PenDragon - the official magazine of Lyford Cay International School PenDragon Vol 3, Spring 2017 | Page 20

Alumni
ALUMNI NOTES
AN INTERVIEW WITH
SIMON TOWNEND
On Founders Day in 2015, LCIS started
a tradition to connect alumni families
with the school by planting a tree in their
honour and creating the Alumni Parent
garden. This year, LCIS welcomed a
new honoree to a very special group of
families who have a long history with
the school.
(1973-75)
Member of the Board of Directors and Chair
of the Project Finance Committeee at LCIS
HOW DID YOUR FAMILY END UP IN THE BAHAMAS?
My parents, both from England, met and married in The
Bahamas in the 1960s, and my sister and I were born
in Nassau. I was very fortunate to attend Lyford Cay
School from 1973 to 1975.
Katrina Cole (née Montgomery) who
attended LCIS from 1974-80, received a
plaque from her son, Montgomery Cole,
who joined Junior Pre-K this year and
planted a lignum vitae, the tree of life
and the national tree of The Bahamas,
in the garden.
In 1975, we left The Bahamas. While we returned some
years later, I finished my education in England at
Charterhouse boarding school and Bristol University.
When I graduated from Bristol in 1991, I joined KPMG
in the UK and in 1995 accepted a job with KPMG in The
Bahamas. I moved back with my wife, Jacqueline, as we
were married a month prior.
WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF YOUR CAREER TODAY?
In 2003, I became a partner of KPMG. KPMG is a global
“Lyford Lyfers”
All senior students who have attended Lyford Cay International School for all of their years of school are affectionately and respectfully
known as “Lyford Lyfers.” The growing list of Lyfers is a testament to the school’s vision and growth as an educational institution,
committed to developing the full child through all stages of their educational career.
Eduardo Vazquez - Class of 2006
Jordan Kemp, Fritz Stubbs, Natascha Vazquez - Class of 2008
Alexis Roberts - Class of 2010
Samuel Jennings - Class of 2011
Francesca Curry, Daniel Jennings, Marissa Maura - Class of 2012
Gerrick Farquharson - Class of 2013
LeeAnn Azzara - Class of 2014
Sean Blyden, Patrick Colle - Class of 2015
Gabrielle Hollaender - Class of 2016
Channing Thomas, James Claridge - Class of 2017
firm with 188 thousand employees in 152 countries and
$25 billion in revenue. I sit on the Europe, Middle East and
Africa advisory steering committee for the firm. In The
Bahamas, we have 80 staff, and I lead KPMG’s Advisory
practice. I am also Head of Advisory for a group of 16
KPMG country offices.
In addition to my work life, I serve as a Council member,
and Honorary Treasurer of the Bahamas National Trust,
which is mandated with the protection of 32 national
parks in The Bahamas, with over 2 million acres of
marine and land-based biodiversity. And, I sit on the
Board of LCIS.
HOW HAS LCIS REMAINED A PART OF YOUR
FAMILY’S LIFE OVER THE YEARS?
While I have not always lived in The Bahamas, one
constant in my life has been LCIS. I have very fond
memories of my days at
LCIS, which in 1973 was a
much smaller, 10 year old
school of less than 100 students,
with only a couple of school
buildings, in a very new real estate development.
My sister also attended the school from 1981 to 1984,
by which time the school had grown to about 150
students. My father, Peter Townend, was a Board
member and Treasurer during the time my sister
attended the school, and he has some fascinating
tales to tell about the school’s relative infancy and the
many challenges to its survival back then.
My son Oliver, 14, and my daughter Sasha, 10, were
both born in The Bahamas, and they have attended
LCIS since they were both 3 years old.
I was invited to join the Finance Committee of LCIS
in 2013 and am proud to have served on the Board of
Directors since the 2014-15 school year, just like my
father did many years ago.
The values of the school, including open-mindedness
and respect for others, positive communication
and a safe, friendly, supportive community in which
opinions and cultural backgrounds of all individuals
are respected, were there from the beginning. I
believe that my first formative years at LCIS were very
instrumental in building the values that I have applied
in my later education, work, community and family life.
WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF YOUR DAYS
AS A SCHOOLBOY AT LYFORD CAY SCHOOL?
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For the kids who may read this, I think teachers
were even stricter when I was at the school. I have
memories of the headmistress when I was there, Mrs
Millar, a wonderful lady, who expected the highest
standards of her students. At the start of school, we
would be lined up and she would inspect our nails and
behind our ears to ensure they were clean, and our
shoes to ensure they were polished to the appropriate
standard! We were in serious trouble if anything was
below standard, and I think our Mums and Dads were
even more terrified of us falling short of Mrs Millar’s
standards than we were!