St Edward's Chronicle Summer 2018

16 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Mike Stanfield OSE Mike Stanfield’s association with St Edward’s spans more than 60 years. He joined Segar’s as a Shell pupil in 1955, sent his son, Paul, to Sing’s in 1978, became a Governor in 1985 and took over as Chairman of the Board in 2007. After a decade at the helm, he stood down in December 2017. He continues to serve as a Governor on the General Purposes Committee and is Chair of The North Wall Trust. He talked to Tracy van der Heiden, Head of Communications, about his memories, his highlights and his

What were the highlights of your school days? I had taken part in rugby, cricket and swimming

at Prep School but hadn’t particularly distinguished myself. With the strong

encouragement of Bill and John, I threw myself into sport at Teddies, which really developed my ability and my confidence. I was further encouraged in rugby by Duncan Williams, Master i/c Junior Rugby, and Derek Henderson, Master i/c Rugby. I played in the 1st XV for three years, eventually leading the School’s first ever unbeaten team. I also captained an unbeaten swimming squad, played cricket, was competitive in the 100 and 200 yard distances in athletics and was in the sailing team. The latter led to a lifelong interest in sailing, and I have since covered many thousands of miles across distant oceans and around the Hebrides. Of course sport isn’t only about sport. The leadership roles had a huge impact on my personal development. If I started at Teddies

ambitions for The North Wall. Tell us about your time as a pupil. In many ways, I was a bit of a lost soul when I joined St Edward’s in 1955. I was mildly dyslexic and not particularly confident. I was lucky enough to encounter two really exceptional men – my HM Bill Veitch and my House Tutor John Vernon. Both took a great deal of time and trouble to encourage me and to look out for me. As is often

the case with older pupils, I tested the boundaries when I was a Sixth Former and clashed with a number of Masters. John Vernon, in particular, gave me excellent advice and got me safely through these difficult patches. Despite my initial lack of confidence, I won the Eardley Geography Prize two years running, so I clearly had some ability in the classroom.