Dick Longley was Head of Physics at Tonbridge School for many years and will be a well known name to many OTs. Dick was the first person to introduce computers and IT systems to the School in the late '80s; he and physics lab technician, Mark Farmer, wrote all the programmes for the IT system and Dick joked as to how the Common Room were very against IT, saying all this new fangled nonsense  “would never take on!” Now all the staff joke that the last time the IT systems worked properly was when Dick was in charge.  Dick also took the students on trips and introduced the Reading Party which he took to the Lake District and Cornwall and helped with many sports including rugby, tennis, squash and golf. 

Dick Longley outside the former physics labs 

Being the wife of a long-standing staff member, Helen was involved in all aspects of Tonbridge School life, not only bringing up all four children in the School campus whilst teaching at local schools, she also enjoyed many a school and staff play,  helping on stage with acting and backstage doing make up etc.

Because of this long connection with the School, as a 60th Wedding Anniversary present their children (Jenny, Jeremy, Jacqui and Jonny) arranged for two trees to be planted in the campus to celebrate their 60 years of marriage. The two boys attended Tonbridge School and had a wonderful time here.  Jonny’s record wins at Queens in the rackets tournament each year are still unbroken!  Both played cricket, rugby, and squash and Jeremy was head of Whitworth under Mike Duncan and regularly appeared in house and school plays.  Jonny went on to play cricket for Combined Universities, then for Kent.

The chosen trees for this special occasion were the cherry tree which remains a reminder of life's preciousness in Japan, it also represents Spring as well as beauty.

The other choice was the Ginkgo tree which is known as a living fossil. It is the oldest surviving tree species, having remained on the planet, relatively unchanged for some 200 million years. A single Ginkgo may live for hundreds of years, maybe more than a thousand.

The Gingko tree represents endurance, vitality and longevity. Several ginkgo stood near the detonation site of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. They not only survived the blast, but they fully recovered and are still standing.

Head Gardener, Stephen Harmer, met Dick and Helen and their daughter Jacquie who happily happened to be staying with them whilst visiting from the States where she lives with her family, so she too could enjoy their special moment.  On the way to the site where the first tree was due to be planted, just behind Smythe House, we happened to pass their old family home, Clare House, which they said was beautiful in the summer but bitterly cold and damp in the winter. 

Helen and Jacqui in front of their old family home, Clare House

We also passed their next family home, Welldon House, which at the time was divided into apartments, (their's called Hawthorns) and where they told me all about their idyllic childhood and fun family anecdotes.

Family shot in front of their former home, now Welldon House

When we arrived at the tree planting site, we met Deputy Head Gardener, Chris Gladwell, who was very knowledgeable about the trees. Helen rolled up her sleeves and got really stuck into the digging. It was a long, hard job on a surprisingly warm March day and her determination won out as she planted the gingko tree beautifully behind Smythe House just on the North Path.

Then on to the next planting site for the cherry tree, just on the grass behind Modern Languages, at which point the Longley’s other daughter, Jenny, happily arrived to help with the planting and to enjoy the moment too.

Helen thanked James Priory and the School saying, “Dick’s and my heartfelt thanks for the kind response to our children asking to plant trees in the grounds of Tonbridge School to mark our 60th wedding anniversary.   The perfect gift for us:  Dick enjoyed many years at Tonbridge School, teaching physics, introducing computers and writing software; while I have a passion for caring for God’s creation and a favourite book is ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ …. It was a great pleasure to meet with Stephen and Chris, planting a cherry tree – beauty – and a ginkgo tree – endurance!  The ginkgo tree was the only living thing to survive the bomb dropped on Hiroshima…..I hope it might encourage others to contribute to tree planting, as part of Queen’s green canopy initiative to mark her 70 years as Queen.  60 years doesn’t quite make the cut, but I guess we’re on our way!”

Photo album of their lovely day below: (you have to be registered with Tonbridge Connect and logged in to see photo albums)