The Committee
Meet the dedicated team serving the Old Carolians Association
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | David Simons |
| Senior Vice-President | Dr Nigel Geary |
| Junior Vice-President | Nigel Worton |
| Association Secretary | Vacant |
| Treasurer | Pete Picken QPM |
| Membership Secretary, and Website Administrator | Joel Douglas |
| Magazine Editor | Norman Broadfield |
| Auditor | Tony Kidd |
| Committee Member (ex officio) | Ruth Allen |
| Committee Member | Tim Gulliver |
| Committee Member | John Hall |
| Committee Member | Louise Heath |
| Committee Member | Peter Hooper |
| Committee Member | Scott Jones |
| Committee Member | Arthur Miller |
| Committee Member | Stephen Wyer |
David Simons – President
- Nickname: Sam, Simmo
- Position(s) held: President 2025–present; Senior Vice-President 2024–2025; Junior Vice-President 2023–2024
- Left school: 1971
- School house: Blount’s
- School achievements: Prize for Fifth Form work; School Rugby and Cricket to Under-15s; Senior non-commissioned officer, Royal Air Force Section, Combined Cadet Force
- Higher/further education: Trent Polytechnic, 1973–1976, Bachelor of Science with Honours, Quantity Surveying; College of Estate Management, University of Reading, 1993, Diploma in Arbitration; Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; Member of the Academy of Experts
- Occupation: Retired chartered quantity surveyor and arbitrator
- Hobbies: Motorsport (Motorsport UK Steward, Training Assessor and Ministry of Defence Liaison Officer); Building Conservation (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings); History, with a special interest in King Charles I (Society of King Charles the Martyr Life Member)
Nigel Geary – Vice President
- Nickname: ‘Bowsie’ (Bowman in school 1st Boat)
- Position(s) held: Senior Vice-President 2025–present; Junior Vice-President 2024–2025
- Left school: 1970
- School house: Blount’s
- School achievements: Advanced Physics prize; rowing (first crew); school orchestra (first trumpet); The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (Gold)
- Higher/further education: University of Liverpool, 1970–1978, Bachelor of Science with Honours, Physics with Materials Science; followed by Master of Engineering, Polymer Physics; followed by Doctor of Philosophy, Computer Modelling of Polymer Structures
- Occupation: Retired specialist in the software industry (business intelligence)
- Hobbies: Rowing; Repair Café volunteer; pro-nuclear energy Green activist; music
Nigel Worton – Junior Vice President
- Nickname: ‘Warby’ (at university)
- Position(s) held: Junior Vice-President 2025–present
- Left school: 1978
- School house: King’s
- School achievements: Junior cricket captain; King’s cricket captain; 1st XI cricket; co-ran film club; appeared in ‘HMS Pinafore’, 1978; member of choir
- Higher/further education: University of Bradford, 1978–1982, Bachelor of Science with Honours, Managerial Sciences
- Occupation: Retired IT sales and management consultant
- Hobbies: Cricket; nutrition; music; artificial intelligence
Vacant – Association Secretary
- Nickname: Vacant
- Position(s) held: Vacant
- Left school: Vacant
- School house: Vacant
- School achievements: Vacant
- Higher/further education: Vacant
- Occupation: Vacantr
- Hobbies: Vacant
Pete Picken, QPM – Treasurer
- Nickname: The Money Minder
- Position(s) held: Treasurer 1998–present; President 1997–1998; Vice-President 1996–1997
- Left school: 1957
- School house: Blount’s
- School achievements: Not really an academic; preferred sport, and active in House and School teams
- Higher/further education: University of Wolverhampton – BA (Hons) Business Studies
- Occupation: Retired police officer
- Hobbies: Sport, mainly cricket and football; DIY; family
Joel Douglas – Membership Secretary and Webmaster
- Nickname: The Welcomer
- Position(s) held: Membership Secretary 2024–present; Website Administrator 2024–present; Committee Member 2016–2024
- Left school: 2006
- School house: Chad’s
- School achievements: Over-zealous (and probably over-bearing) Young Enterprise team member; prizes for English, French, German and Religious Education, plus PTA Prize for Year Service several times; served briefly as a librarian (and even more briefly in the CCF); tenuous success in sprinting events, but genuine success in stage managing various productions
- Higher/further education: University of Birmingham, 2006–2010, Bachelor of Arts with Honours, Modern Languages and European Studies (Politics); University of Staffordshire, 2022–2023, Certificate of Higher Education, Professional Policing Practices
- Occupation: Civil Servant
- Hobbies: Being involved with community projects (especially the ‘one step forwards, two steps back’ activity that is litter-picking, chairing the Wyre Forest group set up to tackle the problem locally); doing quizzes (more so partaking, but occasionally hosting); editing Wikipedia (trying, and often failing, to avoid ‘edit wars’); school governance (the Association’s nominee on the Local Academy Board, previously Local Governing Body, 2018–present); serving as a charity trustee (on Roy Woodward Educational Foundation 2022–present and Harry Train Exhibition 2024–present); trying new restaurants (this does not take a lot of arm-twisting); walking (whereas this can take a lot of arm-twisting); watching YouTube (which seems to be the closest thing that we shall ever have to a time machine)
Norman Broadfield – Magazine Editor
- Nickname: Norm
- Position(s) held: Magazine Editor 2002–present; President 2024–2025 and 1987–1988; Senior Vice-President 2023–2024; Junior Vice-President 2022–2023; Vice-President 1986–1987
- Left school: 1960
- School house: King’s
- School achievements: Junior Cross Country Champion (1955); First XV Rugby; First XI Cricket
- Higher/further education: University of Leeds, 1960–1963, Bachelor of Science with Honours, Psychology and Sociology
- Occupation: Retired export sales director
- Hobbies: Rugby; cricket; history of warfare
Tony Kidd – Auditor
- Nickname: Kidney Bean
- Position(s) held: Auditor 2006/7–present; Committee Member 2001–2007; President 2000–2001; Vice-President 1999–2000
- Left school: 1966
- School house: Clare’s
- School achievements: Prefect 1965/66; 2nd XI cricket captain 1966
- Higher/further education: Accountancy course
- Occupation: Retired finance director
- Hobbies: Snooker; cricket umpiring; football; family
Ruth Allen – Committee Member (ex officio)
- Nickname: Roo
- Position(s) held: Committee Member (ex officio) 2025–present
- Left school: Staff
- School house: Queen’s
- School achievements: Sat French GCSE a year early
- Higher/further education: University of Wolverhampton, 1997–2000, Bachelor of Arts with Honours, European Studies and French
- Occupation: Head Teacher
- Hobbies: Reading; exploring with the dog
Tim Gulliver – Committee Member
- Nickname: ‘Gully’, ‘Gonzo’, ‘Captain Beaky’
- Position(s) held: Committee Member 2025–present and (ex officio) 2004–2014; Association Secretary 2014–2025; President 2022–2023; Senior Vice-President 2021–2022; Junior Vice-President 2019–2021)
- Left school: Staff (finished compulsory education in 1973)
- School house: Compton
- School achievements: Range of prizes: Divinity, Headteacher’s, Sixth Form, etc
- Higher/further education: Milton Keynes College of Education; The Open University, Bachelor of Arts with Honours
- Occupation: Retired Teacher
- Hobbies: In earlier days: kayaking and cycling; today: building projects
John Hall – Committee Member
- Nickname: Olicker
- Position(s) held: Committee Member 2024–present; President 2023–2024; Senior Vice-President 2022–2023; Junior Vice-President 2021–2022
- Left school: 1966
- School house: Blount’s
- School achievements: English Youth Athletics Team 1965 & 1966; First XV Rugby 1964–1966; School Athletics Captain 1966; Senior ‘Victor Ludorum’ 1966; Blounts House Captain 1966; County Champion, Athletics x 6 titles
- Higher/further education: Institute of Cost and Works Accountants; Henley Business School
- Occupation: Retired business consultant
- Hobbies: Guitar; walking; National Trust visits
Louise Heath – Committee Member
- Nickname: Lou
- Position(s) held: Committee Member 2024–present
- Left school: Associated (left Ludlow College in 1999)
- School house: (St Giles’ at Ludlow School)
- School achievements: A levels completed between 1997 and 1999
- Higher/further education: University of Staffordshire, 1999–2002, Bachelor of Laws with Honours, Law; The University of Lancaster, 2003, Master of Laws, International Law and International Relations
- Occupation: Contracts manager
- Hobbies: Live music; travelling; reading; art; theatre; eating and drinking as much as possible!
Peter Hooper – Committee Member
- Nickname: Pete
- Position(s) held: Committee Member 2025–present (assisting Norman Broadfield as Magazine Editor)
- Left school: 1966
- School house: King’s
- School achievements: Prize for 5th form work
- Higher/further education: University of Leeds, 1966–1969, Physics; Birmingham Polytechnic, 1969–1973, Physics, CEI Pt 2 (degree equivalent)
- Occupation: Retired chartered mechanical engineer and decontamination consultant
- Hobbies: Motorcycle sport; computing; writing; family
Scott Jones – Committee Member
- Nickname: Scotty
- Position(s) held: Committee Member 2025–present (assisting Pete Picken as Treasurer)
- Left school: 1986
- School house: Queen’s
- School achievements: Cadets; long jump, 100m and 200m winner 1986
- Higher/further education: University of Wolverhampton – BA (Hons) Business Studies
- Occupation: Programme Manager
- Hobbies: Fishing; tennis; Freemasonry; camping
Arthur Miller – Committee Member
- Nickname: Dusty
- Position(s) held: Committee Member 2019–present; President 2018–2019; Senior Vice-President 2017–2018; Junior Vice-President 2016–2017
- Left school: 1959
- School house: Clare’s
- School achievements: Witherby Prize for Elocution; appeared as Aeneas in the presentation of ‘Dido & Aeneas’ given at Kidderminster Town Hall under the direction of Mr Murphy
- Higher/further education: St Peter’s College, Saltley, 1959, Certificate in Education; University of Birmingham, 1960–1961, Certificate in Library Science and Bachelor of Education with Honours; Leeds Metropolitan University, 1985, Master of Arts, Library and Information Technology Management
- Occupation: Retired Teacher
- Hobbies: Philately; photography; IT; music; armchair supporter of Aston Villa and Brive
Stephen Wyer – Committee Member
- Nickname: None
- Position(s) held: Committee Member 2021–present and 2012–2017; President 2019–2021; Senior Vice-President 2018–2019; Junior Vice-President 2017–2018
- Left school: 1982
- School house: Clare’s
- School achievements: Member of cricket team that broke the world record for the longest match under Marylebone Cricket Club rules; captain of the quiz team; leader of county wind band, playing clarinet; principal role in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’; member of the choir; gained entry to Oxbridge
- Higher/further education: St John’s College, University of Oxford, 1982–1985, Bachelor of Arts with Honours (later promoted to Master of Arts), Jurisprudence
- Occupation: Retired Solicitior
- Hobbies: Freemasonry (currently head in Worcestershire); quizzes (appeared on ‘Eggheads’); walking; music; grandchildren