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Message from OBU President

Onbehalf of the Old Bathurstians' Union I take this opportunity to wish all thosestudents who are leaving All Saints' this year, every success in whatever careerpath they follow. As President of the OBU for next twelve months I am lookingforward to working with the committee on several projects we have in thepipeline.

All Saints' is fortunate to have a new dynamic leader, Dr Peter Miller, who is keen topromote the school jn various areas of the state. The OBU committee will behaving ongoing discussions with Dr Miller witha view to assisting with these promotions where possible.

Sincethe amalgamation of All Saints' and Marsden the OBU committee has been much morestable and successful, this is due to the steadying influence of the Marsdenladies. The OBU hasbeen a long serving and generous member of the All Saints'/Marsden family, tothose who have left over the past 30 to 40 years I invite you to become involved in this great organisation and keep the dreamalive.

As we are nearing the end of theyear, on behalf of the OBU I wish everyone a very happy Christmas and asafe New Year.

Regards,
James Pirie

Obituary

Marjorie Emms nee Morley

Born 15th September, 1915 at Warne Street Wellington, NSW Grew up on a farming and grazing property at Maryvale, NSW. Attended Marsden Anglican Girls School, Bathurst where she completed her Secondary School Education.

Married Albert Emms 31st August, 1938 in the Chapel at All Saints College, Bathurst where Albert was a teacher. Children Michael and Diana born 1941 and 1944.Albert went to England to serve his country in the Combined Air Services and Marjorie went first to Wagga Wagga and then back to Geurie to live with her brother Mick (Eric).

Albert returned from war and took up a position at All Saints College as Bursar and Marjorie around 1950 took on the position of secretary to the headmaster at All Saints. The two remained at All Saints for the rest of their working lives retiring in 1975 - 6. Daughter Diana having moved to England with husband, Marjorie and Albert settled in Warialda to be closer to son Michael and his family, wife Marion and their children, Sue, Eric, Gill and Linda. Marjorie was much involved with her grandchildren here and in England, teaching the girls the niceties of sewing etc and how to be nice young ladies and gentlemen. During their time in Warialda Albert passed away and shortly after Michael and family moved to Singleton where Marjorie eventually joined them. For a few years she then spent her Aussie winters in England with Diana and family until frailty took over and she went into Alroy Nursing Home, then to Calvary in Cessnock.

Daughter Diana, husband Twink, children Felicity, Jeremy and Catherine. Marjorie has 7 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

In 1965 Marjorie's brother Mick was struck by ill health and Marjorie and Albert took on the guardianship and raising of his children Peter and Elizabeth. Marjorie lived a full and happy life, and she was and is much loved by her extended family.

DOUG KILLEN 1975-2009

KILLEN, Douglas Geoffrey Lyle (Doug).
Late of Dee Why. Aged 33 years.
Dearly loved son of Greg Killen and Paula Deveson. Brother of Alexandra Killen. Half brother of Stephen and Nicholas Killen. Nephew of Susan, Scott and Richard Killen. Grandson of Rosanne and Bryce Killen. Uncle of Ashleigh, Bobby and Lauren Rowe. A funeral was held on Monday (February 2, 2009) at All Saints Cathedral, Church Street, Bathurst.

I had the real pleasure of coaching Doug Killen in the First VI at ASC for several years. In that time Doug moved from a tear-away fast bowler with a lively, and energetic cricket mind to a wiser, but still a tear-away fast bowler who could also hit the ball out of the ground when the mood took him. He toured with the ASC first xi on their tour to New Zealand and he was one of the most consistent and important members of the team.

He combined with his friend Nathan Hansen to lead the team to defeat the very strong Auckland HS tea^a team that boasted three under 19 New Zealand representatives inn their side.

Reputations never meant much to Doug and when his team fell behind the required run rate and were down to 8 for 102 chasing 186 he and Nathan Hansen strode to the wicket and began placing balls to all parts of the ground, ignoring that this wasn't meant to happen to such exalted cricket nobility.

Doug was a team leader and a team player. He always had time to help the younger players and on days that were hot and long, he would always come steaming in from a long run-up and deliver the ball at top speed, getting it to whiz about the batsmen's head.

He would then chase enthusiastically for whoever else may be bowling and throw back to the keeper with an arm that was straight, fast and true.

Doug Killen will be missed as all good people are missed. Not for major deeds done that change the shape of the world but for the energy in which he approached life and for the generosity of spirit which was his trademark. Tony McLaughlin

ALAN KELL, 1920-2008

ALAN KELL could disturb passengers in his car while driving down Parramatta Road. He was frequently distracted by buildings being erected on both sides of the road.

Building and buildings were in his blood. Buildings such as the War Memorial in Hyde Park, the Grace Building and the interiors of the House of Representatives and Senate chambers in the new Parliament House in Canberra were built by Kell & Rigby, the family firm.

When representatives of the four largest shareholders were asked to introduce themselves at a company meeting some years ago, the first three said they were directors. The fourth announced himself as "Alan Kell; occupation, carpenter". He wasn't particularly religious but liked the idea that Jesus was a carpenter.

The construction industry is notoriously tough. Competition is fierce and trade unions have been strong. Kell, fondly known as "AB", navigated the difficulties with grace. During his time with the company, Kell & Rigby were often called "the gentlemen builders".

Alan Blair Kell was born in Burwood, the second son of William, a builder, and his wife, formerly Isabelle Blair, the daughter of a mayor of Burwood and one of the earliest women drivers in Sydney. William and his partner Les Rigby were busy expanding their building company, Kell & Rigby, which was in its 10th year when AB was born and will celebrate its 100th year in 2010.

Young Kell left school at 16, after boarding at All Saints College in Bathurst, and began his apprenticeship in Kell & Rigby's joinery shop at Railway Crescent, Burwood, while studying at Sydney Technical College. He became an accomplished joiner and carpenter. He played first-grade rugby as a second-rower and represented NSW. He also loved the snow.

At 21, Kell joined the Army Engineers as a lieutenant, heading to Papua New Guinea to build roads and bridges. He spoke little afterwards about the war, and never of being mentioned in dispatches for bravery when he removed an active hand grenade from a dead soldier.

One point he did mention was that the soldiers' letters home nearly always mentioned the crying babies they heard when passing through villages; this made them all homesick.

He could be comfortable in his own company. On rest and recreation leave in Townsville, most of Kell's comrades-in-arms went to the pub for beer and cigarettes, while Kell sat in the gutter with an ice cream.
He attended church in Burwood almost every Sunday, sometimes twice, and was made an elder, then a deacon in his early 20s. He wasn't philosophical about religion, but liked its sense of community. When a young member of the family asked what would happen when he died, AB said: "I don't know, actually.
Kell had met Jessie Davidson, a nurse from Wellington, before the war and proposed in a letter from New Guinea. They were married at St Stephens in Macquarie Street during the war.

He was back home in the family business when his father died unexpectedly.

Too young to run the company himself, Kell enlisted Roy Thornton to guide Kell & Rigby through those years. In the first few months he had to borrow money to pay wages, vowing never to be in that position again.

After Thornton handed over to Kell, the company entered a period of prosperous growth which lasted for several decades.

At one point in the 1970s, Kell & Rigby was putting on an average of 70 new apprentices every year.
Every morning at work he would walk around the joinery shop, plant and equipment to make sure it was in order. On site visits, he would walk over the whole area.

He told his foremen in 1967: "Always be satisfied with the job you have done. We are a fortunate mob; we can see the results of our labours but, of course, so can everybody else for the next 50 years or so."
Kell was chairman of the woodchopping competition at Sydney's Royal Easter Show for 14 years. He was involved in the Uniting Church's aged care arm, a member of Rotary and on the boards of the Granville College of TAFE and the Western Suburbs Hospital.

He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1998 for service to church and community. Alan Kell is survived by his sister, Jean; children Robert, John, and Judy; 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Dubbo Reunion Dinner

Here are a selection of photos from the OBU Dubbo Dinner which was held at the Castlereagh Hotel on Saturday, March 14 2009.



Jessica Richards advises growers over genetics

Jessica Richards (ex-ASC 1994-1999) advises wool growers to consider genetics when looking into mulesing following her research on the future of merinos. Almost 80 years after it started, the debate on mulesing has come full circle.

Livestock research officer with the Orange Department of Primary Industries Jess Richards has been looking into the future of merinos. To do that, she had to look at the past.
Ms Richards explored trials of merino sheep from the 1930s to see how sheep reacted to flystrike. In the 1930s the practice of mulesing was introduced and minimised the rate of fly strike. However, Ms Richards unearthed a report from the Join Blowfly Committee from 1940 urging the use of genetics.

"The museling operation must not be regarded as an alternative to the policy of breeding towards plain-breach sheep," the report read.

"Genetics are a permanent solution," Ms Richards said.


Marsden Old Girls 1961 Reunion



The Marsden Old Girls of 1961 at their annual reunion in Carcoar.



Wedding
Vanessa Pitt (Class of 93) and Stephen Creed were married on the 13th December 2008 in Dubbo.

OBU Reunion Dinners

The Old Bathurstians' Reunion Dinner was held recently for the class of 1958 and 1998.