Interview with Peter Yarker

I am sitting in the beautiful home of Peter and Rosemary Yarker overlooking the tranquil Somerset countryside in the village of Norton St Philip to chat to Peter about his life in general for publication into 'The Mitre'

"First of all Peter, thank you very much for agreeing to this visit today. My first question to you is this.

Q—Why did your parents choose St. Michael's School for your education?"

A—'That is quite an easy question to answer. First of all I failed my 11+ examination and then I failed my Common Entrance examination which included Latin and to be totally honest with you I could not understand one single word of the Latin examination paper so there was no difficulty in having this paper marked because there was nothing on the answer paper! My parents were at a loss as to what to do with me. But my father had a friend from College days who was then Rector of Brancaster, his name was     Rev. Robert Tomlinson. Yes, the very same who went on to become Rector of Wolverton and 'Tommy' recommended St. Michael's School to my father, a visit was arranged and the rest is history.'

Q—"What were your most favorite subjects at school?"

A—'Math's and Geography'

Q—"In that order?"

A—'Not necessarily. I loved Math's and thought I was quite good at it until I came to take my 'A' level math's paper when I realized I wasn’t and I made a complete hash of the examination. Geography I enjoyed mainly because Peg, Miss Hayes-Williams I should say’ was a terrific teacher.'

Q—"So, if I were to ask you to name your favorite teacher, would your answer come as any surprise to anyone?"

A—'No, not really. It was Peg. But not only that, she was also a very good friend'.

Q—"What are your most memorable moments about attending St. Michael's School?"

A—'I really don't know. I was thinking about this the other day and trying to anticipate the kind of questions you might ask me. It is a difficult question to answer'.

Q—"How did you react to being sent away to a Boarding School? Did you enjoy the different way of life or were you constantly nagging your parents to take you back home and into a normal day school?"

A—'No, no. I loved it and seemed to fall into the new procedures quite easily. It suited me down to the ground'.

Q—"So you must have started at St. Michael's School aged around 12 - 13 years old?"

A—'I was 13 years old'.

Q—"So, returning to my original question about memorable moments, would it be fair to assume that you regarded the whole time spent at St.    Michael's School as being memorable?"

A—'Without a doubt, yes. I loved every moment of it, to the point that sometimes during school holidays I would return back to school early because I was so keen to be back at Heacham. Mind you, there were some aspects of the school that I did not take kindly. For instance, the harsh discipline and especially the punishments. But, I suppose like most of us I quickly knuckled down and got used to the routine and the rules'.

Q—"Was one of your memorable moments split between the pain or the expectation?"

A—'Without a doubt, the expectation!!'

Q—"How and where did you and Rosemary meet for the first time?"

A—'Rosemary lived quite close to us but also attended a boarding school, very similar to St. Michael's School, but in Kent.  I had known Rosemary, from a distance, for a long time because her Mother ran the Guide Company that my sister attended. So, from time to time Rosemary's name would be mentioned at home. Then one day we were at a Harvest Supper and Rosemary was there and one thing led to another and the rest is history'.

Q—"How long have you and Rosemary been married?"

A—'We will be celebrating our Ruby (40^th) Wedding Anniversary in 2007'.

Q—"When did your interest in the Hotel Industry start?"

A—'Well, certainly nothing could have been further from my mind when I left school. I really did not know what I wanted to do. My mother became quite agitated and busy on my behalf arranging meetings for me to attend with Bank Managers, Solicitors etc but none of these interested me          whatsoever. It was one of my Aunts, who was a sly but engaging old lady who was Head of Chemistry at St Paul’s Girls School, she had been spending a short break at a Trust House Hotel where they were hosting a Trust House Management Conference and she met the Personnel Director, explaining to him that she had a wayward nephew who had no idea what to do with his life and he in turn offered to see me to explain the wonderful world of Hotel Management. I did go along and this very wise man explained to me the possibilities of progress up the very steep ladder of success within Hotel     Management and eventually suggested that he could offer me a trainee post but recommended instead that I train at a Hotel Management College, I thought this was a great idea and promptly applied for a place at the college'.

Q—"What were your expectations and ambitions at this time?"

A—'None whatsoever. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for, so therefore I had no ambitions. I had never stayed in a Hotel in my life and    therefore had no idea what the Industry was all about'. –‘Except that I wanted to run a really first class hotel.’

—"What did you learn at this time?"

A—'The most important for me was to accept responsibility; responsibility for my actions and responsibility for taking decisions. I quickly realised that I had the ability and self discipline to ensure that whatever I was engaged in doing, the job was done properly. As far as I was concerned the job had to be done perfectly and I suppose this is a direct result of our schooling and discipline at St. Michael's School. I am a firm believer that you should do your best at all times. More especially, if you are responsible for employing people, it is your responsibility to make sure that they are treated well and that they are provided with all of the necessary training and tools to enable them to do their job effectively. And if people are paying for your services, you should go out of your way to ensure you give them the very best service'.

Q—"How did your ambitions change at this time?"

A—'I knew that I wanted to progress my career into Hotel Management but I had no real ambitions to own and run my own Hotel. I was employed by two companies. The first was Myddleton Hotels where I ended up on the main Board; the second was the Ladbroke Group, where I managed the  hotels in half the country. Both employers taught me much about the Industry

Q—"Do you now feel that you achieved your ambitions?"

A—'I suppose I must have done. I eventually added a few more noughts onto my Mortgage and bought my own Hotels, first in Bath then in Cheltenham. In Bath we completely redesigned the place. We changed the name and ran the Hotel successfully as a 4* Hotel offering our cliental a high standard of service, comfortable surroundings and value for money spent. I subsequently sold the Hotel and the organisation that bought it from me   immediately ripped the Hotel apart and completely redesigned the interior. And when it was finished I was invited to attend the official opening and the place was a picture and no money had been spared. I was asked by a colleague, 'Wouldn't you have liked to have carried out that style of work?' And I replied to him, 'Yes, of course I would, but I would not have been that stupid'. It was not long after all of this work was finished that the Hotel went into liquidation Q.E.D (as we used to have us put on our geometry formula)'.

Q—"What are the things you feel most proud of within your private life?"

A—' I would not use the word proud, but most important without hesitation, I would have to say my family. I have a wonderful wife who has steadfastly supported me in everything I have done and I believe that I could never have achieved what I have without Rosemary at my elbow; and our three sons and our very first Granddaughter. All three sons are becoming highly successful in their chosen careers. Secondly but no less important, is my Faith and the part I now play within the church. '.

Q—"You and Rosemary have supported the OMA for many years and hardly ever missed a Reunion weekend. Why?"

A—' We have missed a few Reunions along the years but, you are right, not too many. The school meant a great deal to me and I never regretted a moment spent there. It equipped me to be the person I am . I was taught respect and discipline. Not only for my fellow human beings but also for everything around me. It taught me self-discipline. So, I have much to be grateful for to St. Michael's School and especially to Roger Pott. Even when I left St. Michael's I still wanted to retain that connection with the school and with Norfolk. I kept this link mainly through the OMA. People may not remember that I was once Editor of the OMA newsletter before it blossomed into 'The Mitre' . Rosemary and I made many friends in Norfolk and this was another reason why we continued to visit the county whenever possible. I still find it amazing that the Association continues to run so successfully and long may that continue'.

Q—"You have already told me how important your religion is to you. How is this manifest in the work you have now become involved as a Lay Preacher?"

A—'As a Reader, I am totally involved and I love every part of it. We have six churches in our Benefice that, geographically, are no more than four miles in any direction from Norton St. Philip (see www.hardingtonvale.org.uk). I have become involved in virtually every aspect of running a Parish including assisting in the preparation and leading of church services, sermons and general church matters involving the church wardens and buildings'.