Page 75 - Old Ratcliffian 2020 Edition

REMEMBERING FR ANTHONY

LESLIE SLACK IC

OLD RATCLIFFIAN 1953 – 1959 RATCLIFFE’S PAST

in ensuring that it was suitably stocked. He
also helped with, and subsequently ran, the
College’s Scout troop, climbing the ranks
of the Scouting community and ending up
as a deputy county commissioner.

As regards the community and the religious National Curriculum. Les told me, ‘Don’t
life of the College, Les was the minister let him get rid of you. What else can you
and then the vice-rector; he looked offer?’ I then taught some GCSE French
after the Chapel sacristy and trained the until Fr Tomlinson (52) took over the reins
altar servers; and, for most of his time at in 1991 and reinstated Latin.
Ratcliffe, he was chaplain to the Sisters
of St Joseph of Peace in Rearsby, which “Les had his fi rst heart operation not long
Fr Les Slack died in Guildford in 2016, only a involved saying daily Mass for them. after I started at Ratcliffe, and I taught his
few months after he had retired as a parish classes while he was ill. I think that helped
priest and gone to live at Derryswood Outside his religious life and College our friendship to develop, and I found him
in Surrey. He had spent nearly all of his duties, Les had several enthusiasms. One easier to talk to. From then on, his health
religious life in two houses – at Ratcliffe was railways; he liked nothing more on was never good and, as I lived only fi ve
from 1970, after a year as a curate at St days off than to go and explore some or six minutes from Glenfi eld Hospital, I
Peter’s in Cardiff, and in the rural parish forlorn, disused railway line, and he could visited him regularly when he was a patient.
of Whittlesey (near Peterborough) from wax eloquent about the joys of steam He never complained about his poor
2000 until his retirement in the summer of engines. On occasion, he was accompanied health, and he just got on with the myriad
2016. Although, amongst his family, he was by Common Room colleagues George of tasks that he did around the College.
known as Anthony, in the Order, he was Les Friendship and Jim Hibbert. He also We kept in touch when he moved to his
from the time he arrived at Wadhurst as a maintained a couple of motorbikes almost parish in Whittlesey, and he asked me to
novice in 1959; it was decided that, with to the end of his life, which gave him go to appointments with him at Glenfi eld
another Anthony in the house (Fr Anthony transport independence, somewhat envied Hospital, as he said that two heads were
Meredith (57)), it would be less confusing by other members of the community, who better than one. There were many of these
if he were called by his second name, Les. were restricted to sharing one or two cars and, while he was still driving to them, after
between as many as 16 of them. Les also the appointments, he often used to go to
Les was born in Manchester in 1940; he enjoyed playing bridge, and he was making the cash and carry that he had used when
was a boy at Ratcliffe from 1953 to 1959, arrangements to take it up again seriously stocking the Tuck Shop at Ratcliffe. He
and he left the College to go straight on to shortly before he died. thought the bacon there was better than
the Rosminian novitiate at Wadhurst. After anywhere else!”
completing his two-year novitiate and Very early on in his time at Ratcliffe, Les
taking his vows, he moved to Derryswood developed a connection with the parish of Les was scrupulous in his vocation, took
for his external London University Science St Jude in Whittlesey, providing a supply all the responsibilities of his priesthood
degree and for his Philosophy and for the parish priest there when he was very seriously, and was a loyal, steadfast
Theology studies, and he was ordained in away on his holidays. It was serendipity member of the Order. He was a much-
the summer of 1969. Within a year, he was that, in 1984, the Province took on three valued and supportive member of his own
decreed to Ratcliffe, where he was to stay parishes in the Diocese of East Anglia, one community, though in an unobtrusive way
for the next 30 years. of which was Whittlesey (combined with that he somehow made entirely his own.
Ramsey). Thus, when it was time for Les to He had a great (not to say, on occasion,
Les was that most valuable type of clerical move on from Ratcliffe, it was not diffi cult wicked) sense of humor. His list of jobs and
teacher – one much prized by the fi ve to fi nd him a place to minister, and he spent his enthusiasms somehow do not get to the
Father Presidents under whom he served. over 15 happy years in those fenland towns, core of the man, who might have seemed
At one stage or another, he was teaching supported by a devoted congregation. almost invisible to the casual observer,
either Chemistry, Religious Studies, or The parish suited him ideally, as it was not but who actually characterised so much
Latin, or a combination of two or more of particularly demanding, and Les’ health that was positive about the mission of the
them. He was also a Common Room Master was not all that good; he had had heart members of the Order in the College.
for much of the time, with stints in charge bypass surgery in late 1990.
of the Third Form (Year 9), the Fourth Form Les was brought back to Ratcliffe, where
(Year 10), and the Fifth Form (Year 11). Laraine Eccles worked with Les in his last he had spent almost half his lifetime, for
decade at Ratcliffe. She writes: “I met Les as burial in the community’s cemetery. May he
He ran the Tuck Shop for almost 20 years, soon as I started teaching Latin on a part- rest in peace.
presiding over proceedings and dispensing time basis at Ratcliffe in January 1990, as
stationery twice a day most days, assisted he taught some of the Latin classes. It was Br Nigel Cave (72)
by a string of dedicated pupils, who thanks to him that I remained at Ratcliffe
benefi tted from an early introduction into for almost 26 years. I had not been there Further memories of Fr Slack were
the world of retail business. He coached very long when Fr Hurdidge (40), Father provided by Clem Maginniss (74), Andrew
hockey for a period with, shall we say, President, called me to his study and told Coker (78), and Fr Anthony Meredith
carefully controlled enthusiasm. He oversaw me that I would not be required for the next (57) – these additions can be viewed
the Staff Bar with great effi ciency, not only academic year, as there would be no more on the Ratcliffi an Association website,
in producing bills for individuals, but also Latin taught, due to the constraints of the www.ratcliffi anassociation.co.uk.

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