Old Exmothlans’ Reunion

The Christmas reunion of Old Students of Exmouth Grammar School (Old Exmothians), held in the School Assembly Hall on Thursday, Dec. 28th, was an outstanding success. About a hundred and thirty attended, and enjoyed a varied programme of dramatic entertainment, games, competitions and dancing. The President (the Headmaster, Mr. L. W. Johnson), was away from Exmouth, and the Chairman, Mrs. Parsons, was unable to attend, through illness, so our Ex-President, Mr. D’Arcy W. A. Hughes, took her place. Among those present were Mrs. and Miss Hughes, Miss Fleming, Mrs. Coate (Hon. Sec.) and most of the Committee Members. The staff present included the cast of an amusingly topical sketch, - Mrs. Spencer, Miss McNeill, Mr. Amos, Mr. Driver, Mr. Fudge, Mr. Hill and Mr. Heath. Others present were Mrs. Amos, Mrs. Boyden, Mr. Bampfylde, Mrs. Driver, Mrs. Hill, Mr. and Mrs. Walker.

A sparkling duologue, “ The Crystal Gazer,” presented by Mrs. Joan Atkinson and Miss Rose Cummins, and an original sketch of the “ comic thriller “ type by Sixth Formers, added greatly to the enjoyment. An excellent supper was provided by the Catering Committee.

The Don Roberts Dance Band discoursed sweet - and lively - music as the evening passed all too quickly. The winner of the “ Hidden Animals “ competition was Miss Margaret Love; Mrs. J. Atkinson and Mr. J. Amos carried off the prize in the amusing game “Bigamy” ; Mr. F. Southwell literally carried his partner, Miss Lois England, to success in the Beecher’s Brook Competition; and Miss Sybil Davis and her partner won the Card Elimination Dance. Best of all, however, was the fact that the true spirit of comradeship was present, and many Old Exmothians whom we had not seen for some time rallied round and made this annual event a genuine Reunion.

An Early Morning Ramble

Early one morning I crept out of bed
And I saw the dawn, curtained with amber and red,
And the rim of the rising sun, seeming to say,
“It is going to be quite a wonderful day.”

I dressed myself quietly, crept down the stairs
And made my way quickly through tables and chairs.
I opened the door, and with joy I could see
Fragrant flowers, shy beasts, and gay birds in the tree.

I ran down the garden and opened the gate.
I was off for a walk and was not going to wait,
For the dawn is the time to see Earth at her best
While most of mankind are still taking a rest.

I walked briskly at first, all amazed at the scene,
And marvelled at Nature’s most glorious sheen.
But at length I sat down on a smooth sunny steep,
And watched the whole countryside stirring from sleep.

K. SANDLAND.

Rugger, 1951

The Spartans have met with varied success this term. The seniors had a good all-round team and overwhelmed their opponents, whilst the juniors, in their turn, were thoroughly beaten in all their matches. The seniors played well in all their matches, moving the ball quickly along the line, making an opening where-ever possible, and passing before they were tackled.

Sandland and Fairweather both played extremely well on the wings, taking the openings when they were offered and often made them when they were not. The greatest triumph, however, was against the Athenians, whom we played without several of our best players, and with only six men. Keats got the ball quickly back from the forwards, and the backs retained their superiority, breaking through twice to score, whilst preventing the Athenians from scoring.

Throughout, we scored forty-seven points, without having a point scored against us, - a very good record indeed. Those who played were as follows : - Murch, Smith (6th), Sussenbach, Keats, Rex, Fairweather, Sandland, Johnson Guest.

With the juniors, however, it was a different story, and there is little to say about them. They rarely got the ball, and when they did they gave the impression that they wished they hadn’t, and the passing was wild and inaccurate. So much for the attack. Some of the tackling was at least well meant, but nearly all of it too high. It is much easier to stop a man by holding his knees or ankles together than by trying to wrench his head off, besides being more comfortable for the player concerned. Many of the tries scored could have been prevented by more determined tackling, so let’s make a better effort next year, juniors.

Finally I would like to thank Mr. Andrews for his help and keen interest during the winter season.
M. REX (House Captain).

Athletics, 1951

Last year’s successful experiment of organising an athletics team will be continued during the summer term, 1951. Athletics activities will not be allowed to interfere with cricket in any way, but athletic skills do offer an afternative and competitive recreation to those boys who are not likely to make the grade required by the School Cricket Xl’s.
The accent will be on cricket for the first half of the summer term, but this will not prevent selected boys from commencing athletic training. The games notice-board will provide all the necessary details.

The School Athletics season opens with C. Chapple and C. Lawes travelling to London to compete in the L.A.C. Schools Challenge Cup meeting at the White City Stadium, on April 20th and 21st. Chapple is running in the 440 yds. open event, Senior, and Lawes in the 250 yds. under 16 yrs. Junior. There is no doubt that both boys will “give a good account of themselves.” We wish them luck, and expect at least a standard time medal.

The Devon County A.A.A. are holding a three-day course at St. Luke’s College, Exeter, in April, and C. Chapple, D. Fairweather and K. Sandland are attending, one boy to each section or group, consisting of : - Sprints and Hurdles, High and Long Jumps, Discus, Javelin and Shot. There will be lectures on Athletics, supplemented by the showing of films and film books and practical work, all under the supervision of expert instructors and coaches. We hope that the benefit of the course will in turn be passed on to the rest of the boys by the three enthusiasts attending the course.

Finally, a very sincere “thank-you” to Mr. Hill and the four boys who have worked hard to produce a flight of really magnificent training hurdles for school use. This equipment means that girls and boys can be trained and timed accurately over a single lane of hurdles, which will replace the cricket-stumps and canes of previous years. No excuses now for defeat in hurdles events at inter-school meetings. Perhaps in time we may acquire the other three lanes of hurdles to make competitive hurdle events possible.

Again, thank you, Mr. Hill, and the four boys concerned, - E. Hooper, E. Ha.yman, P. Hartnell and R. Bastone, all of 5B “Woodwork set.”
C. P. DRIVER.