Ashbury College - Ashburian Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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26 THE ASHBURIAN TALKS BY VISITORS 4 Nha LYON N VVednesday, October 6th, Mr. Hugh Lyon, former Headmaster of Rugby School in England, was kind enough to pay a visit to Ashbury. In an informal talk with the Headmaster and the prefects, Mr. Lyon generously answered questions on the organization and routine life of Rugby. Later, in his address to the assembled school, Mr. Lyon told us something of his school. He said that Rugby was old, by our standards. It is a tendency of old schools either to become self-satisned or to become tired. Should this happen it is the duty of the newer schools to carry on the old tradition. Part of this tradition is not to place too much emphasis on the material things of life. Mr. Lyon said that later in life one could see more clearly how the material things of life are not all-sufficient, how something more is necessary, something embody- ing the higher principles of life. In conclusion Mr. Lyon said that he considered it a great privilege to be able to speak to such a school as Ashbury, and to deliver his message to those to whom he looked to carry on the old tradition. 'THE FOUNDER N Thursday, October 7th, Canon VVoollcombe, founder and first Headmaster of Ashbury, came to the school to make his annual address. In a very interesting lecture Dr. IVoollcombe told the boys the school's history, how it had been founded in 1891, and how it had moved from place to place until it had taken over the twelve acres it now possesses in Rockcliffle Park. We were told the story behind the school's name, how it had been named after an estate in England which had belonged to the VVoollcombes. Dr. VVoollcombe said that he felt that every boy in the school should know something about his school, and he addressed his remarks particularly to the new boys. In conclusion, Canon VVoollcombe wished us all a happy year, and, as is his custom, asked the Head for a half-holiday for the school. Mr. Glass complied, and amid cheers of elation, especially from the smaller boys, our founder left us for another year. A. MacR. CAPTAIN Sm R. STIRLING-I'IAB1II,'l'0N AND CAPTAIN CLIS'l'ER N 'mia afternoon of Thursday, November 15th, the school had the pleasure of hearing speak Capt. Sir Robert Stirling-Hamilton, and Capt. B. S. Custer of the Royal and United States Navies respec- tively, who told us of their adventures in the northern Canadian wilder- ness.

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TI-IE ASHBURIAN HOUSE GAME HoR'i'I,Y after the rugby season had ended, clans XYoollcombc and Connaught gathered with blood in their eye for the annual comedy called a house soccer match. Anything less like soccer could scarcely be imagined but perhaps the Ancient Order of Hibernians would recognize in it some faint echo of a charwomcn's hurling match, with- out shillelaghs. To see linemen of the first football XII galumphing about in shorts with little or no idea of how to manage a spherical football is more than flesh and blood should be required to endure, but endure it annually we do. Interspersed among these behemoths, one could occisionally catch a fleeting glimpse of a first soccer Xl forward making dainty pirouettes, for all the world like a goat loose among some North American Bison. The outcome of the game fto wit, nervous exhaustion of all for- wards and halvesl was never in doubt, and the south-westerly gale of wind made proceedings if anything more absurd. After some three- quarters of an hour of ineffectual shouting, gesticulating, and surrepti- tious handling of the ball, it was centred, doubtless by accident, in front of the Connaught goal. 4fAt this point it would be only decent to draw the veil across the next few moments, but your scribe has a duty to performl. Then, rudely trampling Kerr into the grass, what seemed like 75 percent of the IYoollcombe team formed a hacking, snarling box around the ball, proceeded through the goalmouth, and emerged triumphantly halfway to the Headmaster's house, claiming a score. IYhat was undeniable was that the ball, after striking some portion of Cray's person, had passed beneath the crossbar. It must be admitted that a good deal besides had passed that way as well. The referee, a VVoollcombe man, loyally Ci.e. without a blush or a moment's hesita- tionb and magisterially pointed to centre-Held and the inglorious busi- ness proceeded to its dismal end with the score 1-o in IYoollcombe's favour. Dreyfus, I-Ieney II, Pritchard I, Gutierrez, and Hood did their best to make it a soccer game but to no avail, it remained a typical game of 'housoccer'.

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THE ASHBURI.-IN U The speakers were introduced by Xlr. Glass. lle said that he was rather embarrassed introducing such senior officers as thev, with refer- ence to his former rank of lieutenant, and so he preferred to intro- duce them as just two loyal fathers of Ashburians. Un a more serious note, Mr. Glass said that he considered their adventure would be of great interest to us all, and proceeded to introduce Capt. Custer. Capt. Custer was to tell us how it happened that they had to land on the lake. The following is approximately the text of his speech. They left Churchill at 8.30 on the first morning of their trip. The weather was overcast, and they checked the magnetic compass as they were taking off. Though Capt. Custer was in favour of fiying close to the ground, the other pilot who was a Pacific veteran with a good deal of experience thought it would be a good idea to Hy over the clouds, especially since the meteorologist or rain-maker had predicted clear fiying after 40 minutes of bad weather. Unfortunately they hit snow, so that the radio became iced up, and the gyro went bad. Not realizing this, however, they continued to steer their twin-engined Beechcraft by the gyro. Now, in the forward baggage compartment, there had been loaded an iron box, and this shifted, fouling the compass. Capt. Custer later calculated that this compass had been 70D ofif. It appears that they had held their course for the first IO minutes after leaving Churchill, but that then on climbing over the clouds, their instruments had set them off, so that they kept fiying westward into the storm front. Realizing the error, they turned south, actually assum- ing their original course of 2100. They did this in hopes of reaching The Pas, because the ceiling there was better than at Churchill on account of the storm, being 6000-8000 feet at The Pas, but only 500 feet at Churchill. It turned out that they came out over Reindeer Lake. as they later identified it. Near this lake there are magnetic ore deposits. so that their compass needle spun round and round, and was of no use to them. By now they had only one hour's gas left, so they held a council to decide upon their next move. They decided to steer what they calculated to be west, and to send an SOS. They also decided to land While they still had gas and altitude, because power landings are safer than those without power. Next, the Petty Cflicer on board got rid of the door by detaching and dropping it. Then they came down on the lake fthere were two. this being the smallerj with their wheels up, Cllt the switches. and landed smoothly. They stepped out in muskeg, then surveyed their situation, and decided that instead of heading east across the muskeg to the big lake as they had originally intended, that they should go west instead to higher, firmer ground. This was a struggle of some 300 yards across the muskeg, where they sank knee-deep at each step. The first thing they did on reaching solid ground was to offer a prayer of thanks to God for their safe landing.