Page 47 - Old Ratcliffian Magazine 2019

Caitlin Sheehy (12) graduated from the Ratcliffe after the Sixth Form, we went and experiences of one of the world’s most
University of Manchester in July 2019, on a road trip around Germany in an old renowned and well-respected experts
after completing her degree in Medicine Volvo, and we always had our hopes set on in bilingualism. François Grosjean takes
with European Studies. After six years something bigger. We’d been discussing us through his life, from his monolingual
of study, including spending her final the Mongol Rally for years as something we childhood in a small village outside Paris
semester working in a hospital in Lyon and all wanted to take part in, so we decided to the long periods of time he spent in
gaining a Master’s degree in Public Health, that we should get on with it while we Switzerland, England, France, and the OR NEWS
she is now working at Southmead Hospital still had the chance! With the help of local United States, becoming bilingual and
in Bristol. In the summer of 2019, having sponsors, we’ve raised over £3,800 so far bicultural in the process. During his life,
helped to organise a health outreach for charity.” his dominant language has changed many
project in Northern Uganda in 2016 and times between English and French, and
as a former member of the student Global he has also acquired, and subsequently
Health Society committee, Caitlin led a lost, other languages, including American
team of doctors and medical students Sign Language. Throughout the book,
from the University of Manchester to he combines his personal accounts
study, educate and treat children living and anecdotes with insights from, and
with schistosomiasis (a parasitic disease) reflections on, his extensive scholarly
in Madagascar. research in bilingualism and biculturalism,
which has, in turn, been heavily influenced
Fr Charles Sormany (48) recently by his own experiences. Written in an
celebrated his 90th birthday. He was a engaging and accessible style, the book
teacher of Chemistry at Ratcliffe in the will appeal to general readers interested
1950s, after studying there from 1945 to in bilingualism and language contact,
1948. Members of the Parish of St Mary’s educators and parents of bilingual children,
Church in Loughborough created and researchers working on bilingualism, and
presented him with a special card at his Geoff Orrill (58): “I am still happy working to bilinguals themselves.’”
birthday Mass, and a party was held for part-time, which keeps me and my brain
him at the Gentili House in Rugby. quite active! I also still enjoy singing and
performing at our highly rated amateur
theatre in Hinckley (they won’t let me
retire), where, last year, our group were
voted ‘Best Amateur Show’ in the whole
of the Midlands and the North for our
production of Made in Dagenham. This
followed on from our success in 2017,
winning a trophy for Sister Act, in which I
played the Pope – a cracking cameo role!”

Each year, friends from the Class of
1998 get together for a sailing weekend.
Adrian Fidler is pictured at the helm with
Ben Court, husband of Alison Court (née
Jack Harvey (08): “Recently, Peter Batty Mason). Sam Bird, Dom Brucciani, Andrew
(08), James Perry (08) and I took on Espinasse, Hemal Patel, Rob Hull and Carl
the Mongol Rally and completed it in Pastars, husband of Maria Pastars (née De
53 days. The rally has been described Rienzo) were all part of the on-board crew.
as ‘the greatest motoring adventure
on the planet’, travelling ‘a third of the Ratcliffian Association Secretary Katherine
way around the world in a vehicle only Lang completed the London Landmarks
fit for the scrapheap!’. We started our Half Marathon in March, in memory of her
epic journey in Prague and finished it in dad, Paul Murphy (67), raising £1,400 for
Ulan-Ude in Russia, taking the southern Prostate Cancer UK.
route and travelling through Iran, ‘The
Stans’, Mongolia, and ending in Siberia. François Grosjean (64): “My autobiography
We travelled over 12,000 miles in a 1997 has just come out, and there is a whole
1-litre Volkswagen Polo. We camped chapter on my time at Ratcliffe. Here is
when it was remote, but stayed in hotels how Oxford University Press, my publisher,
and hostels when we could. When we left describes it: ‘This book explores the life

The Old Ratcliffian 2019 47