Paul van Rede, son of a Dutch naval officer and a loving mom, was born on November 3rd 1957 in Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles).  When Paul was a few months old, the family returned to the Netherlands, where he grew up.

When Paul was 12 years old his father’s career brought the family to Alverstoke and Paul, who did not speak a word of English, was sent to PGS. After a few difficult months, Paul started really to enjoy his school life at PGS.

In 1973 the family returned to the Netherlands. Paul has always kept his school uniform as a memory of his good years at PGS. A large group photo of the school still hangs at the wall in his study.

In 1977 Paul went to the Royal Dutch Naval Academy and became a naval officer himself. He married his high school girlfriend Anne Marie and became the proud father of Jacqueline, Yolande and Michiel.

After a successful career Paul retired in 2014. Too young to do nothing, Paul became a certified mediator. His ability to connect people was amazing and highly appreciated. He also took the time to live his dream: driving from his hometown Leidschendam (the Netherlands) to the Amalfi Coast in Italy in a 45-year-old Fiat 500.

In September 2016 Paul and Anne Marie visited PGS.  It was his first return to the school in 43 years. He was proud to show Anne Marie the school, where they were received so warmly that day.

Paul and Anne Marie had a lot of plans together, such as travelling abroad (a holiday to New Zealand was already booked) when the bad news of pancreatic cancer struck. It shows Paul’s character as his new motto became “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain”. Thanks to the chemotherapy Paul gained both time and quality of life, which he used well in the company of family and friends.

After 10 months, an unforeseen complication occurred, which took Paul into hospital, where he passed away only two days later, on 20th February 2020. He is greatly missed.