Page 41 - Old Ratcliffian 2020 Edition

for Aisling Mitchell (née Murray) (92) and spent time in Dollis Hill in North London, packing cases and had a family weekend
Sebako Siame (91). Patrick Meredith (91), St Mary’s in Loughborough, and St Marie’s in the New Forest, followed by a week in
Paul Ferguson (91), Dan Bunnag (91), and the Sacred Heart, both in Rugby. The Gambia with friends to celebrate my
and Ciaran Murray (91) all made virtual He also spent fi ve years as Provincial in birthday (below), returning to a world that,
appearances from their corners of the our English and Welsh Province. Fr Ted within days, was in the grip of a pandemic.
world, despite the fact that Patrick is now has always valued community life, and Lockdown was a great opportunity to
living in New Zealand, with an 11-hour time even now, he lives with us at the Rosmini settle in, decorate, and make the most of OR NEWS
difference! 2021 marks 30 years since this Centre, while caring for the parishes of living in our Cotswold bubble!”
group left the school, and plans are already Birstall and Rothley. We wish him well.
afoot to celebrate this landmark occasion, Ad multos annos.”
however that may come to be!

Tony Gallagher (70) was delighted to fi nd
out that he is to be awarded a knighthood
in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours
list. He said that it was an “absolute
surprise” to be given the title of Knight
Bachelor for “services to land development
and the property business”. The offi cial
ceremony will take place at Buckingham
Palace, where he will meet the Queen,
in 2021. Tony lives in Chipping Norton,
Fr Ted Mullen (60) celebrated his 50th Oxfordshire, but he has strong links to
anniversary as a Rosminian priest with Coventry, Warwickshire, and Solihull. He is Stephen Moorhouse (68): “I went to
a special Mass, held at St Theresa’s in described as a British entrepreneur who, Portmeirion in the summer for a family
Birstall, on Friday 21st February. Marking over four decades, has built a huge land celebration. It was absolutely excellent.
50 years to the day of his ordination, development and commercial investments For me, of course, the special connection
the service was concelebrated by Fr Ted, portfolio, donated signifi cant sums to was Old Ratcliffi an Patrick McGoohan
Fr Provincial Chris Fuse, Fr Simon Giles charity and other worthy causes, and put (44), who fi lmed The Prisoner in this Welsh
(60), Fr David Tobin (59), and Fr Anthony in place the infrastructure to provide jobs location. He had great stature in the TV
Furlong, with a celebratory gathering held and homes for thousands of people. and fi lm industry, and he was held in high
afterwards. A particular highlight was the regard by many of his contemporaries,
presentation to Fr Ted of a scroll signed and those who followed him. Surprising
by Pope Francis, along with gifts from his to some, one of my favourite fi lms is
Birstall parishioners. Fr Anthony Meredith Braveheart, because it features Patrick
(57) recalled: “Fr Ted was ordained a priest McGoohan and Ian Bannen (46), both
in our house at Porta Latina in Rome, along ORs, as the opposing kings. They both
with several others, by Cardinal Wright of act everyone else off the screen. It’s a
Pittsburgh, USA. After his ordination, Fr great fi lm to inspire budding thespians
Ted spent 16 years pastorally involved at at the College.” A plaque dedicated to
Ratcliffe College; he was in charge of the Patrick McGoohan can be found in the
RAF section of the Cadet Force, supported Headmaster’s Corridor at Ratcliffe.
sports lessons (particularly athletics), and
he found time to teach Science. For the last
34 years, Fr Ted has worked in parishes, with
the exception of one year spent in Rome in
our International House of Studies. He has

Andrew Duffi eld (68) and Mark Leslie
(68) celebrated their 70th birthdays
this year. Andrew marked the occasion
with a family gathering in Manchester,
and instead of a planned trip to Rome
(cancelled, due to COVID-19), he spent
a few days down in Devon. Meanwhile,
Mark sent us this update: “We moved to
the Cotswolds at the end of February, to a
hamlet called Widford, a mile from Burford,
in the valley of the Windrush. Widford is,
rather appropriately, a ‘deserted medieval
village’ that was wiped out by the Black
Death. After moving in, we abandoned the
The Old Ratcliffi an 2020 41