SOUNDBITES
Executive of the Careers Research and Advisory Centre in Cambridge where he remained for four years before setting up Public Administration International Ltd ( PAI ) where he was joint Managing Director until his retirement ten years ago . His work with PAI included oversight of development projects in Slovakia , Kosovo , North Macedonia , Sierra Leone , north Cyprus and Afghanistan . Donald ’ s interests include history ( especially military history ), aviation , diving shipwrecks ( although he says he is too old for that now !), vintage cars and motorcycles . One of his bikes which he still rides regularly is a Matchless that he bought soon after leaving Pocklington all those years ago . Donald and Geraldine live in Suffolk . They have three children and two grandchildren .
Julian Morgan ( 68-76 ) has released an intriguing new puzzle book called William Shakespeare Puzzles . To create this book , Julian immersed himself in the world of Shakespeare by reading every play and enjoying at least one performance of each , which he thoroughly enjoyed . The book features 100 puzzles of varying difficulty , ensuring there ’ s a challenge suitable for every puzzle enthusiast . This book is published by J-PROGS [ j-progs . com ].
Richard Patchett ( 64-74 ), after giving up pig farming in Holderness , made a big life change and went to Thailand , where he has been teaching for the past 25 years . He is in contact with only a few of his old school friends , but would love to hear from others , who he has not seen or spoken to since 1974 .
John Snelgrove ( 65-74 ) encouraged by the late Nigel Billington , went to art school and gained First Class honours in Graphic Design from St Martin ’ s School of Art , London . HIs subsequent career was spent in the film and video industry , first as an Animator , then as a Director and Producer in advertising and corporate films . He has now returned to HIs love of drawing and painting in his home in County Wicklow , Ireland .
Peter Watson ( 54-64 ) studied Graphic Design at Liverpool College of Art before beginning a career as an art teacher in secondary schools . However , Peter ’ s passion for painting never waned and he was eventually able to teach part-time and devote more time to his own painting . In the 1970s , the National Coal Board commissioned him to create 14 paintings of closing collieries in South Yorkshire . These paintings now reside in the National Mining Museum in Wakefield and are part of the National Collection . Peter ’ s interest in sports also led him to create paintings of various sporting venues , often to commemorate significant events or the leaving of an historic stadium . He is currently capturing the unique beauty of East Yorkshire landscapes , characterised by their vibrant colours and distinct patterns .
Stuart Welch ( 67-74 ) studied Law at the University of Liverpool and moved back to his native Lincolnshire where he qualified as a solicitor in 1980 . He is married with two sons , and four grandchildren . He specialised in commercial property beginning his career in a small solicitor ’ s firm in Lincoln , which over the years , experienced significant growth through both organic development and mergers , evolving into a large regional law practice with more than 40 partners and over 300 employees by the time he retired in 2015 . Following his retirement , Stuart became Head Guide at Lincoln Cathedral and extended his role further as a Lay Canon , a position he holds due to his status as a Trustee on the Cathedral ’ s governing body , known as the Chapter . Besides his commitment to the community , Stuart travels extensively and maintains an active lifestyle , continuing to ski and play tennis regularly . Whilst he also enjoys walking and cycling , he acknowledges that his competitive days in rugby , squash and cricket have come to an end ! His brother Tony Welch ( 65-72 ) is a retired interior designer and lives in Wakefield and has three children and six grandchildren .
David Wood ( 47-54 ) was pleased to meet fellow OP , David Guy ( 46-52 ), by pure chance at a ukelele concert in Wetherby in December 2023 . David W said “ The lady sitting next to me told me that her husband was one of the players . Her father was sitting in front of us and turned round to join in the conversation and recognised me as a fellow pupil and even remembered my name !” David G said , “ On turning round I uttered the password ‘ Virtute et Veritate ’ and so proof of identity was acknowledged !” David G is two months older than David W and was first at Wilberforce before moving to the main school .
We want your news !
Send news and updates to Rachel in the OP office
darer @ pocklingtonschool . com
1980 - 1989
After a career spent teaching history and politics , as well as serving as a housemaster , Michael Barraclough ( 82-87 ) has accepted a new appointment as the head of the Upper School at King ’ s Academy in Jordan . Mike sees himself as a traditional school master and in discussing his appointment is reported as saying : “ I bring 29 years of teaching , counselling , coaching and educational management in independent schools , all things that will inspire and instruct me as I support the staff and the students at King ’ s Academy .” Mike is excited about his new career opportunity , and should any other OPs be in the vicinity of Jordan , he would be keen to meet up . Contact can be made through the OP office .
David van der Burg ( 77-82 ) entered the legal profession a few years after leaving school , which is now his primary focus . He has achieved the honour of being elected as the first Green Party councillor on St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council , where he currently leads a team of six members .
Colin Bell ( 84-89 ) is Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Perenna Bank , an innovative digital bank which gained its full banking licence in 2023 and is set to revolutionise the UK mortgage market by offering flexible fixed rates for 20 to 40 years and beyond . Colin has over 25 years ’ experience in financial services , across both mortgage advice and lending . During his career , Colin also set up a mortgage lender for a US parent where he was CEO – Inter Bay – which he sold to J . C . Flowers & Co ., now part of One Savings Bank .
Matthew Durdy ( 79-84 ) is the Chief Executive of the technology and innovation institute known as the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult . After completing his studies at the University of Oxford , he gained experience in international investment banking . However , Matthew has always had a passion for biology and for the past 20 years , he has been making significant contributions to the field . He holds the roles of Vice Chair of the charity Parkinson ’ s UK and Chair for Parkinson ’ s Research Ventures .
Ralph Ineson ( 83-88 ) played the role of DI Morgan in a four-part crime thriller The Jetty which aired on BBC1 . Best known for his role as Chris Finch in The Office UK , he has appeared in several TV dramas including Playing the Field , Coronation Street , and Waterloo Road , as well as films such as The Witch , The Green Knight and Star Wars : The Last Jedi . Other roles of note are Dagmer Cleftjaw in Game of Thrones , and Amycus Carrow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , Part 1 and Part 2 .
Stefan Ludewig ( 81-86 ) has started a new role as an Incident and Problem Manager at Newcastle University . Stefan has extensive experience in the IT sector . He has a degree in Multimedia Technologies from Leeds Beckett University and a Masters in Telecommunication Engineering from UCL . He has held several IT management and leadership roles for companies in a range of sectors including 20 years at BT . In his spare time , he runs his own company , PhatDaddE , selling t-shirt designs .
35