John Culley shares his memories of the Schools' exchanges

The Schools' Archivist, Mr James Buckman, shared a conversation with John Culley, who taught at the Schools from 1985, about his memories from school exchange trips.

Background:

John Culley first came to Stamford School as a teacher in 1985.  No sooner had he started did he get involved with the German Exchange Trip.  The teacher in charge at the time was Roger Humphreys who simply asked John if he could drive a minibus.  John replied that he could and so that meant he was on the German Exchange.  In 1988, he took over the Exchange Trip and ran it for four years before he left Stamford in 1991.  In 1994, he returned to the School and helped out with the Russian Exchange Trip.

1986 Trip

During the 1986 trip, John drove the minibus and ‘probably saw more of the back of Roger’s bus than [he] ever did of Bonn’.  This picture depicts him somewhere near Monschau in the Eifel.  The SES Minibuses were cramped inside, and did not require to even have seat belts at the time.This photograph depicts the Exchange Party at the Niederwalddenkmal.Roger Humphreys and Christine Noxon, who was in charge of the High School contingent in the Exchange Party.  Roger had worked in Linz before – he knew that part of the continent like the back of his hand, unlike John who was ‘a complete novice’.Roger Humphreys and John Culley on the Rhine.

1988 Trip

John did not attend the 1987 trip due to other commitments, but in 1988 he took charge of the German Exchange Trip.The SES Minibus on board the ferry - It was affectionately known as the “Pope Mobile”, because it looked similar to the vehicle the Pope used at the time while attending public events.On the 1988 trip, John was assisted by Miss Noxon and Peter Blackburn, who started the French Exchange trip during the same year.For more history on the German Exchange, please click here, or click here to browse the digital archives yourself.