Lotto multi-millionaire is my old teaching mate

RUGBY matches between the staff and students used to take place at Gillotts School in Henley every year until they were outlawed in 1980.

Memories of these often tough encounters were brought flooding back to former Gillotts teacher Roger Pitcher when he noticed his old colleague and team-mate Gerry Cannings had won £32.5million on the National Lottery, the second biggest payout in its history.

Gerry, 63, who taught history at the secondary school from 1976 to 1983, and his wife Lisa, 48, now live in Peterborough.

The couple won with a Lucky Dip ticket in the draw on February 13 but then waited a week before claiming their prize.

Lisa said: “I know it sounds mad but we had a guy in to paint the whole house. We’d been planning it for ages and had packed everything into boxes, so we just thought it would be easier to wait.”



Roger, 67, who lives in Cromwell Road, Henley, worked at Gillotts for 38 years, teaching design and technology and then as assistant headteacher.

He was hooker in the staff rugby team and Gerry was also a forward.

Roger recalls: “The matches were always very competitive. The boys would always be out to knock hell out of the staff and the staff would play it carefully but try to win.

“We had enough staff back then to field a full 15 but we had to stop it around 1980 when there was a problem with physical contact.”

The pair also played together in the staff cricket team — Gerry was a fast bowler for Wargrave Cricket Club — and organised unofficial athletics, football, rugby, cricket and tennis matches at the school.

Roger says: “Me and Gerry had a lot of competition between us because we seemed to get the best out of our teams.”

His team was called the Centurions and Gerry’s the Jesters.

As for Gerry’s windfall, Roger says: “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer chap.”

Another member of staff back then was Pam Syrett, of Makins Road, Henley. She was in the history department when Gerry joined it and worked there from 1967 to 2002.

Pam, now 77, says: “It was a fantastic department working under Bob Phillips. It was a superb team.

“Gillotts at that time was a very close community with a lot of young men like Gerry. There was a gang of them.

“He has a great sense of humour and was the sort of teacher who brought his subject to life and in history that is very important.

“He could mix with anybody and the children adored him. They thought the world of him.

“Gerry has devoted his life to teaching and only retired about a year ago.”

Pam and Gerry still exchange Christmas cards containing long messages.

Author Simon Kernick, who lives in Shiplake, was one of Gerry’s pupils.

He says: “He was very inspiring and brought history lessons to life. He was a very, very nice guy and popular with the pupils. The whole history department was great fun in those days.”