Page 35 - The Old Ratcliffian 2010

The Old Ratcliffan 2010 | Obituaries John Satterthwaite I first met John Satterthwaite when he came to teach Art at Grace Dieu in 1964. We were a class of twenty or so, installed in an improvised art room in the cellars somewhere under the present administration offices. Fr Bob Bell, the Headmaster, was keen to develop Art and other rather less obviously ‘academic’ activities. I seem to remember that his predecessor as Art teacher was a Dutchman, who went by the unlikely name of M. Martin (he doubled up as a French teacher) as his actual name was beyond the abilities of children – and probably the staff! There we sat in the cellars, the walls painted a pure white to offset the dungeon atmosphere. This young, tall, thin man, with a mass of uncontrolled curly hair, dressed to our eyes somewhat outlandishly, then proceeded to horrify us by painting the word ‘contrast’ on to these same pristine walls. Soon the art room was moved upstairs, to the old kitchens, where various tools of the trade appeared over the terms – amongst other things a pottery kiln, a horse’s skull, a gearbox. John was a tremendously enthusiastic teacher, with varying degrees of patience. His (friendly) terms of abuse further livened up what were already stimulating lessons. In addition to Art he also taught History; this gave opportunities for us to copy his beautifully drawn pictures from the blackboard – I particularly remember a New Model Army foot soldier. To encourage us to greater efforts he tempted us with a lesson on medieval torture methods – alas, something that never happened. To his Grace Dieu workload John soon added teaching at Ratcliffe. A minor subject when I got there in 1967, he rapidly made it an O Level and then an A Level subject (possibly the A Level came first) and expanded his kingdom. In due course this went on to History of Art and then other associated areas and finally he created a new empire for Art, Design and Technology, spending most of his summer holidays one year in the College, ensuring that all was up and running for the autumn term. John contributed much outside of the classroom: stage sets and props, understandably, took up much of his time. He was a keen outdoorsman and this was clearly shown to us when, on a Tuesday afternoon, a variety of ropes would appear on and between the Science and Shower Blocks as he took people through the delights of abseiling (Health and Safety would throw a wobbly if such a thing was tried now). He organised and led expeditions to his beloved Lake District and to the Peak District, often accompanying Fr Michael Waters’ groups to the Western Isles, for example. He led History of Art expeditions, becoming increasingly more adventurous as time went on, with trips to pre (and post) glasnost Moscow and Leningrad being particularly notable. The activities he engaged in at the College were, in reality, only one small part of John’s contribution to Ratcliffe. Amongst the community and staff he shared a wide circle of friends, some very close, along with the respect of all. He was a very loyal man and always willing to help in whatever circumstances. His concern for his pupils was also notable. Pupil relationships, especially with some of his Sixth Form students, could be stormy: he insisted on people producing to their ability, which could provide the odd sticky moment. However, whatever temporary difficulties there might be, his pupils did realise that he was working for them and not against them and that he sought to produce the best results of which they were capable: a tough task master who knew his students’ potential. John embodied action and involvement and living to the full. He was always good company – we in the Order were fortunate to have him come out to Rome on several occasions after his retirement to enjoy our hospitality there. He had had health issues from an early stage in his life but he chose to ignore these and engaged wholeheartedly in those things he truly enjoyed, especially the outdoors. John unfortunately lost his wife, Diane, at the time of his retirement; but at least he was consoled in his last years by his children, Rachel and Ben, both of whom made him immensely proud. John was buried along with his beloved Diane on a summer’s day in the community cemetery at Ratcliffe. There was a good congregation of his family, professional colleagues and past students to see him off. John’s great legacy, I think, will be not so much the department he established (which continues to produce students of a high calibre) or in the bricks and mortar that he developed, but rather in the lives that he touched, often in very different ways – those of his fellow members of the staff room and some forty years’ worth of students, of whom I feel very fortunate to have been one. Bro Nigel Cave (72) Register online www.ratcliffanassociation.co.uk