I am comforted by the fact that many of my classmates and old friends were able to visit Mr. Lowcock during their reunion in November last year, and conveyed our gratitude for receiving us into the family that is DBS.
He was a tough master, but always fair, and always held the students’ welfare closest to his heart. He served as an inspiration to us all. He sets the highest standards, and never accepted excuses for failure. He was a stern disciplinarian who meted out punishment when deserved, and I came within a whisker of being caned. But he was also wise in understanding that boys will sometimes be boys, and knew when to turn a blind eye. And he did not make the school rules any longer than it already was. He knew when to protect us, and he knew when to let us fall and when to pick us up again.
He knew that education is of the utmost importance in our youth, but he also knew that strength of character was what determined our success. He sponsored all our efforts in both academic pursuits and in our extracurricular interests. He was a man we never wanted to disappoint, as that disappointment was more painful than our failures.
He set the standards against which we will be measured as a boy and as a man, and he held that bar high above our heads, daring us to achieve those heights. He was quick to criticize, his words were scathing and bitingly sarcastic at times, but that was when he threw down the gauntlet and challenged us to better ourselves.
He was kind and generous, opening his house to us after hours, where we saw his humor and wit as we sat in awe front of this living legend, intimidated by his very presence, yet feeling that warmth and kindness that he exuberates.
I don’t think anyone of us at the time really understood how much he loved our school and how much he loved each successive generation of students that passes its fabled doors. I don’t think there were many of us who truly appreciated how much he sacrificed for our benefit.
Sidney James Lowcock is a great man, and like all great men, he has his merits and his faults, but irregardless of whatever judgement or criticism we levy on his tenure, we all stand here mourning his passing, and we fondly remember our youth spent under his watch, we all treasure our time in this hallowed school, we all live in pride that we are DBS Boys. We are all a part of his legacy and a product of his achievements.”