b'THE ELLESMERIAN Dr Kim Collins joined the Biology Department in 2005. SheAnd, finally, moving into what might be thought almost to be pre-joined us as a triathlete of international standard and in herhistory, Mr Harry Orr joined us in 1999 and has been with us for time here has done a number of Iron Man competitions andalmost 24 years. Initially appointed as a Head of Religious Studies, 8is now swimming at the top end of her age group (I hopehe introduced Sociology in the school, which in later years was she will not mind me describing it as such) and will behis primary academic interest. He has been an all-round willing swimming in the Europeans this summer. She has been Head ofcontributor to many areas of College life. He has been an Meynell house, led the CCF RAF section, and managed a numberexcellent Sixth Form tutor for many years and a major of joint expeditions with the navy section; she also ran thecontributor to the social side of Common Room life: he is the Medical Society. She initiated the amazing Biology Cake Bake Offorganiser of the staff social tennis and last night was managing where students produced impressive cakes modelled on suchthe staff-pupil annual tennis competition. He has been a major things as the eye, the heart, and the kidneysit was hard toparticipant in golf (and also done good service in that area with judge which was best, and while they tasted delicious theythe pupils), and will be remembered by manyoften with some looked pretty gruesome to eat. Kim will undoubtedly be a loss topainfor his contribution to staff football. I understand he has a teaching and certainly has earned her break after such greatparticularly hard tackling approach to the game. commitment over such a long period. A proud moment for him is when his daughter Becky achieved Mrs Vanessa Hart also joined us in 2005 and in her time hasthe very rare feat of 45 pointsthe top mark, so one of the top fulfilled a number of roles. She has been a stalwart of the100 in the worldin the IB. He reminded me recently that Learning Support Department and through her work there haswhen asked how that achievement could be improved upon I made significant contributions to the academic development ofsuggested a breeding programme involving him. Obviously it is many individuals who have passed through the College. She hasstill too early to assess the success of that particular initiative. taught Key Stage 2 for some time and finishes now as a Year 6 tutor. Vanessa has a rich hinterland and enjoys music and singing and is retiring and looking forward to having more time for her interests. In a recent letter of farewell she described the everyday nitty gritty issues of teaching as being things of overriding joy, which is a lovely phrase and one that sums up Vanessas fantastic attitude to life and to her students.As she too lives in Ellesmere I am sure that we will stay in touch.I hope that you will join me in the traditional way in thanking all of these colleagues for what they have done for the College and for many students at the College through the years and to wish them every best in their futures.I talked about optimism earlier in my speech. Much of optimism is about perspective. I have no doubt that the correct perspective on life is that the world is a better place. For all the problems that it faces I am confident that it will continue to be a better place. Every age and every decade has been afflicted by Mr Ian Williams joined us from Clifton College in 2003 and was miserabilism but we do not need to join with that miserabilism, in many waysthe first person to hold the full brief of Directorhowever fashionable it might be. of Sport. In his time he has overseen a huge expansion of our sporting provision and the development of our academy system.Sometimes people will be moaning that education is not what it He has always been a great proponent of a sport for all abilitiesonce was. philosophy and has been outstanding in his contribution to the strategic thinking at the College, particularly in respect of ensuringNo, it is not: certainly so far as I am concerned schooling is that all pupils are properly catered for in his area. He has done abetter.Ellesmere is a better school than it was, and it will be a stalwart job as an Assistant Housemaster in St Patricks House. Hebetter school next year, and it will be a better school the year has been an enthusiastic organiser of overseas trips, with aafter that. Pupils are treated with kindness and respect and particular interest in marine life, and I understand that he has saidconsideration. That does not always appear to have been the that if he had not gone into teaching he would have liked to havecase in the past. been a surfer. He is really going for it now, so to speak, on the overseas trips front as he departs us for the great adventure of becoming Director of Sport at Harrow School Hong Kong.'