Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

Page 8 text:

6 School Notes Last September we welcomed the ariival on the Staff of Mr. W. B. Welch, formerly Headmaster ot Warwick Acacemy. The increase in our numbers made an increase in u.e staft imperative, and, for various reasons, it would have been difficult, it not im- possible, to obtain anyone from England, Canada or America. Mr. Welch nobly consented to postpone his retirement to solve the problem for us. We offer our congratulations to Mr. Gorton on becoming President of the B.S.S.A. this year. His devoted attention to the Junior League teams has well deserved some reward, even though it brings a great amount of extra work in its train. Last year we recorded the marriage of Miss Peggy Steacey to Lieut. M. P. Pollock, R.N., and now, almost at tne moment of going to press, we hear that a son has been born. We are sure that the School will join with us in congratulating them. The School is actively prosecuting the War Savings Campaign. Stamps are sold, and money for complete certificates received at the office. The response has been very satisfactory indeed, and His Excellency the Governor has written to the Headmaster congratu- lating him on the success of our efforts. It would be pointless to quote figures now, because the total is growing at such a rate that they would give no idea of the sum that we shall have collected by the time that this Year Book is published. J. B. Trimingham is secretary for War Savings in the School. Our Cambridge Exam, results continue to be well up to stand- ard. Last December fourteen candidates sat for the School Certi- ficate and Junior exams. Of these thirteen passed — eleven out of twelve in the School Certificate, and both Junior candidates. The successful candidates were: Barnard, Brooks, Campbell, Fall, Lough, Mayne, Motyer i, Outerbridge, Petty i, Rutherford, Welch and, in the Junior, Motyer ii, Watlington. At the risk of seeming immodest, the editor thinks it worthy of mention that of ten candidates who took Latin in the exam, four obtained credits, and three others passed. In the wake of the publication of these results came the news that a Bermuda Scholarship had been awarded to H. R. Outer- bridge. He obtained a first grade certificate with an A in three subjects and credits in five others. We understand that he is intending to go to Mount Allison University, and he will take our best wishes with him when he goes. On Dec. 17 the usual Carol Singing took place at the School. This was repeated on the evening of Dec. 20 in the Cathedral with great success. On Dec. 19 a dance was held in the School Hall. The music was provided by the Modern Airs Band, wh ' ch consists largely of

Page 7 text:

Editorial This year, we believe for the first time, an attempt has been made to compile a list of all the Old Boys of the School. This work was undertaken on behalf of the Old Boys ' Association by Mr. George Hutchings, and only one who has had a hand in the task can appreciate its full difficulty. It may surprise some of our readers to learn that no permanent record of the pupils who at- tended Saltus in the early days has survived. In fact, there are no continuous records before 1934. For the previous years Mr. Hutchings has nad to rely on a number of isolated copies of registers and on tne memories of the surviving Old Boys. It follows that we cannot claim that this list is either accurate or complete; but the worst part of the work has been overcome, and all that remains is to make tne necessary alterations and additions. Mr. Hutchings will be pleased to hear from anyone who can help in this respect, so tnat the faults of this edition may be remedied in the next. It is a matter that we would urge on the attention of our readers, for it does concern the School. Many, no doubt, of those who profited by their education here have given little thought to the place since they left, and we suggest to them that it is a very good way to repay the debt which they owe by joining the Old Boys ' Associa- tion. This body has do e much for the School in the last few years, and with more support it could extend its ass sfance still further. To turn to the more immediate topic of this Year Book: for a variety of reasons we are going to press a little earher than usual this year, and, as a result, comparatively little of this term ' s activity can be reported. We apologise for this, but, at the mo- ment, we can see no remedy. This year the editor is glad to acknowledge more help from the boys of the School. But boys cannot be aroused to the busines of writing, until it is already time to go to press, when the harassed editor pleads that he cannot possibly be ready in time, and that he must have assistance. If only contributors would not be so modest in volunteering their efforts, there would not be such a rush at the last minute. The articles contributed by boys are pre- sented as they were written, with only the necessary correction of spelHng and punctuation. There is, after alf, little to be said for encouraging contributors to c er their efforts and accepting what they write, and then altering things to such an extent that the work is unrecognisable by its author. The present tendency is a great improvement on the days when the Year Book was the work solely of the editor and his colleagues on the Staff.

Page 9 text:

7 Old Boys of Saltus. The U.S. Consul General and Mrs. Beck graciously lent the r patronage. During the year we have had a number of talks. Those on the progress of the war are dealt with elsewhere in thi s book. In ad- dition we have heard the following: Mr. E. LaM. Stowell, formerly Superintendent of Education in the State of Kedah. Malaya, told us about life in Malaya in general, and his own job in particular. In view of the attention that has recentlv been focussed on Singapore this talk was most illuminating Then we were visited by Mr. R. Young of St. Dunstan ' s. He was blind himself, as the result of injuries sustained in the last war. and his own ease and cheerful self-confidence vividly illustrated all that he said of the work done by St. Dunstan ' s to enable men. shattered by the loss of their sight, to recover their orientation and become Contented and useful workers again. More recently Mr. Hugh Ruttledge described the expedition which he led in 1933 in an attempt to reach the top of Mount Everest. His lecture was illustrated with a cinematograph record of the journev. but what chiefly impressed us was the fact that he plainly regarded the attempt as an almost religious experience. The isolation from the world with all its pettiness, the severity of the physical test and the obvious insignificance of mere Man in the face of nature at its most majestic, all combined to give him a secret desire in the depths of his heart that Everest might never be conquered and its mystery laid bare. At the beginning of the Easter term the annual Art Exhibition was held. Ball ' s cartoons and Petty ' s oil paintings attracted the most attention, and it was noticeable that the number of models is steadily increasing. In this class of work Rutherford, in particu- lar, excelled. Some time ago Frith ii made a number of cedar walking sticks and sold them for the War Fund. A letter was sent to the Prime Minister mentioning this, and Mr. Churchill replied by sending five shillings with a request for one of the sticks. Once or twice in the past there have been attempts to form a S G.S. Golf Club. This year it has really been functioning regu- larly at the Belmont Manor under the guidance of N. Trott. It has been decided to make an addition to the School premises. This is to be built east of the present building over the bicycle sheds. Considering the present shortage of good labour, we are a little uncertain when this is likely to be finished, but a beginning has been made and quantities of stone have already made their appearance. Just before Easter the boys were asked to make kites for the B.W.A.F. entertainment. The materials were given them and they gave their labour. For days boys arrived at school bearing kites of all shapes and sizes, while the Science lab. was littered with boys