Class of 1912

Alaric Pinder Boor, son of a draper from Carnarvon, was a giant amongst men in nearly everything he touched: sport, academia and socially as a person, he was a natural role model. In his journey through school, he impressed those he worked with and competitors equally. As Captain of both the Football and Cricket teams and as champion in Boxing and Gymnastics his opponents frequently commented on his sense of fairness and sportsmanship.

As Head Prefect and Dux of the College, he also made time to mentor young students. He even captained the Inter-School Tug-of-War team. Pinder won a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford, with the intention of becoming a doctor. He was universally liked and admired.

Lieutenant Boor fought during WWI in the 7th Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and was attached to the No. 113 Squadron Royal Flying Corps. He played a crucial role in the memorable Battle of Beersheba on 31st October 1917. On his last day on earth, Lt Boor led a reconnaissance mission flying an RE8 aircraft over German and Turkish troops in Palestine to gauge the strength of the enemy. He took off at 0830 and, tragically, crashed on the return along with his co-pilot.

Engine failure was the probable cause. Ironically, he never knew that the charge his troops went on to fight later that day was one of the “last great cavalry charges in military history”. His commanding officer summed him up when writing to his parents after his death: “With the very deepest sympathy for you who had so grand a man for a son. Believe me.”

During his time at CBC on the Terrace, Pinder exploited the opportunity to learn and make a difference to the full. He claimed academic and sports’ honours in equal measure. However, it was his sense of fairness and his ability to lead that made him stand out from the pack.

The Pinder Boor Boarding House at Aquinas College is named in his honour.

When he died in 1917 the Head Boy of Scotch College sent a letter to the school noting Pinder Boor was: “a scholar and athlete… an opponent regarded with affection and respect by all who came in contact with him… the best sportsman in the true meaning of the term.”

Alaric Pinder Boor was an outstanding all-rounder who made an impact on whomever he encountered.