Filming in the town of Korem, he told viewers how “thousands of wasted people are coming here for help. Many find only death. They flood in every day from hundreds of miles away, dulled by hunger, driven beyond the point of desperation”.

Geldof was watching and felt called upon to do what he could to help, so he joined forces with Midge Ure and wrote the song Do They Know It’s Christmas? They then assembled 237 of the nation’s biggest stars in the music business and recorded what became a huge hit, with proceeds going to help famine victims. This led the next year to the famous Live Aid concert, raising huge amounts of money, pricking the conscience of millions and feeding multitudes of starving children. It saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

RGS’s response at the time? They raised money for the Ethopian Famine Appeal with a netball match against Lady Verney, one of the local girl’s high schools.

Here’s the match report from one of our RGS netball players ….

“Seven intrepid members of the rugby and basketball teams made their way to Lady Verney High school in a confident and determined mood. The Bucks Free Press were lying in wait for the unsuspecting ‘Magnificent Seven’ who then had to endure 15 minutes of extensive photography and interviews before starting the game.”

“As the team lined up against their glamorous counter-parts the RGS coach felt worried that this instant fame might have gone to the players’ heads; however, seven lads all clad in full netball regalia, soon proved that fear was completely unfounded as they rose to the occasion and skilful improvisation.”

“Despite the unfamiliarity with the rules, inexperience of the team and a mix-up in defensive positioning, the boys played some fluent and exciting netball which caught the highly rated girls’ team completely by surprise. The team showed amazing self-control throughout the match manfully resisting the temptation to dribble the ball and indeed, to tackle the opposition. However, by the end of the first half the flustered Lady Verney team had managed to draw level at 12 - 12.”

“The second half saw several off-the ball incidents and the umpire had their work cut out to keep physical contact to a minimum, as the RGS team threw everything they had at the panic-stricken Lady Verney girls in a desperate attempt to build up an unbeatable lead. With the match running high in both camps as there was never more than a point in the scores. Both the girls’ reputation and pride were at stake, but a few crucial umpiring decisions went against the RGS team allowing the girls to snatch victory in the final seconds 27-26.”

“The magnificent Seven were justifiably disappointed to lose such a close fixture against a team which boasts four county caps. The event was nevertheless a complete success with regards to the fundraising as the two schools have raised over £400 for the Ethiopian Famine Appeal.”