"While it is fatal to indulge in over-generalisation my kitchen sink psychology is that growing up in a Catholic school amidst such a rich collection of kids from different backgrounds created an atmosphere in which a number of common character threads were developed; primarily those of openness and straightforwardness and a distinct lack of arrogance or pomposity"

"There were the occasional arrogant or pompous pupils at St Ambrose, who were of course able to go off and pursue careers as Barristers".

Thus concluded Old Boy Shaun Grady during the closing section of an exceptional speech.

We had been taken on a whirlwind tour of St Ambrose in the 1970's. Indeed we had been taken on a tour of the 1970's. George Best, Donny Osmond, Watergate, Munich Olympics, A Clockwork Orange, Ted Heath, Brother Owens, CC75434 and the share price of leather strap manufacturers tumbled over one another in a web of intricacy and humour.

Altrincham Bus Station was vividly recalled as the centre of 1970's passion or rather angst for the St Ambrose adolescent while the various styles of corporal punishment utilised by the staff of the time were up for comparison. Delargy; "urbane" . The "run up" of Matt Carrol and the absolute "precision" of Dave Hallas with various offences incurring a "different weighting" when the stroke was delivered. All apparently part of the teacher training curriculum at Chester College.

This was a truly entertaining half hour and, like Kieran Moriarty's speech 12 months earlier, was the pivotal core of an outstanding evening.

Kieran Charleson