House Society Reports

College Society

The 2017/18 calendar was another full one for the College Society. Our back-to-annual dinner in September was attended by over 70 alumni and their guests. An AGM with an exceptional musical interlude, provided by current College pupils, kicked-off the evening, while the night was completed with Compline in St Faith’s Chapel.

At the AGM we said thank you to James Fulton, a stalwart of the Society despite his many years abroad, and Oliver Rubens who is also now based in Hong Kong. We also welcomed two new members, Theo Peterson and Sacha Mehta, who have already brought passion and insight into the Committee – and taken on my mantle of the youngest member on the Committee!

This year saw the continuation of our successful Spring Lecture Series, following Dr Tina Beaconsfield’s (CC, 1975-77) recollections in 2016 of her time at Westminster, and her professional development to become a consultant radiologist having been born deaf. The College Society welcomed Tom Richardson (CC, 1954-59) the former UK Ambassador to Italy (1996-2000) and the UK’s Deputy Representative to the UN (1989-1994) in April to give his insights on the diplomatic circuit and current issues on the international scene. Very well attended by alumni and current College pupils, we were treated to a historical masterclass on world politics of the late twentieth century – something that continued at the speaker’s dinner. 2017/18 also saw the first female Queen Scholars admitted to College. A truly historic moment, the Committee is commemorating this event by commissioning a portrait of all eight female QS by current Westminster pupil, Lucy Li, to hang in College.

The next College Society Dinner is to be held on 20th September 2018 and invitations will be sent out shortly. Alumni who left up to seven years ago are invited to attend for free, and there will be discount pricing for members of the College Society and for those who left between eight and ten years ago. The evening promises to be an enjoyable event and we look forward to seeing many alumni there.

We would like to thank the Master, Mark Feltham, for his continuing support of and enthusiasm for the Society, and wish him the best of luck with his upcoming move to Bosnia and Herzegovina as the headmaster of UWC Mostar. The Committee also wish to welcome Gareth Mann as Master of the QS and very much look forward to working with him over the coming years.

If you would like to join the Society please do contact me on the below details. Membership is very modestly priced and provides vital funds to support the work of the Society and discounts on tickets for events.

If you have any ideas as to how the Society might extend its activities, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Committee.

Arda Eghiayan

Chairman: Duncan Matthews (QS, 1974-79)

dmatthews@20essexst.com

For membership details

Hon Sec: Arda Eghiayan (CC, 2000-02)

arda.eghiayan@gmail.com

Rigaud’s Society

The Society continues to take an active involvement in supporting the House, most notably providing a number of travel bursaries to members of the Remove.

Last year, members of the Society and their guests held a very well attended Black Tie dinner in College Hall. Guest speaker Matt Frei, anchorman of Channel 4 News and OR, gave a fascinating insight into President Donald Trump and how the world might be saved by Kentucky Fried Chicken. A similar event will be held in June 2018 and all ORR and their guests are encouraged to attend. Details will be sent out nearer the time.

With thanks, as ever, to Richard and to the Development Office for all their support over the year.

Ipsu rasu!

Grant’s Society

The Old Grantite Club is in excellent heart and we are a very sociable group. During the last few years we have organised informal events such as drinks at a local hotel to ensure our events are accessible and appealing to all OGG.

This year we are holding a drinks reception in the House of Commons as the guests of RT Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP (GG 1969-74) on Tuesday 11th September 2018 from 7.00 - 10.00pm. This event is open to all OGG and their partners. Please look out for ticket details on the OWW website and by e mail from the Development Office.

Busby’s

The Busby Society has enjoyed a number of social gatherings since the publication of the last Elizabethan Newsletter, including a wonderful dinner with current Remove students.

It was a very enjoyable evening, and Old Busbites and students alike shared stories of their time at the School.

We are looking forward to our next event, during the Play Term, and will be circulating details of the gathering very soon.

The Society was also delighted to contribute to the new Piano, which was bought for the House.

To make sure that you are receiving email invitations about Busby events, or if you are interested in helping to organise such gatherings, please contact: alumni@westminster.org.uk

The Development Office is eager to provide support for all House Societies, Sports Societies and interest-groups who wish to hold events and gatherings for their fellow OWW. Please contact the Development Office to arrange an event or talk with the team.

alumni@westminster.org.uk

020 7963 1113