Beyond King’s

Welcoming OV Dr Mohan Gondhalekar (Cl 98-05) back to King’s this month prior to his emigration to Australia was a real treat, especially as he had not been back to School since completing his A-levels. It was also a great opportunity to learn more about Mohan’s life beyond King’s.

Whilst at School, Mohan was a dedicated academic, studying Biology, Chemistry, Maths, and Physics for A-level to secure his chosen career path in medicine. He took advantage of some co-curricular activities, including Chess Club and representing the School in the 2nd XI cricket team.

Mohan’s focus on his A-levels paid off, and he left King’s for the University of Birmingham to read Medicine. There he achieved both an MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) and an intercalated degree in the History of Medicine, receiving a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (BMedSci) as a result.

Junior Doctor training took place at the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with a focus on Acute Medicine, Vascular Surgery, General Adult Psychiatry (Inpatient and Community), Acute Stroke Medicine, and Microbiology & Virology. Here, Mohan found his speciality focus: Clinical Psychiatry.

For the following three years, Mohan remained in Worcestershire as a Core Psychiatry Doctor, before moving to Essex as a Specialist Registrar focusing on dual speciality training in adult and old age psychiatry for a further four years.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists, the professional body for psychiatry based in London, then beckoned, welcoming Mohan as a Clinical Fellow at the College Centre for Quality Improvement, where he served for five years.

Most recently, Mohan has continued his Dual Consultant Psychiatrist role within the NHS, balancing this commitment with his Private Practice in Harley Street, London. He is also an external national clinical advisor for mental health at the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsmen (PHSO).

The next exciting chapter of Mohan’s career will see him moving with his family to the Gold Coast, Australia, where he has been offered a permanent Consultant Psychiatrist position.

We were delighted to hear from OV Simon Insley (Br 99-06) with an incredible achievement: Simon recently assumed the mantle of General Manager of Cricket at South Australia Cricket & Adelaide Strikers and under his tenure, they have achieved an historic milestone by winning both the Sheffield Shield and the One-Day Cup – the first time this double has been accomplished in South Australia Cricket’s history!

Simon developed a passion for cricket from a young age, which was cultivated during his time at King’s. His first ever Cricket tour was a memorable trip to Barbados, accompanied by Gilly (Hon OV) and the late Peter Iddon (Hon OV).

At King’s, Simon studied Biology, PE, and Drama for A-level, balancing this with his responsibilities as a Monitor, Young Enterprise commitments, and, of course, Cricket! He then headed to the University of Nottingham to study Physiotherapy.

After university, Simon went travelling around the Southern Hemisphere and whilst there gained his New Zealand Physiotherapy registration. After a short stint in private practice, Simon was offered the opportunity to work for the Auckland Cricket team.

Within two years, he was their Head Physiotherapist, before being appointed High-Performance Manager for both the men’s and women’s programmes. The following three years saw Simon take on the role of General Manager of High Performance for Cricket Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes, during which he was seconded with the New Zealand BLACKCAPS as part of their management team for the Cricket World Cup in England; a dream come true for Simon. In 2022, Simon became the BLACKCAPS Performance Manager.

Simon returned to King’s for a visit a couple of years ago, bringing his New Zealand BLACKCAPS to train in the Keyes Building ahead of their game against Worcestershire Cricket, playing a warm-up match before their first T20I against England prior to travelling to India. While back at his ‘alma mater’, Simon took the opportunity to walk around the School, including the John Moore Theatre where he had a lot of happy memories of his time treading the boards.

The South Australian Cricket Association appointed Simon as their General Manager, Cricket, last summer, and neither has looked back since.

Simon added, “I am hugely grateful that my parents gave me the upbringing that I had and decided to send me to King’s. There is no doubt that the social skills that the school and teachers developed through my school years have been a crucial reason that I have been able to achieve success in professional sport on the other side of the world. The support, challenge and broad life skills that King’s developed has enabled me to build a number of relationships at all levels of a professional cricket team.”

Writer and editor OV Alexandra Pereira’s (Cr 01-06) love for The Arts was encouraged and supported at King’s. While this has remained a keystone of her career, there are aspects of her work that she never thought would be on the cards when in Sixth Form.

At King’s, Alexandra balanced her A-levels in Art, English, and Drama and Theatre Studies and in any spare time, Alexandra was heavily involved in the King’s Drama scene!

She recalls many of her inspirational teachers, including former Head of Drama, Simon Atkins (Hon OV) and former Head of English, Andrew Maund (Hon OV), who both introduced Alexandra to a huge range of thought-provoking works and texts.

Following King’s, Alexandra went to Manchester University, where she successfully gained a BA(Hons) in Drama. Alexandra enjoyed spending time in a bigger city than Worcester, although kept a close connection with King’s by sharing her student house with two fellow OVs.

Alexandra’s career then focused on the creative: writing, producing and editing. One of the aspects of Alexandra’s work for which she is now most well known in mainstream media, is her travel writing and guides. If you had asked Alexandra at School what her career would be, “travel” would not have been considered: while at King’s, Alexandra found travelling and being away from home very difficult, for example being homesick when camping at the Old Chapel, uncomfortable flying to the US for her Year 12 Drama Exchange, and terrified by friends’ plans to visit other continents in their gap years. Alexandra has now written guidebooks, had columns in major publications, consulted major brands, visited nearly sixty countries, and can be found working across the world reporting on anything from samba history in Brazil to penguin habits in Antarctica. She explains, “Even though it took me a while to start exploring the world more confidently than my friends and peers, I think King’s and my hardworking, working-class parents instilled a sense of confidence and curiosity in sharing stories and creating community wherever I am.”

Alexandra has also worked in film and television, and recently started making short travel documentaries, working on scripts, and expanding into writing fiction. Alexandra is also writing a Midlands-set drama and a novel, and is an editor at The Union (link) and contributing editor at Pariah Press.

The Theatre continues to play an important role in Alexandra’s life, and her company performed a sell-out play in the underwater black box theatre of an old ship in Copenhagen harbour where she lived for many years, and is working on her next theatre project this summer.

Many OVs agree that friends made at King’s are ones for life, and Alexandra heartily agrees – her best friend is one made at School. With many OVs similarly spreading their wings and moving away not only from Worcester but the UK, Alexandra has kept in touch with friends all over the world, including renting a room in Berlin in an OV’s flat, and connecting with an OV living in Rome while she was there covering a film festival.

Alexandra leaves us with some thoughtful words, “In the increasingly unstable and self-aware times we live in and having met and worked with many people who have less access to educational support, admitting the privilege of attending a nice place like King’s can feel complicated. But I’m so proud of each corner of my roots and having had the opportunity to grow from there. I still have my pink stripy Creighton tie!”

OV Liberty Colebourne (Ch 13-20 and Old St Alban’s) is at the cutting edge of “FemTech”, where technology is used to address and support women’s physical and mental health.

Liberty attributes her time at King’s, and especially Rowing, for the required resilience and dedication needed for her time studying Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London, and her subsequent career.

Having joined the King’s community in Year 2 at King’s St Alban’s, Liberty recalls how friendly all the teachers were during her journey through King’s St Alban’s and the senior School. Studying Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Further Maths for A-level, alongside her EPQ, Liberty learned considerable time management balancing her studies with her role as the Senior Scholar, time on the Charity Committee, qualifying for her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, and not forgetting the year Liberty cofounded and ran a “Girls Engineering” club to encourage more girls to consider engineering careers. This was in addition to many hours training and competing with the Boat Club, where Liberty was in the 1^st crew and, in her final year, Captain of Boats.

Following King’s, Liberty headed to Imperial College London to study Biomedical Engineering, where she found her passion for FemTech, keen to build engineering solutions to empower women and their health.  With a first class degree under her belt, Liberty now works for a Neurotech Women’s health company called Samphire Neuroscience, which builds wearable neurotechnology to treat symptoms of various women’s health conditions. Her role specifically is as a software engineer, focusing on the Samphire App, which accompanies their wearable device “Nettle”.

Looking back at her time at King’s, Liberty shares that she has made many lifelong friends with whom she is still in touch, and special mention goes to her Rowing coach, Will Bird, who taught her to always push beyond her limits. Having remained in London following her degree, Liberty is delighted that many OVs are moving to London too, rekindling old friendships and being able to take advantage of meeting other ‘Londoner’ OVs at events such as OV London Drinks.

OV Ian Rogers (S 75-82) opted for early retirement in 2017 after successfully leading his company to be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). This marked the end of his distinguished career in the hospitality industry, which began as a direct result of not achieving the grades required at A-level to enter the university of his choice. As Ian stated, “I never met an exam I could not fail!”

At King’s, Ian immersed himself in school life, although on his own admission was not very academic, he was a keen rower, rugby player, and a well-respected Head of House in his senior year. He took Biology, Chemistry and Physics at A-level, though with hindsight knows he would have been better served to have done Maths and Economics or Business Studies.

Ian did not achieve the grades he wanted at his A-levels but did listen to his mother when trying to decide what to do next, as she noted that everyone will always need to eat, drink and have a bed to lay in when travelling: a career in hospitality beckoned! He managed to secure a place at Bournemouth University, which was in the infancy of running a hospitality degree with a year in industry – unusual for that time.

The industry placement saw Ian learning the ropes at one of the then Trust House Forte Group hotels. Gaining this hands-on experience meant that Ian ended up being one of only six successful applicants for an apprenticeship role with Trust House Forte, which had received over 5,000 applications. This was also when Ian found his feet and aimed to specialise in financial roles within the industry.

Ian’s career gained significant traction as he was willing to do the roles, in the locations around the world, that many of his peers would not do, nor even those with more experience. He attributes this confidence to his life at King’s. As Ian explains, “Kings equipped me with the skills to cope with any situation that could occur in my early career.”

After initial assignments in Serbia, the Middle East and Far East, a highlight of Ian’s early career, and while working for the Carlson Group of Companies LLC, was opening the first Western hotel in Moscow: The Radisson Slavjanskaya Hotel, in the 1990s.

With the Radisson Slavjanskaya up and running, Ian shifted focus to the Radisson in Aruba, before settling down in the United States supporting the company’s global hotel offering and then Ocean cruises.

In 2008, Ian joined Lindblad Expeditions as their Chief Financial Officer, during a significant economic downturn. In this role, he not only secured private equity funding but also industry leading EBITDA performance (a measure of a company’s operating profit as a percentage of its revenue) whilst simultaneously improving the guest experience and satisfaction ratings. Promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2014, Ian adeptly prepared the company, its owner and private equity funders for successfully listing the expedition travel company on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Following which, Ian decided it was time to enjoy family life and retired.

Having worked 60-80 hour weeks for years, the expectation would be that the transition from working to retirement may be hard, but Ian assures us that he relaxed into it while driving away from the office for the final time!

OV Jim Fawcett (Br 85-94 and Old St Alban’s), a France-based Flight Test Engineer for Airbus, has this month been recognised as a Fellow of the Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE), one of only three this year. This accolade is given to honour those who have served with notable distinction both within the field of Flight Testing and also served the Society.

This seemed a very apt opportunity to look at Jim’s career to date!

Jim started at King’s St Alban’s and continued to the Senior School where he was actively involved in all sorts of activities, from CCF (RAF section) to hill-walking, the 1st XII Cricket to helping with the lighting in drama productions, from the swimming team to Scouts. This balanced with his academic responsibilities as a Senior Scholar and School responsibilities as Head of House meant that Jim very much made the most of his time at King’s.

Jim has had a passion for aeroplanes since he was little, so it was no surprise that he wanted to forge a career in this industry. After leaving King’s, Jim studied Aeronautics and Astronautics with European Studies at University of Southampton before embarking on his career at Airbus.

For two years, Jim worked as a flight test support engineer, then an additional four years as a senior flight test installation engineer, working the flight test instrumentation installations, and serving as the head of the A380 FTI package.

He then joined EPNER (École du Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Réception) the French test pilot school, graduating in 2008. Since 2012, Jim has been a development Lead Flight Test Engineer (LFTE) specialising in flight management systems, communications (voice and datalink), cockpit design, display systems, and radio navigation.

Jim is qualified to operate as LFTE on all Airbus aircraft types and has logged nearly 3000 hours on test flights. In addition to this, Jim is also a UK Chartered Engineer, fluent in English and French, with professional knowledge of German, and holds a private pilot’s license. Having been a member of the SFTE since 2011, Jim is also a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Speaking of this latest recognition, Jim said, “When I joined the SFTE, I was barely five years into my career as a Flight Test Engineer. It seemed like a good way to meet like-minded people and to learn more about the exciting world of flight test. Now, 15 years later, those two concepts hold just as true. I am honoured that my fellow members of the SFTE have taken the time to listen to my contributions – formal and less formal! – and consider me to be worthy of recognition as a Fellow, even if in my mind’s eye I’m still the new guy in town who just paid his first membership fee.”

This month we turn the spotlight onto OV Hanna Khogali, who is putting her acting career on hold to return to her studies. Hanna has been accepted by the University of Cambridge to study for a BA in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic) at Wolfson, starting in October 2024.

At King’s, Hanna studied Biology, Maths, and Further Maths at A-level, accompanied by AS-level German. From here, Hanna headed to Durham University to read Natural Sciences, although she decided within her first year that the course was not for her. Hanna’s heart took her to the Guildford School of Acting, where she studied Acting and Music, achieving a First in her degree. This led to a successful career as an Actor/Director, which she has hugely enjoyed.

Hanna’s theatre credits include You Bury Me (Paines Plough), Britannicus (Lyric Hammersmith), 71 Coltman Street (Hull Truck), Brief Encounter (The Watermill), Once (UK tour), Swallows and Amazons (York Theatre Royal), Moll Flanders (Mercury Theatre), Good Fit (Southwark Playhouse), The Lost Ones (Bush Theatre), The Collection (The Wallace Collection), Rags (Hope Mill – UK Premiere), Broken Wings (The Other Palace) and Daisy Pulls it Off (Charing Cross Theatre).

Recently she was the Associate Director of Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon at The Garrick Theatre and she is currently directing her first short film Debriefs.

Hanna had been feeling ready to return to academia for some time: keen to learn and fully immerse herself in a subject, applying herself in a way that she was neither ready for nor interested in at Durham.

She chose Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic) to combine with the career she already has in the Arts and expand her work internationally. Another big factor for Hanna is that this is part of her heritage that she is exploring, and much of her growing interest has come from changes within her own family as well as her experience within the industry.

We wish Hanna all the best with her degree and future career.

OV Mike Coley (Ch 57-64) spent two years as a boarder in King’s St Alban’s before moving to Choir House for the next five years, during which time he specialised mainly in Hockey and Swimming.

At the end of July 1964, he finally left the School and prepared to emigrate to Australia, where he arrived in October to join his family, who had moved there throughout the year. As such, he regards 2024 as a major, 60th, anniversary of both leaving school and emigrating.

Mike spent 34 years working for the Commonwealth Government, mainly in Canberra, where he lived for 30 years. Perhaps ironically, as an English migrant, he spent 20 years on the commemoration and promotion of Australian arts and heritage, mainly at the Australian War Memorial (the major military museum), and in support for the film industry.

He moved with his wife, Wendy, to Gunning, a village on the highway between Sydney and Melbourne, 65 kilometres north of Canberra, in 1995 and, after early retirement in 1998, he took on a range of voluntary activities including shire councillor and secretary of a range of arts, health and environmental bodies. His health activity arose from his 1999 cancer, from which was cured by 2003. Sadly, Wendy developed dementia and died in 2021.

Mike’s major claim to fame is that for the past 20-odd years he has been Gunning’s snake catcher. As a bite from one of the local venomous snakes, Eastern Brown or Tiger, would often be fatal, his sanity has occasionally been called into question, but training and vastly improved first-aid have made all the difference. He is often asked by a new client whether he has ever been bitten, but his answer is that he is VERY careful. This activity led to his award of the National Medal and the State Emergency Service long-service medal in 2022.

Mike has visited King’s several times since he left, usually to reunions, and he was pleased to go to the recent Sydney reunion, though Sydney is not his favourite city, unlike Worcester, Canberra, and Perth, Western Australia, where his brother OV John (Ch 61-64) lives. Mike is returning to the UK in May and will visit King’s again to mark his 60th year since leaving!

It was wonderful to hear from OV Dave Morris (Cl 76-79 and Old Hawfordian) in response to our request for updates from OVs! In his words, “It doesn’t seem five minutes since I left King’s and headed off into the world, yet here I am: retired and a grandfather!”

He kindly shared a précis of his career beyond King’s:

“Choices you make through life send you on paths you won’t expect: some good, some maybe not so good.

“I was always a fidgety person, so sport (Rugby, Rowing, Athletics) was a must, while the thought of doing the same thing for 40 years did not appeal. Saying that, I had known from an early age that the Marines was for me, so I joined the Air Force!

“Why the Air Force? My reasoning was to avoid regularly getting wet and digging trenches. After Basic Training, I entered into Logistics. Best decision ever. Fast forward, and I found myself doing pre-Falklands tactical training, assault courses, and sitting in trenches – the irony! I volunteered for the Falklands when the war started, which is a 19-year-old’s mentality for you! However, I didn’t get posted until October 1982, which is after the war had finished, but did take part in air-to-air refuelling, on a Hercules, from a Victor Tanker and another Hercules. Still a great experience. I also even managed to get electrocuted by a Chinook helicopter doing an underslung load because I couldn’t find the crook to discharge the static!

“I met my future wife, Julie, at my first base and we married in 1986. Several postings later, I found myself at Odiham, home of our heavy lift helicopters. On one memorable occasion, I escorted a group of students on a Puma, for a recce flight, and I was the only one that was sick!

“In 1991, and following the births of our two children, I was posted to Kuwait for the conflict there, but it ended quickly, and I was sent to the Falklands again, the day before my son’s first birthday. This was the deployment that made me decide 12 years’ service was enough. Before I left, I did get to fly a Hercules on a Maritime Recce, though!

“I earned my Colours for Athletics, beating Mark Proctor (ex-Olympian) at Shot Put, beat Rory (England Rugby) Underwood’s Discus record at RAF Chivenor, and played Rugby until I left.

“When you retire from the Armed Forces, you are given training as “resettlement” to help you find employment as a “civvy”. As resettlement in ’93, I took my HGV1 license and management qualifications, and we built a house in Worcestershire. I did some driving and ended up in management in the transport office.

“Five years later I took a position as a production manager at a Droitwich manufacturing company. It had its moments, but wasn’t for me, so I decided to go self-employed and pursue a more outdoor life. I took my chainsaw license and started tree surgery and other aspects.

“As a lover of sport, I became involved in coaching the mini juniors at Worcester RFC, handing over to another OV, Stuart Preece (Ch 75-81), when I was asked to help with the World Rally Championship. My first event was in Monte Carlo, then suddenly I found myself in Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, and round the world twice in two years. I especially recall Kenya, drinking coffee with Colin McRae and Richard Burns, who have both sadly passed away.

“This led onto a whirlwind of Formula 1, with BAR, Honda, Jaguar as Account Manager with HSBC sponsors. After participating in British Touring Cars and World Touring Cars and Historic Racing (a highlight of which was meeting Brian Johnson from ACDC, as a rock fan, superb) and even the German equivalent race series, it was time to retire.

“However, I still get calls now, and happily do the odd event here and there.

“I’ve always had a love of writing poetry and songs, even recording some of them for personal use. I wrote a song for a Commonwealth competition, for the Queen’s Jubilee, and as a result, had a mention in the Jubilee Beacons publication.

“For fun, I also do wood turning and chainsaw carving. My wife and I love cycling, walking, and spending time with our four grandchildren.

“I’ve met some amazing people over the years and had fantastic experiences. My key piece of advice? Never be afraid to take the opportunities when they arise!”