Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Don't know if this has been mentioned elsewhere but I wanted to say how much I enjoyed the "march past" at Speech Day. The Band was in fine fettle and I always find it very stirring. As I'm sure most of you know, each House marched en bloc past the Lord Mayor & assembled worthies (you may want to enlighten me as to who they were) & all did an "eyes right" and there wasn't one child that didn't march well or do that eyes right. I did reflect on how many other schools could command that 100% participation, pride & loyalty. When my own son marched past I had a real lump in my throat & not a few tears... I've never seen such a ramrod straight back & his chest stuck out a mile! And, of course, his House was by far the best...

Being a Second-form parent, I wasn't invited to the actual Speech Day but I really enjoyed the atmosphere & the spectacle. We had a good peer at the Lord Mayor's cars (I think the number plate was LM 1) and admired all the hats - the russian fur one worn by one of the dignitaries came top, I think (Enlighten me again as to who that gentleman was!).

DS told me that only the Treasurer of CH and the Queen are allowed to stand on theright of the Lord Mayor - is he right?

One of the other Mums told me that usually on Speech Day everyone has picnics on the lawn and Pimms is served by our House so I feel a bit deprived - due to a clash in the LM's diary it couldn't be held on a Saturday, apparently. Herrumph - his other appointment better have been an important one. Looking forward to next year!

Oh - and if you were the extremely kind & chivalrous gentleman who held your umbrella over me when it rained - bless you!

Ahh Speech day, the day where all pupils bar the grecians wonder why they are forced through dinning hall and and handed a CH special 'Suicide pack!'!
The Grecians on the other hand enjoy the chance to have old blues ply them with Housey special wine so when they actually have to listen to the often rather poor excuse for for a speech that the senior grecian delivers they are far beyond the point of caring!! (maybe this is just me being bitter and depressed that I am officially now old as I have finished uni and can never go back to those carefree days of housey, or perhaps I am finally admitting that there were aspects of housey life that were just a little bit silly!)

huggermugger wrote:Don't know if this has been mentioned elsewhere but I wanted to say how much I enjoyed the "march past" at Speech Day. The Band was in fine fettle and I always find it very stirring. As I'm sure most of you know, each House marched en bloc past the Lord Mayor & assembled worthies (you may want to enlighten me as to who they were)

Glad you enjoyed Speech Day, huggermugger ... my daughter hates me watching the band do anything because "You'll only cry and show me up, Ami"!!

Regarding the identity of the worthies, I don't know, but ... and here I haul myself up onto my soap box ... I would suggest that asking the new Headmaster wouldn't bring you any joy, judging by his performance at the recent UF Parents' Evening. Out of the 15 prizewinners, he mis-pronounced (according to my daughter and her friends) 10 of the names! Well, he's only had since September - and the whole of the preceeding half term week - to find out what they were ...

It's probably just me, but I think it was a pretty poor show. But then, I'm still waiting for an acknowledgment - if not a reply - to a letter I wrote to him back in Michaelmas term about an issue around some bullying ...

Impressed? Not me!

carong wrote:

huggermugger wrote:
Regarding the identity of the worthies, I don't know, but ... and here I haul myself up onto my soap box ... I would suggest that asking the new Headmaster wouldn't bring you any joy, judging by his performance at the recent UF Parents' Evening. Out of the 15 prizewinners, he mis-pronounced (according to my daughter and her friends) 10 of the names! Well, he's only had since September - and the whole of the preceeding half term week - to find out what they were ...

There were members of staff who despite my father being a teacher there still managed to mis pronounce my surname!!!

I have seen him once and my thought was he didnt have the presence of dr southern but he seemed nice enough smiled and said hello as he walked past

carong wrote: Regarding the identity of the worthies, I don't know, but ... and here I haul myself up onto my soap box ... I would suggest that asking the new Headmaster wouldn't bring you any joy, judging by his performance at the recent UF Parents' Evening. Out of the 15 prizewinners, he mis-pronounced (according to my daughter and her friends) 10 of the names! Well, he's only had since September - and the whole of the preceeding half term week - to find out what they were ...

Am I correct in thinking that the new Head is an Aussie?

If so, you have, as they say in The Great Southern Land, Buckley's Chance of him getting pronounciations 'right', particularly if the words in question contain a lot of vowels.

Could be worse ...................... if he were a Kiwi.

xx

The new head is an Aussie, but his accent is an unusual one from what I've heard...

Not all Aussies sound like Crocodile Dundee you know. Kathy Lette has a very nice gentle Aussie accent. I doubt that Aussies from Melbourne (Neighbours) sound anything like those from Perth or Darwin say, any more than a Liverpudlian sounds like a Brummie or a Londoner.

englishangel wrote:Not all Aussies sound like Crocodile Dundee you know. Kathy Lette has a very nice gentle Aussie accent. I doubt that Aussies from Melbourne (Neighbours) sound anything like those from Perth or Darwin say, any more than a Liverpudlian sounds like a Brummie or a Londoner.

Very true Mary

South Australians have more english-sounding vowels than Victorian and NSWelshpeople - so no skool and p-oooool in Adelaide.

I have heard Queenslanders described as apprentice Kiwis - because their vowel sounds are similar but not quite as bad.

Not sure about WA vowels.

xx

This really wasn't a question of accent. This was not bothering to find out the correct pronunciation. For example, 'Cerys' is Welsh, and pronounced with a hard C ... not 'Cerise' (as in the colour).

Apart from anything else, it's about respect and basic good manners.

Caron

oh dear

carong wrote: Apart from anything else, it's about respect and basic good manners.

Caron

Yeah, well, if we're talking about Aussies ....................................

However, returning to my usual respectful and good mannered self - some, perhaps not all, people just don't hear the same sounds that someone with a different accent is making.

One of my Supervisors (Australian) lived in Switzerland for a year or so and thinks that he's a, to use a good old Aussie term, sh*t hot speaker of the french language. I can't understand a word he says, and he corrects my pronounciation of french words. Then along came Roberta, from Tuscany, who speaks French a lot better than she speaks English (or 'Strine), and who commented that said Supervisor speaks 'very strange French' .

Even when a french visitor asks one of the Aussies here to repeat a french word, that is, to just immediately repeat something they have heard, they can't do it correctly - yet, to their own ears, they have.

I reckon there's a PhD thesis in this for someone ..................................

Alan P5age wrote:It IS very frustrating. The number of people who get themselves in a tangle trying to pronounce my name is extraordinary. Guys, the "5" is silent.

........ as is the 'P' in sea !