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Castilians Kate More (née Housiaux) (1982-1989) and Sandy Roberts (1983-90) married in New Zealand in March 2023 after reuniting on the NULS Former Pupils Facebook group after 32 years.
Kate and Sandy married in Canterbury, NZ after the Facebook group, set up by former teacher and Head of CCF Nick Carter during lockdown 2021, led to them becoming friends on Facebook. Kate, who now lives in Sydney and Sandy, who lived in Shropshire at the time soon realised how much they had in common and how during their time at NULS together their paths had crossed much more than they had initially anticipated.
During their time at NULS, both Kate and Sandy were avid performers taking part in numerous school productions including their mutual favourite, Oh What a Lovely War. Sandy had also shared the stage with Kate’s brother Dominic, playing the Doctor to Dominic’s Brand.
The couple developed their relationship over 10,500 miles and their initial hello’s soon developed into regular conversations over WhatsApp, Video Calls and remote date night/mornings to accommodate the 9 hour time difference! Strict lockdowns in both countries meant meeting up in person would prove to be extremely unlikely for some time, so Sandy plucked up the courage to invite Kate to an Ed Sheeran concert at Wembley in June 2022. As luck would have it Kate said yes, booked her flight back to the UK and counted down the days (many months).
Both, choosing to give their relationship the best chance of flourishing, were open to relocating across the world, despite in Sandy’s case never having previously considered emigrating. Upon Kate’s arrival to the UK, they knew that their relationship had serious potential and spent two weeks touring England, reuniting with family and friends and of course, watching Ed Sheeran in concert. Kate’s godchildren were astounded they had met for the first time in 32 years just 2 days earlier, as their time together could not have been easier, more natural, or more affirming.
Following this, plans were put in place for Sandy to visit Australia in October and Kate was set to return to England at Christmas and they had both decided to bring their lives together under one roof. What defined those times (aside from WhatsApp!) was the number of sleeps (something, best friend Alison Davey from the Orme 1982-87 can attest to, since she received regular updates between every trip). During Sandy’s visit to Australia, they moved on to New Zealand where at one of their first stops, a private beach on the Banks Peninsula at Lavericks Bay, Sandy got down on one knee and proposed with a custom ring designed in England and produced in Sydney.
On 11 March of this year, Sandy left his life in the UK and returned to New Zealand to be married to Kate in the same spot at Lavericks Bay that they became engaged a few months prior. The happy couple have celebrated with friends and Kate’s children from Australia and New Zealand and hope to return to the UK soon to celebrate their marriage with friends and family.
Speaking of their relationship, Kate said: “With Sandy I feel like I have the fun and laughter back in my life, the support and understanding, the kindness, gentleness, and grace. Sandy is a gentleman and gentle man. The parts of me that were left in England and waiting to be reactivated and reignited have been reawakened. Our British humour and shared history makes life fun, interesting, easy, and hilarious. I’m having the time of my life and enjoying no longer having to be so good at making so much of life happen for myself, my business, and my family, alone.
The future looks bright in Sydney and it’s thanks to Nick Carter, NULS, and Facebook as well as, of course, Kate and Sandy’s courageous and open-hearted spirits.
Louis Bond: “The site of the camp was much larger than I had ever expected. Much of the camp was destroyed, but there were the cabin like structures at the front of the complex which were tiny in comparison to the number of people who were forced to stay in them. At the rear of the
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