Sunday June 16th sees the Blues playing the first round of the Cricketer Cup against the current champions, Shrewsbury Saracens, on the XI. We are hoping a large crowd of supporters will be there to encourage the Blues to victory. It also provides an opportunity to see the newly restored Pavilion in all its glory. Why not bring a picnic and recreate the Prize Day atmosphere of yesteryear?

In memory of Christopher Martin-Jenkins, the Marlburian Club and the Radley Society have jointly inaugurated the CMJ Trophy to be played for by the Marlborough Blues and the Radley Rangers. The fixture this year is on Sunday 21st July at Radley and we are delighted that Christopher’s widow, Judy, will present the trophy after the game. Despite a competing ‘attraction’ at Lords (assuming the Test goes to a fourth day) we expect Radley to put out a strong side and the Blues will need your support. We particularly hope that those of you who were contemporaries of CMJ at MC will be able to attend this appropriate event to remember him.

Dennis Ng (B3 1986-1991) visited Marlborough this March to ‘top up’ the The Dennis Ng Oriental Studies Prize for pupils studying Japanese and Chinese Mandarin, which was first awarded in 2001. Dennis has been an advocate of oriental language teaching at Marlborough since it began in 1989. His passion for oriental languages is reflected by own company, Education Strategies Consultants Ltd. (Hong Kong), which is involved in a joint venture with a UK examination board and an online learning software company. Together they have created the first Business Chinese qualification in UK. Dennis is the Founding Director at Epic Asset Management Ltd (Hong Kong) with offices in 7 cities. He is also a supporter of Marlborough College Malaysia and other projects in the Iskandar project region.

The winners of the Dennis Ng Oriental Studies Prize will be announced shortly.

http://www.epic-am.net/

Newcastle University’s Medical School in Malaysia, situated in the EduCity development near Marlborough Malaysia, has named one if its buildings after Old Marlburian, Sir Christopher Edwards (LI 1955-60). The building houses the Learning Resource Centre, the Student Wellbeing Centre and the Library.

Sir Christopher is the Chairman of Medical Education England, a new body responsible for advising Ministers on education, training and workforce requirements of professionals in the medical field. He is also Chairman of Council of the British Heart Foundation and of the Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, and a Senior Research Investigator at Imperial College. He was Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, the first Principal of the Imperial College School of Medicine, and from 2001-2007 the Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University.

Congratulations to the OM Football Club which has clinched the Arthurian League Divison 3 Title this Saturday, 11th May 2013. Having entered the League for the first time last year, and secured the League Division 4 title, they built on their success, securing a sponsor, Thyme at Southrop Manor www.thymeatsouthrop.co.uk en route, which enabled them to buy a new strip. A full report will follow shortly.

For those of you passing Marlborough’s OA Centre, please pause for a moment to look at the sarsen stone erected in memory of Rupert Rosedale (CR 1999-09). This was the initiative of James Lam (CO 2008-12) who was supported by fellow OMs in the provision of this poignant tribute to Rupert.

At the dedication ceremony on Sunday 14^th April, Ulrika, Rupert’s wife, and his children, Ted and Svea, placed pictures in his memory by the stone and a number of young OMs spoke passionately and movingly about Rupert’s enthusiasm and inspirational teaching. It is fitting that the stone in his memory stands in the shadow of the OA Centre, where his legacy endures to this day. Described as ‘an inspirational man who taught us to dance with risk’, the memorial will provide a focus for the many Old Marlburians whose lives he had touched.

On Wednesday May 8^th we commemorate VE day. Mick Hutton (C3 1942-46) wrote in to tell us about the half day holiday awarded on VE Day in 1945. He explained that some Upper Fifth boys decided to mark the occasion by cleaning the White Horse which had been turfed over during the war to stop the German aircraft using it as a marker! At around 4.30am, before breakfast and Chapel, a few boys set off to climb Granham Hill with a motley collection of tools, thinking the job would be done in an hour or so. They soon realised how big the Horse was! When the job was nearly done, a group of Sixth Form prefects turned up and an altercation ensured about their out of bounds activity. Luckily they managed to get back, without being in too much trouble, for a well earned breakfast. Mick writes, “We felt we had done a memorable piece of work with the Horse restored to its original chalky whiteness, even if not quite as momentous as the event we were really celebrating that day.

Do share your memories of memorable moments at Marlborough marlburianclub@marlboroughcollege.org

A signed copy of the Final Whistle: the Great War in Fifteen Players first published in 2012 has been donated by author Stephen Cooper for the School’s Rugby Tour Auction.

It tells the story of those players who fell in the World War I from one Rugby Club in London. Stephen explains that many players came from public schools, Marlborough foremost amongst them – 10 Marlburians in his roll of 106 rugby players who died feature in the book, and two have chapters of their own: Guy du Maurier (CO 1879-81), uncle of Daphne, and Guy Pinfield (PR 1908-12), the first British officer killed in the Easter Rising in Dublin, 1916.

Marlburian Rugby fans will be interested to learn that there was a strong connection with Rosslyn Park as the Marlborough Nomads were officially merged into Park before WW1. Click here (PDF) for further details.

Over the last few months we have been putting together a commemorative tour brochure to help fund the Girls’ Sports Tour to South Africa. In July 2013, 29 girls will be travelling to Cape Town and Johannesburg to play five hockey matches and four netball matches, as well as experiencing some of the culture and sights of South Africa. Our A5 publication is being designed to provide players with a lasting memory of the tour, to promote girls’ sport throughout the school and parent body and also to raise money for sports kit and the Goedgedacht Trust, which helps improve the lives of local farmers in South Africa. So far, we have managed to raise £4,500.

Our thanks to the OM community including Chris Watson (C1 1970-74) who donated £100, The Marlburian Club President, Steven Bishop, who took advertising within the brochure, and to Miss Pendry and The Marlburian Club that have supported the tour from the start.

By current pupils Sophie Spink and Annie Hazlitt

Large copy of photo (Annie is bottom row, middle. Sophie is top row, second from right)

In 2010,  when he was 71, Chris Burns-Cox (C2 1950-55) chose to donate his kidney to a stranger.  Chris urged us to tell OMs about the 7000 UK citizens who are still anxiously waiting for a donated kidney to save or rejuvenate their lives and added,  ‘Nearly a thousand people annually give a kidney to family or friends but far fewer give to stranger.’ Around 160 others who have also chosen to donate a kidney and for Chris, the experience was so positive, he and a friend started an inspirational charity called Give A Kidney www.giveakidney.org  Chris also has an illustrated talk he can deliver anytime and anywhere and can be contacted on chris.burns-cox@virgin.net 

The Marlburian Club was well represented at Christopher Martin-Jenkin’s (B3 1958-63) Memorial Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Tuesday 16th April 2013. The President, Steven Bishop (PR 1969-73) and Jane Pendry, Alumni Relations Manager, represented Club members while Martin Evans, Club Secretary, represented the Master and Mrs Emma Leigh. Many OMs were present in both the Cathedral and at the Reception afterwards, held appropriately in the Pavilion at Lord’s.

For the full story, please click here.

In late May, Gavin Hooper (BH 1987 – 92), will be part of two boats from Old Bristolian Rugby Club crossing the English channel in Cornish Gigs to vital raise funds for CLIC Sargent. CLIC Sargent – who Gavin works for and for whom Old Bristolians have raised over £200,00 for -  provide as much support as they possibly can to patients on their cancer journey, as well as to their family, and currently can only offer support to 2 out of every 3.

To support us please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/OBschannelrowing2013

Any contribution you make will help us move towards our stated aim to be there for each and every one of them when they need us most. Thank you, and to see how your contribution can help, please visit www.clicsargent.org.uk.

Charlie Bladon (C1 1984 -1989) has established Green Jersey French Cycling Tours, offering holidays for all abilities.

Having completed the gruelling non-stop 1200km Paris Brest Paris ride in 2011 Charlie is no stranger to France and cycling, and avers that it is the best way to travel and to really appreciate the culture and landscape. The company also organises bespoke tours for groups, and battlefield tours by bike, and in 2014 is organising a landmark ride for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity along the Western Front for the Great War centenary. 10% discount on non-charity rides is offered to OMs, current Marlburians and their parents. www.greenjerseycycling.co.uk

OMs are welcome to the next Marlborough Choral Society concert at St Mary’s Church Marlborough. The performance of "The Armed Man, A Mass for Peace" by Karl Jenkins takes place on Saturday 27^th April at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £8 (under 16s £1) from Sound Knowledge, the Music Shop in Marlborough, or on the door. As you may know, many OMs are involved in the Choral Society and new members are always welcome.

Rob Harding (B1 1958-62) now has 8 local live recordings on YouTube and 10 professional recording available for purchase or downloading from I Tunes, Amazon and other sites. Most are hilarious; some are moving; all are entertaining. With titles like ‘She Takes Me To The Cleaners’ and ‘Mammy Out De Light’ and his currently topical ‘If Only the Pope had Wings’, you can’t fail to smile. So if the bad weather and snow are getting you down, do have a listen. Click on http://s345770694.websitehome.co.uk/

Prominent Art Dealer, Michael Welby (SU 1942-46), bequeathed a collection of nearly 500 unique Renaissance and Baroque gold and silver objects, valued at over £10 million, to the Ashmolean Museum. Professor Tim Wilson, Keeper of the Department of Western Art, commented, “This is the most important accession of objects of this sort to any UK museum since the bequest of objects from Waddeston Manor by Ferdinand Rothschild to the British Museum in 1898.”

The Ashmolean are planning to open a new gallery to house the collection very soon... more
Photo reproduced with kind permission of the Ashmolean Museum