Rhubarb 2021

ST EDWARD’S

The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme has been going for 65 years and Tony has been making it work for Teddies pupils for well over 50 of those, planning, leading, supporting or just assisting with routes. Most recently he instigated the BikeWorkshop, an opportunity for Silver award candidates to demonstrate service while raising funds for charity as well as gaining valuable skills. Richard Anderson (MCR, 1984-2006) recalls early Gold expeditions: ‘Tony would always sleep with his balaclava pulled down over his head and had an ample supply of shoes and boots to throw at anyone snoring. In the morning the tent was littered with his footwear.’ Tony gained Mountain Leader’s qualifications and James MacDonald-Smith (Sing’s, 1981-1985) was one of those who benefited: ‘He ignited my passion for climbing but also made me realise I was too big for caving.’ Brothers Stuart (Sing’s, 1983-1988) and Alastair Wells (Sing’s, 1982-1985) were also regulars on expeditions and Stuart recalls: ‘Tony used to take us climbing to Cleve Hill,Wye Valley and Symonds Yat where we climbed our first E1 whilst Tony played on his harmonica. Al was bitten by the climbing bug and left School at the end of the Lower Sixth to pursue a career in Alpinism. His big call-up came in 1987 aged 18 when invited to join the British Expedition to climb the virgin east face of the Shishapangma, an 8000m peak, the highest in Tibet, led by Colonel (now General) Blashford-Snell (no relation!).’

Tony took us under his wing and helped us learn to scull. As my watermanship developed he realised that I could become competitive and devoted a vast amount of his time and resources to me and the other keen members of the group. This included buying boats, driving us up and down the country to Head Races, Regattas and Junior Trials. His kindness, dedication and patience were unbounded and the conversations in the car ranged from physics to Morris Dancing; from engineering to the Cornish language. In subsequent years, many of Tony’s scullers went on to overcome their initial lack of

physiological or technical prowess, becoming 1st VIII oarsmen, GB internationals or Boat Race Oarsmen,: which I don't believe Tony ever expected but for which all of us are indebted to him. ‘ Another of these was Steve Baldwin (Field House, 1993-1998). ‘After crew outings in the C/D squad,Tony was on hand to help people learn how to single scull. He was always patient and most importantly kind and reassuring. He encouraged me to enter Egham Regatta in a single where I astonished everyone by winning the J14 event. It’s only later that I realised how much time he gave up for us. All of this saw me into the

FEATURE

The Duke of Edinburgh Award

scheme has been going for 65 years and Tony has been making it work for Teddies pupils for well over 50 of those, planning, leading, supporting or just assisting with routes.

1st VIII and then on to row for GB as I pushed myself harder than I ever thought possible;Tony taught me the value of working hard for something that you really wanted. I gained self-confidence, a sense of belonging to a community, learned how to deal with disappointment and how to rebound from it. My success and enjoyment of rowing was a core part of my self-worth and confidence and I simply wouldn’t be who I am today without Tony being there to help me discover my love of it.’ WolfgangWeis worked with Tony for many years inducting Shells into the ways of sculling. He comments: ‘I often think back to that time and how amazing his enthusiasm was to give the kids a wonderful time and waken their love of all things floating.’ John Wiggins recalls the ‘tea’ he would provide in the Green Hut where in addition to the tea and toast, one of his homemade apple pies would often emerge.’ Perhaps the most extraordinary contribution to the School, spanning 20 years, was the annual skiff expedition.This combined Tony’s love of boats and tradition using original Thames skiffs including his own beloved Alice as well as similar craft hired or borrowed.Tony’s casual planning from the early days had been replaced by meticulously detailed schedules, logs and kit lists. Little beyond the weather was left to chance as the trip of seven to 10 days took the mini-flotilla of Shell boys upstream to Lechlade and down again as far as Henley or even Teddington on occasion. George Kitovitz (Kendall ,1999-2004) recalls: ‘Tony was the perfect balance of expedition leader, instructor, and teammate. It was only the Thames, but we would have followed him up Everest if that was around the corner. I still remember using umbrellas as wind sails and competing to see who could take the fewest breaks from rowing. I loved my time at St Edward’s,

Tony Snell and Olympian Tom Middleton

Other pupils going on to great things following inspiration and nurturing fromTony include 2000 Sydney Olympian, Tom Middleton (Apsley, 1989-1994) who recalls: ‘I was one of Tony’s group of scullers in the early ’90s.Those of us who failed to make the grade for the ‘E’ eight were sent out in single sculls, possibly as a hint that rowing wasn’t our sport.

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