The whole Bloxham School community came together to celebrate the life of Douglas Perrin yesterday, in a memorial service held at the School’s All Saints’ Chapel.
The whole Bloxham School community came together to celebrate the life of Douglas Perrin yesterday, in a memorial service held at the School’s All Saints’ Chapel. A congregation of current and former pupils and staff was joined by Douglas’s family and friends in a service of remembrance for this much-loved former teacher.
Douglas Perrin worked at Bloxham School between 2002 and 2010. He was an Assistant Housemaster in Wilson and taught Politics, History and English as a Foreign Language. He coached rugby and, with a love for sailing, he took the Sailing Club. After retirement, he taught in Africa as a volunteer and then served at Iona, before settling in Ireland.
Father Michael Price, Deputy Head and a former colleague, led the service, with readings given by Douglas’s brothers, Geoffrey and Maurice, and the Headmaster, Paul Sanderson.
Mark Skevington, Housemaster of Wilson, where Douglas worked during his time at Bloxham, gave the address. Remembering Douglas, he said: “Douglas was an inspiration to me. He was a brilliant mentor, very calm, with high standards. He had superb relationships with all of the pupils that he taught. They clearly loved his teaching style and the classroom was always a happy and welcoming environment.”
Simon Batten, another colleague, read tributes from former pupils. Peter Critchley commented that “on a personal level I credit him with sparking my interest in politics, which ultimately led to me reading it at university. For that I’ll be forever grateful.” Ted Lougher, himself now a teacher, added that “Mr Perrin engaged us in current affairs, awakening us to the world beyond the school gates. He inspired us to stay abreast of political developments and taught us to observe intelligently, to read the newspapers and to critique our first impressions. He always made time to pursue an avenue of interest and every lesson began with absolute positivity, leaving the impression that he was always pleased to see every one of his pupils.”
A traditional Irish Blessing closed the service.
Douglas Perrin, 1948-2014.