School governors past and present, members of staff and past pupils were present at a service which begun and ended with "Praise to the Holiest in the Height", a hymn written by Tony's great cause and guide, Cardinal John Henry Newman.  At Tony's funeral we had heard from his family about his life at home, and his colleagues paid tribute to his contribution to the school's life and identity. 

Former FitzAlan Housemaster Andrew Nash spoke about his years of service to the school, raising academic expectations and managing the school's speaking and debating societies, as well as his remarkable achievement in setting up English Language as school subject at A Level. Former Head of Rowing Chris Fothergill gave a warm account of his bottomless energy, enthusiasm and good humour in establishing and encouraging the Oratory Rowing Club. He has since written:

"I first met Tony in April 1984 and remained firm friends until his death. He immediately struck me as a kind, open and honest man. Nothing was ever too much trouble and he firmly believed that the boys always came first. Whether it was on the river or in the classroom there was never any doubt about who was in control, expectations were always high, and there was always a thread of good humour ... In 1985 Tony’s dream of an OSBC VIII at Henley finally came true. The school raced in The Special Race for Schools in a brand new Empacher VIII called 'John Henry Cardinal Newman' – reputedly the longest name of any of the boats at the Regatta. Over the next few years standards continued to improve, and the club did not confine itself to eights, racing in fours, pairs, doubles, quads and singles. Finals were reached and medals, pots and pennants won. Whenever a pupil raced, no matter how low or high the race, Tony would religiously record the details, in perfect script and in fountain pen, into an exercise book."