Blazers, blues and wellies

On Tuesday to Heaton Moor to see retired Maths teacher Gordon (Tweedy) Harris. My first memory of him is as the non-teaching supervisor of 3a in 1964/5 when the introduction of the 6-day cycle produced a Day 6, period 6 lesson which was an empty slot, and therefore a private study session, for my form. Not sure we made very good use of the opportunity to get any real work done. Gordon trekked, played the organ and officiated at Prizegivings as well as teaching Mathematics. He keeps in touch with school through the 20/30 Club and a number of friends.

Then to Didsbury to see an Old Manc now in his 80s who is being cared for in a nursing home. Macular degeneration has left him with very little sight, but what a wonderful memory he has of his time at school and in particular of a form tutor who took him under his wing, 'Haffie' Field. I was there to receive a donation of two blazers for the MGS Archive - a discreet, navy, colours blazer and a garishly striped Old Mancunians one in black red and gold - both in perfect condition and a great reminder of 1940s fashion. I was also lent a lovely silver lapel pin-badge - a small owl above SAPERE AUDE, which we are going to investigate having copied for sale to 21st century OMs.

Haffie was for years at the centre of MGS lacrosse (as well as teaching Physics and writing comic poems for Ulula and Punch) and would be pleased to know that the game has had something of a revival at school in the last few years. Indeed, we have two OM Cambridge half-blues at lacrosse this year, Sam Spurrell, the Cambridge captain, and Michael Lipton, man-of-the-match in the victory over Oxford.

Bursary fundraising by our senior sixthformers continued this week with the Superstars competition (basketball skills) and a highly entertaining welly-throwing competition organised for our Junior Section boys. This was keenly contested, both for athletic honour and for the prize of a box of chocolates.

So will the next thing be half-blues for welly-throwing? MGS boys will be up there with the best.

The sixthformers' plans for further fundraising via running the Blackpool half-marathon on 11 April are now well advanced. Many of them have pages at http://www.justgiving.com/ - search for the MGS Trust as the beneficiary.