Members The success of the Association depends on its membership. For the past 15 or so years, around 90% of leavers have signed up to become Life Members of the Association. That is an impressive number. However, the process for signing up new members is time consuming and we are still missing out on some leavers. One of our priorities for 2017 will be to work with College to develop a new system that sees each boy become a member on leaving school. Conclusion It has been a privilege to be President of an Association that supports the best school in New Zealand to provide an education that opens a world of opportunities. I am extremely grateful for the support and guidance of Executive Principal Garth Wynne, who College is very lucky to have. I am also thankful for the hard work and support of the Committee – Vice-President Alexander McKinnon, Treasurer Andrew Springford and committee members John Luxton, Johnny Cochrane, Ben Walker, Henry Wright, William Mills and Richard Polson. We are very fortunate to have Justine Nicholl as our Secretary. Justine works tirelessly for the Association and for College, and the entire Committee is thankful for her work.
In order to start building connections with our Old Boys earlier, in 2017 the Association will be organising a reunion for those who attended College between 2003 and 2007. We hope this will become an annual event. We have also changed where the AGM sits in relation to the Reunion Weekend. It will now be immediately before the cocktail party. We hope this move will help lift attendance and lead to greater engagement between the Association and its members. Branches The Association is lucky to have such a large and active network of branches. In 2016 events took place in:
Second, around 10% of our Old Boys now live in Auckland, making it the largest branch outside Christchurch. That number is going to grow in the future. The Committee is working with Auckland branch convenors to put on a greater array of events. Finally, the Committee is also working on more targeted events. In late 2016, the Association held the inaugural get together of the College Tuis – the official alumni group for gay, bisexual and transgender Old Boys. We plan to introduce other “interest groups” that can sit alongside our branches and provide another way for Old Boys to connect. Communication The eagle-eyed among you would have noticed that 2016 saw a change to the way the Association communicates with its members. Quadrangle will now be published twice a year as part of College magazine. If you wish to receive it, please contact the office. As Quadrangle is now published less frequently, there is a greater focus on e-Quad which comes out monthly (except January). E-Quad contains details of upcoming events, news about Old Boys and updates from College. Please keep an eye out for it in your inbox and if you do not receive it, please e-mail the office. The Association has also spent some time working on its social media presence. There is now an official LinkedIn group, as well as a Facebook page. News and events are listed on both those pages. Please connect with us (and invite your friends to connect with us too). Those of you who had previously asked to receive In Memoriam will have noticed a change for 2016 – instead you received Chronicle . Chronicle is the official record of the Association and its Old Boys. In the future, it will contain obituaries, lists of those graduating from universities and lists of those who receive honours from Her Majesty.
• Auckland • Bay of Plenty • Hawke’s Bay • Wellington • Marlborough • Nelson • South Canterbury • Sydney • Melbourne • Brisbane • Hong Kong
• Bangkok • London
All the events were well attended and enjoyable occasions – and they speak to the commitment of the Old Boys to College and to each other. To all those who serve as branch chairs, treasurers and secretaries, thank you for the work you do. Looking ahead, one of our priorities is to have more active branches. There are three aspects to this. First, the Committee appreciates it can be a struggle to arrange successful events – particularly if the event is the same as in previous years. We are going to work with the branches to help generate ideas and provide speakers where possible, to help keep Old Boys engaged in their branches.
Jeremy Johnson (12355)
College Issue 32 2017
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