Issue 11 – The Corinthian Online

Issue 11, The Corinthian 2021

Feature Articles

MARC KOSKA: INVENTOR OF THE NON-REUSABLE K1 AUTO-DISABLE SYRINGE

OLD STOICS ON THE FRONT LINE

REWILDING

WHAT DOES SUSTAINABILITY MEAN FOR TODAY’S WORLD?

THE ATLANTIC HOTEL TURNS 50!

STOWE PARISH CHURCH BAPTISMAL ROLLS

Online Exclusives

CONUNDRUM

AN OLD SCOTSMAN’S LOG FROM PERU

STOWE-X ROCK & BLUES SOCIETY

GREEN: IS IT TO BE, OR NOT TO BE?

THIS STUPENDOUS UNIVERSE

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Stowe Church Roof Appeal Update

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Appeal for the work on the Church. We have...

News from Stowe: Going Virtual

My ambition this year was to write an article without mentioning a particular virus that has turned our country and...

Sustainability at Stowe: Buildings and Water

A grand house like Stowe may at first not seem an obvious example of sustainability. Yet, when Sir Richard Temple...

From the Head

No one can pretend that 2020 was an easy year: the unwelcome appearance of a novel coronavirus in the early...

Versailles Redesigned

Before coronavirus turned the world upside down Miranda and I took our younger two children to see Versailles. I feel...

Starting our journey to net zero

Let me start with a really simple definition. Sustainability focusses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the...

Old Stoic Benevolent Trust

Extra help for Old Stoics, where and when it is really needed Struggling as a result of Covid-19? Or having...

Porte Parole

Theatre for our time Annabel Soutar (Nugent 90) is an Old Stoic playwright, director, producer and founder of Porte Parole...

American Friends of Stowe

It is my pleasure to be writing, on behalf of the Board of American Friends of Stowe, to provide a...

The Roxburgh Society

The Roxburgh Society welcomes Old Stoics who have pledged to leave a legacy to Stowe in their Will and was...

Stowe Connect

2020 has been a year of ‘doing things differently’. It is up for debate whether these alternatives have been for...

Global OS

As with most other OS activities, it has been a tough year and for OS global events it has been...

View all articles

Bookshelf

Bookshelf

Welcome to the eleventh edition of The Corinthian – the magazine for Old Stoics.

This year has been a year like no other and unlike anything any of us could have imagined. We have all had to adapt the way we do things and how we think about the future. Even if we put Covid-19 aside, the Old Stoic Office has undergone significant change with Anna going on maternity leave and becoming the proud mummy of Antigone Wheeldon. Congratulations to Anna and Matt and welcome to the world Tiggy.

Her departure meant that Charlie Clare (Chatham 94) and I divided our time between our work in the Development Office and taking on the monumental task of trying to fill Anna’s shoes. Early on we came to the realisation that trying to emulate Anna was nigh-on impossible, so instead we would aim for making sure the Society was in a recognisable state when we hand back over to her on her return –fingers crossed!

The theme of this year’s magazine is sustainability, which could not be more apt for the past year. The three fundamentals of sustainability are economy, society and the environment – I think it is fair to say that all of these have been hit considerably hard through the pandemic. This, however, makes it all the more heart-warming and inspiring to hear what you, the Old Stoic Community, have been doing to ensure the future of our planet. Thank you for sharing your stories and thank you for all you are doing.

One thing that hasn’t changed this year is the overwhelming response to our request for content. Although we couldn’t fit everything into the printed edition, we have been able to share at Corinthian.online so do please look for the symbol that indicates there is more to read.

Thank you to all of you for submitting your news, articles and photos and thank you to everyone who has advertised and helped to support The Corinthian. I’d like to send a big thank you to Sasha Moss, Old Stoic Events Coordinator, not only has she taken on the thankless task of organising events with ever-changing restrictions, she has also shown patience, knowledge and support when guiding Charlie and I through a challenging year. My final thanks go to Charlie Clare and all those on the Old Stoic Committee who have been so supportive whilst I have been trying to find my feet in this role.

I hope you all enjoy reading this edition and I will end with Anna’s usual plea: in the busy world we live in it is essential we have your current email address so we can keep you up to date. If you are in any doubt, please email oldstoic@stowe.co.uk.

Arron Quainton

I started my last ‘Chair’s Welcome’ with “Well, what a year” and I think I’m going to start with the same phrase. What a year! Just as I felt I was getting my feet under the table, understanding the workings of the School and Governors better and looking forward to an exciting calendar of 2020 events, we found ourselves in lockdown, the School shut and the challenges and opportunities of working entirely remotely coming to the fore. The Society was also preparing for a takeover with our Director, Anna Semler, off on maternity leave from September. Tiggy arrived safe and well at the end of September and Anna and Matt are enjoying parenthood. So it was all change. Anna did a superb handover and Charlie and Arron morphed into OSS Director and Head of Communications-extraordinaires overnight.

Looking back over my second year as Chair I am gutted that we haven’t been able to build on the ‘challenge’ events planned, an improving OS Sailing team or the inaugural military dinner that was so well attended. The Alpine Club, whilst enjoying a few unofficial outings, is still yet to get going with lockdown restrictions scuppering plans for a Highland get-together in March. That said, the fly fishers have enjoyed meeting, the racing syndicate goes from strength to strength with an epic win for Bourbon Beauty under Harry Bannister and the football team and golfers have managed to work within the restrictions. The phoenix from the flames has been a nascent Cycling Club. I have no doubt that there is lots of pent-up enthusiasm for our programme of events, which we hope to be able to return to, in person, at some point during 2021.

Away from the sporting highlights our biggest achievement in the last year has been the launch of Stowe Connect. I will openly admit to being initially sceptical about another online social media platform to add to the many already available. However, since logging on and downloading the app, I have been really impressed by the opportunity it has given both the Society and individual Members to connect with each other. It helps the OS Office from an administration perspective – helping connect mentors and mentees for example – and on managing our communications with you all. It also gives you the chance to connect with each other away from OS events. As ever, there is always room for improvement. All I ask is that you log in and use it, post, enjoy the content and provide feedback on how we can make it better. Whilst I cannot wait to get back to face-to-face events this has, without doubt, been a good time to launch an online platform. Thank you Anna, for your foresight and hard work on this and to Arron for taking it forwards and integrating it into our day-to-day work.

The other good thing about the pandemic is that it has created a bit more time (why on earth did anyone think that commuting was a good thing?) and a slower pace of life. I found all the time a little unsettling at first but, in the many hours that I have saved not travelling, I have been able to do more work on centenary plans for 2023, trying to help push forward with improving the merchandising offer with the School and the centenary photography project. I am also thrilled to see the tremendous Change 100 project move from the inception to launch phase and would encourage you all to support this epic fundraising effort and create more opportunities for disadvantaged children to have access to a Stowe education.

On a personal note, I was incredibly sad to hear of Jeremy Nichols’ passing away in August, as were many of you who knew him. As my Headmaster I found him both stern and engaging in equal measure. He had the respect of his pupils, parents and teachers and a supportive family who were an integral part of the Stowe community. We have been in touch with his family and we intend to hold a memorial service in the School Chapel when restrictions allow.

A big thank you to the OS Office for their support and hard work this year. Anna has left a large, hopefully temporary, hole which Sasha, Charlie and Arron have worked hard to fill. And to the Committee who always give their time so freely and enthusiastically. Thanks also to those at the School and on the Governing Body who have been supportive of what the Society is trying to achieve. Centenary plans are progressing well and we are brimming with energy to deliver the programme of events to allow you all to meet, socialise and enjoy time together again.

As I enter my final year of Chair, I want to briefly hark back to my themes of Centenary, Commercial, Charity, Careers and Challenges. The centenary plans are moving ahead at pace under the watchful eye of Luke Chauveau who takes over from me as Chair at the end of 2021. Commercial has been a patient to Covid-19 but Jonathan Keating and I hope to move forward again once restrictions lift alongside a special centenary offer including limited edition prints from the photographic project. The careers offer has really been lifted by the Stowe Connect platform with over 750 offers of mentoring available and nearly 50 careers-advice films for both Stoics and OSS members to view. On the challenges front we have, once again, been limited by Covid, but have been encouraging everyone to join the OSS Strava Group and participate in the likes of ‘Winter Walkies’ and the Thames Hare & Hound virtual alumni race at the end of the year. Please do join us.

As always if there is any feedback you have then please send it to any of the Committee or the OS Office: we really do welcome it and are constantly striving to improve what we do. Please also check that we have your latest contact details and that these are up to date on the Stowe Connect platform which will become increasingly prolific in our communications.

Wishing you all the best for a happy, healthy and productive 2021.

Hannah Durden (Nugent 01)
Old Stoic Society Chair