BAFPA
Battle Abbey Former Pupils Association keeps former pupils in touch with each other and the school. A Founders' Day service is held every year on the first Saturday in October in St. Mary’s Church, Battle, followed by tea in the Abbey. Archive photographs are on display in the library on this occasion and the whole photographic archive is available on the school computer network.
Battle Abbey School Founders' Day 2009 started off in suitably auspicious fashion with Mr. Ted Westnedge, the first Chairman of Governors, cutting the red ribbon and officially opening the new boarding facilities. Guest of Honour Mr. Martin Jacoby attended war time classes at the school and recounted some fascinating war time experiences.
Martin talked about the nature of feelings related to the school by both current and former pupils and how feelings colour and influence how we react and interact in the day to day world. He stated ‘We must keep faith in our ability to understand, to learn everyday and improve everyday.’
In October 2008 leading University College of London geneticist Dr. Siobhan Sen Gupta (main picture), a boarder at Battle Abbey School in the 80’s, was the Guest of Honour at the School’s annual Founders' Day Service.
In welcoming everyone to the Service, Headmaster Roger Clark reminded those attending that this annual service honoured Mrs. Mary C. Jacoby and Miss Helen Sheehan-Dare who had founded Battle Abbey School in 1912, as well as all those who had since contributed to the School. “We are also honoured to welcome to the School today Diana Griffiths, now aged 92, who had attended the School in the early 1930’s, and who was a Battle Abbey pupil at the time of the Great Fire in 1931.” Added Mr. Clark “At Battle Abbey School, we work every day to reinforce those human Christian values which have been handed down through generations by our Founders.”
As a boarder at Battle Abbey School over 20 years ago. Guest of Honour Dr. Sen Gupta still cherished so many memories of aspects of her boarding-life at the School. Its very special history and traditions remained with her like the roots of a tree. She particularly remembered the words which remain in the School’s main entrance to this day:
“I shall pass this way only once, any good thing that I can do, or any kindness that I can show any human being LET ME DO IT NOW and not defer it as I shall not pass this way again”
During her time at the School, her boarding family came from 5 continents “a bountiful cargo of cultural diversity”. Dr. Sen Gupta felt that a respect for the foundations of the past makes for a harmony with our present, enabling us to adapt to the challenges of the future. In her view, Battle Abbey School, in particular, was so “well-balanced on the tightrope of life”.
In October 2007, George Gigauri who left in 1999 gave the tribute jointly with his brother David (both pictured here with Mr Clark in the second picture across), who left BA a year later. They recalled in a most amusing fashion how they had arrived in a totally unfamiliar world – a real culture shock, because everything was so new and unusual and such a contrast having come from what at the time was a Soviet Georgia, with large pictures of Stalin in the classrooms, lessons about the bright future of communism and a compulsory membership of all pupils in the Lenin Youth.
What they emphasized was how special the School has been to them. George, after studying at Warwick and Oxford, is now a Project Manager for the International Organisation for Migration, previously in Moldova, now in Kiev, Ukraine, and recalled how his boss had come into his office wanting to know why he was asking for time off work to go all the way across Europe just for a school’s Founders' day. “It must be a very special place” he said. He flew over for the weekend. David, who had also flown in for the weekend from New York where he was studying for part of his masters at LSE, felt that most of the people he had met do not normally share the same passion about their school and both concluded that it’s the atmosphere that the school creates, which forms a great sense of belonging and truly life long relationships.
In October 2006 Lorna Powne, nee Sheehan-Dare (bottom right), niece of the two Founding ladies, gave the Tribute on Founders Day. Lorna was at Battle Abbey from 1936 until 1946 although from 1940 until 1945 she was evacuated with the School to Killerton Park in Devon. She spoke with great affection about her aunts, May Jacoby and Helen Sheehan-Dare and of how they ensured that the School would have a warm, homely and caring family atmosphere where every individual counted and was to be treated with courtesy. Also of their vision and innovativeness in introducing the Dalton Assignment System which encouraged independence from direct teaching and helped to foster curiosity and self-sufficiency. Mindful of the 18th-century writer who said, “Education is what remains when the things we have learned have been forgotten”, Lorna concluded by saying “Learning fills us in, education draws us out. I am forever grateful to my two aunts for not only helping me to acquire necessary skills but, more importantly, to develop standards and precepts which have helped me through life, whether in the bringing up of my own family or in the teaching and guiding of others.”
In October 2005 the tribute was given by Dr. Christopher Wheeler (pictured bottom centre with Mr. Clark, the school guardians and the school banner) - the first tribute from an Old Boy! Chris joined the school in 1991 and rose to be Head of St, Mary's. His first degree was in mathematics but he gained his doctorate in 2005 having studied Quantum Chaos. He now works for Barclays.
The other photos show Miss Parker with Mr and Mrs Clark, and Lunch on Founders' Day.
In October 2004 the tribute to the school was made by Sarah and Hannah Mercer (pictured top right holding flowers), who both attributed their success as career women to the grounding received at the Abbey. Sarah was at the school during the 1980s and is a very successful freelance translator, having specialised in legal work in German. Hannah, who joined in the late 80s and left in 1995, studied accountancy at University but is now a professional actress.
In October 2003 the guest speaker was Monica Steward (pictured top left), who retired as Deputy Head after 31years service. Many former pupils and staff returned to Battle Abbey and had a great time catching up on their news and reliving old memories! In the picture on this page Monica is photographed with Miss Parker, Mr. Teall and Mr. Clark, the three Head teachers she served with during her long career at the school. Until 2007 she taught A level German two mornings a week but has now retired although she still runs the Former Pupils’ Association.
A newsletter is published annually in late summer with news of former Pupils. This is available together with the glossy School magazine at a cost of £5.00 per year. Please call the school office if you would like a copy on 01424 772385.
For further information regarding BAFPA, please contact the School Secretary on 01424 772385 or click here to e-mail BAFPA.