FAREWELLS Goodbye to a true Saltus legend BILL DUNCAN 1946–2010 THE SALTUS family was saddened to learn of the sudden death of Bill Duncan, a true Saltus legend. Mr. Duncan, a longtime Music teacher, died in December after suffering a heart attack. He had played the organ in St. John’s Church earlier in the day at the Secondary Department’s final assembly for the Winter Term. Mr. Duncan arrived at Saltus in September 1969, becoming the School’s first Music teacher. His devotion to the School, to his subject, and—above all—to the students was obvious to all who came to know him over the years. The door of his apartment, in what is now the Woodlands building, was always open and Bill was widely recognised for his hospitality and, particularly, his friendship. He retired in July 1993 to teach Music privately, but Saltus was always in his blood and in his heart. He was a constant visitor to the School and was ever-present at alumni functions. In recent years, he even returned to the classroom to help out when needed. Mr. Duncan’s untimely death will be a great loss to the School, as well as to the congregations of St. John’s Church and St. Theresa’s Cathedral, for whom he played the organ at services. “All of us who were fortunate to call him a friend are much better people for having known him,” noted Deputy Headmaster Malcolm Durrant. “In the end, it was his heart which let him down; for us, however, it is that same heart that we will always cherish.” New scholarship honours sailor Adam SALTUS alum and Spirit of Bermuda crewman Adam Goodwin died tragically in a motorcycle accident in October—less than two days after guiding 21 Saltus students and teachers on a week-long development voyage aboard the vessel. It was his first trip as Deck Officer aboard the youth-training ship of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation. Adam left Saltus in 2005 to spend a year at sea with Class Afloat’s STV Concordia. He then undertook four years of study at the Australia Maritime College in Tasmania, and spent extensive time at sea—including serving on Bermuda’s container ship Oleander. He successfully passed his oral examination for the Unlimited Watchkeepers Certificate of Proficiency, the highest qualification in the merchant marine world. He returned to Bermuda last September to work on Spirit and obtain additional “sea hours” towards his certification. Goodwin was also a keen fisherman with many catch-andrelease certificates to his credit. Adam’s love for the sea in his own words: Well my name’s Able Goodwin, a sailor am I on a three-masted sloop from the Bermuda Isle I’ve sailed the world over, north, south, east and west but the middle of nowhere’s where I like it best where it’s wave over wave, sea over bow, I’m as happy a man as the sea will allow There’s no other life for a sailor like me than to sail the salt sea, boys, sail the salt sea “He was gentle but strong. He was a fabulous mentor. His attitude, his approach, his professionalism, his empathy—he really was as good as it gets and we want to recognise that,” Bermuda Sloop Foundation Chairman Alan Burland said. The foundation’s Malcolm Kirkland announced the Adam Goodwin Marine/Mentor Scholarship had been established “to help educate and train other young Bermudian Spirit watch leaders to achieve world-class standards in the maritime field.” In a funeral ceremony officiated by the Rev. Nicholas Dill aboard Spirit of Bermuda, Adam was fittingly buried at sea. 44 S A LT U S M A G A Z I N E