Goodbye Mr Beckerley

We had a number of farewell celebrations at the end of last half term to say thank you and farewell to Mr Beckerley who has worked at our school and lived on site for the last 33 years. Our Grove Site pupils gave Mr Beckerley a very special send off during his final Mass with pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 presenting wonderful cards and memories and singing one of his favourite hymn’s You Shall Go out with Joy. It was lovely to be able to welcome both current and former parents to the school to give thanks for Mr Beckerley’s service to our school community.

As many in our community know Mr Beckerley has many wonderful gifts and he left us with this poem as well as a letter to the full community which is published below.

Last Day by Mr Beckerley

Like the sunlight casting shadows that are dancing on the wall,

And the melodies come streaming from the voices in the hall,

From the flight to welcome classrooms under leaden skies of grey

As we catch the cherry blossom floating on a breeze in May,

When the corridors at Christmas shine with silver and with gold,

And the teacher fills our heads with something new and something old,

 

Like the Autumn leaves we threw into the air without a care,

And the sounds of laughter emanating from the summer fair,

Like the myriad of colours on display throughout our school,

And the smiles we gave each other when we broke a golden rule,

Like the jostling in the lunch hall as we clamoured to be fed,

Like the silence during prayer time and the taste of daily bread,

 

Like the photo of our classmates, every smile upon a face,

And the friends we’d made forever which the years cannot erase,

Like the hum of minds around us from the desks at which we sit,

When we’re flagging in the relays but we know we’ll never quit,

Like the times that made us laugh and the times that made us cry,

From the moment that we started to the day we said goodbye.

To everyone in the Christ the Saviour community,

From 19th December 1988 to May 31st 2022, I have been resident and site manager at this very special place. I have seen many changes both to the physical structure and varying personnel over thirty-three and a half years.

But some things have remained constant – the teaching standards, generations of children being educated in a loving and protective environment, and the ever present spiritual ethos and values which bring out the best in us.

I have spent most of my adult life at St Saviour’s which became Christ the Saviour School. Wherever I roam, I will always hold a place in my heart for this community which has become literally my home and symbolically my greater family.

A huge Thank You! To all who have contributed in so many ways to my time here, particularly during a difficult medical crisis and during the pandemic. And deep appreciation for the unbounded generosity you have shown in my last days here as I look forward to a happy and fulfilling retirement.

Peace and blessings,