Written for our OW Magazine, the magazine of our Old Westbournians, Drummond Money-Coutts, 34, shares his memories of Westbourne House. Drummond performs as DMC and he is the magician of choice for royalty, prime ministers, presidents and audiences worldwide. You can watch his series Death By Magic on Netflix.
I started at Westbourne House in September 1994 and I still remember unpacking my trunk in the assembly hall like it was yesterday. I was one of four boys in my year who started boarding from the very first day. My first dorm room was Dorm Two; the room right over the white pillars!
My headmaster was Mr Stephen Rigby - a wonderful man who inspired me in many ways, his son Will was in my year also.
I have so many wonderful memories of school and in fact, even today, I still dream of Westbourne about once a month or so. It was a very transformative time of my life in many ways, but in terms of enduring memories - perhaps it was jumping out of a (ground floor) bedroom window after lights out and running to Tangmere Pitch and back in the dead of night! It was me and three other boys and whilst I’m still not quite sure of our objective, at the time it was a legendary feat. Beyond that I remember all the rollerblading races we’d have up and down the school drive, the long summer afternoons at the cricket nets, building fortresses in the Boundaries, juggling diablos on the front lawn - and then all the other strange and wonderful fellow pupils!
There were many wonderful teachers but Mr Allingham was truly an incredible source of support and wise words, I remember him so well as our 5A class teacher (and the fairy godmother in the school play!). Ms Clarke and Mrs Smith the matrons were also incredibly kind and motherly, and Mr Lawes the science teacher was a terrific character too.
The school food was always very good and very mountainous, and I do remember Syd and Phill in the kitchen so fondly.
I did like school but the first few years were a challenging time personally, but I wouldn’t have been happier anywhere else. They really were such magical years, so filled with a thousand memories and like I say - once every few weeks I’ll still dream of walking around the basement or playing 40/40 beneath the giant cedar tree. Then I’ll wake up and feel a twinge of nostalgia.
My obsession with magic first began at Westbourne - there was a Dorling Kindersley book on magic in the library and I used to pour over it most evenings. I think being a boarder from day one certainly instilled a very strong sense of independence and, being such an intimate school at the time of just 150 or so children, being at Westbourne taught me many things about the importance of friendships and working relationships.
I think anyone can become a magician. If you love something powerfully enough, any one person can become anything they want. There’s no shortcut to the hard work and years of perseverance, but if you fall in love with the journey and don’t fixate too hard on the destination - everything is possible.
My favourite type of magic depends on the audience and the situation, but card magic has always been my first and greatest love. When I left school, I did try working for Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, but by that stage nothing could really come close to the fulfilment of performing magic.
There were certainly a few discussions with my parents when I left school about choosing magic as a career path, but I think soon enough it was clear I wouldn’t be moved.
I’d say that the things you love most today and the things you’ll love in 30 years won’t be very far apart, so as my very special mentor told me when I left university - do what you most love with your life, and everything else will fall into place.
I also do a lot of charity work and I really believe that there is no other purpose to all of this than to help others in all ways that we can. Anyone attending or involved with Westbourne House really has won the lottery of life, it’s so important to help those who can only ever dream of having such a powerful start in life.
I caught Covid and it’s certainly been a different year but I’m really hoping that 2021 brings the world a little hope and sunshine.
You can read the OW Magazine online.
