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When Aaron Tang (2006-2012) was offered a place to read Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) while he was still in Year 12, it presented him with a serious dilemma.  Should he leave QE a year early to take up this prestigious offer, or stay in the Sixth Form and complete his A-levels?

After a term of study in Hong Kong he finds the course excellent, but says only time will tell if he has made the correct choice. Either way he acknowledges his debt to the School.

Aaron, who was a School Lieutenant in Year 12, ultimately wants to practice Law in Hong Kong, but is finding it quite strange as the majority of his friends and peers are applying to UK universities.

“The idea of going to CUHK was first presented to me when I was in Year 11 at QE, when I attended a seminar in London. The Law Faculty at CUHK was then only five years old and they were hoping to encourage more students from abroad to enrol,” says Aaron.

Aaron signed up for CUHK’s summer school at the end of Year 11 and was impressed by the campus, faculty building and collegiate system. In Year 12, he achieved grade A in all his AS subjects – English Literature, Maths, Economics and Politics – and could potentially have gained a place at a Russell Group university in the UK.

In addition to a tuition scholarship from his faculty, his college (Wu Yee Sun College) has also presented him with the Francis Wong Hok Bun Memorial Scholarship for Distinguished Freshman worth HK$20,000 (approximately £1,600).

“Many have asked why I chose CUHK. I’ve two main reasons: firstly, it’s rare for students to be offered a place a year early and, secondly, I was awarded a full tuition scholarship to read the subject of my choice. I hope these factors will help me stand out when applying for a training contract with an international law firm.”

Aaron, who would like to practice Law in Hong Kong, where his parents live, is hoping that during his time at CUHK, he will also be able to establish useful contacts in the city. He is impressed with the course, which is taught in English, and considers the best part to be when students are required to apply the law to fictional scenarios. “The lectures are extremely thorough and detailed, giving the students a very strong understanding of Law,” he added.

“Although only time will tell, I hope that my choice of coming to CUHK was the right one,” said Aaron. “It goes without saying, all this would not be possible without QE. It still feels quite strange to me to be a former student of the School.”

George Mpanga, last year’s Chair of King’s College Student Union at Cambridge, has been forging a strong reputation as a poet with a focus on social and political issues.

With a performance in front of Prince Charles and success in a major national competition already under his belt, George (OE 2002-2009) is now planning a multi-faceted career, taking his poetry to diverse new audiences.

After gaining A grades in English Literature, Sociology and Politics A-levels, George won a place at King’s to read Politics, Psychology and Sociology (PPS).

Earlier this year, he spoke to the Harrow Observer about his time at QE, his upbringing on the St Raphael’s housing estate and the inspiration for his poetry:  “I always had the aim of academic success and my school was supportive in this way. My main motivation was my parents as we were all brought up in a culture which celebrated academic achievement  –  and all the negative stuff about the area only encouraged us more. I wanted to move away from all of that, but as I have matured I have realised I don’t want to run away from it, but help to change it – that’s a lifelong battle.”

Widely known as George the Poet, George previously performed as MC Shawalin, before deciding to focus on the spoken word. He appears at venues across London and his performances of his rap-influenced, politically conscious poems have also gained a significant following on youtube.

Highlights of his career to date have included winning a £16,000 prize from The Stake competition, sponsored by Barclays and Channel Four. The prize is to fund a series of poetry workshops called The Jubilee Line (TJL), which are aimed, he says, “at empowering underprivileged young people with the thinking tools they need to transcend their environment”. In his application to the competition, George set out how the workshops would draw on his own experiences “as a …Cambridge University student of African descent, hailing from a council estate in North-West London”.

His performance before The Prince of Wales came at the Awards for Excellence, held by the Prince’s charity, Business in the Community. This year, he has also been named one of the UK’s Top Ten Black Students in Rare Recruitment’s Rising Stars awards.

Now nearing the end of his degree, he told Alumni News about his future plans: “After university, I’ll be working in three sectors: education (in the form of my poetry workshops), entertainment (in the music world) and corporate social responsibility.

“The workshops are aimed at using poetry to help students explore the Citizenship syllabus primarily, but the same method can be applied to most writing-based subjects.

“In the entertainment world, I’ll be collaborating with prominent artists and probably release my own music albums on which I’ll perform poetry. It’s uncharted territory, but music has always been my true passion.

“In terms of CSR, I deliver presentations in the corporate sector. These are poems about social issues ranging from sustainable development to youth unemployment. So far my clientele have included Business in the Community, their branch on ethnic diversity, Race For Opportunity, and Citigroup.”

“I also do a bit of writing here and there, which I aim to continue after uni. Thus far I’ve published two articles for the think tank, Runnymede Trust.”

Paul Clark (OE 1990-1997) is looking forward to building on his success in 2013 after being picked out as one of the top names in the UK property industry.

In 2012, he was voted one of the industry’s Hot 100 Rising Stars by readers of Property Week magazine – one of the highlights of his career to date. It was the second running of the poll, which is conducted only once every five years. Property Week is one of the UK’s largest industry publications, with a weekly readership of 40,000. Nominees for the Hot 100 must be under the age of 35 and the previous vote included luxury property developers the Candy brothers and Ivanka Trump (daughter of Donald).

“The property industry is a really interesting, varied and – despite the recent market issues – a rewarding place to be,” says Paul.

He is currently head of Development at Capita Symonds Real Estate, a subsidiary of FTSE 100-listed Capita plc. Paul runs a team of consultants who specialise in providing advice to landowners and property developers. Some of his current projects include the acquisition of a new property for a film studio, the development of 1,000 homes on the south coast and the structuring of the sale and leaseback of a new bespoke headquarters for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in central London. He has previously worked on the legacy plans for the 2012 Olympics and managed a major urban extension in Oxford.

At QE, Paul was a School Lieutenant and Sergeant Major in the Army Cadets. He won an Army Sixth Form Scholarship whilst at QE, but a skiing accident ended his aspiration to join the Army. He went on to Nottingham University to read Urban Planning. From there, Paul studied Town & Country Planning at post-graduate level at University College London. He then gained an MPhil in Land Economy at Cambridge University, where he rowed for the Sidney Sussex College 1^st VIII. Outside work, Paul is now a committee member of the Cambridge University Land Society and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society ; he also  provides pro bono support for an urban regeneration charity in Finsbury Park.

“There is a wide representation of OEs throughout the property business including architects, engineers, town planners and agents. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a diverse life and the opportunity to have a lasting and positive impact on our built environment,” Paul concludes.

Old Elizabethan Jason Greenfield stands on the brink of a publishing contract – and of thus finally fulfilling his true vocation. Jason (OE 1985-89) wanted to be a writer from a young age, but was encouraged by his family to get a ‘proper’ job.

He completed post-graduate qualifications in advertising and then teaching, but continued to write alongside his studies and his work.

Jason wrote his first novel whilst a pupil at QE – a work featuring many of his classmates. He has continued to write, with six completed full-length novels ready to go, predominantly in the fantasy/science fiction genre.

In 2009, he was introduced by fellow OE Bradley Edison to the literary agent Michael Cohen. “Although he liked my writing style, he confessed my sci-fi concepts were not his cup of tea,” said Jason. “My mother had suggested that I write about my grandfather so I pitched the story to Michael and he was ‘wowed’ by the concept and agreed to become my agent.”

The resulting work, Forever Torn, has received critical acclaim from publishers, but has been considered too ‘niche’ for them to take it to press. However, the book has been published on Kindle, with several publishers following download sales closely with a view to offering Jason a print publishing deal.

Forever Torn is the true story of the life of Jason’s grandfather Harry Gilmore (born Orcik Gilevic). It traces his experiences from his birth in exile in Siberia and childhood in the family’s native Lithuania, where he was orphaned and sent to his grandparents in London. There his younger brother was adopted by a wealthy, childless couple. The book examines how a promise Harry makes to his grandfather and the circumstances of the adoption impact greatly on his relationship with his brother for the rest of their lives.

“My ultimate goal is to get all my work printed and I hope to see a few of the stories made into films or television projects. In addition to the six completed novels, I have also produced treatments and ideas for around 100 further concepts – some in other formats, including film, television, animation, cartoon and comic book,” said Jason.

“Essentially, after about 20 years trying to find my definitive vocation, I have concluded that I had it right in the first place.”

Brief resumés of three of Jason’s completed full-length works are below, along with details of two significant works in progress:

The Dashing Blade (historical, swashbuckling adventure with a mix of comedy and straight action/mild sci-fi – first of a series that melds historical, literary and original characters)

The Unseen Man (sci-fi/fantasy epic, set in a comic-book universe, which he wrote with the intention of creating the definitive superhero novel – although ironically the supposed ‘hero’ is a super-villain)

Mad Dog and The Englishman (wild sci-fi involving beings called Ethereals that are based on stereotypical and iconic energies. “Not for the faint of heart!” says Jason)

In the pipe line: Jason has a long list of ideas, but the top two he is currently working on are:

Moonrise Harbour (American over-the-top soap meets chick-lit meets real-world, from the perspective of a main Bridget Jones-esque character)

Vampire Nation (Mystery and intrigue in a world where vampires and humans have co-existed since 1920)

Follow this link for more information Jason and his work.

The family and friends of Guy Joseph have been on a successful trip to Nepal to start construction of the first Early Childhood Development Centre (ECDC) in his memory.

The centre is being funded by Guy’s Trust – a charity set up by the family of Guy (OE 1997-2002) following his death at the age of 25 in a paragliding accident in the Pyrenees in October 2011. The trust supports disadvantaged children and conservation, two causes about which Guy was especially passionate.

A 31-strong group, including friends from Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and the USA, travelled to Dhikurpokhari, a village in the Annapurna foothills. Guy lived in the nearby town of Pokhara in Nepal for several months during the winter of 2010-11. He loved the country and its people, especially the children, and had planned to return there.

After attending a welcome ceremony arranged by the villagers, the group and the locals began the hard work of digging the foundations. They also started the laborious task of making the 8,000 bricks needed, using a machine to manufacture one brick at a time.

In a report for the charity’s newsletter, Guy’s mother, Vicky Joseph, wrote: “As always we were greeted like royalty…we were reminded yet again just how hard life is here and how the ECDCs will help to lift the next generation out of poverty.

“There is a huge need for schools for younger children in Nepal, particularly for girls and the untouchable dalit class. Despite the government’s commitment to free education for all, at least one million children in Nepal do not go to school. Each Guy Joseph ECDC will provide for 150 children up to the age of seven preparing them for and ensuring their entry into primary school. In addition, Guy’s Trust will be training 25 teachers for the surrounding area, offering education in nutrition, health and hygiene to parents and paying for uniforms and lunches. We will also maintain the ECDCs for three years, after which time the local community is committed to taking over.”

The trust, in partnership with the international Non-Governmental Organisation, ActionAid, is now building two further ECDCs, the second being in Dansingh and the third being in the village of Armala, in the Kaski district of Nepal. In addition, Guy’s Trust is funding four ‘MantaWatch’ internships for students to work on manta ray conservation in Indonesia. The trust is also funding another manta ray conservation project being run by one of Guy’s old university friends in the Maldives.

Mrs Joseph said the trip inevitably raised mixed emotions: “Amongst the hard work, there was much time for reflecting on the paradoxes of why we were in Nepal – the fun we were all having and the sadness underlying the fun; how much Guy would have loved the experience and that we wouldn’t be here had he still been with us. And the birds of prey constantly riding the thermals above the valley reminding me of how Guy must have felt paragliding. Tear-filled conversations with his friends revealed that I was not alone.”

The local people are now working to complete the school before the monsoon season. It is scheduled to open in the autumn this year.

“A school is more than a building, and thoughts are already turning to how we can build upon what we’ve started and continue to support the children we have met. This is the beginning, not the end, and an experience I think none of the group will forget,” Mrs Joseph concluded.

• For more information about Guy’s Trust, and to read the full version of Mrs Joseph’s report, go to www.guystrust.org

National broadcast journalist Michael Sullivan, who was a pupil at QE during the late 1940s and early 1950s, has died from a brain tumour, aged 76.

Michael John Ralph Maynard Sullivan, who was renowned for the economy and accuracy of his reporting, was born in Clapham, London, on 15^th March 1937. His father was an HM Inspector of schools and a bibliographer of the works of G K Chesterton.

Michael left QE in 1953 at 16 to take a diploma in journalism at Regent Street Polytechnic. From there he took up an apprenticeship in 1956 on the Stretford and Urmston Advertiser in Manchester. Following his National Service he joined the Hertfordshire Advertiser, then the Press Association. He became known for his impeccable shorthand and as a fast and efficient news reporter.

‘Sully’, as he was known, became part of a wave of Fleet Street journalists hired by the BBC in the mid-1960s to sharpen its news reporting. His good looks made him a natural in front of the camera and he swiftly became a master of writing to pictures. He covered many of the leading events of his day including the Rhodesian crisis; the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the death throes of the apartheid system in South Africa. Michael was handpicked to be one of the correspondents who covered the release from detention of Nelson Mandela in 1990.

Michael was well known too for his independence of mind and he often clashed with those in authority. His criticism of BBC management, due to his belief that he was being overlooked for top reporting jobs, sadly became something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. He famously penned a sketch of the then Chief Executive of Television News, Tony Hall, in school cap and shorts with a satchel – a caricature which led to Mr Hall being dubbed “head prefect”.

In his spare time, he pursued an interest in aviation, building a model aeroplane in the basement of Television and, later, assembling a real one and obtaining a pilot’s licence.

After retiring from the BBC in 1993, he was persuaded to join the newly-launched Sky News. His skill at turning round breaking news stories, speedily and accurately, soon led to his establishment as senior scriptwriter.

Michael, who died on 28 May 2013, is survived by his partner, Janneke Mattson, and two sons from an earlier marriage.