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2006 OSA President - Simon Birks
Simon Birks came to Shebbear from Sussex in 1968, well into
George Kingsnorth’s headship, and left after the Upper Sixth
in 1975.
Read his own profile notes and you get the impression that he
achieved little. Not quite the case, M’lord!
There is no mention, for example, of the academic successes–
form prizes, the OSA’s Civics prize -and nine O-Levels and
three at advanced level.
Nor that he was a Thorne House Prefect, Senior Librarian, Editor of
the Shebbearian, as well as being successively, the Secretary of
both the Lower and Upper Union of Debating and Dramatic
Societies.
He would claim to have had no gift for acting. Yet, a little
research, shows that he played a leading role as Sir Oliver Surface
in Sheridan’s School for Scandal in 1973.
The reviewer commented that the acting was of a consistently high
standard throughout and that Mr Birks gave a “strong”
performance.
From Shebbear, Simon went to Trent Polytechnic, gaining a BA in
Legal Studies in 1979.
He was called to the Bar in 1981.
“Following the usual Shebbear practice I applied to the very
best chambers for pupillage – regardless of the fact that I
had never even studied their special area of practice,” he
said.”
Twenty-five years on finds him almost at the top of the
practitioners’ list at the prestigious Clarendon |Chambers in
Lincolns Inn, London.
His specialist area covers Real Property and Public Law.
“Occasionally” I will meet another Old Shebbearians as
an opponent, judge or a solicitor.”
In 2004, he appeared for the head teacher and governors of a
comprehensive school when a 15-year old girl lost a battle in the
High Court for the right to wear strict Islamic dress in
school.
Simon argued successfully that the girl had not been excluded from
school, which multi-cultural and multi-faith, but had simply stayed
away. The case was widely reported.
He was persuaded to join the OSA by another Old Shebbearians
barrister, now his Honour Judge Michael Carroll.
Subsequently he has been one of the association’s most loyal
committee members. He was also a regular visitor to Shebbear for
career evenings held in the 1980s and early 1990s.
And lest you think, that his life consists of all work and no play,
he is an enthusiastic sailor “Dinghies – usually rather
slow ones, always battered – and often someone
else’s.
“In more recent years, living in Kent, I have also been
introduced to Thames sailing barges and to a friend’s narrow
boat.”