Issue 3, Jun 2001 (Back to Contents)

Hamish Aird reflects on Charlie and Liz's time in H Social and welcomes the new Social Tutor.

This term Charlie Barker stands down from H Social after 12 years as Tutor. Charlie came to Radley in 1964 and was indeed taught by your correspondent (Latin for Modern Studies) in the late 60s. This was the period when he was appointed by Dennis Silk as a Pup (in 1968), a job in which he must have pleased his boss, as in due course he was appointed a Tutor, also by DRWS in 1989.

After a successful academic and sporting career as a boy at Radley (He was in the cricket and hockey XIs, captain of squash and in the 2nd rugby XV) Charlie went on to Southampton University where he read Languages, played a lot of hockey and met Liz. A year's teacher training at Oxford followed this and his first post was at Queen's School Taunton where Malcolm Robinson (a charismatic head of history while at Radley) was the Headmaster. He also found time off his many sporting commitments to marry Liz. And what a special partnership that has proved to be for Radley. From the end of his first year as Tutor in H there has always been a Barker son in the school, all of them contributing strongly to Radley life and in a very special way to the hockey. So much so that Galleons' Day is now something of a Barker Benefit Day, with up to four of them on the pitch at the same time.

On first returning to Radley in 1982 to teach Modern Languages Charlie was a sub tutor in H Social with Dick Usherwood and then in B Social with Mike Spens. For 12 years (from 1985 to 1997) he ran the hockey, for some of this time coaching the Ist XI in partnership with Mike Featherstone. The Hockey Club under Charlie in these years was a happy and successful one. (No need to add that Charlie continued to coach cricket and rugby in the other two terms and indeed to play a competitive game of squash.)

In 1989 then Charlie moved with Liz, Richard, Paul and Rupert into H Social. The sure touch that he showed with the hockey has been repeated in the social. With his own special qualities, with the support of Liz, with his very intimate knowledge and understanding of Radley and with a pretty good idea of the problems of adolescence (nothing of course to do with having three sons at the school at the time) he has been very well equipped for the job. H has been a happy and purposeful social based on the best family values.

Charlie would always point to the support he received in the Social, especially from Barbara Sykes, who came to the Social in his first year, and from his living-in sub tutors: Garry Wiseman, David Dixon and Niall Murphy.

Hamish Aird