Many of our supporters have long links to Dr Graham’s Homes – not least Peter Cook, who has just joined the DGHUK Board of Trustees after a long and distinguished career in the Foreign Office. Peter first visited the Homes as a two-year-old, developed a lifelong passion for the school and the work it does with our sponsored children, and recently returned there during his final posting in Kolkata. We asked him to tell us more about his DGH story, and why he’s excited to be joining the trustee team.

Welcome to the blog, Peter! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m recently retired from the Foreign Office. So, I’ve spent most of my life overseas, working everywhere from Turkey to Qatar, Barbados, New York, and finally Kolkata. That last posting was very special, because I was born in Kolkata in the early 1960s. My birthday is also, coincidentally, 15 August – the Independence Day anniversary in India – so I get a national parade on my birthday every year!

Peter, age 4, by the Teesta River near Kalimpong

If you had to name a career highlight, what would you pick? There have been so many. A recent one was looking after Boris Johnson when he visited Gujarat to celebrate India/UK relations. We took him to Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram, where Ghandi lived and launched the non-violent protest movement. It’s a very serene and calm place – which is not usually how you tend to think of Boris! Fortunately, it all went well. But that was a bit of a pinch-me moment.

How did you first hear about Dr Graham’s Homes?

It was through my father. He came to India when he was appointed minister of the Church of Scotland kirk in Kolkata called St Andrew’s. It had lots of connections to Scottish people and institutions, and he became a governor of Dr Graham’s Homes – founded by a Church of Scotland missionary. So, my dad visited the Homes pretty regularly because of that. And, luckily for me, he took me with him.

Peter’s mother and father in Kolkata, 1966

Did he know anyone else there at the time?

Funnily enough, there were vacancies for the school chaplain and the farm manager while my father was on the board of DGH. It just so happened that his best friend at university was a Bachelor of Agriculture and Divinity. That person was Reverend John Webster, now the Honorary Vice President of our charity. So, my father was responsible for introducing John to DGH!

Peter and pal Callum, son of Rev John Webster, outside Bell House at DGH

What’s your earliest memory of the Homes?

I first visited the school when I was just two years old, and came back when I was three, four, five… I remember it as a place that was always busy. Lots and lots of kids, everywhere! For a young child, that was glorious fun. I ran around, played games with the other kids and got into scrapes all over the campus. My parents were always wondering, “Where is he now?!” So, hugely positive and happy memories.

Fresh from exploring the DGH campus, aged two

Do you remember any of the pupils from those days?

Quite a few names; my family were very close to two sisters called Mary and Joan Chalk. They came to Scotland after they finished their schooling and stayed with my grandmother while they attended nursing college. There were other friends: Rosalind Fox and Brenda Stokoe, who I was quite sweet on. Another name I clearly remember meeting was a chap called Dawa Norbu. He was much older than me, but I know he came from humble origins in Tibet, joining DGH for his schooling. He went on to study at the University of Delhi and also in the US, I think. He eventually became personal secretary to the Dalai Lama. He passed away a few years ago, sadly. But that’s one name that resonates with me.

Some of the Homes staff members, mid 1960s

What makes the Homes so special?

It’s really the children who make it special. Just as we did then, we use our fundraising to help children in poverty – from Kolkata, from West Bengal, from all over India – come to this great school and get a fantastic education. Also: the way it cares for the kids. They have this cottage boarding system, where staff members (who are known as “uncles” and “aunties”) look after the children and become like parents to them. There’s a warmth and tenderness to the whole place that makes it really special.

A Founder’s Day parade to the school chapel, late 1960s

Why did you decide to become a DGHUK trustee?

Just before I retired, I was given one last mission – to stand in as the Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata for a few months. Going back there flooded my head with memories. So I decided to visit DGH again. And when I came away, I began to think about how I could carry on supporting the Homes when I retired. That I might be able to use some of the connections I built up during my career, to tell them all about the Homes, what it does, and why it needs our support.

Do you feel positive about the future?

Absolutely. There are challenges, of course. But I’m excited about the possibilities of bringing the message of our sponsored children to new people – particularly people in India. The Homes has such an incredible heritage, which goes back nearly 125 years now, and it has done so much to support children in India over the years. So, I think it would be great to tap into that and bring that message to a new generation of supporters.

A very well-drilled PE lesson on the school playing field, 1965