President’s Welcome

I was truly honoured to become President of the Association in October of 2012, which also marked the 10 year anniversary of my graduation from the RGS. To give some perspective as to how long ago that was, in my final year I witnessed one of the biggest changes the school has ever seen when 20 girls joined in the Lower Sixth Form. It’s true that the school that has stood for centuries has changed a lot since 2001, but its principles have remained unchanged and so too have those of the Association.

I’d like to thank Adam Goldwater (87-97), the outgoing President, for his fantastic leadership over the past two years. Adam has been responsible for a variety of initiatives that continue to strengthen the relationship between the school and the Association. This will remain one of our objectives and I am pleased to say we are very lucky to have him stay on as a venerated committee member.

Special thanks go to Tove Elander who left the RGS, and consequently her post as Alumni Manager, after this year’s ONA Dinner. Organisation of the dinner in October was her last act for the Association and it is testament to her that it was as successful as ever. Tove’s tireless hard work over the last 12 years has driven vast improvements, most notably with the magazine, and she will be sorely missed. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

As we issue a fond farewell to Tove, I am delighted to welcome Jane Medcalf into the fold and whilst Tove leaves behind some large shoes to fill, Jane joins with a wealth of experience from her role as Bursary Campaign Manager, a position she will continue to hold in conjunction with her new ONA responsibilities.

Another change for the Association is the appointment of two Vice Presidents in Chris Rutter (95-02) and Chris Wilson (97-02). All three of us joined the committee in 2008 and it feels like only yesterday that the then President, Mike Barlow (53-64), welcomed us as “the young Old Novos”; a label that we have reluctantly had to relinquish!

I am thoroughly looking forward to working with the two new Vice Presidents and together with the rest of the committee. I am confident that the next two years will prove to be an exciting time for the Association.

David Westwood (95-02) ONA President