From the 1965 School Magazine "The Review"

The officials for the year 1964/65 were as follows President, the Headmaster; Vice-President, Mr. K. P. Boon; Chairman, R. A. Willingham Vice-Chairman, K. Dytor; Secretary, P. Shemilt; Treasurer, T. Jones; Committee, C. W. Hancock, M. J. Sidley, G. J. Harrison, T. A. Allcock. Mr. Rainbow was an Hon. Member for Debating.

This has been a very successful year for the society. Meetings were well attended and the officials backed by a new constitution were able to carry out their duties more efficiently.

The activities in which the society engaged were many and various. Miss Alcock, Mr. Myatt, Mr. Harris and Mr. Smith surprised all those present by giving intelligent answers to several questions in a Brains Trust held early in the year. Two debates were held with the Sixth Form of Thistley Hough School. Mr. Thomas who retired at Christmas gave a talk on the history of the school and Mr. Yelland showed some slides to illustrate his talk on Ghana. By popular demand Mr. Byrne, a jovial teacher from St. Joseph's College, gave two very entertaining talks on ghosts and on local history.

But undoubtedly the highlight of the year was the joint dance with Brownhills High School in December which was a success in every way. It is to be hoped that the dance will become an annual event.

The year 1964/65 proved that the Sixth Form Society acting as a cohesive body can be very successful. The onus is on next year's sixth to keep up the good work.

J. P. SHEMILT.

From the 1965 School Magazine "The Review"

Officers for the year were as follows President, Mr. J. Burton; Chairman, T. Jones; Secretary, J. P. Shemilt; Treasurer, P. Stephens. Committee, D. Moore, C. H. Horrobin, D. Brassington, A. E. Adams.

The programme of meetings for the year was an interesting one, Several outside speakers were invited to address the Society on various

topics. Mr. Hawkins from the Chemistry Department of the North Staffs. College of Technology gave a talk on Chromatography. Mr. Ozanne from Leo, English Electric, talked about Computers and Mr. Sutcliffe from Keele University gave a talk on Wave Mechanics.

Several talks were given by staff and by boys. Mr. Riley talked on Radar, M. J. Sidley on Palaeontology, T. Jones on Radioactivity, R. A. Willingham on the 'The Geography of the Past' and K. Dytor on Soil.

We are very grateful to Mr. Wilshaw who kindly gave up some of his time to operate the projector at two film shows held during the year. A joint meeting was held at Thistley Hough when a police official gave a talk on forensic science.

From the 1965 School Magazine "The Review"

The theme for the year was 'Personal Relations' and in the meetings held every Thursday in Mr. Goodwin's laboratory many different aspects of personal relationships were discussed. They included the problems of living in families, choosing friends and friendship with the opposite sex. Members often held vastly different views and on these moral issues there were many heated arguments.

The ideas formulated in the meetings held throughout the year served to prepare those boys who attended the half day conference on 'Personal Relations' at Keele University. The Keele Conference neatly rounded off the Year's discussions.

Several meetings were held on other topics. P. Green played some recordings of Church Beat Music. Pastor Cook from the Elim Church in Hanley talked about his beliefs. Mr. Barber arranged for the Venerable Vimelo from the Buddhist community on Biddulph Moor to give a talk on Buddhism to the Sixth Form.

Our thanks go to Messrs. Barber, Goodwin and Smith for their unfailing support during the year.

From the 1965 School Magazine "The Review"

We have many competent electricians all willing to repair radios for customers, but there seems to be only a trickle of trade in our direction. Is there no trust left ? Also available are many radio spares, valves, tuners, resistors and coils, so if you are looking for a Mark Two super Q coil with reaction for your six-valve high-sensitivity radio, you are the very chap we want. Anyway, why not pay us a visit ? We don't guarantee to have everything, but at least you will feel welcome in the congenial atmosphere that surrounds our Radio Club.

At the last A.G.M. the following officers were elected : -Chairman, Chris Horrobin, U.VI; Treasurer, Kevin Pye, U.VI; Secretary, Geoff. Harrison, L.VI; Committee Howard Colclough, 5C.

Mr. Adams still labours on as Master-in-charge, although he is in constant danger of disappearance beneath mountains of radio parts.

There was an occasion when the said gentleman was ambitious enough to build a stereo amplifier, but because of a circuit fault only strange howlings came forth. On the other hand the Club gained considerable borrowed glory when Horrobin proudly announced that the G.P.O. had, after much debate, decided -to let him loose on the air waves. So now he has a radio transmitting licence and can operate his own transmitter. We have covered much ground in two years.

The Club's official meeting time is 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, but an occasional dinner-hour is set aside for ardent enthusiasts to continue with their projects. Our membership is slowly growing as more and more boys bring their problems and projects to us.

HOWARD COLCLOUGH, 5C.

From the 1965 School Magazine "The Review"

Members of the Society meet every Friday at 4 o'clock in the railway room under the gymnasium. The entry fee is 6d. or 2/6d. a term. When this is collected the amount is entered into a special book kept by the Treasurer (Robert Fearn), and is used by common consent to buy equipment for the lay-out.

We have two engines in perfect running order and a complete oblong track some thirty feet in length. The three-foot tunnel which was roughly completed at the end of last year has now been painted and landscaped to agree with the rest of the countryside. Further pieces of scenery have been made from papier maché under Mr. Bentley's guidance.

Near to the station we have put up some pantographs going up the incline to the bridge. There it stops for the moment because there is hardly enough room. Still, this problem will be overcome and before long we will try to extend the overhead structure right round the track.

Overlooking the track on one side is a bank made from papier maché painted green, and plastic trees and bushes grow from it. The quarry has been completed and we are now fencing it off as far as the tunnel. We have also decided to have an additional siding, so the treasurer bought a set of points to enable spare carriages to be shunted off the main line.

The great project ahead of us is the setting of double track in certain places, and then to make model towns with Airfix models and cardboard.

New members are always welcome, and should get in touch with us or with Mr. Bentley who is always so ready to help.

R. FEARN AND I. JOHNSON,
IA.

From the 1965 School Magazine "The Review"

Once again it is our pleasure to record an eventful and rewarding year. The Orchestra has continued to increase and its repertoire has been gradually extended. Since, however, new boys are joining as amateurs just as the experienced sight-readers of the upper forms leave us, the Orchestra can never become a group of forty face-anything top performers. This is the explanation of that peculiar occasion in July when Mr. Jones deputised for Mr. Capey at morning assembly, for, having assiduously tuned up beforehand, the Orchestra remained perfectly silent all through the hymn. When the hymn was announced, the tune played was the one set in the hymn book and not the one scored for the Orchestra. The deputising was a very last-minute affair, as Mr. Capey had to take a coachload of boys to a concert, so there had been no time to detail the arrangements.

The year's musical activities began with the annual Carol Service held at Swan Bank Methodist Church. All the boys in choir and orchestra worked reasonably competently, but one could not help noticing that a few members of the choir wilted towards the end. Perhaps they had been working extra hard at the beginning to make up for certain absent choristers who later blamed the weather for their non-appearance. The second performance of the Carol Service, at Shelton Church produced an even more depressed choir and it was left to the orchestra to save the reputation of the school. This they did with strong determination and the performance was extremely good.

Soon after the Winter was gone preparations began for the Annual Speech Day celebrations. Under the expert guidance of Mr. Capey everyone gave of his best, orchestra, choir and soloists. A selection from the Gilbert and Sullivan operas was given, as in the previous year, and it was received with even more enthusiasm.

The last appearance of the School Orchestra in public was at the Summer Fair, though, because of the incidence of examinations, not everyone was able to put in an appearance. The relatives and friends who came to the Fair were entertained with a comprehensive group of popular works and the visitors clearly enjoyed having coffee, biscuits and melodies together.

Thirty-six boys were entered for the Associated Boards' examinations and twenty-six passed. This was not as great a percentage success as last year, when all candidates passed, but it is a remarkably fine performance when we remember that three years ago only nine boys could be entered.

Once again it is our duty and pleasure to thank Mr. Capey for his unremitting efforts. The audible presence of so many keen musicians at all sorts of unlikely hours is itself a tribute to his contagious enthusiasm.

P. MAWSON, 5G.

Rapid progress in numbers and skill has been made during the last school year. With seventy members, the Club is now one of the largest societies in Stanfield.

The sincerest thanks must be accorded to Mr. Rainbow and to Jackson of the Upper Sixth for their hard work and careful guidance.

Members play daily in the Second Art Room at the end of the Top Corridor. New players are always welcome. The subscription is two shillings per annum, and the proceeds help to pay for new chess sets.

D. BRASSINGTON
L.VI A (Treasurer).

Chris Horrobin was one of those crammed into the dark corner of the lighting/sound/prompt crew. "The many sound effects were supplied on an audio-tape reel with grease-pencil markings to indicate the start of each one. The cueing required diligent matching of the script cues and tape marks; in a dim light. On one night the "hitch-hiking" Smiler had launched into his rant against a passing motorcyclist earlier than expected - and was finished before the audience was treated to the spectacular crescendo, then diminuendo, of said motorbike. The fast scenery changes were mostly achieved with revolving scenery flats - but these would jam if a side curtain was inadvertantly caught in their rotation. Many scene changes were masked with the music of the "RAF March Past". Unfortunately the tape had only a few seconds of the music - so a record had to be played manually instead... Rum dah-de-da-de-dah..."