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On Saturday, 7th March over 140 past and present pupils and staff of King Edward’s School gathered to celebrate Bertie Mawer’s 60 years’ association with King Edward’s School Witley. Bertie spent his entire teaching career at King Edward’s, joining in 1949 to teach English and History and becoming a Housemaster, Senior Master, and latterly Freeman of the City of London, and a Trustee of King Edward’s School Education Trust.
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Bertie became one of the first Fellows of Bridewell Royal Hospital in 1999 (contributing to the bursary funds to enable disadvantage children to attend the school – more than 25% of the children at the school are supported in this way as they have a need to board) and was Chairman of the School’s Arts Club. He has been actively engaged in fundraising, along with being the school historian and a staunch supporter of the school and wrote ‘A history of King Edward’s School’ in 2000. Rosemary, his wife, was, for many years, a doctor at the local Witley Surgery, and the couple are still greatly involved in many local societies. He is passionately fond of music, being on the committee of HHH (formerly Haslemere, Hindhead & Headley Music Club) and helped to found Opera Omnibus, now Opera South, in Haslemere. His many other interests embrace football, cricket and travel to Austria.
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Guests enjoyed a sumptuous four course meal provided by the school caterers, Holroyd Howe, and were treated to an excellent performance from school pupils. Ida Wilmsen, aged 17, from Germany, played the Andante from Symphonie Espagnol by Eduardo Lalo as a very accomplished violin solo.
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This was followed by a Mozart Allegro from Sonata in B flat major, beautifully performed by Tyler Fong, a 6th Form pupil from Hong Kong. The guests were also treated to a number of enchanting arias from some of Bertie’s favourite operettas and songs from Gershwin, sung for him by his friend the noted soprano, Elizabeth Traill.
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In praising Bertie, The Headmaster, Mr Kerr Fulton-Peebles, highlighted some of his many accomplishments and attributes, with many amusing anecdotes cleverly set in rhyme.
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Peter Estlin, Chairman of Governors, presented Bertie with a miniature replica of the school’s ceremonial mace, fashioned in bronze and holly wood, and a watercolour of the school’s London church, St Bride’s in Fleet Street. Bertie and Rosemary were also surprised to be presented with a weekend trip to The Scala Opera House in Milan.
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There have been many postings on Bertie’s message board on the Old Witleians’ web page and it is apparent how past pupils and staff hold Bertie in great affection. Ginni Relton writes ‘To me you ... represented the essence of the KES teacher: multi-talented, hyper-active, kindly and generous - true Renaissance men! ‘and Frank Harrison from Montreal sent this thought ‘It's that old adage again Bertie, the one about leaving the world a better place for having passed through it. It applies to maybe one person in a million. As an unsurpassable icon of KES with a lifetime of dedication to its charges and graduates, you must know that you have improved the lives of thousands directly and possibly thousands more indirectly. From all of us, thank you.’
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