Wessex Dinner The annual Wessex Dinner again took place in the magnificent surroundings of Sherborne School, Dorset. Pre and post dinner drinks in Bow House book ended a wonderful meal in the magnificent Old School Room. 21 guests were present to enjoy the meal and give warm and hearty thanks to Chris Austen (52-58), who has stepped down after 5 years of organising the dinner. He feels that his move to Great Dunmow in Essex stretches the title of local organiser just a little too far!
The reception took place in the James Caird Hall with OAs sharing the space with the famous boat and an exhibition of photographs taken from inside the migrant camp in Calais. The AGM was one of the quickest in living memory at a mere fourteen minutes yet it still managed to squeeze in not only a comprehensive report on the Club’s finances from James Kendall (59-67) our long standing Treasurer, but also a welcome to two new Committee members, Alex Mole (89-96) and Nick Howe (74-80). The 180 or so Old Alleynians present made their way to The Laboratory and into the new Auditorium where they were addressed by the Master of the College, Dr Joseph Spence. In an engaging speech he outlined the central role The Laboratory would play in the future of the school, not just as a place for science but also for the creative arts. There was a warm welcome for those who represented the clubs and societies, but in particular the newly formed and rapidly growing Old Alleynian Association Football Club. The dinner itself was held in the Christison Hall with the newly adapted Warren Grace read by Senior Fellow,
Terry Walsh. As in previous years a collection was made for the Hollington Club, now the Hollington Youth Centre. An impressive £1,500 was raised for an organisation that has been serving the local community in Camberwell for over 120 years and prides itself in supporting vulnerable young people in an area which includes a high number of unemployed and one parent families. There was an impressive turnout from the Sailing Society who filled two tables and rightly used the occasion to celebrate the recent victory in the Arrow Trophy race held on the Solent at the beginning of October. It was also good to see the reunion of ten members of the unbeaten 1974 Colts rugby side, along with their coach Rick Wilson, gathered together by Mike Lynfield (69-74). The toasts to the Queen and our Founder were followed by enthusiastic renditions of the National Anthem and the School Song led by the distinctive rich tones of Chris Field (51-59) who, along with Dr Jan Piggott, was later honoured as a Fellow of Dulwich College. As the meal was drawing to a close it was the turn of Peter Lyon, President of the Alleyn Club, to sum up his year in office. In a warm and wide ranging
Alleyn Club Dinner The 134th Annual Dinner of the Alleyn Club took place on Friday 28 October 2016 with arrangements having to be slightly modified to accommodate Disney who had hired out the Great Hall in order to film a ballroom scene for a modern adaptation of the ‘Nutcracker’. The film starring Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren will be in our cinemas sometime in 2018. Watch out too for Robert Weaver, a former head of the Religious Studies Department who spent two days as an extra, dressed as a courtier, fame indeed.
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