Brentwood College School - Brentonian Yearbook (Mill Bay, British Columbia Canada)

Page 15 text:

SCHOOL PREFECTS standing - J. Deagle, P.-J. Wiese, T. Callin, A. Bright, T. Pickles, W. Murray, A. Singh, K. Carmichaei, S. Mais, M. Zens, K. Koettce, S. Claris, N. Maile Sitting - S. Ross, C. Stoilery, J. Pike, Mr. Ross, S. Gotfredsen (Head Prefect), S. MacDonald, M. Shandel STUDENT ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE Snyder, M. Shandel, Mr. Back Row - H. Mitchell, W. Pitts, M. Barbey, A. Stewart Middle Row — J. Pike, M. Wolfe, A. Decore, S. Gotfredsen, C. Cameron Front Row - C. Bayley, J. Sorby, P.-J. Wiese (President), S. Addison, M. Zens, T. Patchell. Absent: G. Stoilery, J. Richardson

Page 17 text:

MR MRS R G PITT: A TRIBUTE On my first day at Brentwood there was a staff nneeting which, in its third hour, had beconne unnecessarily serious. Sitting across fronn me was the new PE instructor who had said very little up to that point. Now he spoke up: Gentlemen, if 1 may interject, 1 can remember an inci- dent at RMC Kingston that might have some bearing on this topic. Of course it had no bearing at all, but the story of the Midnight Phantom and the tricks he had played on the staff of RMC had us helpless with laughter to the point that the meeting was eventually adjourned. in the years that followed, this marvellous sense of humour often rescued us from the occupational hazard of taking ourselves too seriously and pricked the balloon of our innate pomposity. It was truly a tonic which lifted our spirits and put things in their proper perspective. As we got to know Reg, we learned that this modest man was a much decorated war hero. Joining the navy as a boy of fourteen, he went through WWII where he had three ships torpedoed and sunk beneath him. Surviving for hours in the frtezing waters of the North Atlantic where men of less determination around him gave up and died, he displayed the grit and fortitude he was to bring to every endeavour in life. Reg was lucky to be aided in all he did by his childhood sweetheart, whom he later married, Doris — Dot to all of us. Through overseas postings, separations, the move to Canada, the transfer to the Canadian Navy, and now close to fifty years of married life, she has been his other half, his measure of stability. She has brought to their marriage what they have brought to our school: a smile, an exam- ple, a sense of caring. Reg and Dot have given themselves to Brentwood in a way that few others have done. Eighteen years ago, when we were struggling hard to make ends meet, it was their second-hand sports clothing store, their raffles, their donations of hand-made prizes. Dot ' s contribution of work without pay that enabled many sporting events to go for- ward that would otherwise not have taken place. Tennis nets, rugby balls, basketballs, rugby boots were careful- ly and painstakingly repaired by Reg to prolong their lives long past the normal tour of duty. Yet perhaps their greatest contribution has been, as it is in any long-lasting relationship, in those apparently small things that count so much: the quiet private word of praise or admonition to boy or girl, the willingness to listen to a homesick student, the solicitous enquiry to the injured athlete; even the welcome cup of tea served with a big smile in the staffroom. I had originally intended to end these lines with some comment about Reg and Dot having a well-earned rest, but 1 somehow cannot see them at rest . A man who cycled across Canada with a group of Brentwood students to raise money for charity when he was already past six- ty is not the sort of person to look for rest. Surely years of travel, activity, new horizons must still lie ahead. Thank you, Reg and Dot, for all you have done. RVL