Mr. Orme, Ormsky! Oh how I loved Mr.Orme. He-was-my FAVOURITE, period! As a form teacher, history teacher and as his captain of cricket aged 12 – he just had an enormous effect on me as at such a delicate age, be it on the dilemmas of life as much as the intricacies of cricket. And God did we have fun with him: from allowing us to do pranks on strangers as we stopped at lights on way to sports games, to giving us the licence to buy our own dinners on a modest stipend in supermarkets when on tour. Or from an academic side of things, his encouragement to push the boundaries of creative interpretation when dissecting Hieronymus Bosch – his approach was just exhilarating. He was also honest. He recognised that children can take stock of difficult subject matters and can see the difference between right and wrong when confronted with facts. I’ll always remember when, after being asked, and as he drove the minibus back to school after a game, he gave us his take on which illicit drugs each boy in the cricket team would be suited to! It’s mad, it completely ‘un-pc’ – but, but, he also gave the full picture, he gave the good, and the bad, and trusted us to make an informed decision. Mr. Orme also had his limits – you didn’t want to rile him that’s for sure! And few did, because his boundaries were always crystal clear. And I still think of him today. I think of him each time I naughtily fry a piece of bread in oil – something that I was aghast at seeing him do on activities week but when sampling realised its heavenly quality… as my 5 year old son does now! I picture him every time I’m in a vintage clothes shop and his committment to bulk buying a certain shoe – something at the time I thought was bonkers but now realise was a brilliant life hack! I recall his high standards and the time he made us do diving practise after we made too many misfields during a game, despite the fact we won. And I’ll always cherish how we went through a season unbeaten, winners of the London U12 cricket cup! I wish I could have spoken to him before his passing, to have told him how amazing he was. Mr. Orme just knew how to teach, how to inspire. Yes, he was a bit of an odd ball old Mr. Orme – but for me, he was the text book for teaching – or at least in mind, should be the text book for teachers! And as someone who had such a passion for books, for literature, that’s the way I’ll always think of him and just hope that my children get a ‘Mr. Orme’ during their school days! RIP Ormsky, you were one of a kind!