A Visitor From America. Ivan Jones (FN 60-64).
“I recently remarried after the death of my first wife nearly five years ago. My new wife, Becky, had never been to Europe, so one of the first items in our ‘To Do Bucket’ was a visit to England from our home in Florida. I wanted to show her as much as possible of the land of my birth and the places that influenced my growing up - and St Bees had to be the top of the list! For a boy who spent most of his holidays in the Middle East, St Bees had an enormous influence on my ‘Englishness’. I have never regretted it. I arranged with Pam Rumney to show Becky around the school in May this year. The job fell to Dr Tony Reeve. Not only did Tony show us around but he took the time to explain many of the features we came across. We had a good exchange of ‘war stories’. He has an extensive knowledge of the school history. Thank you for taking the time out to show us around. I must say I was pleased that the fabric of the buildings is being maintained. In many ways it looked just like it did between terms when the students had all left for home. That’s not to say that some major TLC is needed in the future. One final comment I would like to pass on. Tony is rotating the old school team pictures on the walls of the Foundation Dining Room, adding some character to a room recently used for wedding receptions.
A few days before visiting the school we had an opportunity to have lunch in Corbridge with Geoff Steven (G 59-64) and Don Williams (FN 61-64), whom I was at school with. Our reminiscing lasted well into the afternoon. We had not seen each other in a number of years. The journey from the North East over to St Bees took us through Keswick and over Whinlatter and along the edge of Loweswater. I’m sure the roads are narrower now than in the 60s. My wife thought I was nuts driving along them. No wonder St Bees feels isolated. After booking our trip I found out that the OSB Bristol & West group were having a luncheon get together while we were in England and wives were welcome. Thanks to Bill Affleck (SH 45-51) for organizing it. Dacre Watson (SH 56-62) was the key speaker and he provided us with a detailed update on the progress being made to re-launch the school. For those of us who can only follow via electronic media it was very informative.
	L to R: Don Williams, Ivan Jones, Geoff Steven and his wife
He was able to provide a detailed strategic overview that helped us understand what the school is up to. For instance the school will never survive in the long term unless the isolation and low population density issues are addressed (my opinion). As explained by Dacre I believe the plan now being implemented addresses these points very well. Indeed the school may well find itself successfully leading the way in how education is provided in the modern international world in which we live. I was excited by what Dacre had to say. Naturally there were many questions asked and he took the time to give very detailed responses. In fact the lunch went on so long we overstayed our welcome at the venue and the landlord wanted to close otherwise it would have gone on even longer. It’s a long time since I have been thrown out of a pub!”
Ivan Jones, second from right, at Bristol Lunch

 

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The St Beghian Society    
St Bees School,    St Bees,    Cumbria,    CA27 0DS.

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