Rhubarb October 2022

CO-ED HOCKEY TOUR TO australia 1999 An interview with Charlie Baggs (SCR, 1989-2013), Director of Sport and organiser of the tour.

What did you do at Teddies?

I taught Maths at all levels from the lowest Shell sets to the Further Mathematicians via some rather challenging IB classes. I coached Rugby, Hockey and Cricket and ran the Hockey for a number of years. I was Housemaster in

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sports declined, others improved.What did improve was the girls’ team sports, Hockey, Netball and Rowing in particular.

Corfe, Kendall and Avenue and a Tutor in Cowell’s and Sing’s. I was Director of Sport for five years and finished my career as Honorary Secretary to the OSE Society. The move to full co-education must have been a big change at Teddies – what was it like teaching during that time and what was the impact on sport? The change was perhaps not as big as you would expect. There were already girls in the Sixth Form when I arrived and indeed some were already part of Corfe. They often shared studies with boys in the House and joined in Prefect duties.They slept out initially with local landladies and then in Oakthorpe which became a dormitory house.When full co-education arrived one of the losses was losing the mixed house model, something I notice is now reappearing. In the junior classrooms the arrival of girls had a ‘civilising’ effect on the boys.The impact on sport is more difficult to judge. Boy numbers fell which must have had some effect, however, as some

Organising a co-ed sports tour in those days must have had its challenges! Tell us about the tour.

It seemed logical in 1999 to organise a co-ed tour and Hockey seemed an obvious choice. Later tours would combine Rugby and Hockey and then Netball and Cricket but for the first co-ed venture Hockey was chosen. It was a terrific tour. Successful on the pitch and thoroughly enjoyable off. The two teams did Teddies proud and behaved fantastically.We loved being in Sydney in the run up to the Olympics.The younger girls might tell you of one memorable moment when I took them to an ice cream parlour in Kings Cross. As I returned to their table with various sundaes they delighted in pointing out we were in a transvestite meeting point.They couldn’t wait to tell their parents!

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