Dick Moore - poacher turned gamekeeper talks about bullying, love, anxiety, top-class rugby, depression, and a fatal teenage obsession that ended in tragedy.
Listen on your favourite platform
Description
From a bullied schoolboy to a headmaster, from rugby triumphs to the heartbreak of unimaginable loss.
Dick Moore hated school so much he once faked appendicitis to escape it. Tormented by a sadistic headteacher, he battled anxiety and depression, with rugby as his only lifeline. But life took a turn—he became a teacher, a husband, and, at just 26, the youngest prep school headmaster in the country.
For 22 years, he shaped young minds while raising four children. But in 2011, tragedy struck—his third son, Barney, took his own life.
This episode is about bullying, mental health, resilience, and the devastating impact of suicide—but also about love, healing, and the strength to keep going.
Life Jackets
Lifejackets in this podcast refer to the personal tools and rituals that keep us afloat in the waves of life. Whether it’s a film, tv show, music, a favourite book, a crossword puzzle, or the steady presence of a dog, these are the things that keep us afloat. Everyone needs their own lifejackets—small but essential things that help us stay sane in an insane world.
- Life Jackets – Family, friends, the Charlie Waller Trust
- Book – Rules for Old Men Waiting (Peter Pouncey)
- Films – Love Actually, Forrest Gump, Dances with Wolves, Dead Poets Society
- TV – Ken Burns’ documentary: ‘The American Civil War’
- Music – Suo Gan, Ashokan Farewell, Genesis (early)
- Gardening – Absolutely not!
- Hobbies/Exercise – Fly fishing, sport (watching), lurching around Wimbledon Common, my ebike, Gallipoli campaign, the American Civil War, Fulham FC
- Pets/Best Friends – English Setters Mango and Myrtle
Dear Jeremy,
I am hooked on these talks. Each one a gem, with different wisdom and experience to impart. Thank you. Brilliant!