August Edition 2007
 
 
 
 

 

School's celebrations saddened

By Enda Mullen
Tom Hickey with a photo of his son
The death of a former pupil in Afghanistan cast a shadow over a weekend of celebrations to mark a Birmingham school's golden jubilee.
Archbishop Ilsley Catholic Technology College in Acocks Green held a weekend of events on July 13 and 14, with open days, masses of thanksgiving and evening reunions.
But the celebrations were marked with sadness following the death of Daryl Hickey just days beforehand.
The soldier from Yardley, who came from an Irish family, was killed as he tried to protect his comrades during a battle in Afghanistan.
Grenadier Guardsman Hickey, aged 27, was shot dead as he provided fire cover when soldiers attacked Taliban insurgents in Helmand province.
His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Carew Hatherley, of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, said Guardsman Hickey had been "immen-sely proud" to be a Grenadier and was "held in the highest regard by all who served alongside him.
He said: "He had been fighting the Taliban in an operation that had at times been nothing short of ferocious, shoulder to shoulder with others in his platoon, and in whose company he died. He will be sorely missed and never forgotten."
Fellow soldiers Lance Sergeant Adam Ball and Lance Corporal Keith Maskell said: "Hickey was a really great lad who brought both morale and laughter to everything he did. A great team player and someone who was very helpful to others, he will be remembered for his passion towards his football team, Birmingham City, and his Brummie accent will be missed."
His father, Tom, said: "My son died a hero and I am so proud of him.
I'm proud that he was trying to
save others but sad that he lost his own life."
Mr Hickey, aged 52, who is divorced from his son's mother, Bridget, added that he believed British troops should not be in Afghanistan.
A tribute to Daryl Hickey on the Facebook website said: "I am proud to be able to call you a friend, Daryl. You died with the highest possible honour, putting others first."
Both Archbishop Ilsley's golden jubilee masses were well attended and 200 staff, ex-staff and governors of the school took part in the Friday reunion. Just under 500 ex-pupils were joined by former and current staff for Saturday's reunion.
Glen Alexander, a deputy headteacher, said: "There was some sadness at the occasion because quite a lot of the people there had known Daryl.
"Daryl was an excellent student at Archbishop Ilsley and was remembered by the teachers for his enthusiasm and hard work. He took his GCSEs and A-levels here and left at 18.
"His sister was also a pupil of ours and his family was very supportive of the school and what we call the Ilsley spirit."
Prayers were said for Daryl Hickey when the last mass of the school year was celebrated.
His funeral took place at Holy Family Church in Small Heath.


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He stated that there was no reason for alarm according to intelligence reports.
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fears
Mary Coughlan, the Minister for Agriculture has taken swift action with regards to the recent outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease in the UK.
There has been a ban on the importation of all livestock, non-pasteurised milk and fresh meat from the UK. Britain has also acted quickly banning exports and halting the movement of livestock.
Water problem solved
The root cause of the poisoned water in Monaghan and Cavan earlier this year, has been discovered.
The toxic chemical, Phenol was found to be present in the water, causing stomach problems and mouth blisters that affected over 10,000 people. The Phenol was a by-product of the copper mining industry and was sold as a cheap water treatment by Enva who has admitted to not following European guidelines. All areas affected by the water have now been deemed safe apart from Glaslough in Co. Monaghan where precautions are still being taken.
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