Stuart Wheeler, Old Boy of St Aubyns, speaks to Years 7 and 8
Tuesday 25 November 2008Old St Aubyns pupil, Mr Stuart Wheeler, visited St Aubyns last Friday to speak to Years 7 and 8. Mr Wheeler joined St Aubyns in 1943 when the school was temporarily housed in North Wales due to the evacuation of the Brighton area. He went on to be Head Boy in 1947 before moving on to Eton. His successful career in business and his political activities since then are well known.
Mr Wheeler spoke to the children about difficult questions in public life and the importance of considering both sides of any argument. He illustrated a very interesting talk with reference to the legitimacy of torture, the truth behind scares in regard to global warming, and the effect of membership of the EU on the United Kingdom. He then took questions on a wide range of questions from his own experiences of St Aubyns and the changes he had seen in the school to grander political issues. The children's research was evident in questions on his court case against the British governement over the Lisbon Treaty, on his views on the US elections, and on playing bridge with Lord Lucan!
Stuart Wheeler answers questions from Years 7 and 8 in the Chapel
The afternoon was enjoyed by all. Mr Wheeler was clearly pleased to see his alma mater in good shape and was delighted to be shown the Chapel Reading Cup with his name engraved for 1945 and 1946 and a complete list of winners to the present day. The children were suitably impressed with meeting an eminent public figure and by the sense of the school's history that meeting an Old Boy gave them.