Founders’ Weekend 2019

Andrew Haigh

IN the 99th year of the Old Almondburians’ Society, over 70 members and guests gathered for the Annual Dinner on 23rd November, 2019. Those attending spanned a period of seventy-three years, from those who entered the school in 1946 to those currently students and staff in 2019.

The prize for attendance this year goes to Simon Russell, who organised a table of ten former footballers as well as some former cricketers. A special mention is also due to Gary Croft, who last year organised a table of twelve for the fiftieth anniversary reunion of his Class of 1968. They had such a good time that he decided to follow it up this year and six of the Class of 1968 were there again, making them the largest single year group for the second consecutive year. Unusually, we had no overseas member there this year, so the prize for making the best effort to attend goes to Rodney Walker (1951-1959), who now lives in Torquay. One other notable attendee, a guest of Richard Taylor, was Charlie Taylor, Captain of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club Under 12 A team and great-grandson of Harry Taylor.

On arrival, tours of the School were available to those who wanted one, conducted by one of the current students, before everyone took their seats and welcomed our top table guests: Ian Rimmer, Principal of the School; Matt Mills, Chairman of Gover- nors; Ben Martin, Head Boy; Eve Haigh, Head Girl; Dr Judy Hirst

FRS, FRSC, Guest Speaker and Walter Raleigh, Chairman of the Society.

Christine Stocks and her team from the School kitchen served an excellent meal. To start, they offered a choice of leek and potato soup or fresh melon & prosciutto ham with mixed salad leaves. The main course was a choice of steak, mushroom and Irish stout pie, poached salmon with Hollandaise sauce, or a vegetarian dish, all served with creamed potatoes, baby new potatoes, garden peas, baton carrots and red cabbage. For dessert there was a choice of vanilla and blackcurrant cheesecake, strawberry pavlova, or rhubarb crumble with fresh cream. The meal was followed by coffee or tea and after dinner mints.

Following the meal and the toast to The Queen, our guest speaker, Dr Hirst, gave a very interesting and entertaining summary of her career to date, starting with her years at King James’s School from 1985-1988, be- fore proposing the Toast to the School. An excellent response, with lots of news from the School today, was given by the current Head Boy, Ben Martin.The Toast to the Society was proposed by the current Principal of the School, Ian Rimmer and the response

Speakers (from top):

KJS Principal Ian Rimmer, Head Boy Ben Martin; OAS Chairman Walter Raleigh was by Walter Raleigh, Chairman of the Society. After a rousing rendition of the School Song, the formal part of the evening concluded at 10:45 pm, allowing plenty of time for guests to mingle and reminisce further before the bar closed.

Organising the Annual Dinner at the School involves a lot of work and, of course, it rarely goes smoothly! We often borrow round tables for the event from the John Smith’s Stadium but, because Huddersfield Town were at home to Birmingham City in the afternoon, none were available this year. I therefore hired some from a company in Bradford which we have used on previous occasions when there has been a home fixture on the same day as our dinner. However, when I arrived on Friday evening, I found no sign of any tables having been delivered. Therefore, my daughter Eleanor, a currentYear 8 student who was with me, and I were forced to spend a couple of hours emptying three classrooms of their desks and arranging them as best we could!

I am also very grateful to Simon Russell, who came in to School on Saturday morning and helped to finalise the arrangement of the tables, set out the chairs, set up the bar, wash the glasses and even provided some additional tablecloths which were required due to the tables being a different shape! In fact, thanks are due to many people. Firstly, to the School for allowing us to use the premises and, in particular to the Premises Manager, Keith Ramsden, for his help in all kinds of ways.To Christine Stocks and her team for preparing a most enjoyable meal.To Old Almondburian Nick Briggs, of Mallinson’s Brew-

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Surname Forename From To Travel from

Ainley Richard 1968 1976 Derby

Atkinson Liz. Staff Almondbury

Atkinson Liz. Guest

Battye Andrew 1979 1982 Almondbury

Bedford Godfrey 1949 1957 Honley

Bradley Peter 1948 1953 Bristol

Bradley David 1946 1952 Leeds

Brawn Mandy 1974 1976 Highburton

Broadbent John 1948 1954 Golcar

Broadbent Jean Guest Golcar

Broadhead Anthony 1968 1975 Lepton

Brook Robert 1966 1973 Alton, Hampshire

Brook Jeffrey 1947 1952 Almondbury

Calvert Millie Head

Dep Head Girl

Croft Gary 1968 1975 Almondbury

Davidson Robert 1968 1976 Uxbridge

Douglas Andrew 1963 1970 Fenay Bridge

Dowling Roger 1952 1959 Lymm, Cheshire

Dyson David 1968 1975 Oakes

Earles David 1947 1952 New Mill

Earles Patricia Guest New Mill

Earnshaw Mark 1976 1977 Thongsbridge

Field Robert Staff 1989 Kirkheaton

Surname Forename From To Travel from Hoyle Michael 1969 1972 Honley

Hussain Numaan D.

Dep Head Boy

Jepson Roger 1962 1969 Netherthong

Lee David 1946 1951 Birkby

Lightowlers Michael Guest

Lijka Maria 1974 1976 Stainland

Mallinson Dr R.F. 1955 1962 Stourbridge

Mallinson Jacky Guest Stourbridge

Martin Ben Head

Head Boy

Melling Angela Staff 2015 Bradley

Mills Matthew Ch. Of

Chairman of Board of Governors

Milnes H Graeme 1957 1965 Cardiff

Morrison David 1967 1970 Chigwell

Nash Brian 1964 1972 Cheadle Hulme

Norris Douglas 1961 1969 Lascelles Hall

O'Brien Patrick Staff 2013 Almondbury

Raleigh Walter Almondbury

Rimmer Ian

OAS Chair

Principal

Royle Prof Edward 1955 1962 York

Russell Simon 1964 1972 Thongsbridge

Searby Richard 1976 1979 Lepton

Sharp John 1951 1958 Leighton Buzzard

Shaw Dr Philip 1964 1971 Almondbury

Flatley-Holst Libby D. Lepton

Dep Head Girl

French Andrew 1968 1975 Durham

Green Richard 1957 1963 Netherthong

Green Nicole Staff 2010 Netherthong

Haigh Andrew 1977 1983 Almondbury

Haigh Eve Head

Head Girl

Hazle Christine Staff 1999 Thongsbridge

Headey David 1953 1958 Thurstonland

Heptonstall David 1949 1957 Matlock

Heptonstall E. Guest Matlock

Herbert Rev David 1969 1974 Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Hirst Dr. Judy 1985 1988 Cambridge

Hodgson Gary 1979 1983 Lepton

Sykes Graham Guest

Sykes Stuart

Taylor Dennis 1961 1969 Chesterfield

Taylor Richard 1954 1962 Ossett

Taylor Tim Guest

Taylor Charlie Guest

Teale Richard 1961 1968 Thongsbridge

Thompson Stuart 1949 1956 Cheadle

Thompson Helen Guest Cheadle

Walker Rodney 1951 1959 Torquay

Williams Robert 1964 1970 Bradley

Wortley Andrew 1965 1970 Waterloo ery in Lockwood, for supplying the beer, and to Tim Marriott, of Taste Fine Wines in Almondbury, for supplying the other drinks. To teacher of Integrated Studies, Liz. Atkinson and her daughter, for their sterling work behind the bar. To the Head Boy and Head Girl, Ben Martin and Eve Haigh, and their deputies, Numaan Hussain, Millie Calvert and Libby Flatley-Holst, for conducting tours of the School before the meal, for selling raffle tickets with ruthless efficiency afterwards and for being such fine ambassadors for King James’s School. They were so good at selling raffle tickets that the raffle raised an impressive £271.25, comfortably beating last year’s amount, despite there being slightly fewer people at the dinner this year. Thank you to our speakers, Dr Judy Hirst, Ben Martin and Ian Rimmer. A huge thank you to my twin daughters, Charlotte and Eleanor, who are both inYear 8 and who came back in to school with me after the Founders’ Day service on the Sunday to help put all those tables back into classrooms ready for Monday morning!

Finally, a big thank you to all the Almondburians who attended and supported the Annual Dinner.This year’s dinner must have been a great success, because I received more positive feedback on the evening, at Founders’ Day and afterwards, than for many years, so thank you all for that.

Next year sees the centenary of the Old Almondburians’ Society, so the 2020 dinner will be a very special one. It will be held on Saturday, 21st November, so put the date in your diary now and let’s have a full house!

Founders’ Day

The Head Boy, Ben Martin, and Deputy Head Boy, Numaan Hussain, led the Chairman of the Society, Walter Raleigh, and a group of Old Almondburians and current pupils in the traditional procession up St Helen’s Gate to All Hallows’ Church for the Founders’ Day Service at 11.30 am.

The service this year was led by the Rector of Almondbury, Rev Mark Zammit, one of his final services before he left the rectory for pastures new in the Diocese of Lincoln.

Music from the School was provided by vocalist Anna Walkington accompanied by Imogen David on the piano, who put on an excellent performance of My HeartWill Go On by Celine Dion and For Good, from Wicked, The Musical.

The lessons were read by the Head Boy, Ben Martin, and the Deputy Head Boy, Numaan Hussain, and the Address was by Rev. Mark Zammit.The service ended with the school song, of course, and was followed by refreshments in the Church Hall provided by Hilary Pollard, to whom we were most grateful. n l Consideration is being given to holding an additional Founders’ Day service on the Friday afternoon before the Annual Dinner, so that the School can be more directly involved.We’ll be announcing further details in the next issue of The Almondburian and online at www.oas.org.uk.