MOMENT OF HISTORY : OLIVER GOODALL
50 to 100 in the country .’ Oliver is unassuming about his success , but for the school and his House it was a great achievement .
Oliver believes that the House system at Winchester made it much easier for him to settle in . He loved the camaraderie , pool matches , House quizzes , and the competitiveness between Houses in sport and music , ‘ I felt part of a family ,’ he says . So , when COVID-19 drew his school life to an unprecedented early close , he was very disappointed .
‘ It just crept up ,’ he remembers . ‘ Some of my friends went abroad earlier because of restrictions in their countries . I didn ’ t realise I wouldn ’ t see them again , and have never said goodbye . Then the rest of us were sent home later in March , and we never went back .
‘ It ’ s very strange to feel like I ’ m part of this moment of history ,’ he adds , ‘ especially with the uncertainty over exams and university entrance affecting me directly . Winchester did all it could to prepare me for what ’ s happened , and they were there to support me through the whole journey . But it ’ s disappointing , particularly as I joined Winchester late anyway , so didn ’ t have as long there as I would like to have had .’
The Radcliffe Camera , or “ Rad Cam ” — focal point of the University of Oxford .
The upside was that lessons resumed quickly online and continued , not just in term time , but throughout the summer . It put him at an advantage when he arrived in Oxford and found he was ahead of many others when it came to his studies .
So , what does Oliver see as the school ’ s lasting legacy ? ‘ Winchester has made me more considerate of others and more accepting of the differences between people . It ’ s also taught me to be more challenging about things , questioning why things are the way they are . And I ’ ve definitely made friends for life .’
As for the future — inspired by his Physics don — he decided not to read Maths as planned , but instead to read Physics with a view to further study after his degree , possibly in Astrophysics : ‘ I ’ d be very interested in research and trying to make discoveries , because , especially with Physics , there ’ s so much that we don ’ t know about the universe . I think it would be really interesting to play a part in finding out more .’
Written by MARGARET GILMORE
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