A Walk Down Memory Lane with Dave Richards CO64

For former pupil and long-serving member of staff Dave Richards, a recent visit to Truro School was far more than a walk around familiar buildings. It was an opportunity to revisit almost 70 years of memories and to share the remarkable stories behind many of the places and buildings that the Truronian community pass by every day.

Dave’s connection to Truro School extends far beyond his years as a pupil (1957 to 1961). Trained as an electrician after leaving school, Dave later returned to work at Truro School (1969 to 2007), eventually becoming the resident Security Caretaker and effectively being on call 24/7, or in Dave’s words “25/8”.

Standing in Reception and studying an aerial photograph from the late 1930s, Dave immediately began bringing the image to life. He recalled how his father, Gordon Richards, helped create what became known as Austin Avenue, using a grey Massey tractor fitted with a scoop. The avenue earned its name from the number of teachers who parked their Austin cars outside the Maths Block. In those days, the grounds were far more open, with expansive lawns maintained by a three-foot-wide push mower.

As the tour continued into the School Chapel, Dave pointed out details that have long disappeared from recent memory. He recalled the location of the old organ keyboard, housed away from the pipes, and remembered the music cupboard associated with legendary music teacher Sammy Way (TS 1922 to 1963).

Within the woodlands near Poltisco, memories of careful horticulture came to life. Hidden amongst today’s mature trees once stood an allotment, flower beds and even a small Christmas tree plantation. Dave recalled eucalyptus being cultivated specifically for floral arrangements and carefully pruned to keep the leaves small and rounded. Remarkably, one of those trees still survives today, now towering above the landscape. Although this area has not been formally maintained for many years, Dave was delighted to spot the top of a Christmas tree emerging above the treeline, now standing nearly 50 feet tall.

Throughout Dave’s visit, the influence of his father was a recurring theme. Gordon Richards planted many of the trees that continue to shape the School grounds, including the weeping willow near the Graham Smith building. Other trees were grown from seed by Dave himself, while some planting projects involved colleagues such as Dennis Keam (Head of DT 1962 to 1998) and Guy Dodd (Headmaster 1993 to 2001), each contributing to the evolving appearance of the school site. What today’s pupils see as established woodland often began as the careful work of individuals who wanted to leave the site better than they found it.

The School’s buildings also prompted vivid recollections. Dave remembered Biology lessons taught by Brian Jackson (TS 1957 to 1994), and recalled when the area now occupied by the Astro was the 2nd XV rugby pitch. Many of the facilities that current pupils take for granted simply did not exist, or looked very different, during his schooldays.

A particularly personal stop was at Trevail House, where Dave lived with his parents from the age of nine until 22 and for a period later in life when he lived and worked onsite. He painted a picture of a carefully maintained garden complete with curving paths, flower beds and a fish pond. Even today, an acer tree that Dave planted remains part of the secluded garden.

In the Upper Quad, Dave described helping to demolish part of an old workshop as a First Year pupil to create space for what would become the Sixth Form Centre. He remembered blocks being laid by the School’s builder and pointed out plantings that survive from landscaping work carried out by his father. Nearby, he recalled the days when today’s Year 11 Common Room was a woodwork workshop presided over by the memorable Woodwork teacher Reginald Conway (TS 1954 to 1962), affectionately known by pupils as “Scrooge” Conway.

At Epworth House, once used as the School sanatorium, Dave shared memories of its former role as the sick bay. On the front terrace Dave recounted helping prepare the School for its centenary celebrations in 1980, when he was tasked by his father with installing floodlighting that illuminated the front of School. Although the original lights have since been replaced, some of the cables he laid remain in use to this day.

Dave’s stories also offered lighter glimpses into school and work life. When Dave’s own car needed repairs, he was allowed to use then Headmaster Derek Burrell’s garage as a temporary workshop. However, the project had to be completed at pace, as the space was required for a visit by Roger Taylor CO67, the celebrated Queen drummer and Old Truronian, who would be arriving in his Rolls-Royce.

By the end of Dave’s visit, what started as a simple tour had become something much more meaningful. It was a reminder that Truro School’s history lives not just in photographs and archives, but in the memories of the people who have shaped it. Through Dave’s stories, familiar corners of the School came alive once again, linking today’s community with the generations who helped make Truro School what it is today.