THE Bishop of Bangor has announced that the next Dean of Bangor will be the Venerable Alun John Hawkins, presently the Archdeacon of Bangor, who has strong Pembrokeshire connections. Archdeacon Hawkins, a former pupil at Greenhill Grammar School from 1955, is no stranger to the cathedral. Not only was he married there, but he was ordained there both as a deacon and a priest. He also served as Canon Residentiary at the cathedral from 1993 to 2000. Archdeacon Hawkins, who was a prefect in the first year sixth when the school moved to the present Heywood Lane site, is the son of Mrs. Gwyneth Hawkins, of Bryn Eirian, The Ridgeway, Saundersfoot, who celebrated her 80th birthday earlier this year, and the late Mr. Trevor J. Hawkins, who was the district engineer fot West Wales with SWEB, and both secretary and deacon of Deer Park Baptist Church, Tenby. Archdeacon Hawkins is married to Ann, one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Education (HMI) for Wales and they have two adult sons, Crispin and Oliver, both of whom work in computers. Archdeacon Hawkins said that he hugely enjoyed his time at Greenhill School and loves returning to Tenby and Saundersfoot. "Looking back, I realise what superb teachers we had at that time and what a huge debt we owe to them," he said. He particularly enjoyed the inter-house play competitions and the school productions in which he took part. He twice won the Mason Drama Prize, alternating with his friend, Clive Merrison, who became a national theatre actor and is now the Radio Four Sherlock Holmes. Archdeacon Hawkins added: "The disciplines of speech, movement and timing have proved so useful both when I was a lecturer and, later, in the church." Archdeacon Hawkins is enthusiastic about facing the challenge of developing the cathedral's role in the diocese. "Bangor is the oldest territorial diocese in the United Kingdom and I would like to develop the worship at the cathedral and to exploit its potential in the areas of education, the arts and history."