Messages

Winter Reunion

News and pictures from this year's Winter Reunion can be found here .

Death of Joe Doyle

It is with a sense of great sadness that I announce (at the request of Joe’s widow, Kay) the death in York District Hospital on 12/08/2012 of Joseph Alwyn Doyle.  Joe was the art master at Drax for many years before moving to Selby College. He held the school in a special place in his heart,and recalled his days there as the happiest of his life.

His art room was the old village primary school on Drax main road, and I am sure that many old Draxonians will remember Joe with affection.

Ian Henderson

(Science teacher at Drax 1964 -68)

Rugby team photo (bottom of page)

I think the photo from Moggi, who was a 4th former at the time was taken in the year 1980-1981. The reason I say this is because a day boy called Salter is in the background and this chap was great at Cross Country as well as Rugby. A true sports all rounder. Well if you are going to get milled in a scrum you have to run like hell to beat the opponent! The photo was taken at Drax which you will already know. I have no idea who we were playing at the time. I hope this helps.

Alistair Baugh

Richard ‘Tash’ Atkinson

Old Draxonians circa 1962-1992 will remember French teacher Richard ‘Tash’ Atkinson who became deputy head and acting head during the Moloney era. Now suffering from Alzheimer’s, he has allowed me to collate and publish a small volume of poems written mainly after he retired. Some refer to his time at Drax, others to the minutiae of everyday life. Imagine Pam Ayres crossed with a grumpy old man!

Idle Mac’s Doggerel Bank is available on Kindle or in paperback. The paperback can be ordered from amazon.com or from Colin Tones at clntnes@gmail.com (£5.99 incl p&p)

Cheers

Colin

Death of Mrs Sarah Henderson

The school has been informed of the recent death of Mrs Sarah Henderson, widow of Peter Henderson, who was Headmaster at the school from 1963-1972/3.

Mrs Henderson moved to Drax with Peter when he took up his post as Headmaster. At Drax she served on church committees and as a school governor at Snaith School, becoming a Rural District Councillor, and was instrumental in getting street lamps in the village.

Contemporaries at Read School and those who taught whilst Peter was Headmaster included: Terry Dye, Joe Doyle (Art Master), John Pearson (Head of the junior school then called Westfield), Ted Hutchinson, (school gardener) with whom Sarah worked closely on the grounds and garden and whose love of plants she shared; Walter Jackson, Ray Cole, and Mr Tones and Mr Christopher.

In the village at the time and who became long standing friends: Isabel Turner (now Settle), the Thompsons at Scurffe Hall farm, Bob Strickland, Rene Cooper (cleaner at the school), Mrs and Mrs Shann, the vicar of Drax at the time, Guy Fothergill and family.

Both Sarah and Peter were greatly involved in the life of St Peter and Paul church, as members of the congregration and church council as well as part of Read School’s close links with the church. They maintained friendships from both the village and the school for many years long.

The family moved to Scarborough in 1973, when Peter moved to Bramcote Prep School.

Both Sarah and Peter moved to the Rambla Nursing Home in Scarborough in 2002, where Peter died in 2003,

We are grateful to Anne Henderson for the information and send condolences to the family in their loss.

Rugby team photo

10.12.2009

Mr Masoud Ghorbani has asked that this photo be displayed on the site but hasn’t given a date as to when it might have been taken. Any ideas?