28 Apr 2022
Written By Matthew Eastley
From Welling to Willo’Wind
The extraordinary life of Rudy Stocking, told by the man himself, had a number of St Mary’s old boys spellbound during the latest zoom meeting of the class of 54/55.
It is a story which began in India and continues to this day in Canada, divided by a 20-year stay in Welling during which time Rudy was at St Mary’s.
Rudy, shown above, seated on the far left, was born in India but came with his large family to England after independence and settled in Porthkerry Avenue, Welling. After attending St Stephen’s Primary School, Rudy arrived at St Mary’s in 1954.
He was a fine footballer and a useful boxer. The picture above shows the St Mary’s first eleven in season 1958/59, shortly after the move to the new school. The picture includes, back row, fourth from left, Tom Ryall, an outstanding goalkeeper and, sixth left, standing next to Games Master, Ted Robinson, is Terry Futter, another good all round sportsman.
Captaining the side is Philip ‘Pip’ Wells. Rudy, Tom, Terry and Phil have all been contributors to this project.
At the age of 25, Rudy upped sticks and headed to Canada, settling in the Toronto area and working in telecommunications and then as a highly-respected economist.
In the autumn of 1984, Rudy and his wife found their dream home in Uxbridge, approximately 50km north of Toronto and named it Willo’Wind. It was the perfect place to raise their three young children, Luke, Erica and Adrian.
Willo’Wind – where the Stocking family settled in 1984
The initial plan was to have the farm as a hobby with a few animals, some land and farm in an organic and sustainable manner while also offering bed and breakfast.
Bed and breakfast guests at Willo’Wind: “We met some wonderful people,” says Rudy
Two more sons, Travis and Niall, followed and, after Rudy retired from his full-time job in Toronto, the scope of the farm expanded with the sale of organic vegetables and natural meats.
The farm became a hub of the local community as the picture below of an Annual Harvest Day shows:
Rudy’s five children have all been raised on the farm and, below, the next generation of Stockings also derive great pleasure from it.
As his children grew up, Rudy gradually handed over the reins of the running of the farm and decided to focus on teaching which he still does.
Rudy stressed how much of a focal point the farm has been not just for his family but the community too, typified by the popular horse-drawn sleigh and wagon rides which are offered.
While Rudy talked about his journey from India to Canada, via Welling, he also spoke about his spiritual journey and finding peace.
Rudy’s story captivated those on the call. The zoom sessions are the brainchild of US-based St Mary’s old boy Bert Moniz who introduced proceedings by playing The Specials classic, the appropriately-named, A Message to You Rudy.
Rudy has loved his life in Canada since leaving the UK when he was 25.
In the next zoom session, Godfrey Newham will be sharing his recollections of the outstanding but frustratingly short-lived school magazine Spectrum, which he edited in 1962.