Rhubarb 2020

ST EDWARD’S r h u b a r b

OSE Regional Lunch – South Wales, 13th March 2020 Report by Graeme Morgan (G, 1953-1958) Although only half of the 12 who gathered for lunch at the Cardiff and County Club were entitled to style themselves as OSE, the addition of John Wiggins, Rachael Henshilwood, two wives, one ex-MCR, and one grandparent of a prospective pupil made for a very happy gathering. It is believed that the last guest on the list was sufficiently impressed to give grandparental blessing for the proposed educational path. Those present honoured the memory of Dr David Williams (G, 1948-1953) who had died the week before. The first South Wales OSE event was a dinner on the 17th May 1957 and it was David who was both the instigator and organiser. The dinner became an annual event but

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in recent years the decrease in numbers has downgraded the event from a dinner to a biennial lunch. This has not lessened the time available for, nor the enjoyment of, tales of Teddies which in some cases stretched back 73 years. We greatly appreciated more contemporary news of the School from John and

Rachael and, if we dispersed in a merrier mood than that in which we had arrived, we also did so better informed. There was no-one present with Scottish sensibilities so, when John announced that he had just heard that, because of the Coronavirus, the next day’s match in the adjacent Millennium Stadium had been

postponed, there was no opportunity to congratulate anyone on sidestepping a defeat! The postponement though did allow John and Rachael to go on to an evening event for younger OSE who were unable to attend the lunch, with Cardiff in a quieter mood than might otherwise have been the case.

OSE Regional Lunch – Bristol, 14th March 2020

OSE Regional Dinner – Cardiff, 13th March 2020 A small but perfectly formed group of OSE joined John Wiggins and David Smart at Giovanni’s in Cardiff for a highly entertaining evening with four university students, studying courses including dentistry, sport and law. We also welcomed Hannah Dineen (née Kirkland) (E, 1988-1990) and Hayley Brain (née Morgan) (G, 1988-1990) who were amongst the first girls to join Teddies and were keen to hear how it has evolved over the years. Hayley’s parents had also been at the lunch earlier that day.

A diverse group of OSE joined John Wiggins, David Smart and Rachael Henshilwood at the Brewhouse and Kitchen in Bristol for a very jolly and informal lunch involving a couple of Rhubarb Gins! The generations represented spanned right through from the 1950s to last year’s leavers. We were hoping to watch the rugby match together but its cancellation didn’t dampen spirits as we chatted about a vast range of topics including much sharing of dog photos!

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