24/5/2024   

KEVIN COONEY REMEMBERS….

Kevin Cooney, who attended St Mary’s between 1964 and 1971, has dug out this fantastic class photo which includes many names who were included in We Did Our Homework On The Bus.

Back Row – Left to right.

 Nigel Anderson – Bob Brodie – Jimmy Kane – Michael Shields – Patrick Murphy   Michael Phillips – Kevin Bell

 Second Row – Left to right.

 Paul Johnson – Gregory Taylor – Simon Draper – Bill Webb – Alan Gator -Chris Goodrich – Andrew Duggan -Struan Dudman

 Third Row – Left to right.

 Anthony Komadera – Chris Doran – Tim Galligan – Kevin Foreman – Michael Langdon – Paul Graham – John Watson – Kevin Cooney 

 Front Row – Left to right

 ? Singh – Simon Egan – Michael Kowoski – Stephen Hemsley – Andrew Smith – David Warren

I think one of my earliest memories dates back to my first day at school. On arrival, unlike my old primary school (St Joseph’s Convent, Sidcup) where we had to change our outdoor shoes for black plimsoles, we could wear our outdoors shoes the whole time which was very radical for me!

Once we found our classroom, we sat at our desks in alphabetical surname order and it was here that I sat next to my best friend, Kevin Bell who lived in St Mary Cray. Kevin must have been a popular name in the early fifties as including us, there were a total of four Kevins in our class Form 1 Alpha. (In later years, I always used to think I had a passing resemblance to the Actor Kevin Costner, although my wife would only agree to this similarity if it was applied from the ankles down). Kevin went off to University in 1971 whilst I joined the  London Borough of Bexley as a Trainee Accountant  and regrettably that was my last contact with him.

Out of the four school houses, Campion, Beckett, Moore and Fisher, Campion was considered to be the best house to belong to and used to win all of the sporting trophies. Having a number of sporting interests myself, I was crestfallen to find out I had been included in Beckett. However my disappointment was short lived as probably 90% of the naturally gifted sports pupils in my year had been placed in Beckett and during my time there, we won virtually every annual sporting event in our year. Special mention to my friend Jimmy Kane who was a very gifted sportsman and virtually won every race he entered, except one when he slipped at the start of the 100 yards dash on Sports Day in 1965 which allowed me to edge into first place. Although a gifted rugby player, his real forte was football. Unfortunately for him, when we joined the school in 1964, the policy of playing both football and rugby in the winter was dropped in favour of rugby only. Excuse the pun but Jimmy was in another league when we were playing football in the playground and after leaving school, I kept looking in the newspapers on see if he had been signed up at one of the leading clubs but never saw his name appear

Stilll on the subject of Rugby, Kevin Foreman, from Dartford, was outstanding as a player and he was made captain of the Bantams Under 13 rugby team. He was so good, he was playing in the First XV when he was in the third/fourth year and was selected to play for Kent Schools in the late sixties. I recall an inter school match when the opposing team had a really excellent Fly Half. Our Sports Master at the time, Peter Lawson was referereeing the match and the game was very close at half time. Our half time team talk by Peter included advice that someone should ‘take out’ the opposite Fly Half. Kevin duly obliged and was given a strong talking to by Peter although he winked at him as he ended his reprimand!

Academically I was always in the top three in my old Primary School, St Joseph’s in Sidcup, helped by the fact there were less than ten pupils in St Theresa’s 11+ Class. However when I moved to St Mary’s it was a bit of a wake-up call as throughout my time there I always ended up in the bottom third of the class. My worst subject was Art with the Art Master Brian Pratt. It always annoyed me that I  was totally incompetent in this field with a complete absence of natural ability. It was a bit like sport, either you had ‘ball sense’ or you didn’t and art was also  something you could never really learn from any books. Having received Art examination marks of between 5 – 10 at the end of year, this always had a detrimental effect on my overall class position in the end of term examinations. If only ’sport’ had been recognised as a qualifying subject for the above exams, (as I think it is now) I might have edged my way into the middle third of the class.

Timothy Galligan from Westerham was an academically gifted pupil, continually top of the class in the year end examinations. He was Head Boy and went to Oxford and then found his way to Rome where he was ordained and later became a Monsignor. Looking at Google, he had a very successful career in Rome before returning to England to take up the positions of Parish Priest In Kent and London. I have always said to myself I would turn up at his church and surprise him one day. Hopefully writing this memory will encourage me to do this and I can invite him to the reunion Matt is planning in October.

Simon Egan from Gravesend was another gifted student. He had a real interest in Chemistry and I am convinced he knew more than our chemistry teacher, Mr Murkerji. Mr Mukerji gave me the cane twice for not bringing my chemistry text books to class.

As for the teachers at the school, I really do remember them all with positive memories. Geography was probably my favourite subject where I was taught by Mr Mclaughlin (Eccles) and Mr Hesketh (Ron). I remember Eccles telling us if we did not work hard in class, we would end up ..’pulling levers at Morphy Richards on the Sevenoaks Way’. Every time I used to drive past that building I remembered that advice. As for Ron, he would tell us about his trips to the Italian Lakes and how the views were ruined ‘….when an Italian chappie threw a cigarette packet into Lake Garda’. Ron also had a passion for nice cars and seeing him turn up in his brand new Ford Cortina 1600E in Gold hit a nerve with me with his Advanced Motorist Badge prominently displayed on the front grill. Two years  after leaving St Mary’s I too had a 1600E, courtesy of a three year Barclayloan, but I had to wait until I turned 50 before I applied and achieved my Advanced Motorist qualification. Finally whilst studying for A level geography, myself and Michael Phillips from Bexleyheath spent a week in Pembrokeshire at the Orielton Field Studies Centre. For some reason I always remember the return rail fare from Sidcup to Pembroke Dock being four pounds and one shilling. Whilst there, we focused on physical and human geography projects, together with other experiences where the old  adage ‘whatever happened in Pembroke stays in Pembroke’ applied!

Another teacher who taught us in the sixth form for Economics was Mr St’John Ribbins. He loved throwing in the odd Latin phrases into his lessons with such gems as Ceteris Paribus, Quad erat Demonstrandum and In toto. It must have worked as out of his class of fifteen, thirteen achieved A grades and two B gradings in 1971.

After entering the 6th form, life took a more relaxed approach. We had our own Common Room at the front of the school and enjoyed a number of free periods during the course of the day. Music, girls and football occupied a lot of the conversation, especially music, and Thursdays you could see people with copies of the Melody Maker being passed round various groups. With emerging bands like King Crimson, The Mothers of Invention, Atomic Rooster, Family and solo artists like Neil Young, and Chris Farlowe there was always lots to discuss. However because my friend Patrick Murphy from Gravesend and myself had taken an interest in second hand cars, Exchange & Mart was our magazine of choice on a Thursday.

Just to return to the Sports Master and our Form Master Peter Lawson, who I got on really well with, he did not stay at St Mary’s for very long as he secured a position with the Sports Council. He eventually became the Chief Executive for the Central Council for Physical Education. However my opinion of him changed when in January 2000, the Sidcup News Shopper reported he and his son, who also worked for the CCPR, were found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy charges and were jailed for 18 months and two years respectively.

Looking back, I can honestly say that I really enjoyed my seven years at St Mary’s R.C. Grammar School, Sidcup. It was a really great experience full of happy memories and friendships. When growing up I suffered with a stammer which over the years I have managed to control. At no point was I ever bullied or ridiculed for this at St Mary’s and was always accepted for the person I was for which I am truly grateful to the teachers and my classmates. For me, my school days were some of the best years of my life and I hope the above, for those of you who took the trouble to read this, may trigger their own pleasant memories of times they spent at St Mary’s.