After co-ordinating the school’s centenary celebrations – which included an anniversary book, and a highly successful ball – Leesa dreamed up an ambitious goal for this year.

Keen to build on that momentum she created two years ago with the centenary, she’d love to get 60 past pupils to take part in the school’s annual Island Walk, which is celebrating its diamond anniversary. 

This year’s walk will take place on Thursday 2 April and Lessa is hoping to hear from anyone keen to take part.

 

Pictured: Leesa Sale organised De La Salle’s centenary celebrations in 2017.

“Since many former pupils live very busy lives, I realise they might not be able to take the whole day off, but perhaps they could spare a morning and do six or nine miles,” she said. “Likewise, for those who are getting on in years and for whom doing the whole 36-miles might seem daunting.”

While it is run on a grand scale nowadays, the ‘Walk’ had humble beginnings. It was ‘thought up’ in 1960 by two fourth form pupils, Denis Cronin and Victor Traisnel. They enlisted Old Boy ‘Jack Renault’ who’d returned to the school as a maths teacher – and was later to become a legendary figure to generations of students – to help them. 

At 08:00 on 19 February, 40 boys set off from the Weighbridge in a clockwise direction with Jack providing back-up, driving around in his car. Vic was first home in a time of 8 hours ten minutes, an average speed of 4.5 miles an hour.

Seventeen people finished, including two 12-year-olds. The last person home ‘walked in’ at 22:15, after more than 14 hours on the road.

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Pictured: Primary school headmaster Gary Coutanche, and his father, Arthur, aged 85, both took part in the ‘centenary walk’ in 2017. The school would love 60 former pupils to take part this year.

Over the next four years, the walk became a regular fixture in the school calendar, with the 1961 event actually taking place during half term. There was then a three-year lapse before it was revived again in 1968 – this time being held on a Saturday.

This was also the year another Old Boy – Head of Geography – Dennis Le Breuilly – got involved with organising the walk. Like for Jack, it was to become a career-long commitment.

Amongst the innovations he introduced was the awarding of a plaque for anyone completing the course in under 10 hours 15 minutes, a tradition which the school still continues. 

Over the years the walk has raised thousands of pounds for school trips and for both local and off-island charities. 

Pictured: Brandon Perree during the 2018 walk.

The number of walkers taking on the challenge and the number of finishers have steadily increased over the years while the time of the first person home has reduced. In 1968, there were 38 walkers, then 70, then 120, then 358 in 1976 with around 100 finishing.  In 2016, there were 384 starters, and 122 finishers.

In 1968, Terry Arthur and Kevin Daley lowered Vic’s time to 7 hours 11 minutes, and in 1976 Terry lowered that even further to 6 hours 38 minutes.

In 2018, former pupil, Brandon Perree who’d returned to the school as a teacher completed the challenge in a staggering 5 hours 33 minutes.

Although Jack Renault is still alive, he’s not in good health so plans to ask him to start this year’s walk have had to be modified, with the honours going to his wife.

Anyone keen to take part or find out more can contact Lessa on  754100 or alumni@dls-jersey.co.uk.