. After dinner, by way of a stimulator to the otherwise dismal surroundings, we took a walk with Mr. Demanuele and near a square about a mile from the hotel we caught up with a procession peculiar to Siena. We were very lucky to have come across this, and then we went to a cafe where we were given ice-creams. When the first morning in Siena came, a small group of girls decided to visit the sights and came upon a large restaurant which was the rendez-vous of the local teenagers. Most of Saturday morning, the nineteenth, was spent in Siena, and one thing that we noticed was the architecture of some of the buildings, especially older churches. Instead of plain stone, they were made up of stripes, i.e. bands of white-coloured stone and bands of dark green stone. This type of architecture is called "Tuscan", and is again something peculiar to Siena. Lunch was taken on the way to Rome, Orvieto being about the only important stop we made. Leaving Orvieto and its cathedral we arrived in Rome where it was already dark and millions of lights greeted us. On the morning of our first full day in Rome, Sunday the twentieth, some of our number went to church just down the road from the "Casa dello Studente" where we were staying and after Mass we all visited St. Peters' and the Vatican. We went there on the tram, passing the Coliseum, and we again used the tram when we had a very brief visit to the zoo. The afternoon was taken up with visiting the "Villa D'Este" in Tivoli. This is a marvellous place where there are thousands of fountains. You can just imagine the fun we had there and I doubt if there was anyone who managed to get out of there dry. On arriving back at the "casa" there was a surprise in store for us when we came down to dinner that night; we were going to have it outside; there were tables and chairs set out on the pebbled ground, soft lights and a lovely garden all around. We were given a free day on Monday, so in the morning I took a tram ride with another lad around Rome for 25 lire (3d.). We could have stayed on and gone round many times but it still would have cost us the same. Again, as on the previous night, we had dinner outside, but as it was our last full evening at the "casa" we played games which resembled a bit of netball, a bit of basketball and plenty of rugger; we also held a Beetle Drive. The following day we went on a short excursion around Rome, visiting the Coliseum, and the "Trevi" Fountain. Here, some fool amongst us threw in a 500 lire coin (C/3d.). Then the coach took us somewhere out-of-the-way guided by Mr. Demarmele, and we stopped outside a plain green door which had a small key-hole in the centre of it. We filed out of the bus, and one by one took a peep through the key-hole ! It was well worth coming to see, for there was a long straight path lined by hedges that formed an archway over the whole of the length of the path. The interesting thing was that at the very end of the path, in the centre and yet in the hazy distance was the dome of St. Peters'. Other parts of call our Roman itinerary were the 'Fosse Ardeatine,' a national shrine to Italian victims of the S.S., and the Foro Italico with its magnificent setting for the Olympic Stadium and swmming pools. That night we had dinner inside because we were going to Verdi's "Aida" soon after, at the Caracalla Open Air Theatre. We enjoyed the opera so much that a certain member of the party gave in to his more drowsy feelings and slept. So with eyes propped open we got into bed at 2 a.m. With some of us barely getting five and a half hours' sleep we got up early so that we could pack, have breakfast and catch the train for Naples. We had troubles on the train, for although we were in two reserved carriages, evil looking men wandered through from time to time. So from advice, every time this happened we left our eyes on the intruders and our hands on our possessions. Because of this, the doors either end of our carriages were locked. We arrived in Naples at the very station we had seen the first day of our trip, had lunch and hurried off to the airport. We were now in the final stages of the trip. At 4.20 p.m. we were gliding along the runaway and as we took off into the sun we could see the whole of Naples stretched out before us. Then, and only then, did we begin to realize that our thirteen-day luxury holiday was fast becoming a memory. Arriving at Luqa Airport at 6.20 p.m. we were welcomed by our parents. Having no difficulty with the Customs we and our souvenirs were whisked off home to relate what we had been up to during the last fortnight. So, looking back on the fortnight's holiday, I think we were extremely well done by; we soon got to like the meals and we counted at least eighteen different kinds of spaghetti and macaroni. Also, I believe certain lads have been given back their water pistols, (don't you believe it! — Ed.) so I shall now wind up this precis of an account of the trip by thanking all those who made it possible, namely, our Parents, Mr. Gallacher, Mr. Demanuele, Miss Reed, Mrs. Hodgson, Mrs. Drewitt and the school, for a most exciting, wonderful tour, long to be remembered. ALLAN MARTIN — 5AG. THE SPANIEL Once upon a midnight cautious while I pondered weak and nauseous Over some advertising copy I had done for Woolworth's Store, While I nodded nearly napping suddenly there came a yapping As of someone loudly yapping yapping at my office door. "Tis some client there," I muttered, "yapping at my office door. Only this and nothing more." Then I felt my terror worsen for my guest was not a person; In there stepped a cocker spaniel naturally I jumped in fear, Tried to climb an oaken panel, ripping there my new grey flannel But the spaniel merely stood there speaking out with voice so clear Speaking out like Jack Lescoulie in a voice both loud and clear Quoth the spaniel "Drink Blatz Beer". I marvelled that this dog ungainly spoke commercials very plainly How he spoke the message clearly selling points he underscored, For I could not help agreeing that no living human being Ever yet could mouth a slogan without sounding slightly bored Most announcers being human can't help sounding slightly bored. Quoth the spaniel "Buy a Ford". Thus this dog with voice like Murrow made my heavy brow unfurrow Thoughts of fortunes I could make now made me shake down to my knees But the spaniel set me grieving then by turning tail and leaving Naturally I begged him tarry crying "Stay with me please" Chasing him right down the hallway crying out "Stay with me please." Quoth the spaniel "Eat Kraft Cheese". EDGAR, AL and MOE — 5BG.
SAILING CLUB 1961-62 Many of our qualified coxswains returned to U.K. during last summer holidays. However there were some experienced crews among the remainder and we soon had 5 qualified coxswains excluding the teachers. During that term the two eldest boys passed tests in whalers, and we were then able to take more people each Friday. As Christmas drew nigh however we were warned that some of the boats at H.M.S. "St. Angelo" would soon be taken out of the water for the winter. To our great joy we were then offered three boats from H.M.S. "Ausonia", and did not have to restrict our numbers. At that time we had 22 people going sailing each Friday, when the weather permitted. Early in the New Year E. Reubens, one of our best coxswains and M. Spensley an excellent crew, returned to U.K. and their replacements were, J. Passmore and B. Higson. Fortunately there were some good blows during the spring term and the ability of each coxswain was severely tested. Later on in the term the wind and the sea became so rough that sailing was often cancelled. During these rough spells, a "black gang" was formed which went down to Sheer Bastion Sailing Club to help prepare "Sheba" and the three dinghies for the water. This was messy work at first as the boats were very foul, but it was useful experience. As we go to print we have a total of 1l coxswains with 26 crew who take a fleet of one yacht, two whalers and up to eight dinghies sailing each Friday. On behalf of the club I would like to thank the Boat Officers and Boat Parties of H.M.S. "St. Angelo" and H.M.S. "Ausonia" for their generosity and help to us this year. B.C. FULLER. I MPRESSIONS OF THE KENTNER RECITALSTwo parties from Tal-Handaq were priviliged to attend a recital of Louis Kentner. We were very fortunate, in Malta, to have a return visit of the famous pianist, Louis Kentner, who gave two recitals at the Manoel Theatre. Playing the 'Fantasie in C Minor' by Bach, a Beethoven Sonata and four Ballades by Chopin, the pianist showed his versality and lightness of touch. The second half of this recital was devoted to Liszt. Louis Kentner has made a study of this composer and played in a true Lisztian style: The second recital included works by Handel, Beethoven and a magnificent performance of two works by John Field. After the interval Louis Kentner played two pieces by Arnold Bax. His last pieces were the Twelve Etudes op. 25. by Chopin. The audience was obviously thrilled with this item and absolute quiet proved the attention and pleasure of all present. The soloist was recalled again and again on both evenings, giving a total of eight encores at the final recital. ANNE TRUBSHAWE. * * * It was all really most exciting: the audience was hushed, the grand piano was dramatically set at the front of the stage against a background of towering blue velvet curtains. We were waiting expectantly for something to happen when, in the most casual and uninhibited manner, Mr. Louis Kentner walked on to the stage and took a bow to a burst of applause from all sides of the house. He started Wednesday evening's recital with Bach's Fantasia in C minor, and this, I felt was rather a let-down in face of all his other brilliant playing, unfortunately; the block-chord progressions of Chopin were executed in a much more musical fashion than the rather tricky contrapuntal themes of Bach. It also struck me that in Beethoven's Ab major sonata the allegro movements were not quite robust enough - - for Beethoven anyway. However, Friday's 'appassionata' sonata' was very much more a la Beethoven and excellently played. A rather interesting incident occurred during the Ab major sonata -- just at the beginning of the slow movement, where a single, dominant Eb introduces the main theme. However, co-incidentally, two people decided to start whispering. Just after the first Eb. Kentner looked round —• and played it again, but still they went on. He turned once more and played the Eb with more vigour and the subsequent ones rose in a crescendo and died away to introduce the quiet theme of the slow movement. I think they took the hint, but apart from them few people noticed — but I should be very surprised indeed if Beethoven really did write so many dominant E flats to introduce the theme! And now to Chopin: I don't think that ever before have I heard an interpretation of Chopin's music quite like Louis Kentner's. It really was marvellous and of his twelve etudes in the Friday night recital, I liked best of all his etude in Chromatics. It was at this moment that I noticed one or two rather pained expressions amongst the audience, but let it here be said that I sympathized with the owners of the pained expressions for the following reason: to these who have never heard the sound of, or been able to play treble-octave chromatic semiquavers that gallop up and down the keyboard — in the most musical manner of course ! - - in Allegro time, then the sound produced san be quite alarming and even a bit too much for the mind to follow! From the start we had it in our minds (Rosemary's, Fluff's and mine) to obtain Mr. Kentner's autograph. After such a magnificent performance, though, I was fairly quaking! But with much encouragement from Lt./Cdr. Parkin and my two charming companions, we threaded our way backstage (still my apprehensions mounted) to the "Green Room" where we found a smiling, placid and smoking Louis Kentner. When I asked him for his autograph his immediate response was "You are English?" in a slight accent. I replied that I was; one thing led to another and for a few minutes we conversed while I looked anxiously at my watch -it was 9.55 and I had a bus to catch at 10.5. So he liked Malta, I thought to myself as I dashed to Castille; warm and friendly. In those few minutes he made me feel as though I had known him for months, even years. - Truly wonderful performances, (with generous helpings of encores afterwards) given by a wonderful person ! A.E.B. — VAG. SILENCE We carried the canoe down to the beach, set her afloat, climbed in, and quietly pushed out to sea. The sun was setting as both paddles dipped silently into the crystal clear water, leaving small whirlpools as they drifted farther astern. The small fish, far far below darted in and out amongst the black rocks and the many coloured weeds. Now and then a glint of yellow could be seen as the canoe glided noiselessly over patches of boulder strewn sand. Soon these unusual sights disappeared as the water grew deeper, until at last, a deep blue was all that could be seen, stretching into the depths of a mysterious ocean. My attention was now drawn to the sun; an orange ball sitting on the distant Isle of Sylt. The sky, from a light blue, changed to white, until the pink stains of a setting sun spread across the heavens to mingle with the darker clouds away to the south. The clouds nearby, tinged with gold and clothed in white floated carelessly over the expanse of deepening blue sea. We were by this time nearing our object; the sheltered cave on the southern side of Solomon's Crag. The canoe was paddled swiftly towards the narrow opening between two weather beaten black rocks. On entering the actual cave, the water was dark, unmoving and silent, save for the restling of trees on the hill in the evening breeze. The nose of the canoe bumped against a rock and with a harsh grating sound which shattered the silence, it slid up onto the sand at the bottom of the hill. Having drawn the canoe up the beach, the tents were set up under the now starry sky and a light meal was eaten whilst sitting round a campfire. After a hasty goodnight to my companion, I retired to my tent, leaving the moon glinting on the rippling waves, and the dying embers of a woodfire casting eerie reflections on the nearby rocks. B. TURNER — 3BG.
A YACHT RACE TO SICILY It was a Sunny Friday morning in September 1961 when four members of H.M.S. "Girdle Ness," and I, awoke. There was a lot of work to be done before the yacht "Angela" would slip her moorings that afternoon; food was to be stored wherever there was an empty nook or cranny; canned beer had to be kept cool in the filthy bilges, and cans of water stored aft. Having been up to the top of the mast in the boatswain's chair to tighten the stays, and having explored every inch of the small craft, I felt quite happy on what was to be my home for the next six days. This was the occasion of the annual Malta-Catania Yacht Race. Due to commence at three o'clock the Race started at a quarter past, after the "Girdle Ness" had come into Grand Harbour. The wind that had swayed me to and fro at the top of the mast in the morning had died down in the afternoon and consequently there was rather a slow start. The sea was very calm all through that night and the following day, and it felt good to be off that tiny rock and to know I was going somewhere new, although I had just come back from Italy. As I was the youngest of the complement I was alotted the dog-watch, i.e. from four until six in the morning. There was not much to do at night except get your head down and wait until your watch came around. On watch you either studied the stars, listened to the radio or listened for nearby ships. It was also very interesting of course to see where the other yachts were, one could tell their position from their lights. On the other hand, they could not see where we were, either because we were very careful not to show any lights or because we were too far behind them. I myself found watch-keeping very fascinating; so much so that I was often up when it was not my watch at all. The sea began to get a little choppy on Sunday morning when we sighted the Cape Passaro lighthouse, and there were many ships hurrying across our slow path. This choppy sea turned into quite a swell when we were in sight of Syracuse, so because of our time restriction we sailed into Syracuse harbour. Once inside the harbour we were beseiged by Customs Officers who, after checking passports, were very kind in that they gave us the use of showers. In the evening we went all round Syracuse looking for a restaurant, and after having eaten a lovely Sicilian dish and drunk a gallon of wine between us, we went back down to the yacht at about one o'clock in the morning. Tuesday's dawn brought into Syracuse another yacht, "Flandern," and the news that "Sheba" had won the race. Just after their arrival, Lord Ambrose owner of the "Daily Telegraph," came in on his large motor yacht, "Idalia," swinging in beside us, displacing to some degree our fairlead, which damage was soon rectified with the use of a hammer. It took us more time sailing back to Grand Harbour than it had taken us going to Catania as we were becalmed most of the way. On our way back the "Idalia" caught up with us and replenished our stores of water, ham, butter, and inevitably a "Daily Telegraph." Just outside Malta's three-mile limit the "Citta di Tunisi" was passing by on her way to Sicily. I was under the water at the time and I underwent the most frightening experience of my short life when I heard the "Thump, thump" of her propellers . All kinds of blood-curdling pictures flashed across my mind and I came up to the surface fully sure a ship was on top of me, but I soon saw that the 'ship' was half a mile away. Shortly after this incident, two "M.F.V" 's came racing towards us, then one turned away, obviously thinking we were "H.M.S. Falcon" 's yacht, while the other "M.F.V" towed us back into Grand Harbour. This was the most humiliating part of the trip. ALLAN MARTIN — SAG. PARADISE BAY As I peered over the edge I saw a winding path rugged and steep in descent. My eye followed it by jagged rocks and dark caves hidden in the hillside, till it reached the golden sands surrounded by groups of bamboo. Far away ahead of me I could see a piece of land projecting into the sea where a sea mist rose in the distance. P. BOWMAN 3BM.
CEYLON Ceylon is a place that will always stay in my memory. It lies in the Indian Ocean at the southern tip of India "like a pearl hanging from the Lobe of India." This beautiful island is a mass of colour ranging from the dark green palm fronds to the bright red hibiscus flowers. The men and women in thier colourful sirongs and saris make a vivid splash of colour all over the island. On the coast there is hot yellow sand leading down to the cool, inviting sea which stretches to the far horizons. At the top of the beaches, and casting their shade upon it are tall, slender coco-nut palms up and down which lively chipmunks scamper. These palm trees extend for several miles inland, row after row, for they are all planted in lines and it is hard to find one out of place. Up in the hills of Ceylon, however, palm trees are few and far between, rubber and tea plantations taking their place. As well as the difference in vegetation, there is a change of climate too as one goes up into the hills or "up country". There, the mornings and evenings are quite chilly and during the day it is like an ordinary English summer's day. There are several rest camps in the hills where people in the forces can go to escape the fierce heat of the coastal areas. In Ceylon there are many places of interest. Buddhist temples are full of beautiful paintings and statues of Buddha, from whom the religion takes its name. These buildings, looked after by the shaven-headed, yelow-robed monks, are sometimes hollowed out of the rock itself. On the highest of Ceylon's mountains, Adam's Peak, is a mark which is said to be the footmark of Adam when he first set foot on Earth. This is where the mountain gets its name. In the town of Kandy which used to be the capital of the island is a temple called the "Temple of the Tooth." The name is derived from an old tooth kept there which is said to be one of the teeth of Buddha. Although Ceylon itself is very pleasant, it has its unpleasant things as well. In this list come scorpions, centipedes anything up to a foot in length, a great variety of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes, and leopards which are found only in the hills. Many sports are in the sea around Ceylon. Such sports are skin-diving, swimming and sailing. The ideal place for the latter is in the calm lagoons around the coast. P. COE — 3AG.
Opening Scene. Act II of the Mikado PREPARATIONS FOR THE MIKADO At the end of last Summer Term, it was decided to produce the Gilbert and Sullivan opera "The Mikado" for presentation just before Christmas. Work on the production began at the beginning of the Autumn Term and by half-term we were well underway. After half-term rehearsals became more and more frequent and of longer duration until by about a fortnight before the first night we were going on until half-past six and sometimes later. As well as learning songs and dialogue, members of the cast (and in many cases obliging mothers of the cast) also made their own costumes, all of which were originally designed by Mr. Dickerson. So on Miss Reid fell the tremendous task of making patterns and cutting out over fifty costumes, and making last minute alterations and additions. The preparation of the stage set itself took some considerable time, but under the direction of Mr. Dickerson and Miss Cater it gradually took shape, and with several rehearsals behind them the Scene-shifters were perfectly timed. The technicalities of setting up the lighting effects took up a lot of Mr. Knight's time, and the absence of the new lighting equipment did not help matters. It is to be hoped that the power failure on the first night was an amusing rather than disastrous incident. I think through, that with all due respect, those who had to put up with most during the whole time were Mr. Gerrard, our musical director and Mr. Barraclough, our producer, who with extreme patience and few outbursts endured and in time corrected agonizing blunders made at one time and another by all members of the cast. However it is (we hope) true to say that the harder the work, the more successful and gratifying the results, and I think I speak for all concerned when I say that we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and hope that our efforts were successful, and that yet another opera will be produced again next year. R. DEARDEN.
Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner More photos here
THE MIKADO Last December the School again attempted Gilbert and Sullivan, albeit against some opposition. There were those who asserted with some justification, that we had not enough voices of quality and stability; others (wrongly as it transpired) that the direction would defeat us; some said an orchestra was essential. Nobody could expect a precision D'Oyly Carte performance, but everyone was pleasantly surprised in the event. The production was worthwhile because the majority of those involved, players and audiences alike, enjoyed themselves. This is the criterion and The Mikado was an ideal choice for our School. The cast is large and there was a place for all who wished to take part; the music is lively and not over-difficult for inexperienced voices; and the libretto has aged less than a half century would suggest. The play possesses the simplicity, magic and colour of an Eastern fairy story, but with a humour which is wholly occidental. Of course one really does need an orchestra to make the most of an Overture, but in the event the contrast between the restrained pianos and a rousing opening chorus "If you want to know who we are" was most effective, especially when this was followed by Nanki-Poo's (Mr. Wilkinson) delicate rendering of "A wandering minstrel I". The play well started we were able to spare a glance at the superb set. Some twenty children made it under Mr. Dickerson's direction, and very well it looked. It was practical, too, for it is always difficult get a large cast on and off the stage, especially when such a small stage as ours is so comprehensively scened. The lighting was good as well, its warmth in the courtyard contrasting well with the later garden scenes. Pish-Tush (Brenden Breslin), an arrogant and obese Pooh-Bah (Mr. Bence) and Ko-Ko (Bernard Hector) then ably presented the story to us in song. Pish-Tush deserves a special bouquet. He was unremarkable, but trying hard in Patience last year, and was rewarded by a most competent and confident performance in this play. Ko-Ko improved visibly and a good leading man on the first night had become an assured leader, with a natural flair for exploiting the ridiculous on the third. The "Train of Little Ladies" looked enchanting and there were enough of them to reach the back of the hall with ease. I'm afraid they didn't, though and seemed somewhat overawed by the power of the male chorus. There was no such shyness from Yum-Yum (Edwina Bence), Peep-Bo (Wendy Roden) or Pitti-Sing (Rosemary Dearden) whose "Three little maids from school" on the opening night was one of the highlights. But how very wise of the Chorus Master not to allow an encore, for by the third night their voices were tiring fast. The Hall was packed every night and many could not get a seat. It had been suggested that a fourth performance should be given, but this is out of the question for the less experienced and younger voices who do not know how to conserve their energies for so many consecutive shows. If our audiences continue to increase in size, we must have a bigger Theatre or allow a two day break in the middle of the series. The Mikado (Lt. Cdr. Des Clayes) himself, when he appeared in Act II, inspired awe in his elaborate and colourful costume, and by the grating rasp he used to savour the punishments to fit the crimes. One felt, however, that his make-up was a little too severe. His singing and diction possessed the precision, control and accuracy we have come to expect from him in another role. Whether he actually inspired awe or not, he paved the way for one of the most effective and amusing scenes in the play, when Pitti-Sing, Ko-Ko and Pooh-Bah found themselves on their knees and noses before him. The junior members of this trio gained confidence from the third, and on the last night the scene was worthy of Chaplin. Eventually, of course, everybody was pardoned, the axe was untested and the lovers happily united. I hope the School continues to play G. and S. and that we can always look forward to having the help of such an enthusiastic Musical Director and Assistant Producer, to whom a major part of the success is due. Let us not forget, however, the willing help of those back stage, especially that of Martin Bond and his boys, who were given the task of stripping dawn sufficient old school desks to make supports for the raised seating. The deed was done, gleefully, in a single day! K.H. THE HISTORIC CITY OF ST. ALBANS The city of St. Albans where I was born, is full of historical interest, the main one being of course, the Roman ruins of Verulamium. The ruins are now set in a beautiful area of parkland, with ornamental lakes, as well as the River Ver running through. There is a museum full of many interesting relics, and the foundations of a Roman villa, as well as the open air theatre and many parts of walls. Close by is St. Albans' Abbey, which is a very beautiful place. Growing near the Abbey is a tree which is supposed to be hundreds of years old, and the story goes that anyone who walks round the tree three times at midnight will see a ghostly figure come out of the oldest door of the Abbey, but no one I know has ever tried it. Nearer to the city centre is the block tower, and for a small charge you can climb the circular stairs to the top, and look out over St. Albans. I have been up there, and the people the cars look very small. As it lies only twenty miles north of London, St. Albans has been the scene of many famous battles. There is an Inn called "The Round House" at St. Albans, and it is reputed to be the oldest licensed Inn in England. At once time it was used for cock fighting, and the pits where the birds used to fight are still there. This Inn is sometimes known as "The Fighting Cocks." In my opinion it is a very historical and beautiful city, and well worth a visit. P. CHAMBERS — TAM. THE CANARY ISLANDS When I looked from my window I could see the whole Angastura (ang-a-stura) valley. I could see the volcano on the other side of the mountain. I could see the thin rough road turning and twisting for miles around the numerous hills and mountains. I could see the bronco down below, which carried the heavy rains to the sea. These rains washed away bridges after bridges and went over roads blocking traffic for hours (what little traffic there was). The whole valley was entirely covered with trees and banana plants. Corn was also grown but was often washed away. When I left the Island, all I could see was buildings, and the mountains covered with growth. CRAIG WALTER — IDG. THE VICTORIA FALLS The Victoria Falls are fed by the Zambezi River, which divides the countries of Northern and Southern Rhodesia in Central Africa. The Zambezi River runs through many miles of varied country, beginning in the middle of the Congolese jungle and meeting the sea in Portugese East Africa. The Victoria Falls are half way along the river in Northern Rhodesia. Arriving by air, the falls are a spectacular sight. From a long way away you can see the enormous clouds of spray rising from the four hundred foot gorge. The width of the falls is about one mile, which, in some places is broken by small islands on the crest of the falls. There is one island about one mile up-river from the falls, which is a great tourist attraction, as it has many wi.d animals living on it. Some of the wild animals are:— monkeys, baboons, rhinoceros', elephants, crocodiles and snakes. The nearest town is Livingstone, which overlooks the falls. It is named after Dr. Livingstone who discovered the falls, in 1855. This is where all guided tours assemble. On these guided tours you are shown many views of the falls, ending with a walk through the wet forest. The wet forest is a small forest of trees overlooking the falls. It is always wet, and the ground, muddy, because of the spray from the falls. If you ever have a chance to see the Victoria Falls, take it, and go and see one of the world's most spectacular sights. JENNIFER BAYLY — 1BG. A CHINESE CUSTOM Hong Kong, is an island off the coast of China. The Chinese people an-quite nice people, but they have some very funny customs. On the 11th of May all the Chinese people buy chickens and other nice food. This food is not for themselves, but for their ancesters. The Chinese bury their dead in the hills. Their graves are not like ours, they are like big tombs with steps 'eading down into them. With all the food and candles and oils the Chinese go to their peoples graves, get out the bones of their ancestors and polish them. When they have finished pollishing the bones, they put them back in the tomb and light the candles. With the candles, they leave the food, because they believe the spirits will eat it. The Chinese close the tomb, say a prayer and leave. It is a funny custom, but they do it every year. ELIZABETH CAIRNS — 3CM. POLTERGEIST Poltergeist, Poltergeist, Oh what a bad thing is Poltergeist, When you are having your afternoon nap, On the wall you will hear him tap, Out of your sleep you will wake with a start, But he just giggles and thinks himself smart; Then off he will wander farther afield, To see what the rest of the day will yield. BILL TOWNSEND — IDG.
PEMBROKE YOUTH CLUB In March 1961, a handful of sixth-formers from Tal-Handaq plus a Scoutmaster, conceived the idea of forming a youth club to cater for senior pupils of the Royal Naval School. By April a founder committee had been assembled and weekly discussions about the idea's possibilities, were held at Connaught Home, Floriana. By early May we had obtained the use of a small hut at St. Andrew's Barracks, Pembroke Fort. A pilot dance was held in late May at the Conference Hall, St. Andrew's which proved to be highly successful, despite the financial loss sustained. The youth club itself came into operation during June 1961 and weekly attendances averaged twelve, which was disappointing since half the people were committee members. During the summer, various outdoor activities such as barbecues, rambles and beach trips were held, with a reasonable amount of success. However, our main problem was still how to attain a more satisfying club-night attendance. Sliema, the most popular residential area, was tooth-combed for premises, and eventually we gained the use of Holy Trinity Church Hall. Our first club meeting there attracted an attendance of 45 and since then we have never looked back, sometimes having over 100 people present. We have also staged two big dances at UN School Verdala, both of which were very successful. Recently, we took a party of 82 people to Gozo and are now arranging future beach trips. Financially we are well-off, and we have now bought a new record player and other properties. May the Pembroke Club last for a good many years yet! I say this because members have come and gone and fortunes have fluctuated but still the splendid club spirit lives on. Anyone who is a past or present pupil of the Royal Naval School, who is over 15 years old, may join. Our facilities include dancing, darts, table-tennis and outside activities. In closing, I would to thank all members and the committee of the Pembroke Youth Club for their kind co-operation at all times. ANDREW WILKIN (Chairman).
MY TRIP HOME FROM ADEN We left Aden on September 6th 1956 at about 21.30 hrs on board the troop ship Empire Orwell. The next day we were sailing through the shark-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden and around Cape Guardafui down the coast of Somalia to Mombasa which we reached eight days after leaving Aden. During this part of the voyage we crossed the Equator where there was a King Neptune display; he is the ruler of the raging seas. At last we reached Cape Town and noticed a change in the climate, however we did have a trip round the town and saw Table Mountain. Once we left Cape Town we knew we were homeward bound. As we crossed the Equator a second time there was another party for the children, in the morning there were sports and afterwards a fancy dress parade. We passed Dakar and saw the Canary Islands in the distance. Soon we passed the rock of Gibraltar and crossed the Bay of Biscay into the English Channel and so into Southampton waters. URSULA PAYNE — IBM. A STORMY DAY A solitary man walked along the Promenade of the Sea-side town. His raincoat collar was turned up against the sharp bite of the wind. The sea heaved and crashed against the rocks and the pier, and the foamy waves flooded the pavement where he walked. He thought of the lighthouse, its bright beam fighting against the darkness warning ships of danger, calling to them to return to the safety of the harbour ? The picture of a Ifie-boat came into his mind. He saw it pushing its way through the rough sea trying to reach the ship in distress. Even the seagulls had deserted the waves for shelter of nearby cliffs. No sign of man or beast could be seen. The promenade stretched deserted before him. Rain began to fall, and the man pulled his coat closer to him. In the distance the sharp outline of a factory chimney stood out against the dull grey sky. The cheerful lights of house windows shone into the street, competing against the cold wind and rain. The man broke into a run, running towards his home, a place of bright lights and a warm fire. ANN DAVIES — 2AG. THE EEL HOTEL After a long days ride through the Black Forest we drew up alongside a picturesque "Gastabe" or a German guest-house. The place was called "The Eel," and the whole front wall of the building was covered with murals of writhing eels and wriggling fish. As we entered the hall, a smell of fried fish was wafted to us, and as we ascended to the top floor and our rooms, led by our ample landlady, its tantalizing scent still followed. As was usual in these village hotels the furniture in the bedrooms was sparse, and the beds were covered only with a huge feather eider-down, this could only be puffed up by an expert otherwise all the feathers collected in one place instead of being evenly distributed. After settling in, we went down, and at the foot of the stairs saw one of the staff come through a door, leading from the cellar, holding a net in his hand which contained a live eel and a trout, for someone's dinner. Seeing our amazed looks he called my sister and I to come and see our dinner being caught, and fifteen minute before our meal, we saw down in a cellar cut from the living rock, three fat trout being caught in a big tank. Also in the cellar barrels of wine were stored, and we were allowed to sample some. After tea we went a walk around the typical Black Forest village. In the houses, the ground floor was always kept for Domestic use. One room was kept for chickens, another was a stable for horses and cows and another to keep the tractor and other farming implements in. Steps led from the floor to the house above. The shutters were carved with hearts and flowers, and the doors, woodwork and walls were all decorated. In the morning for breakfast we had small pieces of trout on toast, eggs, and brown bread and honey, in fact everything that the hotel catered in was all locally produced. ROBERTA HENSON — 3AG.
THE ROMAN VILLA AT RABAT On the 11th April forms 1A, B and CG went to see the Roman Villa, at Rabat. We went by bus, at the end of the lunch hour. When we arrived we went down into the rooms in groups. In the centre of the main room there was a large patch of mosaic. Surrounding this patch of mosaic were glass cases containing Roman and Phoenician articles. There were in these cases pottery, skulls, and needles made of bone. There were also statues, one of Hercules made of marble. In the entrance hall there were more glass cases filled with Phoenician coloured glass, large bottles or vases and bones. In the Roman glass cases there were ashes of the dead in a pot, and also a large grinding stone and tablets with writing carved on them. On the attendant's desk there were postcards and pictures of some of the things in the Villa. BARBARA WILSON - - 1BG. AUTUMN LEAVES It's sad to see the Autumn leaves Come fluttering down from all the trees And hear them crackle in the dark, When we go walking through the park. It seems just only yesterday, They looked so very green and gay, And cast their shadows cool and sweet, A refuge from the Summer heat. Gone are the birds that nested there, The trees now look so gaunt and bare. And yet this withered leaf and wood Can bring us things that are so good Bright fires from which the wood smoke blows To warm us mid the Winter snows. And then a morning comes at last When we can see that Winter's passed. And fresh green leaves will come again To glisten in the April rain. SUSAN GRANT -- 2 AM. THE ROCKET The rocket was ready for its flight into space, Set were the knobs and shut was the case, The countdown was on and every one ran, "Boom" went the rocket on a journey began. Up through the clouds and through the blue sky. Revolving the miles as they went by, Swaying a little from left on to right, Coughing and putting all through the night. JANICE DREW -- 2 BM. MOTORING HOME If any of you are able to persuade your parents to return home, by car, across the continent, when your tour in Malta is finished — do so — and do it now! My sister and I were fortunate in this respect as our father and mother had already decided to return to England in this way. I am not going to recommend our route as the best, for undoubtedly there are dozens of ways of proceeding, even through Greece and Yugoslavia -- but we had a grand journey and enjoyed every moment of it. The previous months in planning had been well spent, and we had good weather and no untoward incidents en route. Our journey overland began on Tuesday 18th July last year. To reach Italy we sailed in the "Citta di Tunisi," calling at Syracuse that afternoon and disembarking the next morning at Naples. We spent the day sightseeing and drove around the bay, to Sorrento, where one can purchase delightful miniature tables, highly decorative and with musical boxes attached. Viva les Toursti! The following morning we set off early along the Via Appia for Rome, and arrived in time for lunch. We were staying at a Motel about eight kilometres to the west of the city. These A.G.I.P. Motels (without wishing to advertise on their behalf) are really first class. Our cameras were clicking in all directions on this occasion, and as I had been in Rome for ten days, during the previous year, with the Naval School, to see the Olympic Games, I was able to be something of a guide to the rest of the family. It is also a great centre of fashion and of course, shopping. It therefore seems understandable that we females spent a great couple of days and my father, I think, began to wonder how and when we would eventually complete the journey. Siena, Florence, Bologna and Venice were the next places of interest on our route. We drove from Florence to Bologna along the new Autostrada del Sole which cuts through the Appenine Mountains and crosses ravines and gorges in a great feat of civil engineering and road building. This car run cuts driving time between the two cities by over one-half and provides some beautiful scenery and excellent camera shots. Following the road northwards from Venice we climbed the Piave Valley into the Dolomites with Cortina d'Ampezzo as our next calling point. We were now in our 5th day out of Naples and really warming to this return method of travel. Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Tyrol was what I had imagined these places of song and dance, scenic grandeur and delightful painted houses, window boxes full of flowers and tinkling cow bells should be --it was like living at the 'White Horse Inn'. The Motel A.G.I.P. again was ideal — position, service and comfort were excellent. The people are so friendly and happy towards visitors that I would have liked to have stayed there for a longer time. Cortina is set in a high 'bowl' with lofty peaks all round. The Olympic ski jump and ice rink are still to be seen. Very reluctantly, we drove from here over the Brenner Pass into Austria and so to Innsbruck. Then by the Scharnitz Pass out of Austria and into Bavaria with the Black Forest rising to our left and the agricultural and farming areas of South Germany ahead and to our right. We visited the market towns of Kempten, Mimmiyer and Ubim, eventually striking the Munich — Stuttgart autobahn and making for the university city of Heidelberg, Karlsruhe and Darmstadt. At the latter place we became friendly with a German family who very kindly showed us around the town during our one day visit. Our route then took us along the Rhine Valley, following the river for most of the way, with vineyards and old castles high on each bank of the river, while on the Rhine itself heavy river traffic passed up and down. So to Bonn and Cologne with its renowned Cathedral, proceeding into the Ruhr to stay with some friends at Dortmund where the British army has a base. We returned to Cologne the next day and went to Aachen and the Belgian frontier Liege Louvain Brussels and Ghent were our next points of visit and with almost two weeks gone, we sighted the sea again at Ostend. We passed an uneventful day along the coast from Ostend to Dunkirk. At these two places I was very disappointed because it seemed like Britain, with crowds and crowds of holiday trippers and didn't have the atmosphere of being abroad. We then drove on to Calais, 15 days journey from Naples. For two days we looked around Calais, Bologne and Le Touquet inflicting our French on the local inhabitants and finishing our souvenir hunting (and our money !) Then to the car-ferry, Dover and home (the first thing of interest to us 'foreigners' was a double decker bus, and funnily enough the conductress didn't hiss at the bus driver or rip up any bus tickets !) We had driven through five countries, covered about 1,750 miles used about 60 gallons petrol, spent £ (far too much) but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I recommend you do the same and good luck. WENDY MORRELL. BABY SPARROWS For the year 1958 I went home to Wiltshire for a weekend holiday from boarding school. During this time three baby sparrows fell from their nest. The mother did not come back for them during the two days I was at home, so my mother and I took them into the house and put them in a box, and proceeded to feed them on any small insects that we could find. We fed them with a pair of dental tweezers. When I was due to go back to school I put the birds in a box, and took them with me. Once we arrived at school, my friends and I put them in a big room where the rest of the animals were kept in different cages. They became quite tame, and as it was summer we were able to take them out quite a lot in the evenings. They grew quite fast, and it was always a problem on what to feed them but we managed somehow, by coFecting worms and insects. One evening when I was at Guides I decided to put the smallest, of whom I was most fond, in the top pocket of my uniform but after a while I forgot all about him. Later I remembered but it was too late, the poor thing had suffocated, and so we buried him in the wood. The other two grew up quickly, and so to make them fly we would toss them up in the air, and gradually they learnt to fly. During one of these lessons they both flew into a big bushy tree which had branches sweeping down to the ground. Somewhere the birds were in there so my friends and I started to search for them. This took us right through prep and well into the evening but eventually we found them. After a few weeks we put them on a branch in the middle of the lawn, and during prep they flew away. We never saw them again. ANNE SINCLAIR.
The Headmaster with Mr. Plant and his Staff.
MR. PLANT, CHARGEMAN CARETAKER, BECOMES ESTABLISHED Last year, after twenty five years Government Service and twelve years at Tal-Handaq, Mr. Edward Plant — our "Oldest Member" - became an Established Admiralty Employee: a well-deserved reward for his excellent work. It is difficult to estimate how much time Mr. Plant puts in to his job: he seems to be always here. Apart from supervising the industrial staff: keeping the School clean and tidy, he cares for the gardens, checks School dinners, issues milk, runs the tuck-shop and the lost property office, and is the School storekeeper. Nothing seems to go on at Tal-Handaq, except the actual teaching, without Mr. Plant's help somewhere along the line. Both his sons work at the School and his daughter helps run the tuck-shop. Even his grandson was helping out on Sports Day, but, as he is only just two, he was a little young to put on the pay-sheet.It is difficult to imagine Tal-Handaq without Mr. Plant, and we are sure it is the wish of staff and pupils, present and past, that he and Mrs. Plant and his family may continue happily amongst us for many years to come. OLD PUPILS This is the first time that an old pupils section has been included in the School Magazine and I hope that it will stimulate others who may have lost touch to write and give us their news. Last year's Head Girls, Linda Knapp and Marianne Tottman are both at Training Colleges, Linda at the Chelsea College of Physical Education, and Marianne at Gipsy Hill. Walter Willman, the Head Boy, is now at the Royal Air Force Technical College, Henlow. Maria Hewitt has been,, accepted as a scientific assistant at Harwell. Wendy Morrell has been atschool for a year but has been accepted by the Bedford College of Physical Education for September 1962. Helen and Charlotte Finnie who left in 1961 have continued their education in Scotland, Helen has taken the Civil Service Executive Examination but has not yet heard the results, while Charlotte starts at the School of Dentistry at Edinburgh University in October. Robina Halford who left in 1960 has applied for Gipsy Hill Training College. Lesley Emery has a job as a typist with a firm of architects and John Spensley is working for a select shoe firm where the prospects are good. June Currie who left in 1957, after various jobs, went to a training college and is now teaching at Staines. Not so very long ago I heard from Ivan Baldwin who left in 1953 — he is now a geologist in South Africa, having taken a B.Sc. at Aberystwyth University. In spite of the fact that he left here in Form IV he had not forgotten us. It is letters like this one that have prompted me to write these notes and I hope that next year this column will be much longer. J. YULE. GRAMOPHONE RECITALS Every Tuesday lunchtime since September gramophone recitals inaugurated by Mr. Gerrard have been held in the new music room. Our first record was one of Bach's Brandenburg concertos. This was attended by a fairly large number of people, however the numbers have steadily decreased till at the end as few as ten turned up. We have also listened to Beethoven's violin concerto, Wagner's Tannhauser, Mozart's Symphony No. 29 in G minor, presented by Mr. Barraclough, Le Carnaval Romain, by Berlioz, Pines of Rome by Respighi, Popular Overtures, and Songs of the British Isles sung by Kathleen Ferrier presented by Lt. Cdr. Des Clayes. On Thursday 7th December instead of the usual Gramophone recital we had the pleasure of hearing a concert given by four members of staff and two pupils. The music included, two movements from Handel's Sonata in F played by Mr. Witherspoon, violin, A Rondo by Mozart played by Lt. Cdr. Des Clayes, flute, Andante from Haydn's Trumpet Concerto played by Mr. Wilkinson, on the clarinet, Gavotte by St. George played by Eugene Brown, violin accompanied by William Duncan, piano. The other pieces were also accompanied by Mr. Gerrard on the piano. Over hundred attended this concert which by the applause seemed thoroughly enjoyed. It is a pity we do not have more of these recitals. LINDA FIELD — 2AG.
Metalwork display THE ART AND CRAFTS EXHIBITION OPEN DAY — SUMMER 1962 As on Open Day in May 1961, an Art and Crafts Exhibition was again held in the School Hall this year, to give the visiting parents a chance to see what the school can produce on the artistic rather than on the academic side. The exhibition was larger and somewhat more ambitious than the one held last year, but even so, when one considers the number of pupils in the school it was still relatively small. It must, however, be taken into account that there were other smaller exhibitions of needlework and crafts held elsewhere in the school, and some of the school's best paintings and drawings were at an exhibition in Valletta. There was a disappointingly small selection of needlework exhibited, but the display of stuffed toys was extremely pleasing.Paintings and drawings predominated, and the general standard was high. There was a great deal of variety in these exhibits: paintings, pastel drawings, figure and plant studies and outdoor sketches. Among the last named were some rather good ones done by junior boys at Luqa Airport. There was a good display of crafts such as fabric printing and pottery, but it is a pity that these were arranged, scattered among the paintings. This may have been because there was rather a shortage of these exhibits, but I feel that, had they been arranged together in one group, a better effect might have been gained. As it was, the printed fabrics (and also some of the needlework) rather distracted the attention of the onlooker from the paintings and vice-versa. The wood and metalwork display was perhaps the most impressive with the varnished wooden articles surrounding the polished metal exhibits set off against a black background and catching the light from the contemporary lamp-standards (also made by the boys). This group was a little crowded, but the general impression was pleasing. On the whole the exhibition was a success and I think the Heads of departments concerned should be congratulated (along with the exhibitors, without whom it would have been impossible) on the work they put into it. R. DEARDEN — 6A.
SCHOOL VISITS During the present school year, there has been an increase in the number of school visits to places of interest in Malta. Valuable assistance has been given by the office staff in arranging transport whenever necessary. Several forms are combining to make a social and economic survey of the island, which includes visits to factories, farms, and service establishments. The 6th form visited Sparks Chrysanthemum and Carnation nursery for instruction In soil sterilisation and the growing of young plants which are exported to Britain. Senior Modern School forms have been to the M.M.U. The teaching of history has been brought to life by visits to the Hypogeum and other ancient monuments, the Roman Villa, the Museums and the Palace Armoury. The sketching of aircraft at Luqa, and plants and trees at San Anton Gardens, formed an interesting addition to the Art syllabus. A gesture much appreciated by many scholars, was an invitation on board M.V. Dunera, when she came to Malta in March. A netball match between a ship's team and Tal-Handaq girls was played at the school. It is hoped that some pupils will be able to go on board for a longer period when the ship calls again towards the end of the year. Thanks are due to managers in factories and curators in museums, who have helped to make these visits such an enjoyable part of school activities. D.M.L. GIRL GUIDES During the past year the Company has experienced many ups and downs. Our numbers have gradually decreased as members returned to the U.K. First we said good-bye to two of our very able Patrol Leaders Feme Baynton and Margaret Shepherd. Both girls were presented with their First Class Badges by H.E. the Governor at last year's Commonwealth Day Parade. Margaret has since passed all her tests for the Queen's Guide Award, which she should receive in the U.K. In January we unfortunately had to say good-bye to Mrs. Burton our captain. We missed her very much last term as she gave up many hours to Guides and Rangers. However this term we welcomed Miss Cars as our new Captain, and wish her every success with the Company. The Company has taken part in many combined and inter company events. Last June we won the Guide Sports held at Gzira. Boxing Day saw the Guides joining in the Annual Christmas Picnic at Verdala Palace. In March, Sandra English camped at Verdala Palace, and at Easter when a second camp was held there Judy Franklin, Marilyne Judd, Marilyn Nesbitt and Janis Ducat joined Guides from all over the Island. May 6th the annual St. Georges Day Parade was held in Valletta. On May 24th we will be present at the Commonwealth Day Parade. In August we look forward to a Guide Swimming Gala. Our numbers at the moment are quite low so if you are interested in Guiding why not join us in the School Hall on Wednesdays at 3.40 p.m. SCOUT NOTES The past year has seen the Scouts performing their many varied activities at all times of the day. Knots and ropework appear to have been the most popular activities among our young enthusiasts. The projection holes looking into the hall have been covered with a large sheet of plywood which is in process of being converted into a knotting display board but whereas previous knots and splices were displayed in cord, they are now being made up in the more practical medium of 2-inch rope. There have been the usual Island gatherings during the year with a colourful display on St. George's Day, a full rally on Floriana Parade Ground to say farewell to H.E. the Governor as Chief Scout of the Island, and the most recent rally was to commemorate Commonwealth Day. Unfortunately no Summer Camp was organised last year as Skipper was away from the Island but preparations are now going ahead for a camp in the near future. This will be the last one our present Skipper will organise as he will soon be leaving the Island after a long spell of twelve years which has given us the longest continuous spell of Scouting for the Royal Naval School Troop. So far, no successor has been found but — we are ever hopeful. Much practical instruction has been given especially in the various systems of pulley rigging, from single to triple sheave pulleys, and we welcome the advent of summer so that we can put our knowledge to its practical test in our boatwork.
CAREERS In the course of the school year, we have had a number of interesting talks from visitors, the visit last November, 1961, being perhaps the most significant. I refer to the three day stay of Mr. Somerset, Senior Careers Advisor from the Ministry of Labour. Mr. Somerset spoke to some thirty senior boys and girls who had requested interviews, advising them on a variety of careers. The Careers staff likewise received some enlightenment as to their role here in Malta and a good deal of information. We are looking forward to the possibility of another visit from Mr. Somerset in the coming year when it is hoped that he will be able to stay a little longer in Malta. In October 196], Miss Wylie spoke to Senior Girls about opportunities For Clerical and Secretarial work with the War Office. In February 1962, Mr. Bruce Seymour, Chief Officer, R.F.A. Fort Rosalie, gave an interesting talk, illustrated by a colour film, to Senior Boys on Service with Royal Fleet Auxiliaries. (He recruited me - Webmaster.) In March, Miss L.M. Gray, Superintendent Q.I.D.N. addressed Senior girls on the District Nursing Service. This talk, also illustrated by a film, stressed how great were the rewards for those who approached Nursing with a true sense of vocation. We have twice had visits from Mr. Robert Stimson, former B.B.C. Special Correspondent in various parts of the world. While not strictly dealing with Careers. Mr. Stimson's first talk on "Malta and the Elections" put very clearly in perspective the issues involved and a realistic view of Malta's economic future. "The Life of a Foreign Correspondent," the subject of Mr. Stimson's second talk, aroused even keener interest from the Sixth Form audience, showing as it did, how hard work, determination, enthusiasm (and a little good fortune) are so necessary to achieve satisfaction in any career and that the reward is great for those whose ability merits it. The supply of Careers Literature now arriving at Tal-Handaq is as vast and varied as at any school in Britain. Details are available outlining Entry to all the Services, the Civil Service, Universities and other Further Educational Institutions, and various schemes of entry at different levels to the principal Engineering firms in the United Kingdom. Altogether, more than 200 careers are listed; many general books on Careers are to be found in the School Library; a selection of new information is placed regularly on the Notice Board outside Block 2. While a number of Senior pupils consult us regularly, reading information over a wide field, discovering their likes and dislikes and thus something about themselves, there are still many who might take a greater interest in finding out about ways of spending their working life. The Careers Staff — Mr. L.C. Smith (Boys Modern); Miss G. Reed (Girls Modern) and Mr. Gallacher — are always available to give advice. Parents who would like to discuss personally the prospects of a career for their son or daughter are invited to make appointments on a Friday afternoon. Finally a grateful thank you to the Fifth and Sixth Form girls who have been good enough to help and classify new material. A.F.G.
MUSIC This year has been a very busy one musically. After the Christmas production of the Mikado, the Junior and Senior Choirs re-formed and much hard work has been done in preparation for the Annual Concert, an even which is always popular with parents and students alike. The new music room has fully justified itself, and in addition to normal music lessons, most lunch times and evenings have seen some musical activity in progress. One hears strange sounds on Thursday evenings as the Orchestral Group battle with Elgar. The students — very professional -- have been very busy with their Jazz Group and we eagerly await their performance. We have invited Mr. Mortimer Lloyd to sing for us and we know we are to be thrilled with his rich, very deep bass voice. Mr. Wilkinson has taken over the Junior Choir this year, and they have been enthusiastic in their preparation of Folk Songs of many lands. The Senior Choir has been working hard on another Cantata — Morn, Noon and Night - - music by Schubert, Schumann. We welcome Mr. Alexander who has obviously enjoyed himself as accompanist. To all those members of the choir who will be leaving in the near future, we say bon voyage and we hope they have enjoyed their music here. Mention must be made of a group of musical enthusiasts whose names shall be anonymous — known as the Tal-Handaq Group — who will present a programme of musical miniatures on Rediffusion on July 11th at 7 p.m. and on July 13th at 1.45 p.m. Please note these dates and give your silent support. MAESTRO. CAMERA CLUB KAMERA KLUB No matter how you spell it the enthusiasm never diminishes. The year's activities began with a general meeting at which the officers (or organisers) were elected and a set of rules governing the use of the Darkroom was drawn up. Various aspects of photography have been covered in the meetings of the Club (Klub) and demonstrations by Mr. Knight on Tank development, Enlarging and Portrait photography have proved their usefulness by the higher standard of work being produced. Time has been an important limiting factor to all our meetings but with the advent of half-day routine we look forward to longer, more instructive sessions. LITERARY AND DEBATING SOCIETY The recently formed Literary and Debating Society (members from senior forms) which meets on Thursdays in the school Library has made a promising debut. As the Society exists for two reasons, one, to encourage an interest in literature and two, to aid self-expression, it attempts to make its meetings of as varied a kind as possible. During the past two terms, there have been several debates, the most interesting and thought-provoking one being on the motion that 'The colour-bar is inevitable'. All the debates, however, have produced speaking of a high quality, which promises well for the future. The following people have taken part in debates: Roberts, McColl, Gettings, Gower, Brown, M. Whittle, R. Dearden, P. Hinton and S. Hammond. The second meeting of the society consisted of a Brains Trust. The panel of experts - - Miss Yu'e, Lieutenant Commander Des Clayes, Mr. Morris and Mr. McAllister -- discussed questions put forward by members of the Society on such disparate topics as skyscrapers in London and home rule for Wales. At one of the early meetings, Mr. Donson gave a recorded lecture on the subject 'Writing as a Profession'. This illuminating' and witty talk concentrated mainly on the practical aspects of writing with particular emphasis on the structure of the short story. The highlight of the first term's meeting was the Speech-Making Competition. This was held in the Hall. A large audience was entertained and instructed by the wide range of subject-matter and styles of delivery of the speakers. The winners of the competition were Bernard Hocter, the best speaker, and Roderick Gower, the most promising speaker. Judges were Lieutenant Commander Des Clayes, Miss McGuinness, and Miss Woodard. Two record recitals provided more variety. Extracts from 'Under Milk Wood', 'The School for Scandal' and 'The Way of the World' were among records played. The future programme of the Society includes a play-reading session, a verse-speaking competition involving all classes in the school, and an inter-schools debate with St. Edward's College. W.M. ALEXANDER.
The School Ballroom Dancing Club started its second year, after Christmas, with many new recruits. As usual, girls predominated and it is only to be hoped that all those who stood in for the reluctant boys will not become those terrors of the ballroom — females who insist on leading. Mr. Moore, ably assisted by his wife, began our lessons with the basic steps on the waltz which we all seemed to master fairly well. We then progressed to the more complicated movements of the quickstep and this provided some good humoured antagonism between partners, due to many mangled toes. Our differences were ironed out eventually, however, by our long-suffering instructors. We in turn attempted a cha-cha, and a samba and then some of the Olde Tyme dances such as the Barn Dance, the Veleta and the St. Bernard's Waltz. We were by this time quite proficient, at most of these dances, and our only regret was that Mr. Moore would not teach us the Twist. We ended the term with a successful dance held in the school hall. This was attended by the Headmaster and his wife and various other members of the Staff along with Senior pupils and their guests. It is hoped that the Ballroom Dancing Club will continue to thrive — with perhaps a little more support from the boys. ROSEMARY DEARDEN — 6A. ROSEMARY ANDREWS — 6A. THOMAS ALVA EDISON (1847 — 1931) This man is perhaps one of the greatest names in the application of electrical power. He is known to thousands of people, in all countries of the world, as that man who invented electrical lighting. Edison was not a scholar, but an inventor, and he worked, not with a pencil and paper, but with whatever materials he could obtain. It must be noted that he was an American, for this possibly accounts for some of his more peculiar characteristics. England had been the first country to use electrical lighting, in the form of arc lamps, in 1862, in the Dungeness lighthouse. The government of that time was not very far seeing and very little encouragement was given to such projects, so it was left to the Americans in the form of T.A. Edison, to find some economic and easily handled form of electric light. His employment before 1875 was that of telegraph operator, where he learned to sleep anywhere at any time, a characteristic which was later to give his assistants a good deal of trouble, since he expected them to do the same. It was in this year that he first saw an arc lamp, and after some thought he decided that "the whole dam' thing is too big," so he started to attempt to produce some other form of lamp. He had made quite a number of telegraphic inventions, and so he was by no means short of money. Being an American this is understandable. He used some of his money to establish a laboratory in the wilderness of his home land, at a place called Menlo Park. Whilst carrying out experiments to produce an electric lamp he invented a few very minor aids to civilisation, amongst these was the gramophone. The main experiments at Menlo Park were concerned with trying to find some form of filament able to be fitted into an exhausted glass vessel. Some of these filaments were made from carbonised cotton thread, carbonised red hair from the beard of an assistant and carbonised bamboo. Edison had great difficulty with the thread because it became very brittle when carbonised and he broke more than he ever put into lamps. When he eventually succeeded in producing a lamp with this type of filament, and testing it, he was very satisfied. It burned for 45 hours. After more experimenting a suitable form of filament was found, that being carbonised cellulose "string." It was during this time that Edison came to an agreement with the English electric lamp enthusiast, Sir Joseph Swan, and the Ediswan Company was formed to produce electric lamps in England. After he had invented a suitable lamp, one that it was possible to sell to the public, Edison decided that the lamps were useless without the electricity to run them, so he constructed dynamos and drew up wiring systems. These were put into operation in New York, in 1882, where he wired 900 buildings and fixed 14,000 lamps. It might appear that he went forward smoothly in his achievements, but this is not so. In New York he had many troubles, one of these was when his dynamos had to be switched off and some rewiring done because the electricity was getting into some pavements, and it was making the horses dance. He made many mistakes, but he made far greater discoveries, and at .the time of his death, in ,1931, many people must have expressed their thanks for what he had given to the world. D. ROBERTS — Up. VI Science.
A scene from "The Other Children" EASTER PARADE 1962The compere's words miraculously transformed the School Hall into tranquility, and excitement remained only in the heart. Then the stage curtains opened for Easter Parade, a theatrical miscellany and a new venture for the School, being the first time that such an entertainment had been given during the Spring Term. All who attended will agree that we were given a full evening's entertainment, packed almost to the brim with drama, fantasy and wit. Part I consisted of a play called 'The Other Children' performed by a large and confident cast. It was strictly for the kiddies but was enjoyed by adults too for the story was easily accepted by everyone, young and old. It was a fantasy of a type common to fairy-tale annuals, with typically enlarged print and lucid pictures showing angelic-looking children experiencing the incredible. The large cast allowed room not only for talent but also for enthusiasm and even for those whose identity was hidden behind brilliant costumes and makeup. Morag Williamson as Mrs. James was very good and Paul McDermot showed excellent promise as Uncle Henry. Mrs. Donson is indeed to be congratulated upon marshalling this team and of overcoming many difficulties in rehearsal. Part II consisted of short and very short items, mainly in verse, and presented by members of the Upper School. The pace was set by the first play 'The Old Firm's Awakening' in which John Melton as Fred excelled himself. He had the eager, persuasive manner of the typical bookmaker and if his ambition is to shout "Two to one on Highnjul Fice" I would tell him to go ahead ! Two very short absurdities followed. In the first John Payne managed to portray very well an eighteenth century young man seeking the heart of a country maid, whilst Rosemary Andrews gave some rather amusing reasons for refusing his proposal. One felt that a rich Devon accent might have suited the part of the maid better. The second absurdity was set in 1830 and very well acted. It told of the romantic dreams of poor Clarissa (Rosemary Mulcahy) and of her complaints to her rather more staid sister Phoebe (Heather Clemett) that St. Valentine had not yet answered her prayers. 'A Minuet' followed, a play about the French Revolution. As the Marquis, Roderick Gower had the upright sedateness and noble elegance for the part and also a good voice but neither he nor Anne Skinner as the Marchioness managed the difficult task of portraying late middle age. John Haylock as the crude Gaoler, did very well with the necessary coarseness of voice. The last item 'Square Pegs' was quite well put over by the two characters, but it was longer and therefore more difficult and this may have accounted for the few slips which were made. Rosemary Dearden as the modern girl was perhaps a trifle too confident whilst Maria Kadlec did not quite manage the flamboyance of word and gesture needed for the sixteenth-century Venetian girl. Factors that probably contributed to the high all-round level of the acting throughout were the shortness of the items and the excellence of the material used and no doubt this is why 'Square Pegs' was at a disadvantage. We must all realise the hard work contributed by Mr. Barraclough towards the success of the two evenings. He not only produced the second part of the programme but also contributed two solo items. In the first, an excerpt from 'Punch', he told us how to get cold porridge out of the crevaces of saucepans; in the second, a mime, as a female lecturer-demonstrator he walzed around the stage, making for 'the women of Tal-Handak' delicious prune patties 'straight from the oven to hubby's heart'. Mr. Barraclough is a consummate actor and in fact I heard someone say after the performance, "Why did he ever become a schoolmaster?" Final mention should be made of the costumes and decor throughout and especially of the simple yet effective cut-outs used in Part II, which was otherwise presented against grey curtains. Altogether an unusual evening's entertainment. We look forward to the next. one. MARGARET SOWDEN — 6A. THE SEA I like the sea, The crash of the waves against towering cliffs, The early morning rush of the small fishing skiffs, The only trail a great liner has left, The cry of a gull from a high rocky cleft, The crash of a lugger on a windswept reef, The magic the moon plays on the rippling deep, The howl and the thunder of tempestuous waves, Like the sea as a master and ships as its slaves, This thrilling elation that has risen in me can only be blamed on the wonderful sea. R.W. MADGE — 3BG.
THE WEAKER SEX Unfortunately, after giving this matter a great deal of thought, I have regretfully come to the conclusion that men are definitely the weaker sex. I say unfortunately because I feel, as most females do, that men should be the stronger and superior sex. Perhaps you think that I am wrong but I will try and convince you by going through my reasons one by one. Many times you will have heard others say that men are stronger because they can go out and fight wars. That may be, but have you ever thought a very great deal about this? A man's weakness is his desire to fight and win, not to share. Women wouldn't have wars as they would try to settle everything sensibly, so they are definitely the stronger sex in this respect. You've probably heard of the saying "She's only a housewife." Well, now think of another one. "A woman's work is never done." This is very true of a housewife, you know, especially if she also happens to be a mother as well. Just think of some of the things that you take for granted but which are really done for you by the woman of the house. Cooking alone, trying to please a fussy male is enough to force us to give up. But of course, this is just taken for granted and in fact, it's looked upon as a special privilege that you, a mere female, should be permitted to cook for such an important personage as him. How would all these 'men' like to come home from their very exhausting jobs ! ! ! — to find that they had to clean the house thoroughly, go and buy the week's groceries, tackle a large wash, cook a large meal for a fussy family and all the time have the children to amuse and look after ? Of course, these are just a sample of the housewife's jobs but if some of our 'men' had some of these little things to do, they would be half dead before they were hardly started. It's the same with illness. If a woman is ill, unless she is really bad, she will carry on as normal, but oh dear ! If a man even sneezes he automatically thinks he's dying and he rushes straight to bed. From there, he issues the lady or rather the servant of the house his orders so that his passing might be less painful. He will also expect her to remain at his bedside for the sole purpose of soothing his pain. But if a woman has to go to bed her husband only asks when she is going to get up because "My socks need washing." Men are weak because they're selfish, only thinking of themselves all the time, while women are stupid enough to spend most of their life looking after men and the home. Even when men are not being selfish they are being taken in by their opposite sex. How many men have helped the proverbial "lady in distress?" She could have probably helped herself but why bother when it's so easy to get a weak-witted male to do it instead ? So do you now see what I mean when I argue that men are the weaker sex? I'm afraid the facts stand for themselves. LESLEY CREW — 3CG. SOCIALIST GO HOME! On a warm day in mid-December in Castle Square, Valletta, there were many cars about to do their Christmas shopping in the capital. "Vrrrooom, vrrrooom!" rumbled a big black Russian car that had a habit of spreading communist monoxide on other cars he thought were nearing the end of their years. "Please, please!" honked an old Volkswagen that was parked behind the thinks-he's-so-smart Russian car. "Hey you!" honked an enormous Cadillac to the Russian car, "pick on somebody your own size." "Nyet, nyet, I do vat I please, you pviece of vasted metal." "For your information," blared the Cadillac,
"I was appointed to be "You ain't nothing but a H.A.F. MED. and you ain't no friend of mine !" The Russian car had turned on his radio loud enough to jam the B.B.C. broadcasting to Czechoslovakia. "Well, bless my snow-shoes," beamed the Russian car, "that was my favourite singer, Elvisk Preszki." "Stop, stop!" came shouts from streets everywhere, "stop that terrible noise !" But after he had turned off his radio, he started honking his horn and challenging the Rolls Royce to top that fifty megaton blast. The Rolls Royce said, "I have just been to Paris and my battery has been completely discharged." The Russian car was not listening and was thumping two Volkswagens on each side of him with his wide swinging doors. "I have had enough of that wise guy!" declared the Cadillac. "Oui", agreed a Citroen. "Si," honked a Fiat. : - , - "Ja," repeated a Swedish Volvo. "Socialists, go home!" screeched a loyal Maltese vegetable wagon. "Righto," joined in the Rolls Royce, "let us take action." And with a signal honked by the Rolls Royce, they all pushed the Russian car into one of the Barracca Garden lifts, took him down to the customs house, and had him sent back to Vladivostok. . BRIAN WALTER — 3CG. A VISIT TO THE PREHISTORIC HYPOGEUM On Tuesday 10th April our form went to a Hypogeum in Pawla. It was first discovered in 1902, and is the only prehistoric one in the world. When we were first shown in we were in a room where there were several show cases of ancient pottery. We then walked down a spiral staircase until we reached the underground caves which are 40 ft. below the surface. There were several rooms and chambers one of which was the "Oracle Room" where the priest answered the cave-men's questions, and which is supposed to make your wishes come true. The Stone-age men cut out the interior of the caves and ancient temple with flint-axes. They had an unusual custom which was to bury their dead then dig them up when they had rotted away and finally grind their bones and keep them in a certain chamber; altogether there were 7,000 skeletons. There was also a granary where the grain was divided into five different partitions. GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENTAL FARM The "Object of the farm is to increase agricultural output in Malta. The area of the farm is 20 acres. The average Maltese farm is 4 acres. The English farms are much bigger; they average 80 acres. , This farm-land was made by soil brought from different parts of the island, then it was dumped on top of rock which formed the fields. Another object of the farm is to produce things as cheaply as possible. The first shed we went into was full of hen batteries, they all have a chute running down the side of the cage; with a basket at the end of it. When the hens laid ego's, the eggs ran down through the chute into the basket at the end. If the hens don't lay enough eggs they are killed. After this we went past a lot of hen runs with lots of white turkeys in them. Then we went to a cow milking shed, which was being cleaned out at that moment. The most important part of being a farmer is to be clean and to be able to keep records or else you can't make a go of your job. The black and white cows were English Friesian cows, the brown ones were Jersey cows. The main cow on the Island is a cow from a Dutch breed called a Friesian. They feed on a green material called lucerne, which looks like grass, They produce 6 gallons of milk a day for a couple of months after just having a calf. The average is 4 gallons of milk a day. Then on to a bull shed. The bulls were big snorting ones with rings through their noses. Then out into the open where we saw a white mare pulling an old-fashioned plough. These ploughs dated back thousands of years ago when the Egyptians first started using them. After that we went into a shed where there were loads of baby chickens; the aim is to hatch the eggs then sell them to the farmers for a fair price. The slightly older chickens are put in a big pen; the cocks are light and the pullets dark. Also in the pen were some cocks imported from U.K. about two weeks ago. We then went into a room where there was an incubator which was very hot, the temperature was 110°. This has 20,000 hens' eggs inside, this was why the incubator was so hot to make the eggs hatch. This is the first modern machine on the Island. Every 14 days the incubator is opened and the eggs taken out, they then hatch themselves. About 2% of the eggs die but 98% live. If anything goes wrong inside the machine there are alarms which go off and warn the keeper that something is wrong. ..We-then went to the pig-sties, the pigs were eating green material the same as the cows were eating. The pigs were very big although they were only 8-9 months old. We left the pig-sties and went to see the greenhouses where tomatoes were being grown. Outside the greenhouses were red Sulla flowers, these were being grown as food for the animals; they are called the forage crop. They are treated as hay. A little further along were some more pig-sties. These had the mother pigs in with their litter. If a pig does not produce enough piglets it is killed and sold for meat. The piglets stay with their mothers for 5 weeks, after this they are put with a lot of other piglets. They are then called "Weaners". The mother pigs have two litters a year, of 11-12 piglets. After we had been all round the farm we said good-bye and thank you for showing us around. We then made our way home to school and got on the buses home. SANDRA HAYWARD — 3BM. A HAMPSHIRE VILLAGE, 'BUCKLERS HARD' Bounded on one side by the sweep of the river and on the other by the green fringe of the forest the village slept in the noon-day sun. The water sparkled as it moved lazily onward and the ripples swirled softly onto the low-lying bank. Three swans surged gently into sight, their long necks curved gracefully along their backs each feather rigidly in place. Their orange beaks showed vividly against the downy whiteness of their breasts. As the leader floated by he seemed like a figurehead upon an old ship, the very emblem of power, gentle and yet mighty. Upon the nearer bank some cows were cropping at tufts of short marsh grass, their hoofs leaving deep imprints in the marshy ground. By the barbed-wire fence, rusty now and sagging dejectedly in the middle some irises were growing, soon they would be torn and trampled by the picnic hordes but now they were beautiful, pure white edged with the faintest touch of yellow deepening towards the centre of the flower. Behind the fence rose the forest. The trees, small at first but gradually becoming larger as one penetrated deeper, were green, with the fresh greeness of early summer. Some were tall and had intertwined their branches to form a roof over a faint path that wound its way through the forest. The sunlight filtered through the leaves dappling the ground with patches of light. The air itself was cool and dim. Further away the belt of woodland stopped abruptly and the bracken-covered moor stretched away into the distance. A metalled road reflected brightly the suns brilliant rays. The village, with its one rough street slept quietly. The shutters were up at the windows and the few shops were shut. The sign of 'The Master Builder' creaked gently in the air. An ice-cream stall leaned drunkenly against a wall in the car-park. Its gaudy colours had been bleached by the sun and now it was not so glaringly out of place in that quiet haunt. An ice-cream wrapper fluttered idly in the road and a dog lying asleep in a patch of sunshine on the pavement opened one eye and blew curiously at it. Suddenly on the road leading to the village a puff of dust appeared and soon the sun could be seen glinting on the windscreen of a car. Soon the sleeping village awoke once more to life as the first of the afternoon trippers arrived. KATHERINE JEFFERSON — 3AG.
SCHOOL STORIES School Stories are generally dull, boring, and completely untruthful. The story is usually set in an old ivy covered school, the hero or heroines are undoubtedly in the upper fifth, the villain is a mean prefect or a shady music master. Now the plot is set for a ripe, juicy adventure during which the hero finds out that the music master is a secret drug addict, or the prefect is plotting to win the senior darts championships by underhand methods. The Hero, a tall dark handsome boy, who has previously been accused, clears his name and uncovers the music master as the villain, to end it all he becomes the school hero. The other type of School Story about a fat jovial boy (Bunter) the small prank-loving boy (Jennings) also fails to rouse my imagination. The main argument against these stories must surely be that are far-fetched. In most schools the worst thing that happens is when x gets a detention. Also no school pays such keen attention to the fact that Green house are going to win the senior football championship because S. Brown keeps scoring goals for them. These stories may be read by cretins but today's
teenagers want better, All was quiet in the 5th form dorm. Suddenly Cragg sat up in bed and whispered excitedly, "I say you chaps ! I think there's something fishy going on. I'll swear I heard a noise coming from the direction of the bell tower." "Oh come off it Cragg old bean we caught the smugglers last week". (This refers to another exciting Silent Three story in which the Silent Three capture a gang of notorious Smugglers and expose the fact that they were in league with the P.E. master). The speaker was Marmaduke Beasley-Smith who, in spite of his languid appearance, was the school's star rugby player. "There it is again," cried Cragg jumping up and looking out of the window, "lets investigate." The two boys quickly tore their sheets into strips, which were knotted into a rope, with the aid of which they descended. In the grounds they were joined by 'Specs' St. John-Christian, so called because of his specs, and considered by all to be 'a bit of a swot but a jolly good sort really'. It was midnight and outside the wind howled eerily. "I say it is cold out here," said Marmaduke. "Oh shut up Marms. You'll scare the prowler off." "Oh look!" cried Cragg, "there is a light in the polting shed, what can we do?" "Lets see what cad is in there." As they neared the shed a shadowy figure emerged, a magnificent rugger tackle brought the intruder crashing to the ground. In the darkness they discerned the unpopular new house-master. "Old Travers!" hissed Specs. "Wait till the head hears about this!..." FRANK JACKSON — IIIAG.
Back to Top SPORTS SECTION
The Junior Cross Country Team with the Malta Secondary Schools Cup 1962
SCHOOL CROSS-COUNTRY The inter-house competition this year consisted of four sections, the results of which were:— 1st Year
2nd Year 1. Drake Individual Winner A. Parmenter Time 14 mins. 7.2 sees. 2. Nelson
Under 15 Under 19 The new "Valley" course provided a stiff test for the runners and produced some very good racing. The results cleayly proved the value of training as blue and green shirts were most frequently observed on the course in the weeks prior to the races. The combined result was an outstanding win for Drake, St. Vincent second with Nelson and Hawkins well behind in third and fourth places. In the Malta Secondary Schools Cross-Country Championships our Senior team were placed second, being narrowly beaten by Pawla Technical School. Our scoring members were: A. Mulcahy, Tagliaferro, T. Frazer and B. Hoctor. The Junior team won their event very easily. Scoring members were: B. Turner, Standen, A. Parmenter and Aveston. Both teams are to be congratulated on these excellent performances.
SCHOOL SOCCER REPORT 1961-62 After a poor start to the season, two of the first three matches were lost, the team was re-arranged and only two of the next thirteen games were lost. Six of last year's team I. Turner, Melton, Bond, Mulcahy, Hay and Fraser also played this year. The regular team was:— I. Turner, Peacock, Jervis; Melton, Bond, Mulcahy; Tagliaferro, Hay, Fraser, Macdonald, Field. Ian Turner was again a brilliant goalkeeper despite having one or two disappointing games. Neither of our full-backs, Peacock and Jarvis, had played in these positions before this season but both gave good service. Peacock faded towards the end of the season but Jarvis improved with every game excelling himself against the Lyceum on both occasions and against R.A.F. Siggiewi. Although he was rather inconsistent Melton never stopped trying his hardest. Centre Half Bond was extremely powerful and he defended well but his constructive ability was small. Mulcahy was a link man between defence and attack, a task which he performed very well showing considerable skill and ball control. Tagliaferro's big asset was his speed. He could out run every full back he played against but his shooting lacked accuracy. Fraser, a greatly improved centre forward, was again leading goalscorer. He was excellent in the air and his distribution was an improvement on last season but he is rather slow in getting the ball under control. Macdonald played as a second centre forward where he scored a lot of useful goals. Field at outside left was one of the best ball players in the team. An under fifteen team regular, B. Turner, replaced Tagliaferro on the right wing late in the season; he scored on his debut and completely justified his selection. We were fortunate in having good reserves in Gaunter at full-back, Cooper, who gave of his best in any forward position scoring two very valuable goals, and Norton who played very well in his one game when I. Turner was injured. One of our victories was against Pawla Technical School, last year's inter-school champions. A very hard fought game was contested between the school and the Staff, the latter being rather unfortunate to lose 3-1 after missing a penalty. St. Edward's normally have a good school soccer team and we defeated them quite comfortably on their ground. The season was ended with an enjoyable game against R.A.F. Siggiewi, which we drew 2-2, our equalising goal coming four minutes before the end. Our successes were due to teamwork and a wonderful team spirit. The team would like to thank Mr. Bowen for his half-time "pep-talks" and for arranging the matches. I. HAY.
First XI Hockey Team 1961-62 FIRST ELEVEN HOCKEY REPORT After practising for the whole of the autumn term the team had become very efficient and there was good co-ordination between the forwards and defence helped by an able half-back line. Unfortunately only two matches could be arranged, so we did not have much opportunity to show our skill. However, in the games we did play the attacking line was always well led by Anne Williams who scored most of our goals and Maureen Fitzgerald, and Pamela Hinton, our backs, who could always be relied upon to stave off any attack by the opposition. We entered the six-aside tournament at Corradino without much success due to lack of practice. I would like to thank Miss Cranna for all the time she spent in coaching us. Results: School 3 Naval Wives 1 School 1 Whitehall Wrens 0 The team was chosen from the following girls:- Goalkeeper: Jocelyn Duke. Right-back: Pamela Hinton. Left-back: Maureen Fitzgerald. Right-half: Kathy Hines, Barbara Pike. Centre-half: Pauline Bale. Left-half: Maureen Sillis. Right-wing: Amanda Hinton. Right-inner: Anne Williams. Centre-forward: Veronica Mackney. Left-inner: Margaret Woollit, Margaret Shepherd. Left-wing: Kay Robertson. Colours were awarded to:— Jocelyn Duke, Veronica Mackney, Maureen Fitzgerald, Anne Williams and Pamela Hinton. PAMELA HINTON (Captain). BOYS HOCKEY An attempt was made this year to introduce hockey to the boys of this school. There were only a few games played, and the results look very disappointing on paper, but allowances must be made for the majority of the team had never played this game before. What they lacked in skill, they certainly made up for in enthusiasm. Two practice games were played at the beginning of the season, in Autumn 1961, and six games were played during the rest of the year. Girls 1st XI 0 Boys 1st XI 0 Falcon team 7 Boys 1st XI 2 Masters 6 Boys 1st XI 1 Masters 4 Boys 1st XI 2 Exiles 4 Boys 1st XI 2 Exiles 3 Boys 1st XI 0 The team was picked from Peters, Ellis, Jarvis, Hay, Lyall, Brown, Fraser, Wilkin A, Wilkin R, Roberts, Bond, McCall, Curtiss, Mulcahy, Haylock. D. ROBERTS. Swimming Sports
Netball Team 1961-62 SCHOOL NETBALL The 1st VII Netball Team have had a fairly successful season, winning two matches and losing three. This is an improvement on last year's team, when they only won one match out of six. We also had a 2nd VII, but due to lack of opposition, the team had only one match.
School 12 Whitehall Wrens 17 School 11 Falcon Wrens 12 School 23 Falcon Wives 17 School 22 Falcon Wives 14 School 8 Sacred Heart Convent 10 Results. 2nd VII School 5 Sacred Heart Convent 19 'The teams were as follows:-- 1st VII. G Phyllis Hannan GD Carol Spence WD Maureen Fitzgerald C Susan Stephens WA Jane Carver GA Lesley Turner GS Julie Record 2nd VII. G Pauline Potter GD Pat McPherson WD Pat Woodward C Pat Sawyer WA Beverley Enders GA Gwen Goble GS Mary Morrow. Reserve: Lorna Tierney, Pauline Todd. Colours Awarded to:— Phyllis Hannan, Carol Spence, Lesley Turner, Jane Carver. JANE CARVER — Netball Captain. ATHLETIC SPORTS 1962 This year a departure from tradition was made and the sports were held at the Marsa Stadium. Most people seem agreed that the better facilities available there helped greatly in ensuring the success of the meeting. The degree of success shown, I think, by the fourteen boys and ten girls records that were broken. Most of the outstanding performances were among the field events. This was due to the facilities at Tal-Handaq, allowing throwers and jumpers to train easily and regularly whilst our track athletes were rarely able to use a track on which they could wear spikes and so achieve peak form. It was pleasant to see outstanding performances by boys who are persevering and mastering modern techniques for their event. I recall Walter's fine straddle over 4 ft. 8 ins., a third year record; Stenton's hitch kick which gave him the third year long jump record of 17 ft.; Wilson's hop turn which shattered the existing third year discus record by 12 ft. to set a new mark of 117 ft. 6 ins.; Bond's concentration and balanced glide which exploded into a 45 ft. senior shot record; Gower's accurate drop on to the take off board which gave him three excellent jumps and a new senior record of 18 ft. 10 ins. and finally the neat take overs in the senior relay which gave a hard working St. Vincent team a clear victory in the fine time of 50.4 sees. I look forward to next year with the certain knowledge that more records will be broken and the hope that our track athletes will have better training facilities which will enable them to produce performances worthy of special mention. J.H. BOWEN.
Rear-Admiral The Viscount Kelburn D.S.C. Flag Officer Malta, judging the Tug-of-war
ATHLETICS AND SCHOOL RECORDS
Tagliaferro winning the Senior Boys 440 yards
THE CONTROLLER The Controller got out of the elevator, and began to
walk along the long, silent corridor. His feet made no noise as the
floor was covered by a thin, yet soft surface. There was no sign of
life, except for the blue lights at intervals along the ceiling. He was a tall man, yet very spare with greying hair,
and deep mournful brown eyes. His hands were long and slender. He wore a
white uniform with a green cloak about him. People would have called him
handsome yet there was something about him. something cold about him. He
was he'd in fear and respect throughout the Galaxy. A door in front of him slid open noiselessly, he
passed through and it shut behind him. He sat down in a chair in front
of his de'sk and began to read a number of papers. Suddenly there was a
click, part of the wall in front of him slid away, to reveal a large
screen. An image on it quivered for a minute, then focussed. A large,
black head, not unlike a beetle's looked out at him. The controller
looked up and spoke softly. "Make your report." "I wish to report an outbreak of piracy near Galaxy
23-B," the face said. "To what extent?" "Two ships, carrying radium, were boarded, their
crews killed and the cargo taken." "How many killed?" "It is estimated at about two hundred." "Have my flagship and squadron prepared." "At your orders, sir, may I suggest that " "I am not interested in your suggestions, Aphs
Threnios," broke in The Controller. "Do as I say." "At your orders, sir." The image quivered, and
disappeared. The Controller sat back and began to hum softly. It
was from a suite by Brahms. He liked Brahms. He hated killing. The rockets pulsed on through deep space.
Gleaming shafts of light, moving at thousands of miles per second
across the cold, dark void. The Controller sat at the pilot's seat on the
flight deck and watched the stars flash by. His mind was not on the
killing that would come. It was on other things. Early experiments,
first moon probes and then, deep space. The invention of the atom
drive had made things easier. It had also made things hard. One
atomic war on Earth and that was that. America, Russia, Africa and
Japan wiped out. England, oddly enough, was intact. The world was,
for twenty years, smothered in atomic gas. The Controller had lived
part of his life in a huge, underground city, which had been built
before the War. He'd come a long way. Thanks to him the Earth was
rebuilt and peace brought throughout the known Galaxy. Now, that
peace was threatened. "Galaxy 23-B, sir." the ship's captain said. They all looked. Six planets, all, with one
exception, uninhabitable. The exception was called Nemos. "There, sir!" On the scanner a number of ships
were seen speeding up from Nemos. The Controller took over. He
picked up a microphone and spoke into it. "Battle order". A hundred and fourteen rockets
slipped into line. "Missiles". A hundred and fourteen atomic
missiles came out of the rockets' bays. "Fire at range 364." 369, 368, 367, 366, 365, 364. "Fire!" At that moment the other ships fired. The first attack look thirty pirate ships and
sixteen of the Controller's fleet. Then they closed in and fought it
out with atomic cannons. Three hours later it was all over. The pirates
were annihilated. Sixty Earth ships were lost. The Controller's ship
was hit seven times. Weary, they returned to Earth. The Controller
piloted the ship back himself. His face was calm and unruffled. He
was humming something. Something from Brahms. He liked Brahms. PAUL
McDERMOTT — IVBM. ONE EVENING John Hail walked beside the river which ran
through his property. It was dusk and most wild life was
settling down for the night. John would often see some of the
animals before they settled down. Just then as he passed a reed
bed a mallard -duck swam into the reeds to hide. He could hear
an owl in the distance and saw a bat swoop low over his head. He was near his cottage now and could see its
outline against the dark background. He stopped and listened and
looked over the edge of the bank and saw a small ripple on the
surface of the river where a water fowl was swimming. It suddenly
vanished and John walked on. Once in his cottage he lit the fire in
the grate and had his tea. After having his tea he lit his pipe and
went out < into the garden" and looked at the ,stars and listened to
the night animals in their search for food. ROBERT DUNNING — 3CM.
AN ODE TO THE FORCE OF GRAVITY Herr Newton beneathen der
tree ben gesprawien, Und watchen ein
smallisch apple gefalien, Ach Himmel! Herr Newton ben
obercxciten Und soonisch abouten der
apple ben writen. Meinself ich nicht thinken
him not so surprisen, Comparen mit iffen der
apple had risen. T. BROWN — L. 6 ARTS. THE YACHT Little White Yacht, Rocking to and fro, Waiting for
the West Wind To blow, blow, blow. He watches all the steam boats Busy chugging by. And
sees the seagulls whirling, Eigh up in the sky, Till the west wind whispers, Across the still blue
sea, Its time ta come a sailing With me, me, me. CHRISTINE WILLIAMS,I
BM. FLIES Flies, Flies, everywhere, Get on your nerves, Crawl
in your hair. Flies here, Flies there, Flies almost every where
Get on my bed And crawl on my head. They set on my nerves I'll kill them ! IT
kill them ! Those little weak flies, I'll drive them away Right out
of the skies. P. WEBSTER, 1DM. THE GHOST There was an oogly boogly ghost, Who came round in the night, He came to people's bedrooms. and gave them such a fright, He jumped up to the window-sill, When the clock struck twelve one night, He got right into Willy's bed, and there he slept that night. When Willy woke up on the floor, He got back into bed, And found to his astonishment, The ghost was there instead !
Maureen
JONES. 1DG SEEN FROM THE
SHORE See the ocean
liners Going on their
way. They are
taking people home To countries far
away. See the little
fishing boats Bobbing up and
down Taking home
their hard day's catch To feed the
local town. See the little
sailing boats Graceful on the
sea They have huge
sails and a mast Beautiful to
see. FA
YE
TOWNSEND,
ICG. THE HUNT Hark ! Hark
! the horn blows shrill,
Down by the river and up on
the hill. A flashing of
manes and a swishing of
tails Dogs in the road-way
and down in the dales. Hooray !
Hooray ! the chase has begun
Now starts the laughter and
also the fun. Fun did you
say? May be for some, But
not for the fox for which
they have come. Run through
the bracken as fast as you
can, Here come your enemies
followed by man But you have
outwitted them running so
fast. There, clever fox, is
your home at last! P. FELTHAM — IBM. ARCHERY Archery can be a very
dangerous sport though most boys like
it. Even men go in for it and enjoy
themselves. The Equipment
provided consists of a quiver, a glove
or tab and a bracer. The bracer and
glove are most important because the
force of the bow string whips off lumps
of skin and it is very painful. After
all the equipment is on and all set, now
comes the most important part and that
is to shoot. In order to shoot
properly, the person shooting must stand
astride the line and upright. You can
not expect to hit the target if you are
not standing erect. The target is made up
of White: 1, Black: 3, Blue: 5, Red: 7
and finally Yellow which is the centre:
9. If an arrow is
splitting between say blue and red the
person taking the score goes immediately
to the higher of the two which is the
red. A Round plays a very
important part in an Archery career, and
it is most essential that the person
taking it gets over the number required. To claim your own bow
and arrows, you have to order them
through the club you belong to. The bow
plus the arrows are guaranteed for five
years. Arrows are supplied in boxes of
eight but only six are required. The
extra two are in case one breaks
accidently. During a Round it is
most important that silence is kept. It is against the
rules not to have a Round Captain. His
or Her job, is to blow on a whistle at
the end of a r<~^iid in order to collect
the arrows. If an arrow does not
stick into the target but lies across
the target, it is his or her job to blow
the whistle and send the person up to
remove it. If he does not, it has
happened that another person has fired
and broken it in two. I expect you are
wondering what a Round is: it is a
qualification for either a third class,
second class or first class. After all
these tests the person taking them, goes
in for a harder one, and that is a
master bowman or lady, but that is only
when you are about seventeen or over. RICHARD SIMS — 1AM. THE EXPERIMENT THAT WENT WRONG The day of reckoning had arrived and on the door of the "chemmy" lab was written in a bold hand those famous words, "Abandon hope all ye that enter". Nevertheless we pressed on regardless and entered this hive of knowledge with pockets crammed with sticky sweets, life insurance policies, thrillers about the man from the Prudential, and our instruments of labour, commonly called pens and pencils. Today we were to conduct our first and probably last experiment, that is, to heat water. Mr. Toddafer, or "Stinks", as he is known, made his cautious entrance into this paradise,, no doubt after consuming a bottle of nerve tonic t:> calm his already shattered nerves. "Stinks" anxious to get the ordeal over as quickly as possible started on the job at hand immediately. He began to explain to us the wiles and virtues of that liquid called water. Of course every school boy knows water because, coupled with that other gruesome thing, soap, it is a school boy's enemy number one. The formula for water, we were told, is H to () or HIJKLMNO. Humans are made mostly of water, "Stinks" went on to say, but by now we were past the stage of listening to him because in u first former's eyes a chemistry laboratory is a weird and wonderful place emitting the most pungent odours imaginable. Behind our intrepid chemistry master stood a huge revolving blackboard on which was scrawled all sorts of hieroglyphics, symbols and numbers. This blackboard had several holes in it where a pair of compasses had ended their trajectory after a game of darts. Incidentally the target was a picture of that well-loved person, the headmaster or the "beak". The second agent of destruction was a liquid called sulphuric acid which the Sixth Form had been using with ilu-it usual reckless abandon. Soon, armed with a sort of test tube half rilled with water (the name makes me shudder), and placed near a thing like a fountain of tire, actually some rusty, tarnished, antiquated bunsen burner, we started out on this dangerous venture into the fascinating world of science. The test tube was heated and after a while it was noticed that the test tube was gradually melting. la a vain attempt to -top this we looked furtively at the rows of chemicals before us. They stood like bottles of grog on the shelves of the Dog and Duck, but who would mistake concentrated hydrochloric acid for lemonade, sulphuric acid for vodka or gin, and potassium iodide for whisky. It has been done, for have you not heard of the fate of poor Wee Willy Wilberforce? It states in rather guarded terms that, Poor old Willy's dead and gone He shan't be seen no more, He thought he drank H2O, When it was H2SO4. But I wander from the point, we finally settled on nitric acid and poured some in. It did not help matters at all so some ammonium trichloride was added, but "Stinks" had observed this last move and after a brief break, during which our posteriors were mutilated, we were given explicit instructions to "gif on >viv if". Soon the test-tube started giving off large globules of water, nitric acid and ammonium trichloride which on landing on the onlooker's nasal appendage made that person do a dance which made the "Twist" look like a sit down strike. This showed one important law, as yet omitted from science and that is that the pressure of steam required to raise one gram of water thirty-five feet is directly proportional to the temperature. This is the Low of Hydraulic Pressures or Globbs Law. After a few more minutes our dangerous experiment reached its climax. The test-tube broke. It disintegrated into tiny molecules of glass. We had to cover the cost of damages and this sum came to the staggering figure of sixpence ha'penny, which allowing for Selwyn's austerity budget is the cost of a whole bar of chocolate. Yes, it's a cruel world in which we live. J. PAYNE — 4 AG. AN AFTERNOON AT THE BULLFIGHT I shall always remember my first visit to a bullfight. Usually the ring is situated in the outskirts of the town, to give more space for the millions of people that go not only to see the fight, but to sell all sorts of food and drinks, straw hats, and, as the people sit on raised concrete tiers one can also buy paper cushions. Once inside the ring I was met by a most brilliant sight, the women with their colourful dresses, mantillas, and some of them with flowers in their hair, the local band was playing and the musicians were very proud wearing their best uniform of vivid colour with brass buttons. The ring itself is similar to that of a football Stadium, but the ground is covered with coarse sand which makes it easier to clean the blood of the bull in the procedure of the fight. To begin the trumpeters play three long blasts and then the wooden door of the ring is opened and "la cuadrilla" all those taking part in tee fight, march across the ring wearing beautifully coloured costumes all incrusted with rhmi-stones. At the foot of the procession march the "toreros" the ones who tire the bull with the cape at the beginning, after those come the "matadores" those are the ones that kill the bull. Then come the "banderilleros" the ones that on foot, put into the bull, small spikes. Next come the "segoneadones" mounted on magnificent horses who put long iron poles with cruel barbs in the end and finally come the "monos sabios" or wise monkeys pulling a ong string of mules, these men dressed in plain red clothes collect the carcass of the bull. All these as I have stated before march across the ring, to where the Alcalde or Mayor sits in the official stand. Then after a small ceremony, he gives the key to open the door where the bull is to the matador. One of the monos sabios then opens the wooden door and the first of the bulls charges into the ring. Once into the ring the bull is attracted by the torero's yellow and red cape, the torero then does various passes with the cape each time the bull getting more tired. Then the "banderilleros" comes and puts some of the small needles into its neck to make it more fustrated then a few more passes from the torero. After that the "segoneadores" with their horses with their sides padded and eyes covered so that it will not be frightened. They advance and at the right moment let go of their spurs which twist their Darb in the bull's neck. By this time the bull has lost all its strength and sense of direction and at this stage the matadores advance with their swords and kill it completely. But sometimes the fight is not like this at all, instead the torero get injured in his leg or arm and the bull seeing this charges the poor torero and kills him. In that case the fight carries on as usual with another torero. Throughout Spain the toreros never seem to mind getting killed as the professionals get £2,000 a fight! RAFAEL FORD — 1AG. — HOME THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD Oh, to be in Scotland Now that April's there, With the thistles bursting through And the heather shooting too. And whoever wakes in Scotland Sees the mist and watery dew, The lambs will be gambolling And the burns will be bursting. The salmon will be leaping And the rivers will be swelling The cool winds will be blowing And the pine trees will be swaying. In Scotland now! CAMPBELL BROWN — 2 AG LATIN Latin is a language, As dead as dead can be, The Romans often used it, But it's never used by me. Latin is a language, As useful as can be, Says our Latin master, But with him I can't agree. Mensa, mensa, mensam, Amo, amas, amat, Bonus, bona, bonum, Now what's the use of that? But Latin is a language, I hear to my surprise, From which the English words I use, So often are derived. So Latin's not a language, As dead as dead can be. The Romans often used it, And now it's used by me. DENNISE DANIELS, — 2 BG. OVER THE FORTH BY RAIL The train drew out of the station. The platform seemed to glide away from us. There were many metallic clatters and clangs as the tiain snaked away from the station. The looming shape of the Forth Bridge drew near. The rhythmic clatter of the wheels on the track became more hollow as we ran on to the approach of the bridge. Then we reached the first span of the bridge's gigantic superstructure. Girders and bars zigzagged crazily before the carriage window. Far below the grey waters of the Forth flowed steadily eastward. There was a brief calm as we travelled across the section of the bridge which connected the first and second spans of the bridge. There was a rapidly loudening hiss of steam followed by a deafening rumble as another train passed us. The daylight flashed through the windows of the other train. After this had passed everything seemed peaceful. Nothing could be heard except the gentle, lulling clatter of the wheels. Presently we found ourselves gliding on to the embankment on the northern side of the river. The surrounding landscape drew up on either side, and eventually overtook us; leaving us in a narrow cutting. Soon we shuddered to a stop at North Queensferry Station. DAVID RADFORD — 2 AG.
DRAKE HOUSE REPORT-BOYS FOOTBALL 1962 Drake did not have a particularly inspiring season, and in fact we just managed to finish 3rd overall. The Juniors, who had 5 players in the school team, did not combine effectively enough and provided many disappointing displays. This was mainly due to lack of team spirit, and with more confidence, we might well have finished top, and not 3rd, as we finally did. However, we were well served by Weddell in goal, whilst Jarvis was undoubtably our outstanding forward, and was top scorer with 8 goals. We had a strong half-back line in Melton, Bond and Gaunter. The 2nd and 3rd year team finished last and managed to scrape a single point out of 6 matches. We had some promising players in Standen, who was captain, Jackson and Madge, but here again lack of team co-ordination was predominant. Our first years, who finished 2nd, were on the whole a well balanced and intelligent team and had some good games. Outstanding were Bradshaw and Lancaster, who was captain, in defence, and McPherson and Clarke in the attack.
DRAKE HOUSE RUGBY This was the first season of rugby at school, and although many of the boys had played no rugger before, Drake house showed considerable promise. The rugby took the form of a 7-a-side competition and Drake took equal first position together with Hawkins. Two games were played in the 1st year and the house won one. In the 2nd year Drake were outplayed and lost all three games. The 3rd year made up for these defeats by winning two games, but undoubtedly best in Drake house were the 4th year, who won all three games. After a bit of trouble getting "volunteers" in the 5th and 6th years, we managed to scrape together seven "players", and succeeded in winning two games. Altogether a successful season for Drake house. J.R.M. GIRLS General Report On the whole, this year has been fairly successful for Drake House, the tennis and netball teams being placed 2nd, though the hockey team was placed last in the tournament. At the end of the winter term, we lost our House Captain, Susan Moyes, and our Vice-Games Captain, Rosalyn Davy, but they have both been replaced by Rosemary Deardon and Maureen Sillis respectively. Tennis The Drake team played very well, but were just not able to compere with the standard of Nelson's team. However they beat St. Vincent and Hawkins by a fairly wide margin. The team consisted of: — 1st Couple: Maureen Sillis and Jane Carver. 2nd Couple: Rosemary Dearden and Susan Moyes. 3rd Couple: Margaret Shepheard and Carol Spence. Hockey Drake teams put up a good fight to regain the Hockey Shield, but unfortunately were placed last. The Seniors lost all their matches, but the Juniors lost 2 and drew 1 (against Nelson). Unfortunately, Margaret Shepheard was unable to play in the Senior team, but she was replaced by Maureen Sillis who played very well indeed. Also deserving recognition are:—•• Shirley Nice, Marjory Joy and Anne Sinclair in the Senior team and Sylvia Pazowski and Pat Bale in the Junior. The teams were:—• Seniors GK Carol Randall LB Nicola Newton RB Shirley Nice LH Marjory Joy CH Maureen Sillis RH Sandra Nicholas LW Julie Record LI Jane Carver CF Anne Sinclair RI Susan Moyes (Capt.) RW Carol Spence.
Juniors Sylvia Pazowski Geraldine Edwards Shirley Nice Rosalind Dixon Ann Davis Catherine Lamacroft Javice Drew Wendy Cruicksank Pat Bale Elaine George Pat Wheeler. Reserves: Margaret Spensley, Pat Woodward, Elizabeth Darroch, Ann Todd. Netball Drake Senior team won all their matches by a large margin, but the Juniors were unable to attain this high standard, and lost two matches and drew 1 (against Nelson). However both teams played well, and the house came 2nd. beating St. Vincent by 1 point. The teams were: — Seniors GK Margaret Shepheard GD Carol Spence WD Pat Woodward C Susan Stephens WA Jane Carver GA Julie Record GS Mary Morrow. Juniors Rosalind Dixon Janet Black Wendy Cruickshank Ann Todd Susan Arzu Denise Porter Hilary Shears. Reserves: Marjory Joy, Carole Hayward, Janice Drew, Patricia Wilson. Athletics Here we are sorry to say, Drake Girls rather let the Boys down, coming 4th, while they came a very close 2nd. However the Juniors are to be congratulated, especially Janet Osborne who gained a new 1st year Long Jump record of 13 ft. 6 ins, and who came 1st in the 75 yards. The 1st year relay team also came first. Susan Arzu put up a fine show, coming 1st in the 2nd year 80 yds and 150 yds. In the 4th form Marjory Joy came 1st in the 220 yards. It is to be hoped that there will be some improvement before next years Sports. We wish to thank Drake House mistress for their kind support throughout the year. ROSEMARY DEARDEN — House Captain. JANE CARVER — Games Captain. NELSON HOUSE REPORT---BOYS FOOTBALL Nelson had a very good season this year and came second, overall, 2, points behind the eventual champions Hawkins. The interesting feature of this season was the close tussle for the championship between Hawkins and Nelson. Well done Hawkins! The first year team was definitely the best of all Nelson teams. Ably captained by M. Geddes the team were fortunate in having many good players and managed tc win every match scoring 20 goals and conceding only 3. The 2/3 year team captained by F. Foster played hard with much determination but unfortunately did not have the same talent as the First Year team. This team came third in their age-group. The senior team, although lacking in talent at the beginning of the season started very well with a merited win over the "Saints" (St. Vincent House). As the season progressed, however, new members joined the House and Nelson became quite a strong team coming and in their division. Inshaw, Stubbs and Tucker played well in defence while Reaves, Cooper and Higson played well in the forward line. Because of their creditable performances Stubbs and Cooper have both represented the school while Reeves has played for the Under 15 team. RUGGER 1962 — (7-A-SIDE) The following report was written by I. Inshaw, the Rugby Captain: "Although Nelson was blessed mainly with soccer players rather than Rugger ones, the five teams played very well taking everything into account. The first year team gained four good points for the house by defeating St. Vincent and Hawkins, but they did not play Drake. The second year team also gained four points, defeating Drake and Hawkins, but losing to St. Vincent. The third years, however, lost all their matches but tried very hard against teams better than themselves The fourth year team were not quite as successful as the first and second years losing two matches and winning one. The fifth and sixth year teams had little talent, but Higson who had played Rugby before was the leading scorer, scoring some excellent tries. Overall Nelson was placed third in the table but with a little more practice I think we would have attained a higher position." SUMMARY Looking through the various sporting events it seems that Nelson are an average "bunch", attaining 2nd and 3rd position in every event. This is quite good and shows a definite improvement from the previous year. I must thank the first years for their whole-hearted efforts throughout the year in every event in which they usually retained the first place. Of course, I am not neglecting the other boys and I must thank them also. Nelson has been lucky this year in receiving many new senior Members and I feel they are going to help the house a great deal in the coming year. Finally I must thank the Nelson House-Masters, especially Mr. Dickerson and Mr. Wilkinson, for their support and also wish Nelson and my successor the best of luck next year. D.A. MULCAHY, (House Captain). NELSON HOUSE REPORT — GIRLS Tennis 1st Couple: Pamela Hinton and Wendy Roden. 2nd Couple: Anne Williams and Susan Plumpton. 3rd Couple: Alexandria Batty and Sheila Hodgson. The three couples are to congratulated on their good play and enthusiasm which was disp'ayed throughout the matches. Nelson deserved first place in the tournament and were naturally delighted when they were successful. Sheila Hodgson should be mentioned because although only a third former she played extremely well. Hockey SeniorsBeverly Enders Pamela Hinton Rosemary Mulcahy Julie Lewendon Kathy Hines Ann Lammercroft Carole Vine Pauline Potter Anne Williams (Capt.) Wendy Roden Pat Sawyer. Juniors Maureen Houghton Denise Daniels Maureen Everett Gillian Arnot Sheila Hearnshaw Teresa Sargeant Heather Gillings Lesley Crew Mary Weddell (Capt.) Jennifer Eynon Pat Jarvis Reserves: The enthusiasm amongst the players was very heartening and the Senior team played well in all their matches, managing to win their section of the inter-house hockey competition, mainly due to the fact that they had an excellent centre forward and two strong backs namely Anne Williams, Pamela Hinton and Rosemary Mulcahy. Unfortunately the Juniors did not play as well as the Seniors losing two of their matches and drawing the other one. The team itself was keen but due to accidents the same eleven players were unable to play together for each match and consequently they were muddled. Netball Seniors GK Anne Williams GD Pat Halton WD Beverly Enders C Pat Sawyer WA Pauline Todd GA Pauline Potter GS Susan Plumpton.
Juniors Sheila Hearnshaw Teresa Sargeant Susan Grant Sally Savage Rosemary Miller Gillian Arnott Pamela Wilson Reserves: Celia Brown and Mary Weddel). Neither the Seniors nor the Juniors did very well in any of their matches mainly due to the fact that the teams did not have enough practice due to other school activities. Nevertheless the teams should be congratulated on their enthusiasm. Athletics Nelson managed to gain most points in the field events mainly due to Caroline Bayley who did extremely well in all the events she entered for including breaking the javelin record. Praise a1 so goes to all the second year athletes and to Julie Lewendon in the fourth year. Lesley Crew ran very well and Susan Plumpton set up a new discus record. Unfortunately we did not do so well in the track events having to relinquish our lead to Hawkins who ended up thirty points ahead of us. General Report Nelson girls have not been particularly outstanding this year but have been fairly good all round. The seniors were better at team games; whilst some of the Juniors shone of Athletics. A competition was held in the house to knit pixie-hoods. This was quite successful and we have sent the gaily coloured hoods to a refugee camp. The house mistress has to be thanked for all the help she has given to the house so on behalf of Nelson Girls we would like to say thank you to Miss Reed. I hope that the enthusiasm that has been shown thoughout the past year will stay with Nelson to help her win more cups. KATHY HINES — House Captain. PAMELA HINTON — Games Captain
HAWKINS HOUSE REPORT---BOYS RUGBY Hawkins tied with Drake for the Rugby Cup, this was mainly due to the performances of the senior and third year teams, who were unbeaten. The 5th and 6th year side scored 72 pts. and conceded only 3 pts. This success was mainly due to the forceful running and hard tackling of our half-backs, Randall and Fraser. However, our 4th year team was unsuccessful, losing all three matches, scoring only 6 pts. and conceidng 79 pts. The 3rd. year side, ably captained by D. Shorters, won all 3 matches, scoring 81 pts. without conceding one single point. The 2nd. year team, captained by Turnbull, won 2 games and lost 1 game. In the first year section, only two matches were played — we beat Drake 11 pts. — 3 pts., and lost to Nelson 6 pts. — 3 pts., the match against St. Vincent not being played. F.R. BROWN (Capt). FOOTBALL Hawkins, I am proud to report, retained the Inter-House Football Trophy. Much of the credit must be given to Hay who was a very active House Football Captain. The 1st Year, captained by Shorters came 2nd, which was better than expected. The team, although overflowing with energy and enthusiasm contained little soccer skill. The 2nd and 3rd Years came 1st in their section without loss of a point. The team was ably captained by Turner B., who was good enough to gain a place in both the School U-15 and 1st Elevens. Other members of the team worthy of mention are Ballard, Patterson and Hadden in attack and Stenton, Lawrenson and Tucker in defence, all of whom gained places in the School U-15 Eleven. The 2nd and 3rd Years provided some very entertaining football. The 4th, 5th and 6th Years also won their section. But not with such a confident note, dropping 3 points. The team was well captained by Hay our most outstanding player. The half-back line of Turner I, Peacock and Breslin were very effective and the forwards capable of really good football. Dawson always seemed to have his name on the score-sheet and Randall never gave up. James improved tremendously throughout the season and Brown in his first season of football was a success at centre-forward. I hope that the House will be able to keep up the high standard football set this year. TOM FRASER (Vice-Captain). HAWKINS HOUSE — GIRLS General At the beginning of the year the future did not look too bright after losing the Tennis Shield to Nelson House, but this was soon remedied by the results of Sports Day.
Kay Robertson receiving the Girl's House Cup
The following girls played in this year's tennis tournament: — Lesley Turner Susan Cronin Maureen Fitzgerald Susan Large Philippa Cleasby-Thompson June Taylor Gisella
Wheatman Veronica
Mackney. Netball For the third year in succession Hawkins managed to add the Shield to their trophies. We were fortunate in the Junior Team to have both enthusiasm and team work. In the Senior team we lacked the team work but had plenty of enthusiasm which aided them to their surprise victory. Netball Teams Seniors GS Jacky Hearnshaw GA Lesley Turner WA Maureen Fitzgerald WD Philippa Cleasby-Thompson GD Veronica Macney GK Alison Bigdon C Susan Cronin Juniors Sally Smith Karon Jones Christine Scott Stephanie Hollier Wendy Green Ann Trubshawe Margaret Hodgson. Reserves: Angela Salter, Hilary Hill, Marian Fitzsimmons, Ann Davies. Hockey Both junior and senior teams did equally well this year, but we still did not succeed in regaining the Hockey Shie'd. A great many of our faults were due to lack of practise but there was certainly no lack of enthusiasm in both teams. But still we did manage to be placed second which is nearer to our goal. Hockey Teams Seniors G Carol Hebblewhite LB Maureen Fitzgerald (Capt.) RB Wendy Ford LH Janet Williams CH Margaret Bradshaw RH Hilda Wilson LW Kay Robertson LI Janet Mears CF Veronica Mackney RI Susan Bourne RW Jacky Hearnshaw Reserves: Alison Brigdon, Susan Cronin, Sally Smith, Christine Lambert. Athletics Hawkins had a lead of some eight points in field events before the actual track events on Sports Day. Lesley Kearns broke the Javelin Record by a clear 4ft, also Rosalyn Evans set up a new record for the 150 yards flat race of '21..1 sees from 21.9 sees. Wendy Green broke the Discus and High Jump Records. Congratulations to all these girls including Veronica Mackney for a superb performance on Sports Day. Hawkins as a House managed to win all three Athletic Cups and for the second year in succession won the Combined Girls and Boy's Cup. We would like to take this opportunity for thanking Hawkins House Mistresses. KAY ROBERTSON — Games Captain. JUNE TAYLOR — House Captain. ST. VINCENT HOUSE REPORTS-BOYS FOOTBALL — 1961/62 By PETE FIELD (Captain) Our 1st Year XI was a very poor team this season, losing all six matches, thus gaining nil points in the league. Skipper Chris Looker did his best, but the team lacked spirit and often had reserves playing in place of originally selected players. However our 2nd/3rd Year XI made up for this, by finishing second in their section. This team, with Vant, Price and Collick starring, contributed six points in the league. The Senior XI won a single match and in doing so were the only side to defeat the champions Hawkins (2—o). Good efforts were made throughout, and McDonald, Norton, Lyall and Gettings, proved to be the best players. On the whole it was a pretty bad season, but we were saved from complete ignominy by the 2nd/3rd Year XI. SEVEN-A-SIDE RUGBY In this new inter-house competition we ended 3rd. The 1st Years lost all three matches, while the 2nd Years won all their encounters. The 3rd Years won a single game, and the 4th Years recorded two victories. The Seniors collapsed completely and lost all three matches in the space oi two hours. The rugby outlook for this house looks grim, although we do possess some useful individual players. HOUSE NOTES — ST. VINCENT: GIRLS 1 . HockeyFor the first time in many years St. Vincent house won the hocky Shield. This was achieved in spite of the setback caused by team markers returning to England. Seniors GOAL J. Duke (Capt.) R.B. A. Skinner L.B. C. Andretti R.H. C. Plumpton C.H. B. Pike L.H. P. Bale R.W. A. Hinton R.I. L. Tierney C.F. E. Prichard L.I. R. Waghorn L.W. J. Dean.
Juniors M. Summers S. McPherson D. Cruikshank, A. Spineili S. Pierce, P. Howell H. Holly J. Field E. Beech S. English (Capt.) C. Hollister P. Grief. It is hoped that next Season more practices with a full team will be possible. However everyone in the Senior team prayed with determination and the standard of play was consistently high. The Juniors played with enthusiasm in all their matches and practices, even devotng time after school on several occasions to the latter. The defence was very good but the forward line was at times, rather weak. 2 . Netball.Seniors G.D. P. McPherson G.K. P. Hannan (Capt.) G.S. L. Tierney G.A. J. Hunt W.D. M. Woolet C. E. Prichard. Juniors M. Williams V. Simpson E. McGall P. Grief A. Gunson D. Cruickshank S. Lyall. There was a fairly good response room both Senior and Junior netball players but it is hoped that a higher standard of play will be achieved next Season. The final placing of third for St. Vincent was due to the Junior team which had more practice and coaching than the Senior team. Sadie Lyall, centre, was the outstanding Junior and formed the rest into a compact team. 3. AthleticsSt. Vincent House girls did very well in most events but finished second to Hawkins for the cup. Although not outstanding in track events we achieved a creditable result in field events. 4. Tennis1st Couple: J. Duke and A. Skinner. 2nd Couple: B. Pike and H. Kadlec. 3rd. Couple: R. Andrews and C. Pazowski. There was no outstanding play and St. Vincent finished regretably but understandably last. Perhaps with more practice we will do better next year. General Comments This has been an average year for St. Vincent House. We were very successful in the hockey and unfortunate in the tennis while achieving cretitable results in both netball and athletics. A vote of thanks must go to Miss Lister and other staff members for the help they have given as during the year. JOCELYN DUKE — House Captain. PHYLLIS HANNAN — Games Captain.
RIO DE JANEIRO The first time I ever saw Rio, was very early one August morning. The sun had not yet risen above the hills and mountains behind the city, and only a faint orange glow silhouetted the skyline. From the deck of the 'Highland Monarch' I could see myriads of tiny lights twinkling across the calm bay, but already they were beginning to disappear, as the sky became brighter. As the morning was still rather too cool for comfort, I went back to my bunk and lay dreaming about my day ashore until breakfast time. Though it was not the height of summer, the day was stiflingly hot. We soon realised just how beautiful a city Rio was. All about us rose tall snow-white sky-scrapers which dazzled one so much that you saw stars if you looked at one for too long. Here and there grew marvellous tropcal palm-trees with leaves of a wonderful shade of green. Everywhere the roar of traffic drowned all other noises. I have never seen so much traffic in my life or so many different types, makes and sizes of car. Over everything hung a smell of fruit and heat, which filled our nostrils all the time until we sailed. The only way to see as much of a large city as possible in one day, is to hire a taxi; and this is what we did. We were lucky in having a good driver who knew all the places of interest to tourists. He drove us along the Copaca-bana, one of the most famous and beautiful beaches in the world but also the most treacherous. The sand was dazzlingly white and even though it was almost noon there were still people lying under bright beach umbrellas, and a few splashing in the pale green water which looked so inviting and cool. Our driver told us that if one swam over a certain distance from the shore, you were liable to be caught by strong currents which swept you out to sea and that the chances of survival were very few. In front of us we could now see the 'Sugar Loaf, a rather blunt, torpedo-like, head of rock, sticking up into the sky. In between this and a neighbouring outcrop we could see a tin-boxlike affair, seemingly hovering in mid-air, but on closer examination we could just see the wires on which these 'cages' were moving across the chasm below them; for this was the Aerial Railway. Nothing would have made me take a chance in one of these, just to gain the top of an extra large rock, the view from which could not have been nearly so exciting as that from the top of the Corcovado. To gain the top of this mountain we had to survive a rather hair-raising drive. At first the incline was gradual and we were driving up palm-shaded avenues, passing, occasionally, a luxurious villa. As we drove higher, so the road became steeper and the bends sharper. We were now driving through a rich green forest comprised mostly of banana trees and palm trees through which we could not catch any glimpses of the marvellous views our driver had promised us. The latter was determined to make things exciting, for every hairpin bend we came to, he drove round it full pelt. Every now and then I was forced to swallow hard as my ears had begun to 'pop' and I was beginning to regret having wanted to come. The road now seemed almost vertical, we were sure that any moment the car would start to run backwards down the road and at we would end up rolling down the mountain. Then turning an extra sharp ;nd we saw sky ahead and we knew our journey was nearing an end. I could never express what I felt when I climbed from the car and looked about me. Towering high above me was an immense concrete statue of Christ which stood about four hundred feet high. Looking down through fluffy white clouds I could see the whole city lying in a great valley, far below, bounded on three sides by purple mountains and on the fourth by a great inlet of water.
Not only was the view wonderful but also the colouring. Immediately below us was the vivid deep green of forest. The city was a mixture of white, grey, purple and green; and the sea and sky were a vivid blue. Behind us stretched the Brazilian Highlands, a motley of soft greens, blues, and purples. If there had been time we could have climbed up inside the statue of Christ to an observation platform in the head of the statue, but as the only means of reaching the top was by climbing hundreds of stairs we had to forget the idea. After buying one or two sovenirs we once were climbed into the car and started the drive down. This was not nearly so bad as the drive up and we were soon wending our way among heavy traffic once more. At the top of the Corcovado the air had been cool and pleasant, very different from the city atmosphere which was stuffy and made one feel tired. At length we found ourselves saying goodbye to the friendly taxi driver, for whom the trip had been lucrative; and tired but happy we mounted the gangway. After dinner that evening we left the harbour of Rio, and, tired as I was, I insisted on staying on deck until the lights faded behind us. I then went to my bunk, ready for sleep but not tired enough to keep me from thinking over my day in a wonderful city. FLORA STUART — SAG. MY SPARE TIME I am sitting in the cafe with my friend. We are looking out the door and we see some foreign ships are coming into Sliema Creek. My friend is excited, because he is partial to foreigners..., especially their money! In fact he is so excited, he is standing up and walking to the Juke Box. He is investing threepence 01 his money in it, so he can listen to "Dear Ivan" which is a lovely corruption of "John Brown's Body". I am happy at the prospect of hearing this; in fact so happy that I am now leaving the cafe quickly before the song comes on, so I can have my lunch. I am back at the cafe after my lunch. The foreigners are finishing tying up. All of a sudden thirty boats are rushing for the shore, they are filled with little mem, wearing white haloes, and they all have their initials on their arms. As they land I think it is strange that thirty boat loads of sailors should have the same initials... S.P. Later I see other sailors without these initials, perhaps they have no names!!! It is night time, I am back in the cafe. I am rather attached to this cafe. I am talking to one of the dollar-waving, lady-crazy, gum-chewing foreign sailors with slipped haloes, many of whom have come from the boats to the shore, probably because there is nowhere else to go from the boats! This sailor is very happy but I am sorry he speaks a foreign language like American, because I am finding this difficult to understand. He is a year younger than I, and is married with three children. My father, who is older than I, has two children, which proves something I suppose. Just then, his friend is arriving in a Garry outside the cafe. He is arguing with the driver, who is convincing him that five shillings is a worthless tip. My friend and I are going out so we can help him. My friend is enquiring whether the Garry driver would like to receive a fat lip. I notice that the driver is purple in the face, and wonder whether he has been sun-bathing too much... He hasn't, he is just a trifle irate, and mentions to us that it is none of our business. We are wandering casually away at top speed, and I am glancing back and wonder if the reason that the driver is crawling around the road on all fours, foaming at the mouth, with blue smoke pouring forth from his ears, is because his eyes have popped out and he can't see to find them again.
Later we are back in the cafe. The Garry driver is gone, I am wondering if perhaps he has been run over, and is sleeping the night in hospital? We are all very happy, and one of the sailors is getting up,h e is putting a record on the Juke Box. It is "Dear Ivan"... my friend is very happy, because he is thinking what a famous ancestor he has, as he hears the tune of John Brown's Body. After this happens five or six times my friend is irate, so he is cooling the happy sailor down by christening him with a glass of tea. The sailor is hopping round the room clutching his head. Perhaps the tea is too hot for him and is burning him. I know this is very painful, for once when I was young, I stick my finger in the electric fire, and it is stuck there until a fireman comes to release me. While I am waiting, several people switch on the fire, and ask me why I am running up and down the ceiling with an electric fire on the end of my finger. One person is going to ask me to join his circus, but while he is watching me running across the ceiling, there is a power cut and I fall off the ceiling onto my head, so he changes his mind. This sailor is suddenly running across the road to the creek. He is dipping his head into the water, and we see that his centre of gravity is directly above his head. This is an unusual place for some one's centre of gravity to be. His sixth sense is not daft and realizes this, and is putting it right by lifting his feet from the ground and depositing him in the creek. I wonder if I should buy his sixth sense a cup of tea? The next day the ships are gone, so we are very happy, but then I think perhaps we are always happy, sometimes I wonder whether I wont be less miserable if I'm less happy?... But that's another story!!! B. PEARCE — U6S. (With apologies to Runyon, The American Navy and my friends). EGYPT Egypt is at the south-east corner of the Mediterranean, but it also has a coastline on the Red Sea. It is this position which has given it its importance in world affairs, as the famous Suez Canal links these two seas. A large part of the world's shipping, especially the oil tankers so vital to the age, use this route from the Persian Gulf to western and eastern ports. Despite the fact that I was rather young when we lived in Egypt it is a memorable period in my life for two reasons: firstly, I was there during the last two years of British occupation of the Suez Canal zone and one had a feeling of being part of an historical event, secondly it was my first experience of a tropical climate and the scope for open-air activities which this gives. At first we were restricted to the camp in which we lived unless we had a military escort, but when the treaty was signed we were allowed much more freedom of movement. My brother was at a boarding school in Cairo and we often went to visit him. Cairo is the capital of Egypt and there was always plenty for us to do on these occasions. One of the great attractions in Cairo was the Pyramids. They are just outside the city boundaries at Gizeh. The Pyramids are very impressive because of their immense size and great age. The Sphinx which is near the Pyramids is also one of the world's wonders. The people of Egypt are on the whole wretchedly poor, and the houses in which the peasants live are mostly mud hovels. Their staple food is a type of pancake called 'chappitti' and a few vegetables which they grow. Their dress ii equally simple; the men wear a long cotton robe called Galabh, and the women, who are in purdah, wear flowing, long black robes. The more wealthy Egyptians wear western dress. Because of their lack of education the bulk of the population is restricted to menial and badly paid jobs, and their health is in consequence poor. The death rate amongst young children is horrifying to anyone from a European country. KATHLEEN STARK -- aBG. TODAY IS .... On Monday morning I was drowsing my way along the main street when it suddenly became very important to me that I knew the date. With most people a little thought usually produces this trifling piece of information. However I had always made a point of forgetting dates of every shape and size after earnestly informing one elderly jewellery-festooned duchess at a cocktail party that it was the fortieth of April. My innocent explanation that I simply adored April and couldn't bear it to end did not delay my exit in the least. So, naturally I stopped the first person who caught my eye. According to this fellow and his almanack, the world was due to end at any moment, so that dates had no significance. "Thanks", I said, "if we are all going to die together I won't need a coffin." At this he practically burst into tears; he must have been an undertaker. A juvenile version of Ives Montand looked up from his seat on the kerb. "What, mister, you don't know the date at your age. My father says that all good citizens should know at least that much, He makes diaries". I just managed to snarl and swing once at his head, before I saw an over-zealous policeman start to cross the street towards me. Ever polite. I waved to him and stopped running five minutes and seven streets later. Panic overtook me, even though the policeman failed, finding out the date was becoming an obsession. After all I had to do my duty as a citizen. A shady-looking, but sunnily dressed character standing on the corner needed bribing before he would impart the required knowledge. I dug deeply into my pockets, but I didn't dare to offer him a box of matches a,nd a bottle top. There was absolutely no one to whom I could turn (my psychiatrist was on strike). Success, I whooped; on the back wall of a shop, behind the counter — I had spotted a calendar. My jubilation wasn't even allowed to die a natural death; it was murdered - - the shop was closed. I pressed my face to the glass door and strained to see that precious sheet. It was of no avail, I soon found that my eyes wouldn't transform into a pair of binoculars. "I'm not trying to break in", I told an uncivil servant who had rapped me over the head with his umbrella, "I only want to find out the date. Could you tell me?" I must have seemed very ingenuous, for his mouth fell so far from its original practised leer that I felt a compulsion to shut it for him before he caught too many flies. Then I had my great idea; the shop across the street sold binoculars, the very thing. While I was examining a pair of binoculars suitable for examining Yul Brynner's hair at several thousand miles range, I had another inspiration • these ideas were becoming a bad habit). "What's the date?" I snapped at the droopy, charcoal grey-suited (and necked) assistant. "I'm afraid that would be ten shillings extra, sir." "You are as generous as the Chancellor of the Exchequer." I bought the binoculars mainly for something to hold so that I wouldn't run ofl down the street waving my arms in a frenzy, but I comforted myself with the thought that possibly he didn't know the date either — disgusting.
On dashing up-to the door of the shop with the calendar, I broke down at the sight which met my eyes, someone had pulled down the blind. I vented my frustration on the wall and was still kicking away when I turned to find my policeman friend had been watching my command performance. I kicked him as well. He didn't mind my not knowing the date, but you should have heard tin1 charges: loitering on the pavement, obstructing the pavement (the undertaker had left that coffin outside the gate), attempting to inflict bodily harm on one small boy, attempting to evade the law, attempting to bribe a good citizen, attempting robbery, subverting the government (that dear little binocular man). "Could you tell me the date?" I pleaded with the policeman as he locked the cell. "Sure", he said innocently, "It's the thirtieth of February." P. GETTINGS •-- 6 Sc. TOADSTOOLS SCHOOL Shining toadstools red and white In winter woods a cheery sight. Tawny toadstools in the grass Show perhaps where elfins pass. Toadstools of the lightest green 'Midst the Autumn flower's are seen. Tiny toadstools slim and tall Make shelters for the fairies small. Bigger toadstools bright and gay We planted on that first spring day. C. LITTLE.2CG. School is a place of Horrors Where lessons have to be done; It's overrun by teachers And there's hardly anv fun. Then there's always homework We're nearly bored to tears, But in spite of all the horrors We've been going there for years. S. MARCHANT, Form — 2CG. FIESTA Malta, Island in the sun Whose people live for fun With fireworks banging And bells clanging With bands playing And peasants praying The village is at play For it's fiesta day. RACHEL TRICK, Form — 1AM. THE TORTOISE The tortoise that I own, I thought I'd rev it up With "Hop-leaf" in a cup, And I gave it some to sup, One Winter Afternoon. That tortoise that I own, That "Hop-leaf" did it good. It moved at quite a rate Right out of the estate. Or did it hibernate? We often thought it would, But "Hop-leaf" did it good. It should ! BRIAN RIIDALL Form - -IBM.
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THE
SCHOOL BALLROOM DANCING CLUB
