Page 71 - Old Ratcliffian Magazine 2019

REMEMBERING MARK BUNCE (79)

Tragically, 40 years ago, the Ratcliffi an magazine reported that a member of the Upper Sixth, Mark Bunce, had died on 21st April
1979, following a road accident near his home. The article read: “His funeral took place at the Roman Catholic Church of St Francis in RATCLIFFE’S PAST
Halstead on Thursday 26th April. The parish priest, Fr President, Fr Waters and Fr Tobin, He admaster at Grace Dieu where Mark had
been Head Boy, concelebrated with Mark’s uncle, John the Abbot of the Cistercian
Monastery of Mount St Bernard in Charnwood Forest. After the very moving ceremony,
Mark was laid to rest in the churchyard of Sible Hedingham, onto which looks the
garden of his home. Members of the Upper Sixth were present at the funeral and acted
as bearers to the cemetery.”
The article went on to say: “These simple facts hide the profound shock and sadness
which was felt throughout the School at the news of Mark’s death, and especially in
the Sixth Form, of which he was a lively and extremely popular member; one who was
recognised as a personality in his own right, a member of the Sixth Form Council, and
an able organiser of social events which contributed much to Sixth Form life. He enjoyed
company, and others enjoyed being with him; they found him also a deep-thinking and
sensitive young man who cared about them. He was ready always to speak his mind,
especially if he felt an injustice might possibly be done. He is very deeply missed by many
of his contemporaries and friends who knew him best.”
In the obituary to Mark, an Upper Sixth Form student wrote: “It is hard to know what to write
about an 18-year old friend who was so tragically killed. The task is made all the more diffi cult
because of the person Mark was. All the members of the form will remember him as someone
who often had a smile on his face. He had a great sense of humour, but he also knew how
to be serious when he felt it was called for. Mark had a lot of time for people – he would not
turn anyone away from his room. We will all remember him for different reasons, but he was
probably best known for his hair, which gave him his commonly used nickname, ‘Fuzz’. Had
Fuzz lived, I’m sure he would have been a really fi ne person in all that he did. His tragic death
came as a great shock, and he is missed by us all.”

Mark’s classmate, Steve Clark (79), added: “Although I was not a close friend of Mark’s, I regarded myself
as a friend, as did so many other members of our year group; this goes such a way to explaining why his death
affected us all so deeply, and why we decided to mark his passing on our 40th anniversary of leaving Ratcliffe, as a
commemoration to him. Tim Wilson (79) drew a portrait of Mark (right), and this was made into a pin badge, which
we all wore with pride at our reunion, along with our curly wigs.”
Eric Ciambra (79) was one of Mark’s very close friends. He said: “As my parents lived abroad, Mark was kind
enough to invite me to his home for half-term on several occasions. He had a wonderful family, and that time we
spent together remains fondly in my memories and my heart. We had so much fun. Mark was a gentle giant. I don’t
think I ever heard him say anything negative or judgemental about anybody. He was a kind soul with a brilliant
sense of humour. Mark was also a very naturally gifted tennis player and golfer. I remember watching, in awe,
the grace of his golf swing, the distance he could hit the ball, and the obvious talent he had. I also noticed how
very humble he was when someone complimented his skills. I saw Mark pursuing a career as a professional golfer,
as he was so talented, but sadly, that was not meant to be. I still miss Mark today. He was a born optimist. I went, with the
other boys, to his funeral, which was very sad, and I have returned a couple of times to visit his grave and say hello to an old friend.”
Mark’s sister, Penelope Smith, is a Religious Studies teacher at Ratcliffe, and she joined Mark’s peers at the 2019 Reunion to celebrate
his life. You can read more about this event on pages 34 and 35.

The Old Ratcliffi an 2019 71