Former Allhallows School pupils mark master’s 39 years’ service at former Rousdon school

OLD HONITONIANS, former pupils of Allhallows School, Rousdon, have made a special presentation to a former master at the school.

Club members met for luncheon at the Belmont Hotel, Sidmouth, on Saturday, (May 21), and presented a picture to Derek Blooman, to mark his 51 years association with OH Club and the school.

Derek joined Allhallows in September 1959 as senior History master and for the following 39 years served under five headmasters as a master, housemaster and deputy headmaster.

A keen cricketer, Derek played for Seaton and took over the 2nd XI cricket at the school, having happy memories of plotting tactics against stronger opponents to keep the runs down and occupy the crease.

In 1999 Derek became only the fifth Honorary Secretary of the OH Club since its foundation in 1905 and, until retiring in November 2010, he worked tirelessly to keep members in touch with one another and to strengthen the sporting and social activities of the club.

With an encyclopaedic knowledge of generations of Old Honitonians, Derek has been elected an Honorary Life Vice President of the OH Club and still enjoys contact with many of his former pupils as well as older and younger OHs.