Events
OA Overseas Events 2015 ..........................................................................................................
Ivor Warburton OA (57 – 65) President of the Alleyn Club 2015
World Tour When I received my first copy of The Alleynian in 1957 I was fascinated by the reports of gatherings of Old Alleynians in the four corners of the world – then primarily all outposts of the former British Empire. My career with British Rail included an early period working closely with the British Tourist Authority to persuade overseas travellers to visit Britain and to travel out of London and to other parts of the country by train. It took me around the world on sales’ missions to places I never imagined I would visit. After retirement here I worked and lived in China for three years developing a luxury tourist train and was later invited to stand for election as Vice-President of the Alleyn Club which, subject to good behaviour, leads to a year as President. I had time to think of a theme for my year in office. I chose ‘The Dulwich Diaspora’ with two parts: the places where OAs gather around the world and the burgeoning number of Dulwich Colleges away from SE21 in other countries, primarily China. This offered me an opportunity to revisit many cities I had not seen for many years, to view a few new locations and to forge an understanding with the Alumni Association of the other schools. I planned three trips: firstly in March to China and Dulwich Colleges in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou, then around the world in 18 days in April and finally the following month an enlarged version of the traditional tour of North America by the President. It is not easy to plan such trips, for there will always be a traditional holiday, a Bank holiday or a spectacular local event to disrupt the perfect itinerary; some groups prefer lunches to dinners, some prefer weekdays to weekends and finally airline schedules do not always offer flights at an ideal time!
Then a trip starting with Los Angeles for a convivial open air lunch and a night flight to Auckland via Sydney meant that the crossing of the dateline completely eliminated Easter Sunday as I headed for Auckland and a waterside lunch. A return to Sydney for a dinner at the restaurant of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, lunch next day with the OAs of Melbourne (and further afield) with views across the harbour from Williamstown and then on to Perth for dinner at the hotel where I was staying. A weekend’s break and Hong Kong for a reception at the Hong Kong Club before Bangkok on the day of Songkran (to wash away sins and bad luck) for which guide books warn: ‘during the celebration, the streets of Bangkok become impassable without getting soaked by water from buckets and water cannons of the participants.’ This was quite correct and a good preparation for the evening dinner accompanied, as is traditional there, by our founder in full-sized cut-out form.
Singapore was next, where the Master and Chairman of Governors were present for the formal opening of Dulwich College, Singapore and a large reception (including IOAs) on the roof of the Singapore Cricket Club. A short hop to Kuala Lumpur and a very select gathering in the bar of Le Meridien hotel before moving on to the sands of Dubai and a dinner with not just OA resident and working locally but from Saudi Arabia too. Three weeks back in the UK before Western Canada and lunch conveniently on the mainland near the ferry terminal from Vancouver Island. It is just a
My first trip allowed me to see the rapid development of the Dulwich Colleges offering an education based on Dulwich values to girls and boys in various locations in China and south-east Asia. On leaving they become IOAs (International Old Alleynians) and the relationship of their alumni associations with the Alleyn Club will develop in future. An evening with a strong group of OAs in a Spanish restaurant in Shanghai concluded this trip.
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