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ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
Common Room
This term we welcome: Catherine James,
from The Windsor Boys’ School, to
teach Mathematics; Sarah Eldred, from
Robert May’s School, Hampshire, as Head
Librarian; and Stephanie Carter as Matron
in Cowell’s.
Kate Newson has been appointed to
succeed Debra Clayphan as HM of Mac’s
in September. Kate joins St Edward’s from
Ardingly where she is a Housemistress.
Previously she was Head of Physical
Education and AHM in a boys’ house at
Christ’s Hospital. Kate played hockey for
England U21s and has coached both boys
and girls at all levels. She is married to Mark
and they have two sons, George, 15, and
William, 11.
From September we also welcome:
Flora Nelson, from Wycombe High School,
to teach Classics; Anneli Rühle, from the
Gymnasium Eppendorf, Hamburg, to teach
Maths; and Catherine Greves and Ashley
Somogyi to teach English. Catherine is a
full-time athlete and part of the GB rowing
squad. She competed at the Olympics in
2008 and 2012 and is aiming for selection
for Rio this year. Internally, Jonathan
Thomson takes over as Head of Politics.
At the end of this term, we say goodbye
and good luck to: Nick Gardner, who
leaves to take up a position at King’s
College Wimbledon; Anthony Bullard, to
become Head of Science at John Hampden
Grammar School, High Wycombe; Ewan
Gault, to move to Highgate School, North
London; Rev Tom Shaw, to accompany his
wife, Shona, following her appointment
as Second Minister at Moortown Baptist
Church, Leeds; Olly Glass, to take up
the post of Head of Maths at St Joseph’s
College, Reading; Tom Hunter, to pursue his
own artistic career; Rebecca Clark, to take
up the role of Director of Drama at Stowe;
Mark and Rebecca Woodward to move to
Cambridge where Mark has been appointed
Head of Chemistry at the Stephen Perse
Foundation; and David Moore, to retire
after 30 years at the School (see page 20).
In personal news, we congratulate Rosie
and Matthew Glendon-Doyle on the safe
arrival of Hebe Virginia on 14th December.
PEOPLE
Miss Bellamy’s Adventures in Dung
How did you find yourself building a
hut out of termite dung in Laos?
It was all quite unexpected! A friend
working at Harrow International School in
Bangkok needed an extra member of staff
for a trip just before Christmas and invited
me along.
What was behind the trip?
We were in San Udom village working with
a company called Tiger Trails whose ‘fair
trek’ programme is the first community-
based tourism initiative in Laos’s Luang
Prabang province. The organisation works
with international partners and residents to
ensure that local people have equal access
to the social, environmental and economic
benefits of tourism.
What were you doing?
We were building an eco-bungalow on
a popular tourist trekking route. Once
complete, the bungalow will provide a
source of revenue for local villagers, who
will also cook and sell food to tourists.
Was it hard work?
It was fascinating work! We started by
pulling apart a termite dung hill. Contrary
to our expectations, there was no smell.
We mixed the dung with water and sand
– and when I say ‘mix’, I mean that we
trampled and stamped on it in a pit for four
hours to ensure a consistent texture. Then
we added straw and sand and continued
stamping for another hour! Following this,
the mixture was used to form bricks using
a wooden template and then left to bake in
the sun. Unfortunately some of the bricks
were ruined when a pig decided to roll
on them – the termite dung was just too
inviting for him. The following day, we used
the bricks to build the walls around the
hut’s wooden frame. My brick laying skills
still need refining…
Did you spend time with local people?
Yes. In pairs, we stayed with families in the
village. Their homes consisted of similarly-
constructed huts with no electricity or
running water. We were given a corner of
the room, sharing with the family and their
animals, and were very well looked after
despite the family’s lack of English and my
very rudimentary Lao! With no lighting,
the entire village was pretty much asleep
by 8pm, a timetable perfectly suited to our
demanding schedule.
Top Chefs
Head Chef Ralph Wiskin, left,
congratulates Balint Oze, recently
named top catering apprentice
in Oxfordshire. Ralph, too,
deserves congratulations: he has
just completed the CIEH Level
4 Award, one of the highest
qualifications in Food Safety.