School Journey to Champéry, 1961
David Roberts
A couple of points about the trip to Champéry in 1961. We stayed at the Hotel du Parc and I roomed with Robert Fitt (in the class photo of 3A he’s top row, first on the left) and Keith Morgan, same photo 3rd from right bottom row. A picture of them both in Champéry is attached.
At the time Bob Fitt had the unfortunate soubriquet of ‘Fatty’ Fitt, but I met him a few years later when I was working behind the bar at the Spaniards Inn, and the puppy fat had gone and he was built like the proverbial brick shithouse.
I recall the teacher being taken ill, my memory is that it was on the journey and he was taken to hospital and never arrived at Champéry. I have vague memories of Richards addressing us all on arrival and explain that as he was the only teacher he would have to put more trust in us to behave etc., etc., and as supervision would be difficult, waffle, waffle, etc., etc., but he was sure could rely on us. Fat chance.
Someone quickly discovered how to get free cigarettes from the machines. You paid for the first pack and by inserting a penknife you could cut the tape holding the others up and, hey presto, with a bit of jiggling the next pack dropped down. For a small group, shoplifting seemed to be the favoured occupation and they were selling souvenirs at good prices. One lad, whose name I cannot recall (but I remember he lived just off the top of Hemingford Road), told me afterward that he came home with more money than he went with, and showed me a bagful of stuff he was still trying to flog.
I remember the other school who stayed at the hotel, they were a mixed school, and my memory is they were from south London. As a just turned 14 years old (3rd year), not having any sisters, and going to a boys only school, I was very naïve and green when it came to girls, and probably wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. However not all my classmates were so lacking in confidence.
I recall Barry Lovelock swaggering into the room, glancing round and sauntering over to the prettiest girl and casually said: “Hello – my name’s Barry, what’s your name?” Then he sat down next to her forcing the others (from her school) to move. Didn’t see much of him for the rest of the week. FYI he’s second from left, 3rd row up in the same class picture. He seems to have a swagger and confidence about him even in that picture.
I don’t think that was only the only romance that week, as everyone’s favourite teacher spent a great deal of time in the company of a lady teacher from the other school – although it may be that he just found her company more interesting than ours. For which I would sympathise.
All this happened 60 (yes sixty) years ago so apologies if my memory has deceived me in any way. To put it in perspective, 60 years prior to that and Queen Victoria was on the throne.
A couple of points about the trip to Champéry in 1961. We stayed at the Hotel du Parc and I roomed with Robert Fitt (in the class photo of 3A he’s top row, first on the left) and Keith Morgan, same photo 3rd from right bottom row. A picture of them both in Champéry is attached.
At the time Bob Fitt had the unfortunate soubriquet of ‘Fatty’ Fitt, but I met him a few years later when I was working behind the bar at the Spaniards Inn, and the puppy fat had gone and he was built like the proverbial brick shithouse.
I recall the teacher being taken ill, my memory is that it was on the journey and he was taken to hospital and never arrived at Champéry. I have vague memories of Richards addressing us all on arrival and explain that as he was the only teacher he would have to put more trust in us to behave etc., etc., and as supervision would be difficult, waffle, waffle, etc., etc., but he was sure could rely on us. Fat chance.
Someone quickly discovered how to get free cigarettes from the machines. You paid for the first pack and by inserting a penknife you could cut the tape holding the others up and, hey presto, with a bit of jiggling the next pack dropped down. For a small group, shoplifting seemed to be the favoured occupation and they were selling souvenirs at good prices. One lad, whose name I cannot recall (but I remember he lived just off the top of Hemingford Road), told me afterward that he came home with more money than he went with, and showed me a bagful of stuff he was still trying to flog.
I remember the other school who stayed at the hotel, they were a mixed school, and my memory is they were from south London. As a just turned 14 years old (3rd year), not having any sisters, and going to a boys only school, I was very naïve and green when it came to girls, and probably wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. However not all my classmates were so lacking in confidence.
I recall Barry Lovelock swaggering into the room, glancing round and sauntering over to the prettiest girl and casually said: “Hello – my name’s Barry, what’s your name?” Then he sat down next to her forcing the others (from her school) to move. Didn’t see much of him for the rest of the week. FYI he’s second from left, 3rd row up in the same class picture. He seems to have a swagger and confidence about him even in that picture.
I don’t think that was only the only romance that week, as everyone’s favourite teacher spent a great deal of time in the company of a lady teacher from the other school – although it may be that he just found her company more interesting than ours. For which I would sympathise.
All this happened 60 (yes sixty) years ago so apologies if my memory has deceived me in any way. To put it in perspective, 60 years prior to that and Queen Victoria was on the throne.
Chris Zindilis on Takis Polydorou
When Takis and about thirty other boys arrived in Switzerland on that first day, there wasn't any snow and they were all worried that they would not be able to do any skiing. However, when they woke up the next morning and looked out of the window they saw that it had snowed heavily during the night and was over a metre deep.
The first day on the slopes, Takis was showing off as always, looking at the expert skiers doing a "stop Christies," which when done properly, should halt the skier. Takis tried to copy the experts and found himself in a heap, with his right ankle wrenched and he was brought down the mountain in a sledge, pulled by an expert skier at fifty miles an hour, head first. That was the end of what would have been a brilliant skiing career. He spent the next two weeks visiting Mr. Bone in the local hospital.
When Takis and about thirty other boys arrived in Switzerland on that first day, there wasn't any snow and they were all worried that they would not be able to do any skiing. However, when they woke up the next morning and looked out of the window they saw that it had snowed heavily during the night and was over a metre deep.
The first day on the slopes, Takis was showing off as always, looking at the expert skiers doing a "stop Christies," which when done properly, should halt the skier. Takis tried to copy the experts and found himself in a heap, with his right ankle wrenched and he was brought down the mountain in a sledge, pulled by an expert skier at fifty miles an hour, head first. That was the end of what would have been a brilliant skiing career. He spent the next two weeks visiting Mr. Bone in the local hospital.