OPU (London branch) Presidents
Past Presidents, Wynn Anderson (2008-10), Michael West (2012-14) and Miles Henry (1988-89) at a
pre-dinner planning meeting in February 2013.
OPU (London branch) Presidents – part 5 (1996-2004)
1996/98 D M Porteus, BSc
David's father had been at Portora in the mid-twenties, a direct contemporary of Douglas Graham as well as being with Sir Charles Jones and Sam Beckett, which last is recalled as being the only person to have played cricket for the MCC and to have won a Nobel Prize. Trust PRS to produce an all-rounder like that.
David went to Gloucester house in 1951 and moved to Portora in 1953 when Val Rogers took over as Headmaster. George Andrews was his housemaster in Ulster. His progress through school was [I quote] "unspectacular, but a lot of fun". He played for the 1st XV in his last three years (as had his father before him) and rowed for two years in the 1st VII. He was head boy of Ulster and was head of the boat club.
Following school he went to Queens University and took a degree in physics while at the same time spending much of his free time on the river, becoming captain of boats in his last year and rowing for Ireland in the Home International.
Having decided on teaching as his profession, it was inevitable that he join the staff at a school with a reputation in rowing and so it was that he started to teach at St Paul's School, London, with physics in the classroom and rowing on the Thames both being his official responsibilities. Two of his past pupils have become Professors of Physics. He remained at St Paul's throughout his career, retiring in 2000.
Never far from the Thames – he lives in Hampton – David has managed the English Rowing Team at the Home Internationals since 1986 and Commonwealth Regattas since 1994. He still rows himself in the Veteran category – in many European countries and the USA, as well as in the Erne Head of the River for the last couple of years.
One of the stalwarts of the OPU London Branch, David served for many years as Secretary and is currently Treasurer.
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1998/00 D W Learmond
Born in India to a military father, with half-Irish and half-Scottish blood in-his veins, Douglas lived with his retired parents in Greystones, Co Wicklow before being sent north to Gloucester House in 1954 and on to Portora, chosen by his father who failed to spy Portorans with their hands in their pockets, whereas boys at St. Columba's did.
For the large southern contingent of boarders the journey to Portora started at Amiens Street (now Connolly) station where they joined the labelled 'Portora' coach for a five-hour train journey featuring two sets of shunting between trains, at Drogheda and again at Clones.
Following life in Lakeview, in 1957 Douglas moved to Munster House under Ed Rowlette, sleeping in the Redoubt until they were evacuated to allow troops to keep an eye on the West Bridge which had featured on an IRA target list.
Probably the longest-serving lance corporal in the CCF (having been overheard by Jack Wheeler in the San planning to dodge parades - no path to promotion that!), Douglas went on to captain the 2nd XV and the house tug-of-war team, thus being able to leave with at least one sports prize.
At Trinity, a planned honours degree in maths ended in a poor general studies (pass), officially the result of bad health. His background of maths and economics pointed him to the City of London where he started with Arthur Anderson, but his epilepsy was deemed unacceptable. Instead, he started as a 'blue button' with a firm of commodity brokers, learning the business of futures markets while supplementing a low salary with a weekly column on metal markets for an Irish magazine.
His journalistic strengths include a life-long nagging insistence on wanting to know why, a lack of unnecessary respect for authority and a distrust of humbug and hypocrisy. Journalism as a way of life attracted him and he set up a European service for what was then the largest US commodity news agency. It was shortly after this move to Fleet Street that he.was accused of fraudulently wearing an OP tie by Ian Scales who worked in the same building. It was at that time, too, that he, Ian and Brian Harpur (q.v.) unsuccessfully attempted to persuade Portora to build on its liberal history and welcome Catholics, a move rebuffed by the Fermanagh Protestant Education Board
By the mid-70s he had moved to Reuters, later becoming their commodities editor. His experience over 25 years of raw material markets led to a brief excursion into the unrealistically ambitious world of dot.com when he set up a news channel for perishable commodities such as fish, flowers and fruit. Like so many in dot.com, it went belly up.
Based in Putney for 16 years with wife Liz and two daughters, followed by a move to an old farmhouse in Tunbridge Wells, they have now moved to a very old farmhouse at Bruton in Somerset, badly in need of extensive restoration, which will keep him busy for a while yet.
An active member of the OPU London committee for many years, his advice and drive there belie his self-stated humility.
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2000/02 Liam Strong
Liam was born in Trillick, a Celtic holy place half-way between Omagh and Enniskillen which became a coaching stop in the 19th Century. For his parents, the decision for his education was a toss-up between Portora or Omagh Academy, but with family connections in previous years, Portora won, for which choice Liam claims to be glad.
He drifted through school, he says, both athletically and academically, from 1956 until 1963. Darcy Chillingworth's history sessions stand out from that time, as does Martin Schrecker's introduction to the world beyond Fermanagh. Billy Murtagh in ‘Waiting for Godot’ is still a clear memory. Liam grew to love the diversity of Portora and the incongruity of an English public school being set on the edge of Western Ireland amongst a largely Irish populace and the informality they added to life.
To Trinity in Dublin for a degree in philosophy and a drinking qualification in the Climbing Club, after which, to both his and his friends' surprise, he went into business.
Life at Proctor & Gamble started his career, where he was treated as badly (or deservedly) as any 19th Century apprentice, led to a long stint with Reckitt & Colman, during which he got around the world seeing real diversity in Beirut, Berkeley California, Lagos Nigeria and Cleveland Ohio. Then a move to British Airways and the exciting magic of 747s arriving in the early hours at Heathrow from all over the world.
Liam's business acumen had not gone unnoticed and early in the 1990s he found himself running Sears, a sprawling retail conglomerate which includes 'Selfridges on Oxford Street. He recalls the nervous day they had lo put new central escalators into the store through the roof, while the whole population of London looked on.
Another move gave him the opportunity to build up MCI WorldCom's telecom network outside North America. In his travels with them he claims to have met just about every Lord Mayor in the world, probably apologising to them for flooding their cities as they dug up the streets.
Liam's peripatetic life continues today. With the enormous forbearance of his wife and family, they live between Montreal, New York, London and Ibiza as he reorganises another international telecoms company to bring it out of Chapter 11.
Depending on the time of the month, he may witness the sun rising over the St Lawrence, the winter mist drifting down Park Avenue or the wind moving on the water off Ibiza, but the early morning walk from the bus depot and up Portora hill remains a vivid and friendly memory.
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