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If you are an Old Copthornian then you can sign our guest book below and tell us something about when you attended Copthorne, we would love to hear from you:
I was at Copthorne from 1955-1960.
Here are two bad memories. On my first day at school (aged 7 or 8) I was chased all over the grounds into a thicket where I was tied to a tree and beaten with sticks. After lights out, lying in bed waiting in terror for… “Clough, come down to my study…” and the following four (or for bad offences six) strokes of the nobly cane on my bare bum. The incredibly awful puddings we were forced to eat (I have never even looked at rice pudding, semolina since). I vaguely remember an epidemic where it seemed that the entire school suffered from diahorrea (which also had a funny side…).
My good memories are the swimming pool, the football (the great Dizzie Weeks), Monsieur Chamier (and his bull-nosed Morris). A young and beautiful matron called Miss Barnard (early erotic fantasies), Major Catley (very stern and very 19th century), Mr Sale, and his subtle humour, the carpentry lessons with a very nice local man (Mr Panel?) who always bought his radio along so that we could hear the saturday evening football results (Chelsea 5, Fulham nill…hah ha!). The moment during afternoon prep when the first eleven left to do battle in an away match (“good luck, good luck, good luck…”), when I got my football colours (gazing at the card announcing this news in the headmaster’s extraordinarily neat handwriting). Queuing up to shake hands and say goodnight to the charming Mrs Tim (the head’s wife). History lessons with Mr Bineham (especially when he read us the Odyssey). Sunday afternoons playing with Dinky cars and gardening. Stealing strawberries from the kitchen garden.
Crispin Steele-Perkins playing his trumpet and other boys like Joly, Martin, Nicholas Barker and lots of others whose names escape me. My God! All that was more than half a century ago!
Memories of Mr Weeks (LAEW) aka “Dizzie”
Name: Lloyd Alan Edward Weeks
Born: 10 Oct 1911, Okehampton, Devon (mother’s maiden name: Endacott)
Died: Sept. 1996, Okehampton, Devon
Subjects: Mathematics and sports
I attended Copthorne 1969-1971. For some reason I was never taught by Mr Weeks, but remember him as a skinny balding chap. Although us boarders never went home, we still had “homework” and in the evenings we were ushered into the main hall where we had to quietly get our written exercises done. Mr Weeks was sometimes in charge of overseeing the room, and would pace up and down monitoring us to see if we were really working.
I remember on one occasion I put my hand up and asked Mr Weeks if I could go to the toilet. He asked my reason for needing to go. I replied to the effect that my bladder was full. He replied saying, “No. That is your excuse, what is your reason?” I answered that nature calls and that if I wait much longer I might wet myself. Again he replied that was an excuse and to state the reason. And this banter went back and forth several times, with me tightly crossing my legs all the meanwhile. For absolutely any reply I came up with, he repeated that it was an excuse and not a reason. I never quite could get what it was he expecting me to say. Anyway, I was saved by the bell because the official end of the homework period sounded, and then I sprinted off to the loo.
That interaction with Mr Weeks left quite an impression on me. He did it all with a smile on his face, and I never got the impression he was deliberately tormenting me. The feeling I received is he was merely having a “philosophical moment” and really didn’t know the correct answer he wanted himself. Perhaps some similar situation happened in reverse to him when he was in the army, and he had an unrequited need to explore that question. I was the poor hapless guinea pig that had to bear the greatness of his philosophical musings in my bladder’s hour of greatest need.
Anyway, it made a lasting impression on me that I never forgot. Later in life, in a book, I stated that the definition of an excuse is “a perfectly good reason rejected by those in authority.”
And of course, I owe the inspiration for that little riposte to dear Mr Weeks.
- Derek Mistry
Graham Jaggers (1957-63) – The era of the Sales (I loved Wendy!!), Mr. Workman, Weekes, Bineham and Chamier.
A tough place in the 1950s Copthorne with many “6 of the bests” regularly handed out plus an awful over cooked/burnt corn soup most days!! Got you ready for a tough world though eh?
Only enjoyed my sport footie and cricket managing to make both first teams. I have pics of these if anyone interested – (Turner, Appleby, Davidsons Bros, Hermes, Haycock, Oates, Hamber, Pepper, amongst others)
Hope you have all got out of life what you hoped for.
Graham Jaggers
Narendra Sethia on June 1st, 2012 4:46 pm mentions L A E Weeks (I don’t think there was an ‘e’ at the end. I recall him distinguishing himself from the West Indian Everton Weekes. I’m NOT an Old Copthornian but new LAEW at the school he was at before, Hillsbrow in Redhill, which came to a rather sticky end. I left in 1950. In fact Weeks was from Devon and rather proud of it. And yes he had a slight Devon accent. I too recall his patience with me as a poor mathematician but thanks to his lessons in basic Geometry I’ve retained a fascination with that, and the philosophical aspects of it, things like points having no ‘magnitude’ and so on.
I recall him as a sports master, very competent as a player too in both cricket and rugby. I’m a writer and was interested because I’m doing something about my prepschool and later public school days – alas not very happy ones. So if anyone has any material on ‘Mr Weeks’ I’d be grateful.
John Haynes
1966 to 1969. Joint head-masters were Mr Tim (PJH Workman) and Mr Sale (DGLS). Mr Weekes (LAEW – Lloyd Algernon Edward Weekes) was Maths teacher – I had a feeling that he was originally from the USA but not 100% sure though I do remember his bald head, his odd voice and his fierceness. Mr Chamier (FAC) with his moustache and Frenchness (and, as Michale B-M has also recalled, the chalk in the Oxo tin). AFGB (Mr Bassett) never taught me but who can forget his Messerschmitt?!! PNLL (Mr Lycett) was the Classics Master. And the pretty-well-blind Mr Gill was the music teacher – he was an odd one; his sister was Ruth, Lady Fermoy, a lady-in-waiting to HM The Queen Mother. Mr Ken Gird was Geography teacher – he had once been a professional footballer (I think for Sheffield Wednesday); Mr Tim’s at-that-time secretary (I believe she later married him) Elspeth Close was the first person to teach science – chemistry in the new lab which was built adjacent to the asphalt courtyard. Mrs Sumner was the wonderful matron but she later became Mrs Blakey when she married Andrew Blakey, the groundsman. And the assistant matron was Romany Reeves.
I was at Copthorne from 1963 to 1967. I am rather amazed to see myself in the photo of the School Play of 1964 in the photo gallery. I was one of two page boys in A Midsummer’s Night Dream and I am sitting at the front in the photo with my fellow page boy, Nick de Meric, on my right, both dressed in what I seem to remember were brown curduroy suits. My elder brother Robin is standing to the right in the picture in a very fetching two tone green costume, as he was playing “Puck”, or was it Bottom, I can’t remember.
I too remember “Dizzy” Weekes (maths), “Binny” Bineham (history and junior maths), Mr Bassett in his Messerschmidt, Mr Lycett (classics and the choir), Chammy” Chamier (french – I remember he kept chalk in a red Oxo tin, from which he would occasionally pick up a piece to throw at some unconcentrating boy), “Mr Tim” Workman and “Duggie”Sale (who had a very well developed right arm, particularly when he was holding a Jokari bat, which was his punitive instrument of choice).
I remember particularly, I can’t imagine why, that we never wore anything in the swimming pool, which was always pretty bizarre on the occasion of the swimming races on Sports Day!
The greatest excitement was always when we were all able to watch a Film – always on an enormous projector and screen in the main hall with all the partitions folded back. All black and white and everything from the Dambusters to Kind Hearts and Coronets – the latter more than once, because it starred Denis Price, who was himself an Old Copthornensian.
There were also of course, as mentioned above, the daily Copthorne Soup (wheatcorn in marmite) and dreaded Blue Papers.
I am only sorry that I cannot attend on 27th May, but I wish the day, and the School, every possible success.
Michael Bromley-Martin 63-67
Please find below an updated list of attendees for Sunday May 27th’s Old Copthornians Reunion. If you are not yet on the list and would like to come along, please contact the School.
As of 03/05/12
N.B. Single years shown are leaving dates.
30s
Peter Anson 1932-1938 Attending
James Wheen 1935-1938 Attending
40s & 50s
Alistair Robertson 1947-1953 tbc
Anthony Bryer 1955 Attending
John Bryson 1959 (Perth, Australia!) Attending
Richard Graves 1959 Attending
Simon Colbeck 54-59 Attending
Nicholas Barker 1954-1960 Attending
James Joly 1957-62 tbc
60s
Robin Wood 1964 tbc
Nick Farries 1967 Attending
William Martin 1967 Attending
Andrew Wheen 1968 Attending
Mark Dennis 1969 Attending [+ 1]
Rory Knight-Bruce 67-70 tbc
Anthony Wilde tbc
Charlie Meaden 63-68 tbc
Hugo Russell 60-? Attending +4
Richard Foster 60s Attending
70s
Francis Wheen 1970 Attending
Derek (Mistry) Abbott 1971 tbc
Philip Anson 1971 Attending
Christian (O’Dwyer-) Thomas 1973 tbc
Alastair Breward 1968-73 Attending
Hugo Anson 1973 Attending
Andrew Barker 1973 Attending
William Lister Welch 1973 Attending
Michael O’Connor 1974 Attending
Brodie Bibby 1978 tbc
Andrew Abdool 1979 Attending
Paul Spence 1979 Attending
Campbells (Alex, Andrew, James, Nick) 70s&80s tbc
Mark Previtt 70s tbc
Clem & John/Guiseppe Castiglione 70s tbc
80s
Ben Jaques 70s-80s? Attending
Richard Juszt 70-80s tbc
Menhaj Huda 1975-80 tbc
Andre Finn 1981 Attending
David Levine 1974-81 tbc
John-Paul Warner 1976-82 Attending
Neil Morgan 1982 tbc
Robert Phillips 1983 Attending
Andrew Grant 1983 Attending
Philip Marsden 1983 Attending
Edward Luck 1984 Attending
Sally Priest 1984 tbc
James Abdool 1984 Attending
Charles Rawlinson 1984 Attending
John Munday 198? tbc
Babak Jalaei 1980-85 tbc
Andrew Barker 81-86 Attending
Sam Smith 1986 Attending
Victoria Kolda 1986 Attending
Guy Powdrill 1986 Attending
Drennan do Plooy 1986 tbc
Michael Woolley 1980-86 tbc
Anton Du Plooy 1987 tbc
Sally Winn 1987 Attending [+ 2]
Sean Morgan 1988 tbc
Jenifer Kolda 1989 Attending
90s
Adam Baker 1990 Attending
Simon Irwin 1991 tbc [+ 2]
Rob Ratcliffe 1991 Attending
Dion Azordegan 85-92 Attending
Clare Truter 1992 Attending
Juliette Losardo 1993 Attending
James Mannix 1993 Attending
Claire Livesey 1993 Attending
Charlotte Ratcliffe 1993 Attending
Katherine Lunn 1993 Attending
Sally Edwards 1994 Attending +1
Gregg Stone 1994 tbc
David Litchfield 84-94 Attending
00s
Muhammad Malik 2000 Attending
William McBryde 2004 Attending
John Faal 2004 tbc
Megan Holmes 2006 Attending
Ben Swadling 2008 Attending
Sven Kerneis 2009 tbc
10s
Bertie Davison 2010 Attending
Jez Martin 2010 Attending
Thomas Walker 2010 Attending
Joshua Higgs 2011 Attending
Samuel Higgs 2011 Attending
Harry Hickmet 2011 Attending
Savannah Hayler 2000-2011 Attending
Aaron Sales 2011 Attending
Teachers/ Staff
David Newton, Attending
Jimmy/ Gennaro, Attending (Groundsman retiring after 46 years!)
Mrs Warner Attending
Mrs Priest tbc
Ann Black 1974-2007 Attending
Mrs Sale (Lady Shattock) tbc
Mr Jennings
David Robinson
Jill Robinson/ Workman
Ann Philipson tbc
Paula Dalton tbc
I was the french master at Copthorne (Headmaster : TIm Workman), in 1960
(I think).
JPPS
Updated Attendee List for Old Copthornians’ Reunion Sunday May 27th 2012
As of 18/04/12
N.B. Single years shown are leaving dates.
30s
Peter Anson 1932-1938 Attending
James Wheen 1935-1938 Attending
40s & 50s
Alistair Robertson 1947-1953 tbc
Anthony Bryer 1955 Attending
John Bryson 1959 (Perth, Australia!) Attending
Richard Graves 1959 Attending
Simon Colbeck 54-59 Attending
Nicholas Barker 1954-1960 Attending
James Joly 1957-62 tbc
60s
Robin Wood 1964 tbc
Nick Farries 1967 Attending
William Martin 1967 Attending
Andrew Wheen 1968 Attending
Mark Dennis 1969 Attending [+ 1]
Rory Knight-Bruce 67-70 tbc
Anthony Wilde tbc
Charlie Meaden 63-68 tbc
70s
Francis Wheen 1970 Attending
Derek (Mistry) Abbott 1971 tbc
Philip Anson 1971 Attending
Christian (O’Dwyer-) Thomas 1973 tbc
Hugo Anson 1973 Attending
Andrew Barker 1973 Attending
William Lister Welch 1973 Attending
Michael O’Connor 1974 Attending
Brodie Bibby 1978 tbc (now a headmaster!)
Andrew Abdool 1979 Attending
Paul Spence 1979 Attending
Campbells (Alex, Andrew, James, Nick) 70s&80s tbc
Mark Previtt 70s tbc
Clem & John/Guiseppe Castiglione 70s tbc
80s
Ben Jaques 70s-80s? Attending
Richard Juszt 70-80s tbc
Menhaj Huda 1975-80 tbc
Andre Finn 1981 Attending
David Levine 1974-81 tbc
John-Paul Warner 1976-82 Attending
Neil Morgan 1982 tbc
Christopher Priest 1982 Attending
Robert Phillips 1983 Attending
Andrew Grant 1983 Attending
Edward Luck 1984 Attending
Sally Priest 1984 Attending
James Abdool 1984 Attending
Charles Rawlinson 1984 Attending
John Munday 198? tbc
Babak Jalaei 1980-85 tbc
Andrew Barker 81-86 Attending
Victoria Kolda 1986 Attending
Guy Powdrill 1986 Attending
Drennan do Plooy 1986 tbc
Michael Woolley 1980-86 tbc
Anton Du Plooy 1987 tbc
Sally Winn 1987 Attending [+ 2]
Sean Morgan 1988 tbc
Jenifer Kolda 1989 Attending
90s
Adam Baker 1990 Attending
Simon Irwin 1991 tbc [+ 2]
Rob Ratcliffe 1991 Attending
Dion Azordegan 85-92 Attending
Clare Truter 1992 Attending
Juliette Losardo 1993 Attending
James Mannix 1993 Attending
Claire Livesey 1993 Attending
Charlotte Ratcliffe 1993 Attending
Katherine Lunn 1993 Attending
Sally Edwards 1994 Attending +1
Gregg Stone 1994 tbc
00s
Muhammad Malik 2000 Attending
William McBryde 2004 Attending
John Faal 2004 tbc
Megan Holmes 2006 Attending
Ben Swadling 2008 Attending
Sven Kerneis 2009 tbc
10s
Bertie Davison 2010 Attending
Jez Martin 2010 Attending
Thomas Walker 2010 Attending
Joshua Higgs 2011 Attending
Samuel Higgs 2011 Attending
Harry Hickmet 2011 Attending
Savannah Hayler 2000-2011 Attending
Aaron Sales 2011 Attending
Teachers/ Staff
David Newton, Attending
Jimmy/ Gennaro, Attending (Groundsman retiring after 46 years!)
Mrs Warner Attending
Mrs Priest tbc
Ann Black 1974-2007 Attending
Mrs Sale (Lady Shattock) tbc
Mr Jennings
David Robinson
Jill Robinson/ Workman
Ann Philipson tbc
Paula Dalton tbc
My time at Copthorne (1936-1939) was cut short by World War 2. Much to my regret I was moved to Aravon Prep School in Bray in Southern Ireland, but only for a year. I was then taken to India where my father was a judge and to yet another prep school, in Kashmir, called Sheikh Bagh which had been started up for “refugee” boys. About 100 of us.The location was of course marvelous and I enjoyed my time there immensely. In retrospect though I wish I could have spent my full 5 years at Copthorne
I am sorry not to be able to attend the alumni reunion in May and send my regards to any of my contemporaries who do attend.
John Pakenham-Walsh
I am Simon Dumas and was at Copthorne from I think 1965 to 1969. A short career I think because I was moved from Nower Lodge School in Dorking.
I have quite vivid memories of Copthorne. At first, the horror of boarding for the first time, and missing home and parents. Listening to the radio in bed at night – Radio Caroline I think was my choice: I also developed a passion for cricket, and Test Match Special on the radio while I was there, loving the gentle humour. After settling in, I enjoyed Latin with Mr Lycett best of all (did Classics to A level thanks to his inspiration). Great admiration for Mr Weekes, as I was hopeless at Maths (I remember being in tears over algebra), but he got me through my common entrance. Mr Bineham taught history, a subject I have really taken to only since school: he was a strange personality, but used to go shopping for us for toys like potty putty! A very elderly French teacher whose name I have forgotten (something like Chamois?), who always used to call me ‘Brumas’ after a bear in a zoo, and from the similarity to my surname: the boys thought he had been in the French Resistance and tortured by the Germans: not impossible I suppose, but wants checking! Mr Bassett drove 3-wheeler cars – Messerschmidts? Mr Gill was a blind music teacher: I recall him playing music from Swan Lake on the piano, and how amazed I was that this could be achieved. Mr Tim Workman was headmaster – frightening – and Mr Sale (who was in a wheelchair) I think deputy: the latter – and his wife – I came to hold in the highest regard.
In sport, obviously I loved cricket best, and I got into the first XI as a bowler. Took a 8-for once, and got first colours, but on the other hand I remember being hit all around the park by my father at a Patres match – a bad experience! Very questionable parenting! Rather timid at football. Seem to recall enjoying some hockey as well.
I remember yellow azaleas and their beautiful scent in the garden (walled?) outside the chapel. And the chiming clock on the tower. The strange things that leave an impression!
I don’t keep up with anyone from my days at Copthorne, but recall Francis Wheen (now a writer and broadcaster) being a contemporary or thereabouts.
As a keen genealogist and the son of a former Copthorne boy, I was delighted to find your excellent website but somewhat disappointed to find so little historical information on it.
My father was David Malcolm RAMSAY, born in 1924. I have guessed that he was at Copthorne between about 1931 and 1936 before going to Harrow in 1937. Is there anyone among your members who remembers him, and can tell me a bit about life at Copthorne in the 1930s? Is there perhaps a resident historian at the school who has some photographs of the school from that time that I might be allowed to have copies of? Do you perchance still have any records of a D.M. Ramsay? I’m an enthusiastic subscriber to Ancestry.com–quite the best genealogical service that I have ever used–and would like to add some relevant information and photographs to my father’s entry in the tree. He died in 1995 so sadly can’t help me. Stupidly, I didn’t ask enough sensible questions of him when he was alive. He often talked of Copthorne when I was boy, and seemingly loved his time there. Indeed, he talked about it often enough for the name to have been imprinted on my brain. Although he didn’t become universally famous, he made his mark as an agricultural engineer specialising in the design and development of soil injection equipment after having served as a pilot officer in the latter part of World War II, and as a tea-planter in what was then Tanganyika in the early 1950s. My father’s teachers at both Copthorne and Harrow must have given him a great love of learning. He was an accomplished linguist and avid reader with a photographic memory. Who else, for example, can claim to have read the whole of Gibbon’s ‘Rise & Fall of the Roman Empire’ twice? Although not especially keen on contemporary writers, he could quote at length from most of the great classics… drove my brothers and me crazy at times! Thanks Copthorne!
If you or anyone else who reads this is able to help me, please be kind enough to email me at adr4@mac.com.
Many thanks and good luck with all your ongoing endeavours.
Alan Ramsay, P.O. Box 408, Unley, SA 5061, Australia
LATEST LIST OF REUNION ATTENDEES
If you can join us, please let the school know via the Address Book page.
N.B. Single years shown are leaving dates.
30s
Peter Anson 1932-1938 Attending
James Wheen 1935-1938 Attending
40s & 50s
Alistair Robertson 1947-1953 tbc
John Bryson 1959 (Perth, Australia!) Attending
Richard Graves 1959 Attending
Simon Colbeck 54-59 Attending
Nicholas Barker 1954-1960 Attending
James Joly 1957-62 tbc
60s
Robin Wood 1964 tbc
Nick Farries 1967 Attending
William Martin 1967 Attending
Andrew Wheen 1968 Attending
Mark Dennis 1969 Attending [+ 1]
Rory Knight-Bruce 67-70 tbc
Anthony Wilde tbc
Charlie Meaden 63-68 tbc
70s
Francis Wheen 1970 Attending
Philip Anson 1971 Attending
Christian (O’Dwyer-) Thomas 1973 tbc
Hugo Anson 1973 Attending
William Lister Welch 1973 Attending
Michael O’Connor 1974 Attending
Brodie Bibby 1978 tbc (now a headmaster!)
Andrew Abdool 1979 Attending
Paul Spence 1979 Attending
Campbells (Alex, Andrew, James, Nick) 70s&80s tbc
Mark Previtt 70s tbc
Clem & John/Guiseppe Castiglione 70s tbc
Michael Woolley late 70s tbc
80s
Ben Jaques 70s-80s? Attending
Richard Juszt 70-80s tbc
Menhaj Huda 1975-80 tbc
Andre Finn 1981 Attending
David Levine 1974-81 tbc
John-Paul Warner 1976-82 Attending
Neil Morgan 1982 tbc
Christopher Priest 1982 Attending
Robert Phillips 1983 Attending
Edward Luck 1984 Attending
Sally Priest 1984 Attending
James Abdool 1984 Attending
Charles Rawlinson 1984 Attending
John Munday 198? tbc
Babak Jalaei 1980-85 tbc
Andrew Barker 81-86 Attending
Victoria Kolda 1986 Attending
Drennan do Plooy 1986 tbc
Anton Du Plooy 1987 tbc
Sally Winn 1987 Attending [+ 2]
Sean Morgan 1988 tbc
Jenifer Kolda 1989 Attending
90s
Adam Baker 1990 Attending
Guy Powdrill 1991 Attending
Simon Irwin 1991 tbc [+ 2]
Rob Ratcliffe 1991 Attending
Dion Azordegan 85-92 Attending
Clare Truter 1992 Attending
Juliette Losardo 1993 Attending
James Mannix 1993 Attending
Claire Livesey 1993 Attending
Charlotte Ratcliffe 1993 Attending
Katherine Lunn 1993 Attending
Sally Edwards 1994 Attending
Gregg Stone 1994 tbc
00s
Muhammad Malik 2000 Attending
William McBryde 2004 Attending
John Faal 2004 tbc
Paula Dalton 2005 tbc
Megan Holmes 2006 Attending
Ben Swadling 2008 Attending
Ann Philipson 2008 tbc
Sven Kerneis 2009 tbc
10s
Bertie Davison 2010 Attending
Jez Martin 2010 Attending
Thomas Walker 2010 Attending
Joshua Higgs 2011 Attending
Samuel Higgs 2011 Attending
Harry Hickmet 2011 Attending
Teachers/ Staff
David Newton, Attending
Jimmy/ Gennaro, Attending (Groundsman retiring after 46 years!)
Mrs Warner Attending
Mrs Priest tbc
Ann Black tbc
Mrs Sale tbc
Sarah Kennedy tbc
Well done all at Copthorne!!!!
I am VERY impressed by your website, and everything about school seems to be flourishing!!! Mr Workman Senior would have been very proud, I imagine!
I am so looking forward to the reunion on Sunday 27th May this year, to see the old place, or what I remember of it, and to share some special memories of when I was that little!
Pass the word around and let’s hope we can encourage as many as possible to attend this inaugural open reunion!
Best wishes again,
Paul B.R. Spence(1974-79)
I have the most fantastic memories of being at Copthorne (the Jennings and Newton years – I left around 1987 or 1988). I have really enjoyed looking through the site and recalling fond times. Facilities look even better – it’s clear people have been hard at work developing things.
Hi I attended Copthorne between 1969 – 1973. I was a full border and remember Mr Tim and Mr sale very well. They gave me a good life grounding which I’m sure has benefited me in my future businesses. I often tell my family about the experiences and stories from Copthorne which never grow old.
Copthorne School will always have a special place in my heart. I arrived at Copthorne a couple of months after I arrived the UK from Nigeria in 1981 and was a pupil until 1983. I left Copthorne for West Buckland School in Devon where my contemporaries included the olympic champion athelete Jonathan Edwards and the England rugby internationals Steve Ojomoh and Victor Ubogu.
While at Copthorne, the total number of pupils was approximately 120 and about 30 boarders. It was one big family. Copthorne imbued me with the requisite disciple, polish and worldview to excel later in life.
News from Katherine Chainey, née Lunn
I have very fond memories of Copthorne. I was there from 1984 -1993 and was head of school for my last year. I am still in touch with a few friends too – two of whom (who I have known since I was 4 years old) were recently my bridesmaids! I attach a photo – I’m in the middle (Katherine Chainey (now Katherine Lunn)), Claire Livesey (brunette) is on the left and Charlie Ratcliffe is on the right (blonde).
Copthorne gave me an excellent grounding and I am sure I wouldn’t have done as well as I have without the skills that I developed there. After Copthorne I went to Burgess Hill School For Girls and then Durham University where I studied Modern Languages (French and Spanish). I decided to become a lawyer whilst at Durham so then went on to law school for two years where I won a training contract to train at a top city law firm, Allen & Overy LLP. I qualified as a Corporate lawyer and after 5 years there I moved in-house to be a lawyer at Cushman & Wakefield LLP. It is funny as my current boss sends her children to a prep school and is often filling me in on what they do there. It reminds me greatly of my childhood at Copthorne, so your letter was most timely!
I was at Copthorne from 1960 to 1965. It was the era of Tim Workman and David Sale with other unforgettable members of staff such as Dizzie Weekes, Binnie Binham and “Cham” Chamier, who was rumoured to to have served in the French Resistance: at least that was thought to be why he was merciless in handing out so many “Blue Papers”. And, of course, we all ate Copthorne Soup.
I think we would find the school unrecognizable now.
Hi!
I was at Copthorne from 1976 to 82. My brother, James, was three years ahead of me. Our mother, Mrs Warner, was the school’s cook (you’d probably call her a Catering Manager these days!) and still lives close by.
I’m really keen to organise a reunion for all old Copthornians for the summer 2012, most likely at the time of the annual school fete. To this end, I’ve set up an Old Copthornians site on LinkedIn so please join and help to spread the word!
I know there’s also a Facebook group, so I’ll let them know too.
Thank you, Mr. Jones, for letting Charlie Izard and I have a look around the school back in January. Things certainly have changed around the school but most importantly many things have improved. It brought back many fond memories!
Wow! Certainly has changed!!!!!
Where oh! where has that beautiful old cricket pavillion gone?!! I remember the pool getting it’s “bubble” but it looks great now. Shame about the old knot garden!! Things have definately moved on since 1987!
When were you a pupil at Copthorne? As Head now, I would love to meet you and show you around! Regards Chris Jones
Unrecognisable from the time when I was a pupil.