Dacre Watson (SH 56-62) recently wrote to the Headmaster following a piece in the school’s September Newsletter. “I was impressed with the latest Newsletter and the ongoing connections with China. I know that there have been somewhat apprehensive comments on our connections with China, but I think that it is the way to go. Regimes change in attitudes and new leaders have new views on how to deal with the rest of the world. Hopefully, that will come sooner than later and to the benefit of St Bees. I applaud the school’s proposed visit to the Everest Base camp. Some thirty years ago I and a group of others walked across Tibet (as one does) from Katmandu to Lhasa via the Base Camp from which Mallory and Irving set off on their last attempt. I was born in Chile (3rd generation) and brought up in Bolivia and Chile, always living at the foot of and very near the Andes, indeed climbing a few of them, though nothing of a silly height. My father (also an OSB) and I spent many weekends simply walking in the mountains, and he bought me many books on the early attempts on Everest, so a trip there was a bit of a pilgrimage.

Dacre's Tibet Trip

My younger daughter spent a year after university teaching in China and loved it. Another OSB, long since dead, was the official photographer on the 1953 expedition and whose name was Tom Stobart; I was at school with his son, Pat, on School House. George Lowe, who was also on that expedition, became the Headmaster of my old school in Chile and was the first man to climb the Torres de Paine in Patagonia. A small world in so many ways.

Congratulations on what you have achieved at St Bees. You may not know it, but I was President of the Society when we had to close the school down in 2015. We formed a small team of Pam Rumney, David Lord and Tony Reeve, amongst others, to keep the Society and school buildings ticking over through the winter while a buyer was sought. There were, of course, many people involved in the re-opening (in particular: Mark George, Laurence Gribble and Peter Lever) but, in my opinion, it could not have been done without those first three I have mentioned. That the school is functioning so well is, to me, deeply humbling and thank you for doing so much for it. Just one last thing. You may be aware of it, but for the first time ever, Chile has a place in the Rugby World Cup this year; they have a tough job, of course (though they MIGHT beat England on present form) and I do not expect them to get past the first round. However, my father also played for Chile in 1935 and 1936; probably the only OSB to have played for that country. Enough nostalgia; a sure sign of old age, I fear.”

Chile V Argentina, 23rd September, 1935 Rugby team - Dacre Watson (DS 1919-1924) standing fourth from left

 

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The St Beghian Society    
St Bees School,    St Bees,    Cumbria,    CA27 0DS.

         Tel: (01946) 828093      Email: osb@stbeesschool.co.uk      Web: www.st-beghian-society.co.uk