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Old Boys
Jonny Tham left the Prep in 2004 for Westminster. It was great to welcome him back when he delivered one of our Leake Lectures.
Richard Bernhard summarises the term from the Alumni Of ce
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Two Old Boy musicians of great renown, Ian Bostridge, CBE, tenor, and Nicholas Ansdell- Evans, piano, gave a memorable recital at the Prep at the start of last term. During the evening, which is described elsewhere in Focus, the Memorial Wall Appeal was launched for the purchase of plaques commemorating those Old Boys and staff members who gave their lives for their country, principally in the two World Wars.
Later in the term the Old Boys’ Golf Competition for the Michael Stimson Memorial Cup was held. From a small eld of par ticipants, current staff member Robert Monteith emerged the winner. Old Boy contributions helped the day raise £8,600 for one of the school’s charities.
Following Celebration 2018, the Friends held their popular Summer Social at the Gallery Road grounds in the afternoon.A team of cricketing Old Boys, gathered and captained by the Chairman of the Old Boys’ Committee, Huw Humphreys (1986), took on a side comprising staff, dads and sons (current Prep boys) in an entertainingT20 match either side of an Old Boys’ tea made by our Archivist, Ann Revell. The Old Boys won the game by the narrow margin of 20 runs, but there were standout performances from both sides.Tom Chapman (2017) and Huw produced some excellent batting for the Old Boys in their total of 136 for 6.Tom also took three wickets, and Harry Seward (2017) took two, while Huw took three catches! For the staff, dads and sons Sean Keaton and Ollie Sykes excelled with the bat while Ollie and his dad,Toby, each took two wickets.
The autumn term includes the traditional lunch for those who left the Prep more
than 40 years ago; a University visit by the Headmaster and alumni department staff to the undergraduate Old Boys at Durham and Newcastle; a reception on 9th November for those who have contributed to the Memorial Wall Appeal; and our AGM and Christmas Party, which will be held on Monday 10th December once again at the East India Club. Please con rm attendance by emailing Richard at alumni@dulwichpreplondon.org.
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For more information about all these events please
What is your most vivid memory from your days at the Prep? Probably one of the trips we went on. I played the oboe at school and went on several orchestra tours. I vividly remember playing cops and robbers in a hostel in Alsace - great fun!
What is the best lesson you learned at the Prep? That you can get joy from learning itself; it’s not all about exams.
What or who inspired you to pursue a career in medicine? My love of medicine grew gradually. I don’t come from a family of doctors so the people who rst drew me towards it were probably my science teachers, both at the Prep and Westminster. My tutor at university showed me the kind of doctor I want to be
and my supervising consultants have supported me as a junior doctor. At the moment, it’s the patients who inspire me to keep going.
What attracted you to become a GP?
Again, this was a slow realisation. While at medical school I found it very dif cult to decide which specialty I liked most, and this was something which continued into my rst two years as
a doctor. Initially I wanted to be a surgeon, then an anaesthetist, then an A&E doctor. Last year, I realised that the specialties that I most liked were the general specialties; things which require a broad range of knowledge. After this realisation I did a placement in GP surgery and enjoyed the work, so I knew that being a GP was the right decision for me.
What is the most rewarding aspect of medical practice? Seeing patients. As a doctor, you are extraordinarily privileged; people let you into their lives when they are at their most vulnerable, your ‘everyday’ is their ‘once-in-a- lifetime’. I have learned more from patients than I have from any other source.
What is the most challenging aspect of medical practice? One of the most important skills you need to learn is to know your own limitations. Due to issues of time and staf ng levels, there is often pressure to do things that you won’t feel comfortable doing - whether that’s a technical procedure, a dif cult conversation or doing two peoples’ shifts at once (as can happen if a colleague is unwell).
In these circumstances you need to know the limits of your knowledge and capability very precisely, as well as the appropriate time to ask for help. It’s okay to feel a bit out of your depth, a bit rushed, a bit nervous; however there is often a ne line between that and an unsafe situation, and it’s down to you to make that call.
What gets your adrenaline pumping outside work? I’ve recently started running, which I enjoy and which ts the bill as an adrenaline booster. I also love going to live music (but can never seem to nd the time). In general however, the aim during my time off has been to reduce the adrenaline levels, as most of my recent work has been in A&E, which I love, but which raises the adrenaline quite enough!
What is the best advice you have ever
been given? To stick with medicine. During
my rst year as a doctor I had some pretty low points. I started to wonder why I had worked so hard to do a job that often felt hugely stressful, underpaid and underappreciated.The doctor’s strikes were ongoing and it felt like everyone was against us. So I emailed my tutor from university, saying that I wanted to quit, and she advised me to stick it out, and I’m so glad that I did.
What advice would you give a boy who wants to be a doctor? There are a few things I would say.You have to go into the profession with open eyes; being a doctor is a challenging job, and one where you have to make a lot of sacri ces, but it’s also a wonderful job. Being a doctor gives my life meaning in a way that not
a lot of other things do, so if you want to do
it, go for it! There will be a lot of people who question your decision; I vividly remember a plastic surgeon who, during my rst week of work experience said,‘you can make money doing something else you know...’ Don’t let these people get you down or dissuade you. Make your own decision after taking time to get to know what the job is like - work experience helps, but there are also now many books written by junior doctors which describe it. Finally, don’t let grades or universities tell you you can’t be a doctor. There are so many paths to medicine that if you are really committed to it, no-one can stop you.
email Richard at alumni@dulwichpreplondon.org
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ALUMNI 20