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With his successful career as a GP in a socially deprived part of London, Dominic Roberts could perhaps be forgiven for feeling he has paid his dues to society.

But far from sitting back, Dominic (OE 1989–1994) is now hoping to serve in a challenging new arena: he is applying to become a doctor with the Royal Naval Reserve.

“This is an interest that has come in later life: I wasn’t in the CCF at School or anything like that,” he says. “I want to strive to do something different and help to try and make the world a better place, having seen the atrocities taking place currently. I also have a love of being at sea.”

While at QE, Dominic was a Form Captain and Prefect and achieved grade 8 in flute and grade 3 in piano. After a gap year which included four months on safari in Africa, Dominic studied Medicine at Leeds University from 1995 to 2000. Whilst there, he nurtured a passion for sailing, competing in the sport for the university. Today he holds the International Certificate of Competence, qualifying him to skipper a yacht.

Dominic spent the summer of 1996 as a volunteer carer and teacher at a Romanian orphanage.

He began his medical career with spells as a houseman in hospitals in Scarborough and Bradford, before returning to London for a hospital medical training post. He then switched to GP training in Hackney and has worked in his current practice for more than ten years.

“I enjoy the teamwork in caring for a socially deprived and cosmopolitan area with all its challenges,” he says. “I have an interest in teaching and I am an educational supervisor, GP trainer and Programme Director for GP trainees in Hackney.” Dominic is also Clinical Director for Islington Clinical Commissioning Group and is a columnist for Innovait, the Royal College of General Practitioners’ journal for trainees.

Over the years, he has gained a number of further medical qualifications, including diplomas in child health, obstetrics and gynaecology, primary care ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) and, most recently, a postgraduate certificate in medical education from the University of Westminster.

In his spare time, as well as sailing, he enjoys walking, camping, travelling and cycling. He rides to work from his home in London’s Docklands and also takes part in charity bike rides.

Dominic is hopeful that he will succeed in his application to the Royal Naval Reserve, but also realistic: “It’s actually quite tough to get in. I passed the psychometric test – the only one who did out of three applying to be officers.

“I am now ‘attesting’ at HMS President on the Thames.” This means he has started training, but a decision on whether he can continue will depend on him passing the medical and fitness test. “Then there is the Admiralty Interview Board, which involves two days of assessment.

“Fingers crossed, but it does seem tough! If I’m not successful I’ll still be glad I tried, as it’s been interesting.”

Lawyer David Taylor may not have planned to emigrate to Australia, but he is certainly now making the most of all that life in Sydney has to offer.

David (OE 1991–1998) read Social & Political Sciences at Cambridge after leaving the School, before going on to spend two years at Nottingham Law School. He then undertook his solicitor training in international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

“Having been in London for all of my life and worked at a large City firm, it was time to try something different,” he says. “Australia was not the original plan – I just knew I needed a change from London.

“The opportunity arose to work at what was then Freehills (now Herbert Smith Freehills) in Sydney and to bring my (now) wife with me, so we jumped at it. I did not have any idea as to how long we would go for, and certainly not that we would settle down here, but, almost nine years later, we are still here, own a house, have Australian citizenship, and have a son, born in Sydney.”

“One of the benefits of Sydney over London is that you have many more months in the year for outdoor activities. Me, I like to go diving and can pretty much go year-round. I don’t have to travel far and can often walk: I have about six or seven golden-sand beaches within less than 30 minutes’ drive from my house, and some much closer. As the weather is warm-to-hot nine months of the year, even when you do not have an outdoor activity planned, you can head to a beach, go for a walk around the harbour, or simply relax outside with friends and have a barbecue – a great Australian pastime.”

David is a Senior Associate in his firm’s Dispute Resolution group, specialising in shareholder class actions and product liability matters.

“The class action landscape has grown tremendously in Australia in the last decade. It is a relatively new system, having been introduced in 1992. Although, compared with the US, Australia is a far less litigious environment, it is now considered the second-most active class action jurisdiction in the world,” he says.

His cases are typically shareholder class actions, focusing on alleged breaches of stock exchange rules by listed companies. Aggrieved shareholders (including institutions and individuals) are able to bring a collective action under specific rules against the company.

“This is much more cost-effective than having to commence separate actions and so provides Australians with greater access to justice than jurisdictions which do not have this mechanism available. My firm regularly represents some of the largest Australian (and global) ‘corporates’ in the world in class actions.”

Understanding what it means to be a corporate lawyer without actually ‘living it’ is difficult, he says, but he does have some words of advice for anyone interested: “Although it goes without saying, I will say it anyway: you should forget what you see on TV. Being a lawyer at a top firm anywhere in the world requires a lot of hard work, long hours and sacrifice. I remember when I was doing my A-Levels and thought that I would never be able to work harder. Then I thought the same when I was doing my finals. Well, I can honestly say I feel the same all the time at work.

“Anyone who goes into corporate law thinking it will be easy, frankly needs their head checked! That being said, the work is wonderfully challenging and interesting, my colleagues are incredibly talented, clever and great fun, and my office is a fabulous place to work. As a lawyer, you are part of a privileged profession where people (generally) treat each other with mutual respect and push each other intellectually. I am very lucky to have chosen a career in the law.”

Three Old Elizabethans from the post-war generation have been working with today’s youngest QE boys as part of a new Year 7 History project about the School.

Kenneth Cooper (1942–1950), Alan Solomon (1951–1957) and John Keeley (1956 – 1963) regaled pupils with their experiences as schoolboys from the early 1940s to the early 1960s during a specially organised visit to the School.

The Year 7 boys were naturally very keen to hear about the discipline (the cane from Headmaster E H Jenkins – although the trio were not necessarily speaking from first-hand experience!) and the “horrible” School dinners. These were eaten in the Main Hall, as the refectory that was bombed during World War II was not rebuilt for many years.

The three alumni spoke to the whole of Year 7 in the Shearly Hall about their experiences. Earlier in the day, they met a smaller number of boys in the History Club, discussing a number of archival artefacts that had been laid out, including an old School cap and blazer.

All three visitors are actively involved with the Old Elizabethans’ Association. Kenneth (‘Ken’) Cooper, School Captain in 1949, was until recently Vice-Chairman of the School’s Governing Body; he is still a Governor and sits on several Governing Body Committees. John Keeley was part of the 1962 QE trip to Russia – reportedly the first-ever visit by a British school party to the Soviet Union.

The Summer Term project on the history of the School was organised by Helen MacGregor, Head of History. Thanking the three for their involvement, she said: “I really want the boys to understand both the changing and the continuity of the School through time.”

The project focused on distinct periods:

• The founding of the School
• The Civil War
• World War I
• World War II
• The post-war period
• The modern period, looking to the future.

The Year 7 boys have also been to visit the School’s original building, Tudor Hall, in Wood Street as part of this project. QE relocated from Tudor Hall to the current Queen’s Road site in 1932.

Old boys of the School took on present pupils in a specially arranged match this month to launch the week-long celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Old Elizabethans Cricket Club.

The Past team batted first and put in a strong showing, declaring on 253 for 2. Paul Lissowski (OE 2002-2009) was bowled out for 88, Nick Jones (OE 1997-2004) was caught for 60 runs and Yash Zaveri (OE 1999-2006) was 62 not out.

Captained by Richard Wells, the Past team also included OEs Peter Bush (1969-1976), Daren Norris (1977-1984), Barry Milligan (1972-1979), Matt Sears (2007-2014) and Jayaram Raghuveer (2007-2014), together with club players Saqib Parkar and James Fitzgerald.

The Present team then batted and scored 180 for 6, so the match was drawn. Rohan Radia reached his half-century (51), Milan Pindoria was 41 not out and Omar Mohamed scored 35.

Old Elizabethans Cricket Club was formed in 1940 and is based at the Old Elizabethans Memorial Playing Fields in Mays Lane. It has grown in size over recent years to include a thriving colts section, a ladies section and several adult teams, which play on Saturdays and Sundays.

The club achieved the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Clubmark in 2008 and has also been awarded ECB Focus Club status, which reflects its commitment to providing a high-quality, welcoming environment for young players, as well as its strong, established links with local schools, businesses and the surrounding community.

• Rain in the afternoon of Founder’s Day forced the abandonment of this year’s Stanley Busby Memorial Match between an OE team and the School XI before a result could be recorded. Earlier, many alumni turned out for the OE buffet lunch in the Main Hall, to which all old boys are invited. Attendees included distinguished retired diplomat and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, Sir Leslie Fielding (OE 1943-1951).

Christopher Sandamas (OE 1978-1983), who is Chief Clerk in the Private Secretary’s Office at the Royal Household, has received a personal award from the Queen.

Christopher was made an MVO (Member of the Victorian Order) in last month’s Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Founded in 1896 by Queen Victoria, the Royal Victorian Order is given by The Queen to people who have served her or the Monarchy in a personal way. It is entirely within the Sovereign’s personal gift.

Christopher, who is from a Cypriot family, attended QE under the headmastership of Timothy Edwards. He left at 16 and took various jobs, including work in retail and as a warehouse operative, before deciding in his late twenties to return to education. He then completed a degree in Music and a Master’s in Historical Musicology, both awarded by the University of London.

On completing his studies, he joined the Royal Household as a part-time records clerk and has since enjoyed a successful career that has seen him rise to become Chief Clerk. From his base in Buckingham Palace, Christopher fulfils a varied role that includes outreach work on behalf of the Royal Household.

He re-established links with the School last year when he was in touch with the School in his capacity as one of the judges for the Achievement Awards run by international children’s charity, Wings of Hope. This year, he was again among the judges, serving alongside actor Sir David Jason, the former British High Commissioner to India, Mike Nithavriankis, and leading figures from the business world. QE’s team Be The Change, won the charity’s 2015 Community Action Award and were presented with their prize this month in a ceremony at the Royal College of Surgeons.

Earlier this term, Christopher had arranged for three current QE pupils to have a rare behind-the-scenes tour of Buckingham Palace. The School chose the three by holding an essay competition on the subject of What it means to be British.

After clearing security checks at the palace gates, the winning trio, Year 8 boys Hector Cooper and Zakariya Shah, and Ivin Jose, of Year 7, enjoyed tea in Christopher’s office and went on an extensive tour of the Palace. This included State rooms and some areas not usually open to visitors.

They were accompanied by Head of Pupil Progression, Dr Sarah Westcott. She said: “The party was also given a ‘back stairs’ view of the Palace. This involved meeting the numerous people who support The Queen in her duties, from handling correspondence with Heads of State or members of the public and acting as intermediaries with various departments of Government, to organising her extensive engagements list.”

The tour concluded with lunch in the staff canteen, where Christopher was keen to hear about the boys’ current experiences at QE, and to share his own memories. He was interested to hear about the boys’ preconceptions about Palace employees and was amused by Hector Cooper’s comments on how “normal and pleasant” the people working at the palace are.

Students were given an insight into careers within the Palace organisation and the skills necessary for such roles. Many working in the Royal Household have a background in the arts, especially History and Politics, and the message that the boys should study what they enjoy came through loud and clear, according to Dr Westcott.

“I think we were all amazed at the number of people working behind the scenes to support the Royal Household’s work and how welcoming they were when asked to tell us about their roles. It was a wonderful experience and we are all grateful to Christopher for giving us this rare opportunity,” she concluded.