KEEP up school friendships, stop yourself doing wrong by concentrating on doing right, and remember that people matter more than things. These three pieces of advice were offered to pupils of Vanbrugh Castle School, Maze Hill, Blackheath, at their speech day on Saturday by the Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Dermot A. Boyle, G.C.B., K.C.V.O., K.B.E., A.F.C
Sir Dermot presented the prizes at this residential school, which is run by the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund for the sons of airmen who have died.
Referring to a remark by the headmaster, Mr John Corner, that all the boys who came to the school were ordinary boys," Sir Dermot said that he did not believe there was such a thing as an "ordinary boy." They had the great asset of all being extraordinary.
Of those who had won prizes or were brilliant, he asked whether they would use their brilliance to sit back and get through life with the minimum of effort, or use their cleverness to go as high as they could.
To the boys who bad just missed out getting prizes, Sir Dermot said: "Don't worry, your turn will come." Those who had not won prizes because they had not worked, he said, would have no difficulty in working once they realised what they were working for.
In his report, Mr. Corner said that it had been a gratifying year because, he believed for the first time, all the 13-year-olds leaving this term were going to grammar schools or boarding schools of grammar school standards. He could report that the work was of high quality.
The boys were just "ordinary." he said, there was no set entrance exam. But given a boy of reasonable intelligence they had their methods and could "deliver the goods."
The school tried to be broad-minded, he went on, telling of some of their activities. The school band was very remarkable for a school of only 50 boys, and the choir was still in great demand at the Naval College. The interest in music at Vanbrugh Castle was as great as at any school he had ever known.
Mr. Corner spoke of all the help the school had from local people, for example at the moment they were sitting in the games room given by Greenwich Round Table. When their neighbours clubbed together to give something costing £4000, he said, It showed there could not be much wrong with the boys.
Ending by thanking the staff for their energy and devotion, Mr. Corner said: "It is hard work bringing up 50 boys, but we do enjoy it."
Prefects' prizes : Hugh Croxford, Peter Lloyd. Form prizes : Donald Taylor, John Crewdson, Jonathan Clelford, Arthur Rodgers. Progress In music : Robert Edmonds. Post boy: Robert Edmonds. Reading : David Evison, Geoffrey Meace. Choir : John Fordyke. Languages : Marton Smith. Old boys' prize: John Day.