St Bees Memories from Anthony C. Payne (M 67-01).

“Those of you who have been working as schoolmasters and mistresses will know that if you work at a small independent school you are likely to carry out a variety of roles. I certainly did not expect when I arrived at St Bees in September 1967 to teach German and French that I would be retiring from there thirty four years later, having at various times been a House Tutor, run the O level and GCSE examinations, written the timetable, organised speakers for the Travel and Copeland Societies (remember them?) and for the morning assemblies, run the school quiz team, sung in the choir and trod the boards in Gilbert and Sullivan, played in the orchestra and ended up as Head of Modern Languages, Commanding Officer of the CCF and President of the Common Room.

Not that I was an exception - any of my colleagues would be able to put together a similar list.

Many are the memories which made my time there worthwhile, but of all the activities in which I took part, the one which I remember with the greatest pleasure was the choir and orchestra tour, of which I organised eight or nine to the Rhineland and one to Prague.

The impetus for these came from Frank Bowler, who became Head of Music after the death of Brian Howard, and from Hugh Turpin, who succeeded him. I became involved as I spoke German, sang and was not bad at organising.

I realised that it was my task to deliver us to our various venues on time and in good shape, and to enable the pupils to experience various aspects of Germany, while Messrs Bowler, Turpin and Shirt were responsible for the musical side of things.

Particular memories? 

• Arriving at the delightful spa of Bad Bertrich and walking into the impressive Marble Hall where we were to sing and hearing a stunned voice saying: ‘Are we singing in here, sir?’ 
  
  
• Being asked by one of the pupils in a girls’ school near Bonn if the choir would sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to one of their teachers as a surprise, and hearing the windows vibrate with the girls’ enthusiastic reaction when we did.
  
  
• Giving a concert on a Rhine steamer, competing with the ship’s tannoy as it played a German folk-song as we passed the Lorelei Rock.
  
  
• After one concert, having my arm grasped firmly by an enthusiastic lady who said: ‘Das war eine himmlische Stunde!’ (‘That was an heavenly hour!’)
  
  
• Explaining to a police officer, who was actually at fault after an impatient driver had hit our coach as he tried a sneaky bit of overtaking.
  
  
• Being told by one of our hoteliers: ‘Your school is the best ambassador for your country’.
  
  
• After teaching myself some Czech for our trip to Prague, finding that not only did our audiences understand my commentary but they even laughed at my jokes. And then, during our concert at a senior citizens’ home, being talked to at length by a lady who assumed that I was fluent in Czech, hoping my facial expressions matched what she was telling me!
  
  
• Also in Prague, listening to Will Alp on several occasions giving a five-minute off-the-cuff history lecture about an important aspect of what we were looking at.
  
  
• Most of all - hearing some of my pupils try out their German, discovering that not only did people understand these curious words when they said them, but they actually understood the answer!

I hope that those of you who came on the trips have similar memories!”

 

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