THE OLD
Wellingburian NEWSLETTER
November 2021 | The Old Wellingburian Club | Est. 1897
The President writes: As I reach the end of my two-year term as OW Club President, I would like to give warm thanks to all OWs, the Club Committee, the Headmaster and School staff, the two Chairmen of the School Governors who have held office over this period, and Neil Lyon and Debbie Whittemore – all of whom have helped achieve many positive outcomes for the OW community in a time of great adversity. None of us could have imagined when I took over from Garth Halestrap in November 2019 that, just four months later, the world would be in the grip of a global pandemic. The fact that the Club and the School have risen to this unprecedented challenge and delivered so much is a credit to all concerned. For me, highlights of this period have included the inspiring visit to the School by the Princess Royal on 14th October 2020 to mark the School’s 425th anniversary. It reminds us of the esteem in which the School is held, and a happy reminder of the visits by the Queen in 1965 and the Duke of Gloucester in 1973 and 1996. It has been wonderful to attend various OW sporting events. The Golfing Society was able to hold the Long Johns competition in October 2020, and I have supported the OW team at the Cyril Gray tournament in June this year and the Halford Hewitt tournament in September. The OW Rifle Club was able to participate in the Public School Veterans and the Humphrey matches at Bisley this year. Both the golfers and the shooters have achieved excellent results.
The initiative by the Club to support school leavers with careers advice was a great success. Virtual briefings during the period of restrictions have been followed by face to face sessions, and we are most grateful to all those OWs who took part. We are in the process of setting up an OW Debating Society that will compete periodically against the School; this initiative will be developed under the leadership of Peter Crisp – my successor as President – who takes over the role on 14th November. During my term I have been pleased to meet many of my contemporary OWs in different parts of the country and the Club is developing stronger connections with each year group to ensure that all generations are well represented. I believe we can look forward to 2022 with increasing confidence. The School is prospering and the Club, now with 4,000 members, aims to communicate in different ways and to increase the range of events it can now organise. I encourage you to write to us with your news and any ideas you have about how the Club can be more effective in connecting with you. Julian Amey (57-67, G)
01933 233441 | www.wellingboroughschool.org | dw@wellingboroughschool.org
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