PAGE 09
Meet the new Alleyn Club President
John Lovering CBE John Lovering was elected President of the Alleyn Club for 2019/20. He took over the reins from James Thornton becoming the 132nd President of the Alleyn Club.
You attended the College between 1961 and 1968, what brought you here? I was a scholarship boy from Richard Atkins Primary School in Brixton Hill. The good sense of my parents brought me to the College, who were intimidated but proud, anxious and supportive. I was lucky to be interviewed by Alick Fullick, an unusually empathetic Physics Master, who obviously saw something in me. How would you describe your experience as a pupil at the College? I left with a full set of good A levels and a place at the University of Exeter, but I sense I underperformed. I played for the rugby and cricket teams in the Junior School but did not take full advantage of all the school could offer. It took me time to adjust to being a minnow in a large ocean after dominating the pond at my old school. I struggled to balance my home friends with my new world of Dulwich. The school was in a transition period. The staff room was dominated by teachers educated in the 1920s who were struggling with new younger progressive elements and there was tension between the traditions of the school under Ronald Groves, who was Master of the College from 1954 to 1966, and the new world of the sixties which was emerging. I think I was at the more progressive end, lobbying for soccer to be played and for voluntary service in the community to be better recognised.
What do you hope to achieve in your new role as President of the Alleyn Club? First we need to continue the successful initiatives of my predecessors. We are primarily a communications network for OAs so they can keep in touch and hear about the rapid progress at Dulwich College. We need to build on the great achievements of 2019 and stay connected to our younger OAs, without losing our committed, long-standing members. We want to set up more family‐oriented events, with plans to mirror the success of last year’s flagship OA Reunion, where all OAs and their families were invited to celebrate the 400th year anniversary of the College. Our initiative on professional networking and mentoring needs expanding. We must also develop links with OAs from Dulwich College International Schools. It is very important that we maintain enthusiasm for supporting bursaries after an amazing fund‐ raising effort in 2019. We are huge supporters and funders of the College plans for half of pupils to benefit from bursary support. What challenges lie ahead for the Alleyn Club? Keeping the Club relevant to all OAs, young and old, active and less active is certainly something we need to be aware of. We also need to build a new generation of active OAs who can help us move forward and act as ambassadors and advocates for the school and its social mission.
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online