Winterbourne, Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore!

Over 100 million Harry Potter books have been printed, and the films are being seen world-wide by millions of people.

JK Rowling, author of the "Harry Potter" books, was born in Chipping Sodbury in 1965. Her father Peter worked at Rolls-Royce Patchway. Joanne Kathleen Rowling lived in Nicholls Lane, Winterbourne until she was nine and it was during her time here that she played games of witches and wizards with her sister Diane and her friends the Potter children.

She went to school at St Michael's School, High Street, Winterbourne but in 1970 the school and pupils moved to new premises in Linden Close and she continued her schooling there (until the family moved to Tutshill, Chepstow).

It was her Headmaster, Alf Dunn, that she later took as a model for Albus Dumbledore, the kind and revered Headmaster of Hogwarts, in her stories.

from the Sunday Telegraph 21 October 2007 page 9: "Harry Potter and the Secret of Albus"
You read it here first many years ago!

Alfred Dunn retired in 1979.
He died in June 2001 and his funeral was at St Michael's Church on 19 June 2001.

Alfred Cecil Dunn, Headmaster of St Michael's School, Winterbourne influenced the formative years of thousands of children during his long teaching career.
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, continues to influence the formative years of millions of children around the world.

John Kite

addendum: actor Richard Harris (the first Albus Dumbledore) died on 25 October 2002.