Oecken, John

Teacher and CCF Officer

Date of Death: 10/10/2016

Taken from The Gazette 65:

Just after the publication of the last issue of The Gazette, we received the sad news of the death of John Oecken, who served the School with great distinction as a teacher and much more for 20 years. Indeed, I (your Editor) studied French with him and remember him with considerable respect and affection. His son Alastair has provided the following obituary from Eastbourne College Old Boys’ Society:

John Oecken (School 1941-46) died on 10 October 2016 at the age of 89.
John was Second Prefect, Head of House, a Stag 1945-6 and in the cricket XI in 1946. He won prizes for French, German and Reading, was a chapel warden, hon secretary of the Games Committee and a cadet Petty Officer in the JTC. Two years at St Aubyns prep at Rottingdean was a prelude to two years (1946-48) National Service in Palestine and Egypt with the Intelligence and Educational Corps. In 1949 he entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he studied modern and mediaeval languages and was awarded his MA. He then embarked on a career as a schoolmaster, beginning as an English Assistant at the Lycée Ribot at St Omer. Then from 1953 to 1960 he taught French and Latin at Whitgift, where he was a junior housemaster and an officer in the Corps. Next in 1960 he joined Ottershaw County Boarding School to teach German. There he started the CCF, of which he was in command for 12 years. He was Second Master for the last few years before the school closed in 1980.

John's next appointment until his retirement in 1992 was at Broadwater Manor prep in charge of languages and curriculum. In retirement John was a member (and Past President) of the Rotary Club of Worthing for 30 years and sung in their choir to help charities, raising over £20,000 with 16 concerts. John married Margaret in 1953 and they had five children and no fewer than 11 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. In 2007 he told us that he was considering raising a mixed hockey XI in ten years’ time! He also recalled a memory of a rugby match against the Navy in 1945: “Bishop Carey [then our chaplain], in full purple, sped along the touchline shouting such Christian thoughts as 'Kill him, Oecken, kill him!'”

One of Alastair’s early childhood memories:
On holiday in Devon our old VW camper broke down on the Dart River Car Ferry. I recall Dad buying a round in the pub and persuading a collection of locals to push the thing into the high street, whereupon we sat waiting for the AA. I just remember cringing with embarrassment as Mum proceeded to make tea on the campers’ stove and put lunch out on the table as everyone walked past staring in whilst doing their shopping!

Alastair also received this tribute from Old Boy Maurice Flemmings (OT 889 - North):
I was a pupil at Ottershaw School from 1965 to 1970, where your father tried to teach me French. I was not very successful but this was completely my failing and not his. More importantly for me, he recruited me into the school Combined Cadet Force, where I first got the bug for flying. I have spent my career as a pilot, firstly in the RAF for 20 years and more recently as an airline pilot. I am still working and enjoy operating all over the world, although I will have to retire next year. Your father was an enormous influence in my life and for his time so freely given I am indebted. Fortunately I was able to write to him in 2012 and express my thanks. In the same year I wrote an article for the Old Boys' magazine, where I was able to publicly mention the great respect I had for him. He was a true gentleman and I would be grateful if you and your family would accept my heartfelt condolences.

Another Old Boy, Richard Burchell (OT 567 - West) provided these reminiscences:
I was a pupil at Ottershaw from 1959 to 1965 and did not do very well at anything much. However, your father was always good to me and encouraged me to be better at whatever I tried to do. As a result I joined the Air Cadets, which your father ran in a rather interesting fashion. He encouraged me to apply for a Flying Scholarship with the RAF as I knew quite a lot about aircraft. Amazingly I was awarded one and found I had a natural talent for flying. I would never have known but for your father’s encouragement. However, I was too tall to fly RAF fighters, which I wanted to do, and was persuaded to go down the civil route. Much to the amusement of most of the masters (especially the careers master) I applied to become an airline pilot, which was very unusual in those days. I was successful and joined BOAC (now British Airways) as a Second Officer. I learned to fly the big jets, which for a young man who had never been outside the UK was great fun. I did well there, flying most of the BA aircraft including the Concorde. I retired as a Training Captain at the compulsory age of 55. However, I was still as keen to fly as ever and joined Cathay Pacific, first as a pilot, and on retirement (second time) I was asked to stay on as a simulator instructor, which I still do at 69, based in Hong Kong. Everything I have gained and achieved I owe to your father. My children and grandchildren have benefited enormously as a consequence. I am truly sad to hear of your father’s passing but I like to think his wonderful kindness and perceptiveness live on in people like me, my children and grandchildren. I won’t be physically with you on the 21st but I will be thinking of him.

Further thoughts from John Cashman (OTT 566 -Tulk):
He was a huge inspiration to me. He gave me a love of learning languages. A superb teacher. I remember thinking that when I'm old (49 is old when you're 12) I want to be like Mr Oecken. Full of energy, vim and fun. A splendid chap. I'm in Fuerteventura fraternising with the locals in elementary Spanish because of the love of languages I learned from him.

A tribute from Chris Webb (OTT 375 - West):
My time at Ottershaw is one of mixed feelings, but there is no doubt that the experience had a significant effect on my development and I left a much more confident and determined individual. Although I have forgotten much about my time at school, there are some people and events which remain very strong in my memory. A number of masters had a notable impact on my development, but without doubt John Oecken was the most influential and provided me with a great deal of support when it was needed most. John was my tutor and I recall many occasions sitting in his home (the Bothy) for tutor groups, where we would be plied with tea and cake and made to feel very welcome. He took an active interest in my progress and guided me when I had to select subjects for 'O' level. Despite mediocre results in these I was given every encouragement and support to continue with both 'AO' and ‘A’ levels, and he was my guiding hand when I became both House and later School Captain. Languages were definitely not my strong point. I was an absolute failure at French and, whilst I should have been better at German, I just couldn't seem to grasp more than the basics. These were both the subjects taught by John Oecken, although I was only in his class for German. Such was his nature he never made me feel inadequate but gave gentle encouragement, and I only wish I could have been more proficient. John was the school career advisor amongst his many other duties, and when I expressed an interest in horticulture during my fifth year it was he who provided me with the opportunity to try it out. My parents were in Germany at the time as my father was a serving officer in the British Army and, rather than travel out as usual for the Easter holidays, I found a job about three miles from school working on a Bedding Plant Nursery. It was John and Margaret who, with a large family of their own, offered me a place to stay in their home, where I was made to feel a part of their family. I would cycle off to work in the morning, and on my return there would be a meal and normal home comforts awaiting me. It was an experience that has stayed with me and set me on the career path I continue on today. I also remember so clearly an expedition to Woking on my cycle sometime in either my fifth or lower sixth year to purchase cider for a gathering in the woods. The intention was not to be seen by anyone from school, but whilst waiting at the checkout Margaret appeared, took a look at what I was buying and then offered me a lift back to school! I still don't know if she ever mentioned it to John, but it never came up in conversation, much to my relief. My final year at Ottershaw was particularly difficult following a family bereavement, and it was John together with Margaret who provided the emotional support I most needed. On leaving school I kept in touch on a regular basis with letters and Christmas cards. Soon after I married I accepted a job in Littlehampton and we moved to West Sussex, not far from where John and Margaret were now living. This gave me an opportunity to see them from time to time until we moved away some years later, not long after our second child was born. We continued to write and I occasionally saw John at Old Boys gatherings when I could attend. We also took
the children back to Sussex to show them where they had been born and had a pleasant afternoon with John as well. I was saddened to hear of John's passing towards the end of last year, but was glad to be able to attend the funeral and meet some of the family again. I will be forever grateful to him and Margaret, and he will always be fondly remembered.