Concordia

Concordia Winter 2019 3 Introduction An introduction from the Head Master: 04 Shami Radia (1995-2000) discusses the challenges of normalising the eating of insects in the West. 08 Alan Sommerstein (1958-1965) celebrates classical scholars associated with Merchant Taylors’ who have made prominent contributions to the field of Classics. 12 Ammar Ebrahim (2006-2011) reflects on how his years at Merchant Taylors’ prepared him for his breakthrough into journalism. 14 Mustafaen Kamal (2005- 2012) explains how the Dil Project blends development in Pakistan with business acumen. 16 Archivist Sally Gilbert shines a light on the exceptional life of Classicist Eiddon Edwards (1920-1928). 18 Roll of Benefactors 2019 20 Development Office News 24 Hockey 26 Events 30 Class Notes 32 Obituaries In this issue We have made every attempt to locate copyright ownership of archive photography but have not always succeeded in doing so. Any owner of copyright of individual images is invited to contact the editor. Supporting MTS To find out more about how you can support the school, please go to: https://development.mtsn . org.uk/supporting-MTS I recently had the pleasure of addressing the Annual Dinner of the OMT Society. I shared with them my thoughts on the identity of our school and the values that define us. I proposed five words that I think we can assert as our identity. They are these: innovation, bravery, confidence, inspiration and joy. Innovation is important to us, as we are constantly striving to find new ways to do better. We want the pupils to be constantly reinventing themselves, discovering new methods and techniques of working. We want them to strive to develop in character as well. The teachers support the boys by challenging themselves to improve their teaching. Innovation and a restless search for self-improvement underpin everything we do in the school. That is one reason why our results this year are so good – the best for very many years. 76% A*/A at A Level is equal to any of our competitors. Half the pupils at GCSE got at least 8 A* grades. We are able to innovate because we are brave. Bravery comes in many forms. This school certainly knows about physical bravery. Three Victoria Crosses and more than 300 medals and citations earned in the First World War have set the scene for the rest of the century. But bravery is also so much more. Moral bravery is when you stand up for what you know is right, whatever the odds. Intellectual bravery means never settling on an easy answer. It means we are ready to step back from and overturn even cherished notions, if the evidence requires it. And because we are brave in our pursuit of innovation, we grow in confidence. Our confidence is not swagger and braggadocio. It is the quiet knowledge that we understand ourselves, that we have sight of our strengths and our weaknesses and that therefore the ground is secure under our feet. And with confidence, we can begin to inspire others. Inspiration is absolutely at the heart of Merchant Taylors’ School. Memories of an inspiring teacher can be carried through a lifetime, acting as a guide and a prompt. But inspiration does not just flow from teacher to pupil. At Merchant Taylors’, we aim to inspire each other. It can happen on the school’s sports fields, in the classroom or on the stage. At Merchant Taylors’, we never wait to be inspired by others – we see what we can do to be the inspiration ourselves. And so we come to our final word – joy. Joy is not, and should not be, a goal. It is instead an outcome, an emergent feature of a successful community. If we are innovative, if we are brave, if we are confident and if we are inspirational, we will also be joyful. Joy uplifts and transports. I hope that Merchant Taylors’ School is similarly transformative in its impact. These five words are bold statements of intent. There is yet one more word to consider, a word which describes the context in which the other words can exist. That word is community. This school is a community of old boys, pupils, teaching staff and support staff. We are always stronger in a team, and that team is made up of every person in our school. But every team must have a purpose beyond itself – our community’s final duty is to serve the wider community in which we exist. This, I suggest, is our identity. This is Merchant Taylors’. We are gathered in a noble cause – one worthy to be part of, one worthy to promote and one worthy to defend. We will face whatever the future brings with innovation, bravery, confidence, inspiration and joy.