Thirteen Formative Years |
 EDUCATION – Saxonwold Primary School: My best friends at Saxonwold were two Swedish children – Marie Holstensson (who’s eight months older than me, but was in Mr Edwards’ class with me) and her brother Axel (who’s eight months younger than me and was in the class below us). Axel took this photograph in 1955 of me standing next to their younger brother, Erik, in the garden of the wonderful Cape Dutch-style house that the Holstensson family lived in (over the road from the entrance to the Oppenheimer mansion). I was entranced by Axel and Marie’s European experiences – and also delighted that they had a swimming pool! I am sure that my primary school friendship with Axel and Marie contributed to the fact that, as an academic specialising in comparative politics, I did a considerable amount of research on – and taught courses about – Scandinavian government and politics. |