Rhubarb 2017

ST EDWARD’S r h u b a r b

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President’s Report Michael Palau (B, 1959-1964)

continuity of the link helps provide a good number of returners for the 5-year leavers events which are also run by the OSE team with support from the School. This year it will be the 2012 leavers who return to talk with the Sixth Form. The aim is to extend this collaboration by way of OSE gatherings which are more focused in a vocational/disciplinary way. Last year’s innovation was a Military Dinner in March and this year a professional gathering is being planned for Property Professionals (Simon Talbot-Williams and Lucy Yorke-Long are your contacts for this one). There will be others as the consensus is that similar occupations are a good starting point for providing a real discussion of current experience and practice. There are a number of other anniversaries to mention: last year The Martyrs happily celebrated 80 years and the 50 + year leavers came back in good numbers in June for a Special Gaudy. This year it is the 90th birthday of the Boat House and The Society itself celebrates 125 years. Floreas et floreamus, Eduardienses! It only remains for me to thank the OSE team, John Wiggins, Rebecca Ting, Emma Grounds and Laura Hill, for their redoubtable efforts over the last year and to extend a warm welcome to Charles Cooper, Vice-President.

Cowell Gates, a clock by the Astroturf and a re-ordering of remembrance plaques in the Chapel and others which may become annual committments owing to their success such as providing the T-shirts for the ‘Readers Make Leaders’ day (a ‘readathon’ which involves a number of local schools). Other matters that have attracted generous support and activity are the digitisation of the sports shields (thanks to Nigel Phelps) and our new coat of arms (thanks to David Lewis). More recently we have gone ahead with a different type of project : the underwriting of expenses for a conference to be held in The North Wall (celebrating its first 10 years) with the title: “Girls Write the Future”. As it is 35 years since the first girl attended Teddies and 20 years since we became fully co-ed it is timely and indeed there is a Girls’ Reunion on the 17th September together with an exhibition of the work of female OSE artists. The usual reunion dinners and lunches were held across the country and I managed to attend in Cardiff, the Midlands and the North West, not forgetting ‘Rhubarb on the Rocks’ in Sydney. The energy of our current Warden and Hon. Sec. is evident in their levels of attendance. We also see John Wiggins’s university visits as vital in the thread of support for young OSE and the

S O C I E T Y

Michael Palau

My year as President starts at The Society AGM/ Annual Dinner on the 19th March 2016. Georgie Dennis bows out by conducting the AGM and then speaking eloquently at the Dinner. In the previous ten days prior to that I had also attended the sporting arm of The Society, The Martyrs AGM, where the President Phil Blanchard musters the various Reps’ reports which cover cricket, rugby, hockey, soccer, golf, rowing (now fast growing thanks to our Hon. Sec.) together with newer activities such as clay pigeon shooting, real tennis and even the revival of the Martyrs St Moritz Toboggan Club. There is news of support for a netball tour in Barbados and a boys hockey tour in Philadelphia. Having The Martyrs in such good form is a testament to the hard work being carried out by the various Reps, the President and the Vice President and it is much appreciated. The Society itself is striding forward after being put on a firmer footing with a steadily increasing income and thus with more choice with regard to projects to enhance the School. The prime improvement now open is the exceptional new Music School. The Society is privileged to be able to sponsor the main Ensemble Room. Up until this opportunity we had a number of projects, some one-offs like the refurbishment of the

The Society was pleased to provide T-shirts for the 2016 ‘Readers Make Leaders’ event.