Old Blues Email News 23 October 2001
- 1. Coleridge B Annual Lunch
This will take place at The Cricketers Club of London , 71 Blandford St, London W1 at 12:15 p.m. for 1 p.m., on Friday 2nd November. The cost is £35 including wine, with a cash bar before and after.
The annual Col B lunch has been going for some years now, and we are looking to all Col B Old Blues to come along for a good lunch and a chance to spend time with Col B old boys of all ages. If you know of any other Col B Old Blues, please pass the message.
Contact either Bruce McKenzie-Boyle at bruce.mckenzie-boyle@bt.com or by telephone 01344 772255 or Robin Penfold, 7 Wickham Drive, Hurstpierpoint, Hassocks, W Sussex BN6 9AP, 01273 832308.
- 2. Old Blues RFC
Please note that the [Old Blues RFC website] has received a makeover and is worth a review if you have not looked recently!!
- 3. CH Arts Club
After a break of nearly 6 months, Chris Grady is trying to get things started again for the CH Arts meetings. He has been inspired by the offer of help from a more recent Old Blue, Jade Hamilton, who is dedicating some time to get things moving outwith her music masters at Goldsmiths. The aim is to have a growing gathering of people who work in every conceivable area of the Arts who may share one or more common interests & might in time help future generations of aspiring Arts practitioners.
Chris and Jade have set two dates to try to gather the maximum number of people around a drink and conversation. The aim to decide a plan for the next year which should, they believe, incorporate a regular monthly focus for people to meet, share ideas, gossip and contacts related to the arts.
Please will you pass on this e-mail to colleagues and friends and, if possible join them for one or both of the meetings.
Friday 2nd November - from 7pm
Shillibeers Bar & Restaurant
North Road, off the Caledonian Road, London N7 9EF, below The Pleasance Theatre.
450yds walk from Caledonian Road Tube, one stop up from King's Cross on the Piccadilly Line.
Out of tube, turn left, 100yds, turn left into North Road, 350yds on the right - you'll see the banners and sign.
Above Shillibeers the Pleasance is running the London Edinburgh Festival Season and on Fri 2nd. At 8pm there's a performance of a comedy play by Sem Devillart and Trevor Lock called WHAT YOU REALLY WANT and at 10pm there's the comedy creation of Caroline Reid as PAM ANN - voted best Cabaret Performer by BOYZ magazine 2000. So if you've had enough of conversation, you can head on to the theatre.
Shillibeers offers a bar menu and a full restaurant for anyone wishing to make use of it, and a phenomenal selection of wines from a around the world. It may be quite busy on Friday, but it is large and we should be able to find a suitable corner. From 9.30pm the Bar turns into the Glitter Ball and the music and dancing continue until 2am (I think) so people may either stay and enjoy the atmosphere, or disappear upstairs to the Pleasance Bar where gentle jazz is more likely.
Friday 30th November - from 7pm
Shillibeers unless a better spot suggested.
If anyone has a suitable local hostelry, or a space in their office/canteen where a meet could happen, please let Chris & Jade know and they can re-locate this meeting to a different spot.
It would be great to rotate the meeting around favoured watering holes of Old Blues.
Out of tube, turn left, 100yds, turn left into North Road, 350yds on the right - you'll see the banners and sign.
Please try to clear your diary for this gathering to support the re-start of this venture which, they think, has three key aims:
- To offer a gathering/talking shop for people working in the Arts from very different areas who started life with one thing in common.
- To uncover more people working in the Arts who were at CH and may enjoy meeting.
- To see whether we can be useful to those coming through the school and wishing to pursue a career in the Arts.
Chris Grady can be contacted at Pleasance Theatre, North Road, London N7 9EF, tel: 0207 700 6877. chris@pleasance.co.uk
GO YOU BIG RED FIRE ENGINE!
- 4. Paul Uwemedimo
Paul Uwemedimo (Leigh Hunt B 1975-8, Pe A 1978-83) will very briefly be in England in October to be ordained as a deacon. He will be getting ordained in the evening of the 29th of October in St John the Baptist Church, Hackney, East London, England at 7.30pm. Any Old Blues would be very welcome.If anyone wants to come they are welcome, if they want to stay for a short reception afterwards it is a "bring and share" ie bring a bottle or carton of drink and a few nibbles to eat. He is presently in the Philippines and will only be in England for about two or three weeks.
Paul was training to be a Catholic priest in London for many years. However, he believed his "calling" was to live and work among the poor. He left the seminary in England to live among the squatter/slum areas for a year. Having done that, he briefly returned to the seminary in England, but then returned to the Philippines. He is now finishing his training for the Catholic priesthood in the Philippines. Whilst doing that, he is living "part time" among the poor and part time in the seminary. Once he is ordained as a priest, he will once again be living full time among the poor.
After 6 months to a year as a deacon, he will probably then be ordained as a priest.
- 5. Founder's Day Dinner / Lunch
The text of the speeches given at Founder's Day Dinner in London 12 October 2001 can be found on www.oldblues.com as can the speech given at the Caledonian Old Blues Lunch in Edinburgh on 20 October 2001.
- 6. Old Blues RFC - Christ's Hospital 1st XV Dublin Tour - December 2001
Under the supervision of Richard Baker, CH Director of Sport, the School 1st XV will make a five-day tour to Dublin in December.
Having recently lost in the second round of the Daily Mail Schools Cup, CH will now further its interest in the Vase Competition, which they have serious hopes of winning. Since this contest will continue well into the Lent term, the two-match Dublin tour has been hastily organised to maintain the focus of the players.
Following the School's fixture against KCS at Motspur Park last Saturday, Richard and the 1st XV Captain asked whether OBRFC could possibly assist with finance for the Tour. Whilst the Club will obviously make a contribution, I hope that we might be able to solicit additional individual donations from the Club's more senior members.
Our relationship with the School has been considerably strengthened in the past few years and we are already seeing the benefit, with an increased number of recent leavers joining the Club. Anything you can do to help foster this liaison would be greatly appreciated
If you can help, please forward your cheques, made payable to 'Old Blues Rugby Football Club', in order that they might be combined into a single payment. Cheques should be sent to:
Ian Hoskins, Boundary House, The Wickets, Ashford, Middlesex TW15 2RR.
- 7. www.oldblues.com
I would love to be able to add more photographs to the site. If you have some that would be of interest to others, please [email the Web Editor].
- 8. Old Blues Careers Network
For the past ten years, this network has enabled Old Blues, Governors and other members of the CH family to provide help to fellow Old Blues and support the School's careers programme. The Network has a database of 200 people who have offered their help in 40 career fields. When a request for careers advice or help is received, approximately one third are dealt with by the Careers Registrar over the phone or in a face-to-face meeting. Two thirds are referred on to an Old Blue for advice and/or introductions. Sometimes, the referrals made enable workplace visits or short-term work. Occasionally, a permanent job results.
The Network tries to follow-up on the outcome of every request for help. Of the last 45 requests made:
- 15 obtained full-time work or training
- 14 were settled for now, having explored possibilities through the network
- 9 will continue to seek a change and possibly come back
- 4 have lost touch and 3 were unable to use the Network's help.
How can you help?
- Identify, and encourage, Old Blue Users
- Offer your own help
- Identify a willing helper and introduce us
- Spread the word about the network
- Consider being an adviser or helping as a co-registrar.
Contact us via Wendy Killner, Administrator, Christ's Hospital Association, Christ's Hospital, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 7YP.
Phone/fax: 01403 247668, E-mail: oblues@christs-hospital.org.uk
For details about the Co-Registrar/Adviser role, contact Neville Osmond, 37 Aplins Close, Harpenden, AL5 2PZ. Phone/fax: 01582 762029
- 9. Maine B Re-union - 30 November 2001
Richard McGregor reports that a Maine B reunion is being arranged for Friday, 30 November 2001. This apparently unseasonable date has been chosen because it is the 80th birthday of Morton Peto, who was a housemaster from 1949 to 1965 after which he spent another 16 years on the staff before retiring in 1981. He will be the "guest of honour". The reunion is for all those who new Maine B as a senior house" i.e. for leavers up to 1966.
There has already been a very good response with 58 Maine B Old Blues expecting to be present on the day plus 29 wives or partners. The full programme will be despatched during September to all those who have shown interest.
For any persons who have slipped through the net, or for those requiring more details, please contact: Anne Sartain or Richard McGregor.
- 10. Old Blues in Hong Kong
Chris Wilson (Ba B 69 - 72 & PeB 72 - 76) has been in Hong Kong since 1977 and would like to link up with other Old Blues. If you know of any Old Blues who are based there, please ask them to contact Chris directly (and let me have their details to add to the Newsletter circulation list!).
- 11. Old Blue with holiday lets available
John Stephens (Prep A, Pe A 1960-67) has moved to a farm in Devon. He has now completed the renovation of a holiday cottage on his property located in the attractive Tamar valley (near Tavistock). Next year, his delightful cottage will feature in English Country Cottages as a "five star property". The cottage sleeps 6 to 8 and I can personally testify that it is very well equipped and tastefully furnished!
If you would like a long weekend away or a holiday for a week or two, more details are available from John or his wife, Nikki, on NikkiatRumleighFarm@hotmail.com or 01822 840749. Please mention that you are an Old Blue when you make contact!
My wife and I been there and can thoroughly recommend it!
- 12. Christmas Celebrations
The West Sussex Old Blues Christmas Lunch will be held on 3 December - PLEASE BOOK NOW! Contact is Susan Walsh at susan@musicprint.co.uk or telephone 01243 528936.
- 13. Contact Website
A good website for tracking down Old Blues is Friends Reunited. There are approximately 400 Old Blues registered there, mostly from the 70's+. It requires a £5 annual fee in order to use all its facilities (i.e. to be able to send emails to other registered participants) and this seems to work well. It provides a good mechanism to be able to track down other Old Blues.
If the Old Blue that you want is not registered, try using Where Are They Now? [now contained within the Blue Yellow Pages' Where are they now? search].
Regards
Steve Webb (Col A 60-69)