Bob Esau 1943-2020

We are sad to pass on the news that former staff member Bob Esau died on Tuesday 11 February, at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer. Bob was at Shiplake for 27 years, joining the College in 1968 to teach English. He was the first Housemaster of Orchard House in 1974, and in 1978 became Welsh Housemaster, a post he held until 1992.

Bob was in charge of rugby from 1969 to 1978 and was also involved in cricket and running fundraising appeals as well as many other aspects of school life. After leaving in 1995 he became an active member of the Old Viking Society.

Old Viking Alistair Newman (77E) has provided this lovely tribute to Bob:

ROBERT ANDREW ESAU

Bob to generations of his friends, family and Shiplake boys dating back to 1968

Bob was a kind, wise man who was a friend to so many who met him. He leaves behind his three lovely daughters; he was so proud of his five grandchildren. Thankfully Bob's sister and daughters were by his side when he so sadly passed away.

Bob was very close to so many people, the tributes on Jimmy Neale's Facebook  post says it all. To many Old Vikings he was an inspirational teacher, a mentor and he of course became a friend to many Shiplake leavers.

I was very lucky to spend quite some time with him recently, just trying to recount his many funny stories, his early family life, stories of friends and family, his life at Shiplake and of course afterwards.

Born in 1943, he was amazed that his mother coped with such a house full of people during the dark days of WWII. He wondered how his parents coped so well at the difficult time of rationing before and of course after the war.

Bob was not to keen on his prep school years for various reasons, although it was clear that he was very strong academically and a very good sportsman. He was a year young in the King's Bruton 1st XV and retells the happy days of great away wins and the whole school singing the school song as they returned home - the school would gather on their walk down to the main building and join the XV in song. Clearly his toes took a battering as he was a hockey goalkeeper from his prep school days, to Bruton's XIs and even the Shiplake College Masters' hockey team. Buckled toes were a result in his later years.

Having enjoyed his years at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University with an English Literature degree, he found himself in Italy and recounts great times and also a time when he was living on his aunt's Christmas cake for five days with nothing else to eat. It seem that he at least learnt some Italian, "I love you" for one and he also began teaching the English language.

He then talked about meeting the inspirational Jack Eggar before taking up his appointment in 1968. Immediately Bob made a great impact on the boys and fellow staff members. He was also Master i/c Rugby and his formidable 1968 team won nine matches in a row. For the last match at Reed's, four of his best 1st XV players had been expelled. A narrow loss was of course a great frustration.

Bob took the 1st XV for nine seasons and he was particularly fond of the 1974 team, probably the youngest 1st XVs teams in the country. Their average age was 16 years 6 months, with nine or ten Fifth Formers in his team. He was particularly proud of the team's away win against a mature and very strong  Bearwood College 1st XV, followed by an away win at Ottershaw, a team full of third year Sixth Formers. A year later most of this XV drew at Reed's, who were formidable opponents at that time.

More importantly was by then he had met Jenny. Jenny and Bob had three great daughters together. Charlotte, who has two sons. Sarah who has a daughter and son, plus Jo who has one daughter. Bob's daughters gave him great joy, many fine words were spoken and his wisdom imparted to both generations for years to come. It is great to think his legacy will live on.

Bob was always a hugely popular school master, he was a friend to many old and new colleagues in the Shiplake College Common Room. The OVs came back to see him and just not for the annual OV rugby fixture.

Bob's responsibilities grew, he became Head of English, with great A Level results; his influence grew and grew and in his last year of the A Level set, each candidate scored an A.

I know from Bob that he battled with Mssrs Hooper at tennis, Russell at squash and with Emo at both. He had set up the Shiplake Vikings RFC for masters to play on a Sunday (the staff were bound to coach and lead Shiplake teams home and away on each Saturday).

Recently was one of his favourite stories was retold. Bob claims he was never bowled out, and for a truly Christian man, I believed him. On more than two occasions, Bob was in his 90s playing for the Shiplake Wanderers cricket team yet his century eluded him on both occasions when run out by the same team mate.

As a housemaster, Welsh House dominated for a time, winning the majority of shields, the Baldry Trophy was won for a number of successive years.

One must remember Bob was a great family man, his parents were close by in Mortimer and he was very close to his sister Margaret and her family. His daughters were lucky to have such a kind a Christian soul at home.

There is so much to remember and try not to forget about Bob. There were years of coach loads of Shiplake rugby players and their masters heading off to watch Oxford v Cambridge at Twickenham and even to Oxford to see Major Stanley's XV play at Oxford.

Bob followed the racing form from his teens and this became a real passion for when he was home alone. I witnessed his passion for the horses, in various continents. He loved his beers at the Baskerville, he loved his fine wines. Bob had various business interests with Eventide, Burnham, France and worked hard at trying to make a film.

One of his most amusing recent stories was talking about his role as Master of the Common Room. His speech in the farewell to the then Deputy Head, was… "I have never known a man who kept two dogs and barked himself !"

For Bob leaving Shiplake after 27 years was a terrible wrench, he did of course have the OVS to run, the society was thriving under his care and sporting fixtures were well supported. There were even two old boys rugby teams fielded in successive years, with others waiting to play on the sideline. It is not for me to comment here but for those who know Bob it was a very sad day when he left RG9. For his three daughters the Welsh House bungalow had been their only home.

Bob was a fine friend, a great family man, a wise father and of course a grandfather. He was a great school master and a father figure to many. I was lucky to be with him when we met various old boys who always paid him glowing tributes. Reading the remarks left for him on Facebook and of course speaking recently to some of his close and great old friends, we have all lost a great, great man.

Alistair N W Newman (Shiplake 1st XV, 1974-1977)

Below was published in the 1995 edition of The Court: