More entries welcome.  Original story can be found here: http://www.oldbordenians.co.uk/events/old-bordenian-tie-challenge/

Before the event

Foreground (l/r) Keith Tummon; Stewart Jarrett; Paul Fletcher

centre of picture: Bryan Short

Harold Vafeas

Harold Vafeas; Ken Sears to his left

Left side of table from front: Andy Bushell (just); Rob Kemsley; Stewart Jarrett; Lee Harding; Keith Shea

Right side of table from front: Bob Field; Steve Crick; Dave Spicer; Phil Bryant

Happy with the dinner?

A combined dessert / cheese and biscuits accompaniments for efficiency

Harold Vafeas, introducing the guest speaker

Graham Barnes, the guest speaker

Graham Barnes

Graham Barnes, mid-flow

Harold Vafeas, closing the speeches

Presentation to Graham Barnes

Presentation to Graham Barnes

Steve Crick; Paul Fletcher; Lee Harding; Bob Field; Davy Spicer

To be photographed wearing an Old Boys tie:-

a)   In an alcoholic establishment

b)  In an unusual or bizarre situation (we will exercise censorship controls!)

Have Old Boys drunk in all corners of the world?  Let’s see the evidence.

What:    The current (on the left) or earlier Old Boys tie

Where: Anywhere – the further away the better

Who: Old Bordenians around the world. Young Technos, old non technos.  Will the Facebook crowd put in an appearance? 

How: Send your photo with your name, when you were at school, and what you have been up to since leaving to :-admin@oldbordenians.co.uk 

 

Back row (left to right): Paul Beer, Henry Nye, David Heathfield, Keith Aylen, Paul Akehurst, Roger Usher, Roger Fahy.

A further report on the Dinner will be available later; in the meantime, if you have any more photos please send them in.

L-R: Bill Usher, Roger Usher, Harold Vafeas

“On entering the New School”

At last, after waiting for fifty long years,
A marvellous vision to us now appears;
A spacious new school, done in brick, red and white,
Our jubilant hearts give a leap at the sight.
The great day has come, like the sun through the clouds,
The school to a man in the Dining Hall crowds;
“Let’s feast to the Gov’nors, who’ve turned up some trumps,
And bring us to bliss from our present old dumps.
Come turn out your linings and purchase good wine,
Then solemnly join hands and sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ “
So heedless of rain and with arms full of books,
Past wurtzel and bungalows, sling we our hooks;
All eyes fixed ahead on the splendid new place,
Sporting a silk flag, all bordered with lace.
“Some brand new idea,” we all nod to ourselves,
And forward we trip like a concourse of elves;
Softly we glide, whispering praise,
Submitting each room to our wondering gaze.

Yet, ‘mid all these splendours, who feels not regret,
For the Borden of memories, dear to us yet?            A.W.S.

From “The Bordenian”  July 1929

“The first Term in our new building is almost over, and we have settled down to the new routine with the minimum of disturbance, although workmen are still putting finishing touches to the building.  The grounds in front of the School have also to be put in order, and the hard tennis courts to be surrounded with netting.   The playing fields are, of course, not yet ready for use, and the prolonged drought has made it difficult to get the large field into more than a semblance of order, in spite of the use of a steamroller.  Arrangements were made for the use of the ground of the Sittingbourne F.C., for School matches and first eleven practice, and the team is to be congratulated on its excellent record this Term, seeing that no small part of the Term had passed before cricket got going.  The position with regard to football next Term is also causing anxiety, but everything possible will be done to provide satisfactory pitches.”

(Note that although the School is thought of as being moved in 1928, and the dates on the drainpipe hoppers say 1928, it actually began formal education on 25 April 1929 for the Summer Term.)

“This Term Mr. A. C. Howard, B.A., has joined the Staff of the School as French Master, and we offer him a hearty welcome.  Mr. Howard is an Old Boy of the School.”  ( ‘Jimmy’  Howard retired and left Borden officially on 31 August 1969 after 40 years – JM.)

“There are now 180 boys in the School, three having entered and eight left since last Term.  There were 158 candidates for Free Place Scholarships at the examination held at the School on May 4th.  A list of successful candidates is given elsewhere.”

R E Brend W G Brown J H Burstow S W Dane W W French
K A Goddard W H Kemp R W Martyn H C Mount S H Price
D S Radford A W H Shepherd  H Wells               
(All these had Sheppey addresses and note the name Goddard -JM)

Published below is the whole school photograph for 1929, in 4 parts.  Some of you will be able to identify a few names, most likely from amongst the staff that made the move to the present site.  What is intriguing about the photo is not necessarily the participants but what can be seen in the background at the edges.  At the left hand end the houses in Albany Road can be seen.  At the right hand side however only the Social Club and Berwyn (the Bishop’s house) are visible.  The rest is open fields as far as the eye can see, across Bell Road and beyond. On the other side of Bell Road was Bowes Park owned by the Bowes family who lived in ‘Glovers House’ which stood on the corner of Highsted Road and Bell Road.  The Park had a circular cycling track with an ash surface and was the centre of attraction for many events of different kinds during the late 1890’s and early 1900’s.

The 1929 photo shows 10 staff for the 180 boys.  Compare this with the 1960 photo published earlier in the year where 426 pupils had 23 staff and the same building with only the addition of the Woodwork Room and Biology Lab.  Those pupils in 1929 must have rattled around in the building compared with those in 1960!

Original article by John Macrae.

The next photographs show the old school at different times and a little detective work will enable the reader to put them into chronological order. I have tried to take contemporary photographs but much of the school field has been built on to provide private housing taking up the whole corner of the plot bounded by the original road up to the school, Riddles Road and College Road. Hence I was unable to get wide views.

At the time of writing, I have not been able to identify any of the internal rooms mentioned in “Vale”.  I am finding that the more I write, the more there is to investigate. I do not think of time as the enemy but it certainly seems to ‘fugit’ very rapidly! 

 The photo above shows the cricket square in good condition but I think the outfield would have caused a bit of a problem!

              
The last photos below are of the Headmaster’s house and garden at the east end of the school with its own lean-to greenhouse.

The modern photos were taken on 25 March 2008. The buildings are now used as the Sittingbourne Adult Education Centre having previously been the Kent Farm Institute and a Teacher Training College.

Article by John Macrae

I wondered where the photograph shown below was taken.  The text in the previous article seems to infer that this was the dining hall with the ancestral arms mounted on the wall at the end of the room.  I remember them mounted on the wall in the old hall between the Honours Boards. A recent search in Archives produced only the banner. 

  Note the similarity of the piano in the dining hall like that in the present one.  Apart from this the similarities end.  There seemed to be no obvious form of heating unless the large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling provided enough heat as well as the light to illuminate the hall.  However, upon recent inspection of the Hall, two fireplaces have been found.  They are on the south wall and in white with the initials of William Barrow appearing in black.  

The modern photograph shows the far one better.  The fireplaces are positioned under windows so the flues are angled to reach the chimneys in the corners of the hall.  Note that now radiators are installed for heating and the fireplaces remain as decoration only. 

The two chimneys can be seen on the outside photographs of the school on either side of the large central gable (the gable is hidden by the tree in the second photo). 

In the centre of the gable is the school clock.  Sadly the hands now remain at 12 o’clock.  It is a clock designed to chime the hours and is powered by weights that hang on wires running down inside the walls, again being shifted horizontally to avoid the window openings.  It had to wound by hand.

All the old pictures show the bell tower at the western end of the building, but it had to be removed eventually probably due to over enthusiastic ringing making the brickwork unsafe.  To ensure boys were aware of school time there was a second bell at the back of the school facing College Road (the cinder track) to ensure those dawdling up the track in the morning were perfectly aware whether they would be late and have to face the consequences!

This picture shows the rear bell support with the back of the original Headmaster’s house on the left
      
The plaque for the clock is located outside the main entrance to the left of the original Headmaster’s house.

Article by John Macrae.

All food remaining was recycled – we hope the boys enjoyed their shepherd’s pie for Monday’s lunch.

Smoking was banned – even in the bike shelter.

All wine left was mixed together, rebottled and sold on Ebay.

John Lifton, who had travelled from New Zealand, intended cycling back.

Our numbers were boosted on the night to 96 by 5 unexpected guests, whose cheque and forms had not arrived, despite being hand delivered!  Fortunately a quick word with the caterer, five seats and a table and normal service was resumed.  If you thought you were lacking a roast potato or slice of beef, now you know why.  It goes without saying that the caterer was instructed to ensure that Alan and I received full portions!

In view of John Lifton’s epic journey, he was invited to say a few words, and told us it was his first visit to the school in 61 years.  He had qualified as a vet in London and subsequently emigrated to New Zealand.  He was grateful for the broad education he had received at Borden and was delighted that the school now had special status for sport and languages.

Our guest speaker was Marion Minhall, a recently retired teacher from the school.  Having been educated in New York, she met her husband in London and moved to Sittingbourne for house price reasons.  She had become one of only two women teachers at Borden in 1984, having taught at other local schools on short term contracts.  She spoke fondly of the “naughty chair” outside Bryan Short’s room where she had sat after her interview, and of the “Gents’ Club” also known as the staff room where a 12 year long game of Bridge continued next to “cynics’ corner”.  We were privy to amusing tales and memories of her school colleagues that are probably best left unprinted for fear of possible legal action.  She always had problems remembering names, so invented her own versions as reminders, such as “the tall one with curls”, “pixie”, and “the short bald one”.  Her speciality subject was English but at various times she had stood in and taught Biology, History, Maths and had gone on field trips, as well being involved in the school drama productions.  Her career had seen her become Head of Lower School and she was especially proud of the debating society which had seen the school perform against Oxbridge and Cambridge and become runners up in the English Speaking finals.  Gill Regan and her had been the first women at an Old Boys dinner and both were now regular attendees.  She had, she told us, enjoyed every day.  Graham Barnes presented her with a bouquet flowers from the Association.

Responding, Harold Vafeas said that Marion had been a key figure in the school.  When he met her for the first time in 2004 she had explained to him very quickly his priorities – one of which was the need for a tarmac play area to allow the boys to let off steam.  He was very grateful to the Old Boys who had personally contributed to the new school library and thanked the Association for donating funds for the sixth form common room which the boys had much appreciated.  In ending, so that everyone could catch up on conversations with colleagues old and new, he encouraged everyone to use and contribute to the new web site.

Thanks once more are due to John Macrae, our MC for the evening, to Barry Gilbert for helping in the morning and for selling OBA ties in the evening, to Cliff Cork for organising the bar again, to our caterers for another splendid meal and to our tireless caretaker, Tim who works so hard behind the scenes.  This year John managed to unearth in the archives a copy of Bill Usher’s entrance form to the school which was duly presented to him.

Peter Lusted and Alan Snelling

Registered at the Dinner

Following new environmental regulations issued on 1st April by DEFRA in accordance with current EU legislations, we now have to give an ‘Environmental Report’ on our Annual Dinner. Therefore, we hope you find the following details of great interest:-

Environmental Report

Emissions to air

1. Greenhouse Gases – no Greenhouses were involved in the event.
2. Acid Rain, Eutrophication and Smog Precursors  – the Kitchen area was moderately eutrophic, as were a few guests.
3. Dust and Particles – considerable quantities of these were found in the Bar area caused by some Old Boys opening their wallets.
4. Ozone Depleting Substances – the Speeches were all within standard tolerances.
5. Volatile Organic Compounds – these increased after 9,30pm but were within EU guidelines.
6. Metal emissions to air – money was thrown into the pint glass for the Sweep, including a 1 lire coin, a Babycham bottle top and a flat watch battery.

Emissions to water

7. Nutrients and Organic Pollutants – the quality of beer served by the Bar staff was of the standard diuretic type and was quickly disposed of in the usual manner.
8. Metal emissions to water – only spoons were used to stir coffee.

Emissions to land

9. Pesticides and Fertilisers – most probably but we will not explore this matter further.
10. Metal emissions to land – several items of cutlery were dropped by Old Boys but recovered quickly.
11. Acids and Organic Pollutants – some of the wines brought in by Old Boys need to be checked in future.
12. Waste (Landfill, Incinerated and Recycled) – 23.5 Yorkshire puddings, 6.5 litres of minestrone soup and 11 half eaten mints.
13. Radioactive Waste – traces of radioactivity were found on the clock (Mick Pack please seek medical treatment at once).

Resource use

14. Water Use and Abstraction – all drinks were at full alcohol strength.
15. Natural Gas -normal EU levels were achieved but this was more apparent after 9-30 pm.
16. Oil – Malibu was not on sale at the Bar.
17. Metals – only the caterer’s cutlery was used.
18. Coal – 2 carbon footprints were found in the new Library but the caretaker cleaned them up.
19. Minerals – Coca Cola, 7-UP, Fanta, and Bitter Lemon were available at the Bar.

Photos