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   George Sale

  

William George Sale

Nickname "Chop Chop"
Staff
Year: Jan 1967 - July 1971

  • Deputy Housemaster of Hawke 1967-69
  • Housemaster of Grigg 1969-71
  • Taught in the Physics Dept.

    So many memories, difficult to pick one but I remember one connected with the School Activities afternoon on Wednesdays. Someone decided it would be a good idea to have a fishpond so that we could have fish on the student's menu. Thus a whole gang of pupils was put on to digging this pond just opposite the front of the School, but it was not a chore welcomed by the students so it was a VERY slow job. During this time, a mechanical digger was working on the main field helping with the construction of the new athletics track. So, one lunchtime, 'Bones' (Commander Hollebone) thought it would be a good idea to get the digger to finish the job off. He said he was OK with the Swahili instructions for the digger driver and everyone went off to lunch. A short time later, some of us had to go to the office block only to discover that Bones' swahili was not as good as he had thought. The digger had completely filled in the large hole and smoothed it over !!!!

    That was not the end of the saga. The late Keith Harrington took over the construction of another pond outside Junior House. Eventually, it was deep enough and many students began hoarding string and pins to carry out some nightime illegal fishing. Keith bought some black plastic and laid the seal in the pond. Students were then instructed to go and find stones to form a layer at the bottom of the pond. They were not keen and were going off for half an hour or more and bringing back one stone no larger, in some instances, than a cricket ball. Then the day arrived for filling the pond. As the water poured in it disappeared. Keith had not been able to get plastic sheet large enough for the pond so he had laid 2 strips, without any seal !!! At that point, the whole project was halted and for a long time stray dogs use to use it as a urinal.

    When I returned to the UK I was employed by the ILEA as a Science Adviser but, after a year I realised how much standards had dropped since I had left, and in August 1972 went to Uganda as a lecturer in Physics at Kyambogo TTC. We had some great adventures but we were encouraged to leave by the UK government (due to the antics of Idi Amin!) and I was transferred to Lenana School in April 1973. I was there until Dec 1981.

    Back in the UK I became Head of Science and Deputy Headmaster of the Hellenic College of London until April 1989. We then intended returning to Kenya for good, building a house on my son-in-law's farm at Nakuru. Whilst planning this I taught Physics at Braeburn High School for 3 years. Events occurred that prevented us from completing our plans and I retired and returned to the UK in April 1992, moving to Cornwall where my wife and I now live.

    (Registered - 29th June 2006)

    • If anyone wishes to contact George, please e-mail webmaster@oldcambrians.com to obtain his contact details