THE WYKEHAM JOURNAL 2020
In front of Trant ’ s
All their stories are inspirational , and it ’ s been my privilege as Wykeham Correspondent of this year ’ s Journal to interview them . schools before he decided without any doubt that Winchester College was the one for him .
In future years we will no doubt record the extraordinary lives of Wykehamist girls . Their characteristics will no doubt be very similar to those of their male counterparts featured in the pages ahead . This year inevitably contains its own unique thread as COVID has woven its way into all their narratives . Three of our interviewees found themselves at the frontline in the fight against the pandemic . Professor Paul Elkington invented an NHS respirator with the help of a Formula 1 racing team . General Sir Nick Carter ’ s troops built emergency Nightingale hospitals , each within ten days . And a set of extraordinary circumstances led Undermaster , Dr John Cullerne , to acquire cutting edge COVID-testing machines , which helped the school re-open in November and again this year .
There are exceptional stories too from Oliver Goodall , a budding astrophysicist , and archaeologist Amy Bunce who worked through the first lockdown making an extraordinary discovery during the demolition of the old swimming pool . All their stories are inspirational and it ’ s been my privilege as Wykeham Correspondent of this year ’ s Wykeham Journal to interview them .
It ’ s kept me on my toes to have my son Chris Matthews , a journalist , helping me . COVID has been challenging for young people like him and Oliver . Chris has now secured his first job as a Trainee Reporter at MailOnline , but missed his last months at university and Oliver the last few months of school — they have been studying online , and in Chris ’ s case doing exams online as well .
Exams though , are not everything . General Carter explains in his interview he was ‘ not academic ’ and is a ‘ non-graduate ’. He believes that the wider Winchester experience has helped him throughout his distinguished military career to think clearly and strategically .
Winchester ’ s attitude to exams did at times worry me as a parent . Our son , for example , was not permitted to take the
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