WOLVERHAMPTON MUNICIPAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
OLD PUPILS ASSOCIATION
Latest News
OPA Committee Meeting.
Update: Due to unforeseen circumstances the Committee Meeting on 5th July had to be postponed.
A new date will be arranged shortly.
Message from Michelle Mccurry:-
The WMGS OPA Committee are holding a meeting in Wolverhampton on Tuesday 5 July at 2.30. Unfortunately, due to Covid and health issues of both the Chair and Vice Chair we have not had a meeting for some time. The Agenda is as follows and if any member wishes to be involved in the way forward for the OPA or raise any issues for discussion at the meeting, could you please message either myself or Mac on the following emails. Thank you for your continued support.
michellemccurry216@gmail.com
mikemccurry67@gmail.com
AGENDA FOR TUESDAY 5TH JULY AT 2.30
1. Apologies
2. Message on behalf of Chairman
3. Minutes of last Meeting
4. Resignations and Appointments
5. Finances
6. Newsletter
7. The Way Forward
8. Future Events
9. Any Other Business
A new date will be arranged shortly.
Message from Michelle Mccurry:-
The WMGS OPA Committee are holding a meeting in Wolverhampton on Tuesday 5 July at 2.30. Unfortunately, due to Covid and health issues of both the Chair and Vice Chair we have not had a meeting for some time. The Agenda is as follows and if any member wishes to be involved in the way forward for the OPA or raise any issues for discussion at the meeting, could you please message either myself or Mac on the following emails. Thank you for your continued support.
michellemccurry216@gmail.com
mikemccurry67@gmail.com
AGENDA FOR TUESDAY 5TH JULY AT 2.30
1. Apologies
2. Message on behalf of Chairman
3. Minutes of last Meeting
4. Resignations and Appointments
5. Finances
6. Newsletter
7. The Way Forward
8. Future Events
9. Any Other Business
June 2022 - Mr Askew.
I was saddened to hear that Mr Askew, a biology teacher at WMGS in the 1960s before moving to High Arcal School has recently passed away. A celebration of his life of school and Hockey took place on June 10th. I did not hear of it early enough to publish on this site.
I was saddened to hear that Mr Askew, a biology teacher at WMGS in the 1960s before moving to High Arcal School has recently passed away. A celebration of his life of school and Hockey took place on June 10th. I did not hear of it early enough to publish on this site.
Update 2022 - The AGM and Lunch planned for 7th May has been postponed to an unspecified date.
Our Chairman, Mac, has sent us this message. :
Unfortunately due to illness of both myself and our Vice Chair and also not to mention Covid, it has not been possible for the Committee to meet and be as active as before. The Committee have kept in touch with one another in an informal way, but plan to have a face to face meeting in the near future to discuss the way forward for the Association. I have also been unable to complete a Newsletter, which I undertook on a temporary basis. This will also be discussed at the meeting.
Finally, if there is anyone out there who wish to be put forward for any of the Committee posts or Newsletter production, please email myself or Michelle as follows.
mikemccurry67@gmail.com
michellemccurry216@gmail.com
Hope you all enjoy a very good Summer and best wishes to you all.
Our Chairman, Mac, has sent us this message. :
Unfortunately due to illness of both myself and our Vice Chair and also not to mention Covid, it has not been possible for the Committee to meet and be as active as before. The Committee have kept in touch with one another in an informal way, but plan to have a face to face meeting in the near future to discuss the way forward for the Association. I have also been unable to complete a Newsletter, which I undertook on a temporary basis. This will also be discussed at the meeting.
Finally, if there is anyone out there who wish to be put forward for any of the Committee posts or Newsletter production, please email myself or Michelle as follows.
mikemccurry67@gmail.com
michellemccurry216@gmail.com
Hope you all enjoy a very good Summer and best wishes to you all.
Old School Musical and Drama Productions.
Former Pupil Ted Thurgar sent this information recently.
I have just been looking through the WMGSOPA website and stumbled upon the archive of old news. I noticed that the date of the performance of Trial by Jury in the 1950's seemed uncertain.
I can advise you that it took place in 1954 (April 6th and 7th) and my late wife Margaret (Dorothy Davies at school) played one of the leads.
I attach a copy of the report on the performance, written by Mr Steele, which appeared in the Spring 1955 edition of the School Magazine. Also, I attach a photo of the leads who were:- Freeman, Mr Foxon, Dorothy Davies, Cook and Beech.
My own contribution was the clock shown in the photograph which Miss Outlaw persuaded me to make.
Best Wishes.
Ted Thurgur (1950 - 1955)
I have just been looking through the WMGSOPA website and stumbled upon the archive of old news. I noticed that the date of the performance of Trial by Jury in the 1950's seemed uncertain.
I can advise you that it took place in 1954 (April 6th and 7th) and my late wife Margaret (Dorothy Davies at school) played one of the leads.
I attach a copy of the report on the performance, written by Mr Steele, which appeared in the Spring 1955 edition of the School Magazine. Also, I attach a photo of the leads who were:- Freeman, Mr Foxon, Dorothy Davies, Cook and Beech.
My own contribution was the clock shown in the photograph which Miss Outlaw persuaded me to make.
Best Wishes.
Ted Thurgur (1950 - 1955)
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Update on Mac.(4th January 2022).
Mac continues to make good progress after his cardiac arrest at the end of August. Still some short term memory issues, which are slowly improving. The Consultant reminded us that it is still early days and he is doing well. They called him their ‘Miracle Man’. However, he has had a setback as on Christmas Eve they discovered he has early stage bowel cancer. It is treatable and curable, so the surgeon is removing the affected area on Jan 10th. We are both grateful for your continued support and the good wishes we have received and certainly hope we can see some of you this year. We will let you know how it all goes in the next couple of weeks.
Michelle and Mac x
AGM and Christmas 2021 Lunch - (Latest Update - October 2021)
After a lot of thought and feedback from committee members, we have decided not to have the Christmas Lunch this year. Time is rushing on and our Chairman, Mac, has been unable to produce an Autumn Newsletter, and although Jan Harris and Rosemarie offered to help, he hasn’t been in a position to gather items for publication, this includes details of the lunch and menu etc.
Molineux has allowed us to transfer our deposit and provisionally re-book the venue for May 7th 2022 for an AGM and Luncheon. (now postponed again)
All arrangements will be subject to the prevailing covid restrictions, and further details will be published later.
Updates will be posted on this section of the Website as necessary.
After a lot of thought and feedback from committee members, we have decided not to have the Christmas Lunch this year. Time is rushing on and our Chairman, Mac, has been unable to produce an Autumn Newsletter, and although Jan Harris and Rosemarie offered to help, he hasn’t been in a position to gather items for publication, this includes details of the lunch and menu etc.
Molineux has allowed us to transfer our deposit and provisionally re-book the venue for May 7th 2022 for an AGM and Luncheon. (now postponed again)
All arrangements will be subject to the prevailing covid restrictions, and further details will be published later.
Updates will be posted on this section of the Website as necessary.
Update on our Chairman (Mac). - September 24th 2021
Summer 2021 Newsletter - As you may know, we have no newsletter editor at present and Mac, our chairman, was busy preparing this newsletter for distribution.
You may be aware that Mac had a cardiac arrest on 29th July and was rushed to Intensive Care in a Frimley Park Hospital.
I have this latest update today from his wife, Michelle:
Mac has been back home for 4 weeks now and has been fitted with an ICD, which is a combined Pacemaker and defibrillator, which is helping him make a good recovery. He has some short term memory issues, but this is improving and we have been told it is a slow gradual process.
He has several hospital appointments for check ups, diet and exercise programmes etc, but fingers crossed, he is on the mend and going in the right direction.
---
I will update you again when I have further news.
Bob Tame
Website Manager.
Summer 2021 Newsletter - As you may know, we have no newsletter editor at present and Mac, our chairman, was busy preparing this newsletter for distribution.
You may be aware that Mac had a cardiac arrest on 29th July and was rushed to Intensive Care in a Frimley Park Hospital.
I have this latest update today from his wife, Michelle:
Mac has been back home for 4 weeks now and has been fitted with an ICD, which is a combined Pacemaker and defibrillator, which is helping him make a good recovery. He has some short term memory issues, but this is improving and we have been told it is a slow gradual process.
He has several hospital appointments for check ups, diet and exercise programmes etc, but fingers crossed, he is on the mend and going in the right direction.
---
I will update you again when I have further news.
Bob Tame
Website Manager.
Our Chairman Mac McCurry is always grateful to receive articles for the newsletter so if anyone can put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and produce anything they think would be of interest to our members, he would be most grateful. In the unlikely event of him getting too many articles some could be held back for use in future newsletters. The Summer 2021 Newsletter will be posted some time this month (July2021).
We are still looking for volunteers for the Posts of Newsletter Editor and sub-editor.
February 2021 - I had an email recently from Margaret Banks, she was not a pupil at our school but her father was Mr Darby, Head of science department and a Chemistry teacher. She tells me he died in 1994. She used to come along to the school to see the G&S performances and says Mr Darby usually looked after the lighting. She remembered a few of the teachers and also a Lab Assistant Mr Dance, who she says was a lovely man. Mr Askew's wife was a teacher at the school she went to in Dudley. (Bob's note: I did not have him for lessons very often but when I did, I remember Mr Darby being a very animated teacher, who would wave his arms about wildly to explain how something worked. I asked Margaret if she was related to Janet Banks, who was also a Lab assistant at the school in the late 60's early 70's and she says her late husband was Janet's Cousin and she still keeps in touch).
January 2021 - I recently found a picture from the 'Roger Taft' Collection of the bus outside the school which reminded me of an item on my own site regarding the end of day bus rush.
Maralyn Shine (Maralyn Windsor) remembers the buses we used to leave school and a minor accident she had one day:
Getting on the first available bus outside school at 4.15pm was survival of the fittest, almost a bloodsport. Amongst the lower school pupils the use of elbows, knees and hanging on to the person in front was the norm. Satchels, briefcases, hockey sticks, tennis racquets and domestic science baskets (with insecure loads) were just crammed onto the overcrowded bus. Other passengers were forced to fight past all our paraphernalia to get off the bus and many of us made the entire journey to town, standing on the steep, metal stairs. In those days the buses still had open rear platforms and it was common practice to leap on and off the moving buses, at the most convenient place. One morning I didn't leap off the bus but accidentally slipped off. A misguided survival instinct kept my hand clamped to the hand rail, resulting in my being dragged unceremoniously along on my backside for some yards. The bus and I came to a halt outside Beatties and I was left sitting in the gutter. I was more mortified by the amused bus queue than my extremely dented derriere.
Roger Taft sadly died a few years ago but I got permission from his family to use the picture on our site. There are many more of his pictures of the buses around the town on this History website.
Maralyn Shine (Maralyn Windsor) remembers the buses we used to leave school and a minor accident she had one day:
Getting on the first available bus outside school at 4.15pm was survival of the fittest, almost a bloodsport. Amongst the lower school pupils the use of elbows, knees and hanging on to the person in front was the norm. Satchels, briefcases, hockey sticks, tennis racquets and domestic science baskets (with insecure loads) were just crammed onto the overcrowded bus. Other passengers were forced to fight past all our paraphernalia to get off the bus and many of us made the entire journey to town, standing on the steep, metal stairs. In those days the buses still had open rear platforms and it was common practice to leap on and off the moving buses, at the most convenient place. One morning I didn't leap off the bus but accidentally slipped off. A misguided survival instinct kept my hand clamped to the hand rail, resulting in my being dragged unceremoniously along on my backside for some yards. The bus and I came to a halt outside Beatties and I was left sitting in the gutter. I was more mortified by the amused bus queue than my extremely dented derriere.
Roger Taft sadly died a few years ago but I got permission from his family to use the picture on our site. There are many more of his pictures of the buses around the town on this History website.
January 2021. - I had an interesting email today from a former Pupil Liz Thomas (now Liz O'Neill) who was a pupil at the school between 1948 and 1953 before a happy career as an Infant teacher. She tells me her brother Lionel Thomas (now 86) was also a pupil at the school between 1945 to 1952 before taking a degree at Birmingham University and becoming a Rocket Research Scientist.
Liz says she remembers the names of all the girls in her 5th year class and most of the boys, but can't remember what she did last week. (She's not alone there!).
From her schooldays she remembers Mr Foxon, who she says was inclined to be sarcastic, after he told her ”I can’t believe you are Thomas’s sister”. She also remembers Ms Moody a history teacher, who constantly folded her arms under her huge bra-less bosom, to the delight of the boys in the class.
She passed on one more memory from 1952, the form-master 'Lundy' Luddford, (geography), strode in to classroom, stern-faced, and told us that King George 6th had died, and the school was closing as a mark of respect. I am afraid we cheered, so he kept us in our seats, in silence, for over an hour.
Liz says she remembers the names of all the girls in her 5th year class and most of the boys, but can't remember what she did last week. (She's not alone there!).
From her schooldays she remembers Mr Foxon, who she says was inclined to be sarcastic, after he told her ”I can’t believe you are Thomas’s sister”. She also remembers Ms Moody a history teacher, who constantly folded her arms under her huge bra-less bosom, to the delight of the boys in the class.
She passed on one more memory from 1952, the form-master 'Lundy' Luddford, (geography), strode in to classroom, stern-faced, and told us that King George 6th had died, and the school was closing as a mark of respect. I am afraid we cheered, so he kept us in our seats, in silence, for over an hour.