The People OMs of the Year OM of the Year 2004
OM of the Year 2004
OM of the Year 2004
The Society Committee were most happy to select three Old Millfieldians for 2004, David Graveney (1966-71; Kingweston), Timothy Lee (1969-73; St Anne’s) and Timothy Tsun Ting Fok (1960-65; Orchards). David’s success has been on the sporting front, Tim Lee has made a major, personal public service contribution, in the Gambia, and Timothy has achieved high office at national and international level, all three bringing great credit to Millfield.
This year’s winners of the OM of the year awards were:
The Hon. Timothy Tsun Ting Fok (1960-65; Orchards)
Upon leaving Millfield, Timothy went to California for further education. His first venture was to elevate the construction arm of his company (senior officials having affiliations to Millfield) from local to international level, with a container project. More than a quarter of a century ago China opened itself up to the rest of the world, Timothy’s firm being among the first to invest in the mainland, concentrating on the country’s infrastructure and tourism industry and pioneering the hotel industry. The most memorable venture was a chance meeting with golf legend Arnold Palmer, which led to the first golf course on the Chinese mainland.
The trend-setting course has just celebrated its 20th anniversary, which, in a way, attests to two decades of China’s phenomenal economic development. Timothy’s passion for furthering golf could have been the result of the influence of his flamboyant headmaster, “Boss”, whose golfing lore was an inspiration.
David Graveney (1966-71; Kingweston)
Before joining Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, David embarked upon an accounting career and, until he took up his position with the Professional Cricketers Association in 1983, he continued on a regular basis as a self-employed accountant. However, his post-Millfield life really falls into two distinct phases: his active and his non-playing cricket lives. As a good slow left-arm bowler, he played for Gloucestershire from 1972 to 1990 (6 years as Captain), for Somerset in 1991 and for
Durham for three years after that (being Captain for 2 of them). He represented the England under 25 team and played County Cricket for 22 successive years, finishing with the following bowling statistics:
Batting:
- Matches 457
- Innings 580
- Runs 7107
- Ave 17.67
Bowling:
- Wickets 981
- Ave 30.44
- Best Performance 8 for 85
- 5 Wkts 40
- 10th in Match 7
As long ago as 1975, he had been elected Gloucestershire representative to the P.C.A. Executive Committee, right up to 1983 when he was appointed as P.C.A. Treasurer. He became that organisation’s Secretary in 1992 and Chief Executive in 1994. During his term of office with the P.C.A. he played his part in helping to improve the lot of cricketers, including the establishment of pension plans, a minimum wage and health trust. He stood down from the Committee in 2002. He managed an unofficial tour to South Africa in 1990, became a National Selector in 1995 and Chairman in 1997, up to 1999 also managing England Teams in various countries around the world. He is currently still Chairman of Selectors, Vice President to the P.C.A. and F.I.C.A. (Federation of International Cricketers Association) and still serves on numerous English Cricket Board Committees. He has done a quite splendid job as Chairman of Selectors. Before David took over, all his predecessors were criticised by the press and public for omitting key or selecting unworthy cricketers. Particularly in recent years, England has enjoyed much success and it appears a general consensus, now, that David’s Committee is choosing the right men for the job. Last year, he attained 100 tests as a National Selector. His commitment to the England cause is unquestioned.
Tim Lee (St Anne’s; 1967-1972)
When John Davies, (Millfield; 1935-) asked me for a report on the progress of my bridge building project in The Gambia I thought I’d better get my old passports out and check some chronology. It seems that my first visit to The Gambia, on holiday, was actually some 20 years ago although it was not until about ten years ago that the bridge project idea first occurred to me. It’s a complicated story, which emerged from a post card printing contract, with the then Minister of Tourism and an extremely popular illustrated tourist map. Imagine how delighted I was to learn a day or two before the final payment, that the Minister and his ‘Perm Sec’ had been arrested along with the rest of the government during a military coup. I happened to bump into the new guy…. ‘His Excellency Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Dr. Alhaji Yaya A. J. J. Jammeh, President of the Republic of The Gambia’ on my last visit. I knew it was him because he had the longest personalised number plate I had ever seen.
However, it was during these earlier visits that I had met Masaneh Kassama, Hotel Manager at the Fajara, one of The Gambia’s busiest hotels. Eventually I persuaded Masaneh and his brother, Ansu, to take me on an improbable visit to his village, Dasilame, a remote and rather inaccessible place, some 150 miles inland lying a mile or so from the southern bank of the river Gambia. It was there that I was introduced to the Alkalo (village leader) and a senior group of village people (no not the gay iconic group of the 70’s), a group of elders from each family. Dasilame was a far cry from the hotel coastal strip where tourism was in its early days. So was the accommodation.
I stayed with Masaneh’s family in their compound, a small group of straw huts surrounding a more robust dwelling of mud, bricks and a corrugated iron roof. As it was I saw no other white face for a week or so and I was rather embarrassed to be allocated the compound bed. My first night there however, was the most terrifying of my life. I still shiver at the memory of waking up from a fitful slumber, forgetful of my location, to find myself being mauled by a frenzied local rodent that had entangled itself in the mosquito net which had fallen on top of me. Like an idiot I had flaunted all advice to have a torch handy, or a lighted candle, or for that matter to even recall where I had even put my glasses, without I can barely recognise my own eyelids. Not that it matters much when the night was as black as a night could possibly be. ‘If it’s alright for them-it’ll be alright for me’, I thought as I ignored their suggestions. I have listened much more attentively to local bushcraft since then. They were all very amused by the way.
But I have not been put off by such trivial events such as that or others like the ‘bush taxi’ driver who in order to save his car battery power, used his headlights at night only when he heard screams or sensed panic outside. Or indeed another hapless taxi driver who, when accused of being ‘the worst bloody driver in the country’ by my friend Ansu, slammed on the brakes and said ‘OK then you drive the bloody car!’ and to my utter amazement Ansu did just exactly that. Or the time I sat shaking with fear in the window seat of an Air Ghana aeroplane as a group of 20 or so seemingly unlisted passengers (they turned out to be cocoa pickers) crowded the aisle of the plane as we sped down the runway in Guinea Bissau toward the Atlantic on a runway which appeared to be half a mile too short.
So what’s that got to do with the bridge?. Well I suppose it’s those experiences and many many others like them that have kept me so fascinated. Throughout all my visits the village of Dasilame, though more prosperous in some ways now, appears to have kept its’ structure, its’ customs and its’ culture almost unchanged since the dawn of evolution. A system, which seems to depend almost entirely on the way the crops respond to the weather, the water and the land. No particular expertise is required to see that it is those who live on these limits who are most vulnerable to such conditions. The consequences are often hardship, poverty, Malaria, and lack of opportunity. I have therefore felt exceptionally privileged to take the opportunity to help. Hence the bridge.
The bridge by the way is nearly finished, it is a two hundred metre causeway across wetland to the riverbank followed by a further 60 metres of stone pontoons connected by steel rods and cement. The base of the structure is formed by thousands of large lumps of laterite stones. I know because I went out into the hills with the villagers and slung some on the back of the trailers and the tractors we hired. Hot, dusty, laborious back-breaking work. Well, the two I picked up were.. One of them was sponsored by John Davies’ 50p by the way. (Bang goes the OM Award).
I knew virtually nothing of bridges but do know now that if you plan to build a dam someone will damn you and tell you it won’t work. Also that it takes a huge amount of patience. If there is no infrastructure you have to improvise and Ansu, Solomon, Cherno, Sissowo, Malik and Jon who all did exactly that with brute strength and miraculous ingenuity.
When things looked pretty bleak a couple of years ago I took a moped down to the site and moped. In the distance I spotted what I first thought to be a slow moving wading bird but on closer encounter it turned out to be a small Taiwanese man called Dr. Denis Yao who was out in the swamps collecting rice samples. Well, it takes all sorts. He turns out to be a bit of a world expert in tidal irrigation and agronomy. He explained that the bridge, which makes the island accessible, is almost unique in that it can yield two crops of rice a year due to the fact that the River Gambia is tidal up to 150 miles up river. When he told me his two sons were being educated in Exeter, about a mile from my home, I just thought of Harry Hill and “What are the chances of that happening then!” (Come to think of it Denis looked a bit like Harry Hill, a huge safari shirt collar and a pocket with loads of pens). Denis, in fact, gave us 3 big reinforced steel culverts and recommended us to the Land Development Aid Group. They sent along an expert engineer and three construction workers. Mind you I don’t think Ansu expected them all to stay in his compound for six weeks while they worked on the bridge. Huge thanks to Denis for that.
Every week now I get a message to Ansu and every week he says “It will definitely be finished in one week” It really is so very near completion now and I must thank the sponsors, many of whom are friends. I should really single out David Hughes, while at the same time recognising the spontaneous generosity of others, which at times has been quite overwhelming.
As with all things West African there have been spin-offs. One such spin-off has been the sponsorship so far of nine students at the Kuntaya Secondary School. These 16 year old plus boys and girls have each received three full years further education which would otherwise have been unavailable to them. The Principal, another Masaneh, keeps the sponsor informed of the students’ progress with an annual letter containing a report, a photo and a letter of thanks. I visit the school at least once a year. We’ve also put in banana and fruit plantation. Perhaps one of the consequences of this report on the bridge may lead to one or two of you sponsoring a girl or boy whose future may be transformed by a donation of £80. This will cover their entry fee, their books, their examination fees and three years education. An opportunity otherwise totally out of their reach. There are ten more impoverished worthies on Masaneh’s shortlist at the moment and I shall be travelling in the New Year to deliver more help. They could really do with it.