Jasper Maberly

I’ve been part of the Brandeston and Framlingham family for a total of 13 years, with a one year gap in Year 9. For my A-levels I studied Biology, Chemistry and Theatre Studies. Chemistry was more of an interest in seeing what the naked eye can’t, whereas Theatre Studies helped to further develop my skills in public speaking, performance and general confidence. I’d studied Drama since Year 6, and it has really impacted on my general social skills in day to day life, and in fact it was in drama that my music career began. But, in reality, my academic passion lies in the field of Zoology, which I intend to study at Newcastle University, starting in 2014.

Music is a major hobby of mine. I play the guitar and sing, and played in most of the concerts while I was at Fram, in various bands, which was a great opportunity and too good to miss. Most enjoyable were the Rock Night and summer concerts, all of which I’m really going to miss performing in. Out of school, I learned how to DJ and have even begun producing my own songs over the last two years.

I was a prefect in Stradbroke House, where I was ‘Head of Music and Culture’. This meant that my main responsibilities included organising teams for House Singing, House Dancing and the House Quiz (of which there were two a term). But in my final year we extended the role to include responsibility for trying to help the younger members of the House get themselves organised so they didn’t miss extra music lessons and so on. I also helped organise social house events, such as a leaving-meal for our South African exchange. I was never a great sportsman, but I always volunteered myself for in-house sporting events, even though my “talents” were seldom utilised.

Before taking up my degree course at Newcastle, I’m planning a gap-year that I hope will lead towards fulfilling a long-held ambition. My cousins live in Zimbabwe, where I have often visited them, and there, in the breath-taking national parks, my passion was ignited. I’ve always had the dream of becoming a Safari Guide, and I’m hoping to take up two months’ work-experience in Zimbabwe with The Mana Pools Safari Company. I also intend to get some experience in a wild-life sanctuary in South Africa, and potentially Vietnam.

It’s going to be strange finally leaving school, but I hope to keep in touch with as many people as possible and, with the help of Alex Myers-Allen and Charlotte Gower, I hope to keep everyone in touch with each other. There are too many things that I’m going to miss to fit them all in here, but it’s safe to say that most of my fondest memories have been of the friends I’ve made here, and I can only hope that there are many more memories still to come.