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   Laurie Strachan

  

Laurie Strachan

House: Grigg
Years: 1953-1958

Memories:
Hundreds, but I’m writing a memoir at the moment so I’ll leave these till later.

Career:
Left to study accountancy in Dundee, Scotland, failed miserably, became a journalist. Worked on national papers in Scotland then moved to Sydney, Australia where I worked as a sub-editor, production editor, investigative reporter, feature writer and finally music critic. Edited a few trade magazines, helped my wife run her consultancy business till we moved to Malaysia where I am almost entirely retired apart from selling a few stock photos on the Net.

NOW I look more or less like this:

Laurie Strachan


THEN I can be seen in the Grigg House athletics team photo for 1953 on the extreme right of the front row as you look at the picture. Sitting on my left as you look at it is a kid called Robin Sherred - so that fills in 2 more names in that picture. The unknown warrior sitting next to RC Robinson appears to be Vladimir Zakian, according to the caption on the school athletics team of the same year, though I cannot remember him at all. Unaccountably missing are the brilliant IC Mcfarlane and the fearsome PL Lloyd-Parker. Perhaps they didn’t win anything that year, though I seem to recall McFarlane going for the high jump record, and Lloyd-Parker winning the shot-put. This was probably the last time in my time there that Grigg was any good at sport. From then on I remember struggling endlessly against the maroon hordes of Chadwick’s Scott.

Extra info: My brother Derry (Hawke) is alive and well and living in Doncaster, England. He visited me here last year. His twin, Don, as you know died of a stroke a few years ago.

Thanks a million for the work you’re doing, it’s been a huge nostalgia trip going through this site, though very saddening to see the obituary notice for Ian (Kib) Beaty. He, Geoff Goodwin and I were inseparable for a couple of years, bound together by a fanaticism for the Goons till Geoff left for Sarawak in 1956. If anyone knows anything about Geoff I’d love to hear it.

(Registered - 23rd April 2009)

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