Remembering Paul Godsland

Paul was appointed as teacher of French by Malvern College in September 1982, coming straight from a year teaching in France as part of his degree in Modern Foreign Languages at the Queen’s College, Oxford. He quickly made his mark and it wasn’t long before his energy and diligence were rewarded when he was made Head of French in 1989. His determination to develop the Modern Foreign Language department was evident and, as a result, he was appointed as Head of MFL in September 2000.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Paul’s devotion to Malvern College extended to promoting the school’s reputation within the local community by helping to run Young Malvern during the summer break. By 2001, he was Director of Young Malvern and, for many years, ran an immensely successful two-week programme of activities for 800 children aged from 7-13 years of age, 60 of whom were given free places, which were distributed through the Noah’s Ark Trust, NSPCC and Breakthrough Cancer Care, and on the recommendation of local headteachers. As a result of their enjoyment during this time, many of those who attended the summer school went on to become pupils of Malvern College in later years.

Paul’s ability to get to the heart of problems and find the best way of solving them was unparalleled. He was able to envision the big picture: he focused on the minute details of a problem yet never lost sight of the the important details. His natural talent for organisation shone through and that made him the most suitable candidate for the position of Coordinator of Co-Curricular Activities in September 2003. His responsibilities were augmented shortly afterwards when the position of Senior Master was reintroduced for him in January 2004. His efforts were once again rewarded when he was appointed to the Senior Management Team as Deputy Head Logistics. As head of an academic facility, as Director of Young Malvern, as Deputy Head, Logistics, successful team management was at the core of Paul’s daily life. He was a natural leader. Reflecting on Paul’s time working in these positions of responsibility, a colleague commented:

“He ran the school. Whatever event, function, exam, photo, concert, ceremony, occasion needed to be organised, he would do it with the utmost efficiency, speed, lack of fuss… and with bags of good humour. If George Chesterton was once Mr Malvern, Paul was his natural successor. Nothing escaped his eagle eye and everything ran like clockwork. Those of us who were lucky enough to be his colleagues gave daily thanks for his dynamic
stewardship”.

In 2017, after 35 years of teaching and management at the College, Paul made a sideways move to the Malvernian Society and OM Club where he was appointed as Operations Director. In this role he was responsible for the day to day affairs of the Society and with providing strategic direction. He excelled in increasing engagement with alumni and friends of Malvern, recognising the Society’s broadening base and the need for increased connection with female OMs, overseas alumni, parents and grandparents.

During the six years he worked for the Society, Paul quadrupled the number of OM events, trips and reunions and attended them all. He had a remarkable ability to remember every pupil who had ever attended Malvern College; their names, their interests and any notable story that had occurred during their time at school seemed to be filed away just waiting for an opportunity for him to remind the individual of how important they were to him and the school. He was at his happiest recalling his memories with OMs and connecting them with others who might offer assistance in furthering their careers; no-one ever felt left out, everyone was made to feel special and OMs loved him for it.

Paul left Malvern College after 41 years of loyal service. Perhaps these comments from his prospective Head of Department, all those years ago, sum up his energy and his immense and lasting contribution to the school:

“I vividly recall the day Paul was appointed to the Modern Languages Department. For me, the decision was made at a distance. As I came out of the then Lower Common Room, Paul arrived through the main door and turned in my direction – the energy, liveliness and positivity struck me at once: this was going to be the man we wanted. And so it has proved. With his many talents, he served the College magnificently.”

Paul died on 4th October 2024, aged 65.

Words by Sally Godsland