Davies Centre Opening Party

Over 200 members of the Shiplake community braved the rain on Saturday 2 October to join former Headmaster Gregg Davies and his family as he cut the ribbon and declared the Davies Centre officially ‘open’. In attendance were lots of past, present and prospective pupils, parents and staff, other members of the local community as well as past and present governors and Headmasters.

The multi-million pound boathouse and activity centre was completed in the summer of 2020 and has been open for pupil use since September last year. However, restrictions as a result of the pandemic meant that we were unable to show off the centre until now. The building was open throughout the afternoon for visitors to explore at their leisure and guests were invited to try their hand at archery in the building’s purpose-built archery and shooting range, have a go on an ergo, and try out some low-level climbing on the 23 foot climbing wall.

There was also a full programme of events taking part throughout the day, which started with a tribute to the College’s Henley Royal Regatta winners. Henry Trotter (84W) was welcomed back to the College as we celebrated his and James Blunt’s (85W) 1984 Visitors’ Cup win as part of a composite crew with Sir William Borlase and King James’ College. Crewmate James was unable to attend as he is now living abroad but Henry was joined by coach David Lister (77O), an OV himself who had returned to coach at Shiplake that year. Henry spoke about his recollection of his regatta win and how a mix up in communication meant he almost never made it to Henley in time to race in the final at all! Director of Rowing Mr David Currie then went on to congratulate the 2021 Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup winners Merry Oakes, Mia Vickerman, Izzy Blake-Hurworth (21W) and Nicole Dunn (21B). We were lucky enough to be able to display their trophy throughout the event which was on loan for the day from Henley Royal Regatta HQ. 

Head of Outdoor Education Mr Steve Macpherson led full climbing wall demonstrations during the course of the afternoon and showed visitors the different elements of the wall and how its versatile design caters for all levels of experience meaning that pupils can challenge themselves as they become more confident over time.

A huge thank you to all the Old Vikings who took part in the Past and Present Row By despite the rain. Gregg Davies’ skills as an experienced rowing commentator were put to good use as he was handed the microphone for some light-hearted commentary on the three Shiplake eights made their way past the College.   

There was an emotional speech from one of our first ever pupils Mike Shingler (64B) as he paid tribute to his crewmate and friend William Eaton (64B) who died earlier this year and had a boat named after him, funded by donations from his friends and family. Visitors made their way outside as William’s sister Margaret took part in his boat naming ceremony. There were also three surprise boat namings on the day - Henry Blois-Brooke (17S), Sebastian Newman (17O) and Dominic Brown (19S) were unveiled, named after the most recent pupils who had represented Great Britain and received medals at the Junior World Championships.

All guests were then offered a glass of fizz and a slice of the amazing cake that had been made especially to mark the occasion as they gathered to watch the main event. Headmaster Tyrone Howe welcomed the guests, including Nigel Gilson who was the Chairman of Governors when Gregg Davies joined Shiplake, and Tim Eggar who was the Chairman of Governors when Gregg retired as Headmaster. Mr Howe spoke about the Davies Centre’s ‘wow’ factor and whilst it is difficult to chart direct cause and effect the building has definitely helped upped the ante and is contributing to the next phase in rowing at Shiplake. He thanked Gregg and the governors for their vision, ambition and investment and the win at Henley in the summer was testament to the work that they’ve done. He added that it’s not just about rowing, and that all the activities that the building provides makes it the centre of character education at the school, which runs alongside the academic rigour at every level.

Mr Howe was followed by the current Chairman of Governors, Sir David Tanner CBE, who worked with Gregg throughout his time as Headmaster. The board of governors has the ambition to continue to grow and develop the College in the best possible way. He mentioned Richard Lester (72S) who won a silver medal in the Men’s 8s at the 1976 Olympic Games, who is still on the governing body and our link to Shiplake’s great past. He also referred to Will Satch (07O), gold medallist for the Men’s 8s in Rio 2016, who was unable to be present. Sir David mentioned how both Richard and Will would absolutely say that Shiplake was the foundation for those achievements.

Sir David handed the microphone over to Gregg Davies who referred to his role as an inspector of schools and the importance placed on outcomes for pupils and the contributory factors for these which includes the facilities but, even more importantly, includes the people - the teachers and coaches - to help prepare pupils for challenges in life, reminding everyone that ‘challenge creates character’. He adds: “And this magnificent building. This club has a solid foundation now and it’s time for the club to fly, and it will. I could not be prouder to have it named the Davies Centre. It doesn’t say the Gregg Davies Centre, it says the Davies Centre, which means that I couldn’t have this without the other two Davies’ here - Alison and Anna - so I am so grateful that it’s called the Davies Centre because it is as much theirs, and I wouldn't be standing here opening this without the two of them.”

The afternoon ended with a final drinks reception which included showing a video message from Will Satch in New Zealand, congratulating the girls on their HRR win, and thanking governor and Old Viking Charles Eve (79E) for supporting the development of the Davies Centre financially and in turn sponsoring what has been named the Will Satch Balcony. Will said “It is an absolute honour and a privilege to be part of Shiplake College but also to have my name on the Davies Centre.”

Speaking at the Whole School Assembly on the following Monday Mr Howe remarked: “For me what made it really special was that we had two men who were pupils here in 1959 when the school first started. Firm friends, they talked really warmly about their time here, and about how they made their mark on the school. While lots has changed since then at Shiplake, we still want pupils to speak warmly about their time, leave with firm friends, and leave Shiplake in a better place than when they arrived. They talked a lot about sport and about how it shaped their lives. And this continues with many of our pupils taking to various types of pitches or sporting arena on a regular basis.”