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News from a golfer I haven’t seen
for ages – David Gower (C 63) (not the cricketer!). He complains wistfully about the onset of advancing years, with visits to hospital or sorting his pills out into daily/weekly compartments, but he puts a very brave face on it, busying himself reading, walking over the Welsh hills above Aberdovey or hacking round the golf course there, which is a joy (I concur, having visited it recently). There are also regular visits to his place on the Costa Blanca, but he has yet to attract OO mates Crombie Glennie (C 61) and Jim Howard (C 62) to visit to reminisce about the wonderful times at Oundle all those years ago. David and his wife have two sons (there were three, but their youngest, Roger, was very sadly shot dead in his helicopter in Tanzania by elephant poachers three years ago), with the eldest working in Abu Dhabi and the other running his own law firm in London, and three granddaughters, who they clearly much enjoy. David plays regular golf with son Max in the Fathers & Sons Foursomes at Westhill and this year (in his words) “mirabile dictum, we got through a round at last, actually two rounds.” Clearly doughty competitors!
Now for a couple of entries from our older alumni, namely Michael Haworth (Sn 55) and Richard Gowing (G 52).
Michael, who was known as ‘Gerry’ at school, is currently Chairman of Castle Supported Living, which helps people with learning disabilities in their own home. He married Gillian Abel in 1960 and has two daughters, Anna and Lisa. Anna, the older of the two, has a learning disability, while Lisa is married with two children. On 14th May next year Gerry and Gillian will celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary. Congratulations!
As for Richard, he left Oundle in the time of National Service, which he served with the Royal Signals in Germany. Therefore, he didn’t go to Oxford until 1955, when he went on to read Chemistry at St John’s College. Clearly successful at this, Richard embarked upon a career in
the nuclear industry, specialising initially in health physics (radiation protection) and latterly in the transportation of irradiated nuclear fuels. He had a glowing career, becoming a chartered nuclear engineer, working in Britain (Sellafield, Springfields and Chapelcross) and Japan (Tokaimura), with many visits to regulators and customers in Europe, America and Japan. He also gave papers at international conferences all over the world, towards which, he says, “Oundle’s curriculum in engineering-related subjects didn’t come amiss”. Away from work, Richard started serious mountaineering at Oxford, climbing in all the main areas of Britain and (from 1959 to the late '60s) in the Alps, as well as several trips up Japanese mountains. While at Oxford, he became a founder member of the OU Caving Club and in 1956 he joined the Yorkshire Ramblers' Club, whose fellow members include OOs David Stembridge (Sn 56) and Peter Chadwick (D 57). In 1963 he was elected to the Alpine Club and achieved his 20th and last ‘four- thousander’ at the 150th anniversary meet in Zermatt in 2007 with a guided ascent of the Breithorn. Now 85, he still attends a few meets, as, he says, “it's nice to get out on the hills with old friends”. He has been married to Elizabeth for nearly 52 years and they have two daughters and two grandchildren, all living quite nearby, which is clearly a bonus. On his bucket list is to revisit Oundle and see all the changes that he reads about in the numerous excellent publications from the School and OO Club. It would be a long trip down memory lane, but he would be proud to show his wife where he spent his formative teenage years.
Richard Haworth (Sn 74) has provided a round-up of the OO relatives he sees occasionally (usually at funerals). They include Nigel Haworth (Sn 60) and Gerald Michael Haworth - cousins, retired and living in Clitheroe, Lancashire; George Michael Haworth (C 52) – now living in the USA, having been in business with Richard’s father;
Robert Taylor (Sn 82) – cousin, living in Somerset with his wife and three children; Brian Cunliffe (D 70) – second cousin, living in Lancashire; Graham Kershaw (Sn 63) – second cousin; Chris Haworth (Sn 67) – elder brother, who lives in Cheshire, has retired as an accountant and has just reached three score years and 10; Simon Haworth (Sn 98) – nephew, lives and works in Switzerland. As for Richard, he is still at the Bar after 41 years, based in Preston, but living in the Lune Valley near Kirkby Lonsdale and mainly prosecuting (and occasionally defending) the sex offenders of the North of England on the Northern Circuit. He is a keen shot, at the highest pheasant and the fastest grouse in Lancashire, and annually takes to the far North of Scotland to stalk for three weeks. He recently shot in Rutland and, having a day spare, visited old haunts Fotheringhay, Tansor, Cotterstock, Oundle, Polebrook, Glapthorn, Southwick, Ashton and others. The highlight was the School Chapel, moving him to tears – clearly a splendid trip down memory lane!
Now to the other end of the age spectrum. Ben Jackson (B 02) has spent the last 12 years in the automotive power semiconductor industry, living and working in France, the US and Germany, specialising in core products for electric and hybrid cars. Currently, seven of the top 10 selling electric cars are using electronic solutions brought to the market by Ben and his team, while over 10 billion ‘electric miles' have been driven using products that they brought to the market – something he is justifiably very proud of. He cites being able to study Electronics and spending many weekends in the Patrick Centre at Oundle as instrumental in inspiring him to get into electric cars and to work outside the UK, which has clearly been an amazing experience. Last year, though, Ben suffered a brain tumour. Fortunately, he had successful surgery and was able to return to work in Germany, but this was a life-changing experience and so he has decided to divert his attentions to other things. He was due to move back to Cheshire from
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