Preparing to light up the Oxford Skyline
This morning in the Cathedral we were joined by Form 2 who were taking part in their moving up day. It was lovely to see them. I mentioned that as a child I had loved cellars but that 421 years ago, rather an unpleasant incident had occurred in a cellar below the Houses of Parliament. I asked what that could have been and one of the Form 2s who had come over gave a detailed and accurate account of the events of the 5th of November, 1605 when Guy Fawkes had been arrested just in time to prevent him from blowing up the King, all the nobility and parliamentarians. It is from that incident that bonfire night comes, when fires are lit and fireworks are let off throughout England. I mentioned that such ceremonies had, for a number of centuries, been associated with suspicion of Catholics, Guy Fawkes being a Catholic who wished to return England to his faith. 2026 is the first year since bonfire night has been celebrated when we have had a Catholic Prime Minister, Andy Burnham being the first Catholic to hold that office. Today the celebrations are about bringing people together rather than excluding them and I hope that as many of you as possible will come together tomorrow evening for the firework display on Merton Field where Mr Robson will mount a tremendous display. I look forward to seeing you there.
It was a great pleasure to go down to Merton Field to see our First XV play Rugby against Kitebrook and St Hugh’s. Both games were magnificent, our team showing both extraordinary individual talent and very pleasing teamwork, the ball shooting down the line with great efficiency and elegance. I was extremely impressed by the speed with which many of our boys moved. It’s lovely to see so many people playing Rugby with such pleasure and success – and all the most beautiful pitch on England!
I have become an expert in identifying different types of motorised bike. Seeing everybody arrive in the morning is now a most interesting experience. The number of cars has declined significantly though I still pride myself in being able to identify who is coming from their car appearing halfway down Brewer Street, but the story of the day is the number of different types of bike upon which people arrive. We have some traditionalists who have powered their way, under their own steam, from the outer parts of Oxford, but far more common are motorised bicycles with every form of people carrying devices: crates, cages, extensions, baskets, seats - you name it and I’ve seen it. I’ve been most interested in how quickly this transformation has occurred. In so many ways it has made the School a much easier place to get to. For those for whom bikes and cars or walking and buses are not an option please don’t forget that we have both the Headington minibus and the North Oxford minibus. They work with great efficiency and have the most charming drivers!
Part of what I will miss most when I leave the School, is my time every morning on the Street. This week there was a moment of calm and, I have to confess, that my mind was beginning to wander. There is one thing that I have learned for certain, having been here for 13 years, is that calm doesn’t last very long, and, no sooner had this process begun, when I heard a shout from the other end of the Street. “Hello Mr Murray!” And then there was a pounding of feet upon the pavement. The little figure got closer and closer and when it reached me, way ahead now of its mother, it sank to the pavement breathing very heavily. “I wanted to get to you quickly, but I’m now very tired. I need to sit down”. He sat there for a little while until his mother arrived. “I will miss you Mr. Murray when you are gone but I will come and visit you at your home every day.” Well, maybe my retirement isn’t going to be so retired after all and perhaps, when it comes to it, not that much different from my life at the moment.
