Page 40 - The Old Ratcliffian 2015 Magazine

40 OLD RATCLIFFIAN NEWS
great energy and initiative here, and I am
convinced that we can find a good way
ahead. It is good to be back in the North,
even though it is the other side of the
Pennines from my family roots. Missing
London? Not so much. I miss the people,
but a change is good. This summer, I have
done a good deal of travelling. As Chair
of CAFOD’s Trustees, I went in August
to Zambia and Zimbabwe to visit CAFOD
partners and to see various projects.
In September, I spent two weeks in
Myanmar, giving retreats to priests and
seminarians. Although so very different,
these young churches have an energy
to be celebrated. They are growing fast.
They still represent small minorities, but
provide schools and clinics that are so
vitally important for all. What a privilege
it is to see how the work of missionary
priests and nuns has flourished; we have
much to learn from their commitment.”
Bishop John Arnold (71)
Sam Coulton (12): “Since leaving Ratcliffe,
I have experienced three transformative
years (and far too many sleepless nights!)
at the Bartlett School of Architecture
at University College London. Life has
changed in many ways; a world of new
friends and connections has opened up,
and I (somehow) managed to graduate
with a First Class Honours degree. I am
now employed at Rogers Stirk Harbour
and Partners, the architects behind (and
soon to be tenants of) the ‘Cheesegrater’.
I am excited to be working in the City, but
leaving our current office atop the River
Cafe will definitely embitter the 80mph
scenic lift ride up to the office. Now in my moral of the story is to go out and have
fourth year of grappling with the horror
that is the London rental market, I find
myself living with a fellow Old Ratcliffian,
Felicity Norris (12), in Camden Town.
For those that know her, it won’t be a
surprise to hear that she is an appalling
housemate, so our other four cohabitants
provide welcome distraction. Keeping in
contact with the people I spent so much
time with before leaving school is one of
life’s great pleasures, and I am proud to
say that we try and meet up frequently.
Register online at www.ratcliffianassociation.co.uk
However, there are some old friends who
I would love to catch up with, but I have
not been fortunate enough to do so, so
please don’t hesitate to get in touch.”
Stan Collins (03): “During my years at
Ratcliffe, I fell in love with the sports on representing dentistry. It is not all work,
offer, as well as the Drama classes, and
I was lucky enough to have some really
inspirational teachers. However, not being
great at learning lines and not being able
to run much faster than a herd of turtles
going up a hill made me realise that I was
going to have to get creative if I wanted to dentistry into photography, where I have
pursue a career in this area! At school, my
sports teacher taught me to juggle; two
was easy, three took me a few days, four
took several months, and after a good
year’s hard work, I could juggle five. Once
I’d got that far, I started to experiment;
to everyone’s horror, I used a lighter and
fuel to set my juggling props on fire! But
could throwing things up in the air, even
if they were on fire, make me money?
Well, as it turned out, it could. A few
burns and some scorched arm hair later, I
got offered a job as a fire-eater! (Yes, you Felicity Bainbridge (06): “A lot has
heard right - that is, apparently, a real
job.) My first day was spent performing
in front of two thousand people whilst I
had fire breathed over my head. I’m not
sure who was more scared – me or the
audience! After a few months, I went on
to learn to stilt-walk, eat fire and snake
charm, doing shows all over the country.
That led me on to work in America as a
flying trapeze instructor and eventually
helping to set up an entertainment
company with my friend. I still can’t run
and I still can’t remember lines, but the
fun in what you do - who knows where it
might lead you?!”
Stan Collins (03)
Damien Walmsley (76): “I am Professor
of Restorative Dentistry at the University
of Birmingham; I have many roles
in the dental school and university,
from teaching undergraduate and
postgraduate students to research on
dental instruments. It is in my external
roles where Old Ratcliffians may have
seen me in action. I have been President
of the Association of Dental Education
in Europe, and this has involved travel
to many different parts of the world
though, as you can see (below). At home,
I am the Scientific Advisor to the British
Dental Association and I am quoted
in national media outlets, including
newspapers, magazines, radio and
television. My influence extends outside
had many of my photographs published,
both on television and in magazines.
Living in Knowle, Solihull, I am married
to Sandy, who runs a regional team on
respiratory nursing, and we have three
daughters and one granddaughter. I am
always meeting Old Ratcliffians in both
my work and hobbies, and I am happy to
meet up with anyone reading this as well.”
Damien Walmsley (76)
happened over the past year! In
December, I was promoted to Senior
Consultant in Capgemini Consulting’s
Business Model Transformation
practice, working on Financial Services
engagements in Programme Management
and Change. In June, after almost five
years in consulting, I decided to take the
plunge into industry, and was offered a
position at Citibank as a Vice President
in Programme Management within their
Global Investor Services division. I’ve
been here for a few months now and
am very much enjoying the role, the
team, and the new challenges. This is in
addition to having my own desk and not
living in hotels every week - a total rarity
in consulting! My brother, Freddie (08),
has just started his final year of medical
school and is due to qualify in June
next year. He will be off to Zanzibar in
January for his elective placement, before
returning for his finals and, hopefully,
becoming a doctor! My youngest brother,
William (12), graduated from the
University of Birmingham with a 2:1 in