Contents
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Mike Amis
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Mike was named Grandad of the Year in 2011 in a national competition - read more here |
| Brian Atkinson 1957-1962 |
After too many years I decided to look up my old school and found your interesting site. The memories it brought back have had me deep in thought for days. I have mixed feelings about the school (having always been a bit of a rebel) but nevertheless it was good to see the old pictures. I was there from 1957 to 1962, leaving to go to Thorpe Grammar and then on to Norwich Art School. My name at Wymondham was Brian Atkinson, but it was changed at age 16 to Brian Sutherland. I studied Art during the 60's Joined a rock band and spent years touring Europe, returning to England to take up my art again. I've done some interesting things including working for the Disney Channel as an animator, Channel 4 and hosting an Arts programme for the BBC in Cornwall where I now live. In fact I was born here. I am now in semi-retirement but still painting like there's no tomorrow. I live with with my lovely wife Rosie, a retired greyhound called Ted, and Merlin and Morwenna our two Cornish cats. |
| Trudy Bevier 1955-1962 |
Now Trudy Stevenson, she is the Zimbabwean Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal having previously served in the Harare Parliament for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. She returned to College for the first time since leaving to talk to students of her experiences. A report on the College website can be found here. |
| Grant Calder 1995-2002 |
Now working very successfully in the Civil Service, having joined the Fast Track. |
| Thomas Elias 1998-2005 |
Thomas was in Cavell House where he was an active member of the Combined Cadets Force.
After leaving the college he studied for a BA degree in Archaeology at the University of Winchester from where he graduated in 2008. During a belated gap year he worked in Waitrose before travelling around the United States with another ex-student, Michael Kerridge. In September 2009 he started the intensive year of training to be an Army Officer at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He passed out on Friday 13th August 2010 at the Sovereign's Parade where the Prime Minister, David Cameron acted as Queen's representative. He has been commissioned into the First Battalion, Royal Welsh. At the end of August he will be starting further training at the Platoon Commander's Course in Brecon before joining the regiment in Chester in January 2010. The regiment is due to start a tour of duty in Afghanistan in April 2012. Melvyn and Hilary Elias [Parents]
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| Steve Hands 1970-1977 |
Greetings from Oman. I was at the College from 1970 to 1977 and then joined the RAF. After completing my degree in aeronautical engineering science at Salford University in the late seventies I graduated as an engineer officer from the Royal Air Force College and have been wearing light blue ever since all over the world. Two years to go before I retire and look to a second career - time is definitely speeding up! |
| Joseph Hayes |
Joseph Hayes was a pupil at Wymondham College 6th form (he is now 22). His work 'Memory' was picked for Norwich 'ShopArt' which is currently being shown all over the city. His show is on at Westlegate and is a video installation and runs till the end of November 2010. He graduated from Sheffield Hallam July 2010.. |
| Thom Hodson 1995-2002 |
Graduated in English Lit from Oxford and is now teaching English at RHS Ipswich. |
| Duncan Jones 1960-1967 |
I was at WC from 1960-67, in North/York House. I have recently retired from Independent Television News (ITN), the company that makes the ITV news programmes. I joined ITN in July 1968, just 6 months after leaving WC and have been there ever since. I started as an Trainee Assistant Film Librarian, and ended up as a Senior Cameraman/Editor based in ITN's Midlands Bureau. I have visited 67 countries covering news stories on subjects as diverse as the Gulf Wars, Football and Cricket World Cups, 5 Olympic Games, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, Royal Tours and global warming on an atoll in the middle of the Pacific! I am now going to work a couple of days a week as a Freelance Cameraman. My last assignment was the London Olympics. |
| Andrew Kapherr 1960s |
Re the Intray on the website, I probably took most if not all the b and w photos of York House 1964 although only one was attributed to me. I was part of the York gang although I played only a minor rôle generally. I was the main unofficial photographer but Matt Busby had a better camera; an Exacta SLR. My absence in the photos suggests that I took those photos. My most famous or infamous photo was an accidental double exposure of me in a bath with my toes under the taps with Nicola Chittock, (sharp intake of breath from all the lads in York,) looking over me. I can't remember if she ever saw the photo; if she did, perhaps she would comment. I hated games and especially cross countries partly due to the sadistic games/pe staff who failed to recognise that not all pupils were gifted athletes and who had no inclination to become such. Perhaps if such staff were punished for not being able to do astrophysics or advanced calculus they might have been understanding. I managed to avoid many tortuous games and cross countries by skulking in the skule darkroom or faking sickness with our lovely matron by warming a thermometer in a glass of warm milk or on a radiator. I was never caught or probably missed. Those certainly weren't the days for me. I was glad to spend a year at Norwich City College from where I went to Bradford Uni to read French and Espanish, (for you escolars!). After Finals, I joined HMFI to pursue a career in industrial elf'n'safety.
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| Shaun McKee 1997-2004 |
Those who remember Shaun McKee, former Head Boy (Kett/Lincoln), 1997-2004, may wish to know that he has joined the National Theatre, having been accepted into the company after successfully auditioning for War Horse. He is in rehearsal and will be performing at the National in War Horse as of March 2011. He studied A-level Drama with Claire Foreman before going on to study Drama at Manchester. He is part of the duo acting out the animal. It involves him being rather caged in horse’s form for much of his extensive time on stage. In effect, he is up front and someone else is at the rear. Officially, Shaun is playing “the horse’s heart”. Quite what part of the horse the actor at the rear plays we can only speculate! |
| Sam Schwier 1995-2002 |
Now abroad, working very successfully in film production. |
| Wendy Slade 1987-1992 |
I have not been in touch with the alumni association for a while and thought it was as good a time as any to make contact. I have featured in a double page spread in the glossy supplement of the EDP which may be of interest for your records and can be read here. I don't know if Mr. Chambers is still on your teaching staff, but he was very inspirational and encouraged me to persue my ambition of becoming a restorer - a career I decided upon at the age of 14! I would love to come back sometime and see all the changes at the college. If any of your pupils would be interested, I could give a short talk or demonstration. |
| Simon Taylor 1995-2002 |
He took a 2:1 in Economics from Edinburgh, before doing a MSc, also at Edinburgh. He then worked for Citibank in London, and now works for them in New York. |
| Olly Terry 1995-2002 |
Living and working in Singapore. |
| John Willett 1951-1954 |
Since discovering that the college is still functional after all these years (I honestly thought it had closed as I called in there once during the late 60's only to find no one there), I find myself going back all those years to 1951 through to 1954 when I left to join Royal Air Force as a Boy Entrant. Believe me, although I never really excelled at Wymondham, I was well prepared by my short time at college for life in the RAF as a 15 year old and finally found the reason to apply myself to my studies and endure the discipline with the outcome that the remainder of my life was quite successful. Please, say Hi to anyone who may remember me from the intake all those years ago. A few names do spring to mind like David Spinks who has already been in touch with me, Wallace Ward who, I recently learned, unfortunately died in his prime. Tarzan, a nickname for a likable boy who I remember from the same year. Valery Cox and Sylvia Caston who I shared primary school with before coming to Wymondham. Dorothy Decker I think it was who was in a next door ward to me in Sick Bay during 1951 with Nurse Rose I believe looking after us. I’m sure there are others but the mind is not as sharp as it used to be at 73 almost..... Ah, one other, Eunice Gayton I think her name was. For some reason I think she went on to excel herself in some field but for life of me I can't remember what it was. Also the teachers, Mr Chataway, English grammar. Miss Charters, English Lit., Mr Vernon, Religion. Mr Baron, House Master and Science, Biology, Chemistry, Mr Kenyon, German. Mr Goman, Geography and Tech Drawing. Mr Sealy, Woodwork. Miss Rose, Art. There are others obviously and unfortunately the Headmaster's name escapes me but it will come back to me minutes after I send this off to you – ah yes, Mr Metcalfe. Dr Mosely was a lovely old fellow. Mr Littlechild, who was responsible for the fitness I still enjoy, except I am now a little bigger than I was before. If you do happen across someone who may remember me, my circumstances are that I married during my RAF career, had three children and migrated to Australia June 1971. Things didn't quite work out and we were divorced during 2001 and I moved to the Philippines and remarried and have fathered two more children, Ky Pryncess who is now 9 and Kimberly Kaye who is the grand old age of 8 months next week. |
| Rhiannon Williams 1995-2002 |
Now in Cambridge, having worked on her Masters - on Margaret Thatcher. |
Wymondham College Remembered
