Day 5 - IOM 2019

We awoke to improved weather: the wind had been replaced by a cloudy sunny sky on the Douglas coastline. The boys completed the routine morning schedule and so as per usual enjoyed an array of food available for breakfast, tried to find Jesus in Mr Walmsley’s bank card game, tidied their rooms for Mrs Stockdale’s ruthless inspection, and set off to St German Cathedral in Peel for our only practice of the day, much to the boys’ delight. A thorough and efficient practice prepared us for this evening’s service and afterwards off we went back to the hotel for lunch, which was spaghetti carbonara or salad.

After this the boys split for the day’s two different activities. The Head Choristers and Team Leaders returned to rooms and got ready for the venture centre, a trip destined to be wet and muddy. The junior boys alongside the remaining senior boys got ready to depart to Ramsay for the scheduled trip to go on pedalos. The senior boys arrived and quickly got suited up and ready for archery. We competed in team and individual events, much to the gratitude of especially competitive choristers Jacob Egan and Thomas Whalley. After this it was time for the main event of the assault course, which only consisted of a rope swing, tunnels, a climbing wall, a rope bridge, an 8 foot wall, tires, balancing ropes and monkey bars (most of these were also suspended above a cold river). If you’d like to know exactly how cold it was, ask the unfortunate Lachlan Walsh, who received much sympathy from his colleagues as he plummeted into the water after a failed attempt at the monkey bars. Our smaller boys Harry Jones, Jacob Egan and Daniel Harper were well suited to the maze of tunnels that also faced us.

Whilst all this was occurring the remaining choristers had unfortunately been made to abandon the pedalos due to the worsening of the weather and had redirected themselves to Mr Catterall’s flat. Whilst there they watched ‘Les Choristes’, accompanied by what has been reported to be a ‘mountain of snacks’. By the sounds of it these boys enjoyed a relaxed afternoon most likely welcomed by everybody.

Once the boys at the venture centre had finished air rifling, they returned, and the group was reunited once again for the evening meal; popular choices were mackerel, steak and ale pie and raspberry crème brûlée. Once nourished and dressed, we set off for the evening service at the cathedral. The service was very impressive with a thoughtful reading from Thomas Whalley and an excellent reading from Shaun Tallentire, as stated by much of the congregation. Prayers were yet again spoken to a very high standard with Finlay Walsh, Matthew Hickey, Charles Cassidy, Harry Jones and Ben Hodson speaking with clarity and understanding. As well as this a thoughtful sermon from the Bishop of the island addressed the tragedy of Notre Dame and the importance of improving our relationship with god. This allowed boys to improve on how they conduct personal worship throughout the service, a prominent topic of the week.

The impressive service from the boys ended with another remarkable solo from Lachlan Walsh that brought the service to a close in a very moving manner. After this, a Manx Radio representative came in to interview our boys on general things about life in the choir and of course the week on the island. Many first timers were keen to be interviewed and answered their trying questions impressively and on the spot.

After all this I believe it is safe to say the weary boys and staff returned to the hotel quickly and got ready for bed as soon as possible after a very tiring day. Another busy day inbound tomorrow!

The Head Boys