PETERHOUSE
NOSTALGIA
PETERHOUSE
NOSTALGIA
Philip Ernest Ward was born in Woodlands, Doncaster. I won't tell you when, but a while back. He was educated at Sir Percy Jackson Grammar Schhool in Doncaster and then at Hull (spelt with an 'aitch' he says) University. He played soccer for the Doncaster youth team as well as for his school and university.
His first teaching post was at Frederick Gough Grammar School in Lincolnshire where he taught A Level Maths and Further Maths, as well as Oxford scholarship candidates (this was a very high standard in those days). At this time the Comprehensive school system was being introduced in England. The idea was to abandon the distinction between Grammar school children (the clever ones) and the secondary modern ones, who were less bright (having failed the 11+ examination at their junior school.) All children should be seen to be equal even if they patently aren't! Thus the huge Comprehensive schools were started so that all children attended the same school, regardless of ability and in the main did the same subjects.
Phil did not take to this at all and, seeing an advertisement for a maths teacher in Rhodesia he applied for it. He was interviewed at Shrewsbury School by Bruce Fieldsend who was then in England for a year prior to taking over as Rector from Fred Snell. He was appointed to the staff and joined it in January 1968.
By then Peterhouse had reached the stage of having two maths sets in the upper school. The standard was not as high as in the UK and Phil remembers several of his early pupils very well (asking him abou Fred Fewster for instance!)
From the start he has been very involved in games: volleyball when he first came, then under 15A cricket for a long time, as well as soccer for a number of years (you will find a more youthful picture of Phil in the soccer photographs of the time). More recently he has been running the squash and still does so to this day. He took a very successful squash tour to England and had also taken three squash tours to South Africa, always with excellent results.
He played number one in the local MESRA squash league in the second league for a team called the Pedants (I don't know why, but they were always called the Pedants in Marondera). He seldom lost, if ever.
He ran the game organisation for several years ensuring that the boys (and staff) had enough to do in the afternoon.
Socially he played a big part in the life of Marondera, enjoying the Three Monkeys where he often helped out behind the bar. When that closed, he became an active member of the Marondera Country Club as he is still to this day. He played golf there until his car was stolen from outside the Club with his golf clubs inside it. Now he is planning to start again. He has got another set of clubs and will soon be seen regularly on the Club golf course.
Phil regularly went on and ran Chimanimani trips with the B block and also went several times on exploratory trips in that area. He also did a trip to Melsetter (now Chimanimani) each week to collect supplies which he brought back to the staff cave in their original wrapping, some in brown bottles.
He was House Tutor of Founders for several years until he was appointed Housemaster of Ellis, a position he held with distinction for twelve years and a term. More recently he has been senior master doing much of the orgaisation of the school such as labour and buses and swimming duty, as well as gently bullying the staff into getting to class on time and doing the necessary duty at meal times.
Many boys will remember Phil with his crisp comments such as "you can kiss my paw-paw", you "booger" or "no bludy way". Thus it was very fitting that he was given a dinner during his 100th term to which a number of his old Ellis boys, friends and relations from around the country came.
J W Greenacre.
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