John Benwell, 1953-1998
Benners, Benny, JB or any other mixture of names, attended Falcon from 1966 to 1968 and was in Hervey House. However, he left at the end of Form 3 in 1968 when his parents emigrated back to England, ending up at King Edward School, Southampton (Coincidentally, he traveled to the UK on the same Union Castle ship as fellow Hervey man, Brian Darling). While at Falcon, he demonstrated outstanding sports skills, played 1st XI cricket while still in Form 3 and was one of the best rugby players in his year. He continued to excel at sport in his English school, and played many years for Hampshire rugby and cricket teams. He spent 5 years playing for Hampshire CCC 2nd XI always to be outdone by Gordon Greenidge, Barry Richards and Andy Roberts, who were the three overseas players at the time. Dad averaged 10.5 with the ball and 87 with the bat over his 5 years as a 2nd team player, but with the strict rules at the time (no more than three overseas players in one team) couldn’t be an extra ‘overseas player’.
He trained to be a teacher at training college in Birmingham where he met Sally (mum) and they married in the mid/late 70s and were a perfect couple (Mum being feisty and Dad being in control) before having me in 1981 and my sister Clemmie in 1982. By then both mum and dad were trained teachers at Stroud school in Romsey and in typical John style he inspired people to play sport (although he taught geography).
In 1984 they moved to West Hill Park School in Titchfield, where both Clem and I went and he became deputy HM after a few years. In ‘95 he was appointed Head of Birchfield Prep in Shropshire, which was a failing Prep school and had just months to survive as an organisation. After just three years, he had turned the school not only into a national competition-winning rugby and cricket school, but a school returning a significant profit.
He led by example and he and I re-laid a cricket square by hand one summer, which not only showed his love for the school, but taught me the importance of being a person of integrity, morals and someone who should never shirk work or expect others to do jobs I’m not prepared to do. This may sound like he was the perfect human being, and although I know he had his flaws, he was always an amazing Dad and cared deeply about people – something that has been lost in the world I work in today (as a prep school teacher now).
He was a wonderful man and a credit to Falcon College. I remember walking around the school’s grounds in 1994 and he was so proud of where he had come from. His very best mate in England, Lanion Hall (who he taught with at Stroud), had been a Hilton pupil and they often reminisced about the tours to one another’s schools.
In 1998 he died of a heart attack and the flooding of people at the local church showed how many people’s lives he had impacted. Although I was young, I was extremely proud to have known him and call him my Dad, and I hope that he would be proud of the person I have become as a result of the opportunities he has given me. It was wonderful to see the picture that was posted of him and the very kind words from people that followed.
He spoke so very fondly of so many people at Falcon, not least his best buddy Des Van Jaarsveldt and he often told stories of their mischief…..and success. I know that this isn’t all relevant to those who knew him, but I hope that some of it will help in passing on the message that he was a happy, insanely talented man who never forgot his roots and was always and would still be today, extremely proud to be an FOB.
Nick Benwell (John’s son) from a comment on Facebook