Dr Simon Young is the embodiment of the Cranleigh ethos: polymath, scientist, culture vulture, adventurer and one of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet — a booming beard of upbeat cheerfulness.
If you grew up watching television in the 1980s you’ll have some inkling of the power of a hairyfaced enthusiast to bring alive the miracles of the natural world. What Bellamy and Oddie did for the nation, Simon did for 30 years of Cranleighans, teaching Biology and Geology with a similar blend of expertise, energy, quirkiness and fascination with earthy processes.
No Head of Department ever needed to ask Simon where he was. Given the ‘carrying’ nature of his teaching voice, anyone in the 20 or 30 nearest classrooms could have told them, an occasionally startling prospect for parents looking around the school, as “today we’re looking at testicles” echoed down the corridor. But students loved his no-nonsense enthusiasm. You knew you were in the presence of an expert, you knew that no subject was off limits. And underlying everything was an ever-present, genuine and contagious interest in stuff. His classroom looked like an offshoot of the Natural History Museum — jars of pickled organisms, rows of rocks, animal skulls, fossilised snails — it was half cathedral of relics and half Darwinian cheese dream.
Simon tends to fill any space he is in. He’s a tall man, and a loud one, but mostly just exudes a sheer exuberance. ‘Sitting quietly’ is not something you associate with him. He also enjoyed singing, especially as part of the choral concerts; sensitive-eared choristers could sometimes be seen bending discreetly away, like branches from a sturdy trunk.
Simon is at his best outdoors. He was a Major in the CCF and ran, Climbing, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, The Tom Avery Society, Outdoor Education and Cross-Country — all variations on a common theme: a love of the wild, and a heartfelt belief that what could be cultivated there — self-reliance, determination, inspiration, appreciation of the natural world, teamwork, leadership, bravery — was as central to a young person’s education as anything that happened in the classroom. It is difficult to overstate the profound impact these experiences have had on Cranleighans, who continue to yomp, bimble, amble, and potter into adulthood — lifelong passions first ignited by a Doc Young trip to Arran, or across a wet Welsh hillside, or on epic overseas expeditions — to India, China, Iceland — that he organised year after year. Simon’s rants — part comedy, part primal rage — about the growing paper mountain required to get children to an actual mountain were about the only times his boundless bonhomie could be seen to slip. His compilations of photos following these trips became a regular highlight.
Team Young were a strong pastoral unit. Simon was a Tutor in Cubitt and then Day Warden before moving to West where he has been a stoical and calming presence for the last decade. Andrea, in addition to accompanying on school trips, was also a Matron for 15 years. They both cared deeply and unfussily for many hundreds of pupils who enjoyed their company, advice and unfaltering support.
Simon and Andrea’s hospitality was legendary — a real reflection of the much-vaunted ‘Cranleigh magic’ as a community. A beard on a bike was likely to greet you like a sort of two-wheeled Cranleigh Santa, with a cheery ‘what ho!’ and invite you over ‘for a spot of grub’, which you should unhesitatingly accept, Simon’s ‘grub’ being Michelin standard fare reflecting another passion — great cuisine — and another talent — producing it.
Cranleigh won’t be quite the same place without Simon and Andrea, but they can enjoy their semi-retirement in the West Country in the knowledge that for a long period of time they made this a better place, and for that they have our most sincere thanks.
Written by Simon Bird