THE QUADRANGLE From the President
The past year will be remembered as a successful one for both College and the Association. The Association generally achieved its three priorities for 2017 – a new approach to signing up members, more active branches and greater contact with our younger Old Boys.
• the Association working with an Old Boy to purchase a further significant art work for College as part of our 10- year commitment to purchase contemporary art • the award of a further Old Boys’ Association Scholarship • Participation at assembly where a Senior Honours Tie was awarded to Old Boy and former Supreme Court Judge Sir Terence Arnold • the Association arranging for an Honours Board of the Association’s Past Presidents to be installed next to the Dining Hall, thus creating a further permanent reminder of the Association and its Old Boys at College Perhaps the best example of one of the new ways we engage with College is the request from College for the Association to assist with career planning for current boys. The idea is for the Association to help by arranging for current boys to meet and talk with Old Boys about careers they might be interested in, and for us to assist in supplying Old Boys to attend themed “career breakfasts”. This initiative highlights how our support for College can, and must, go beyond donations of money to also encompass the giving of time and sharing of experiences. It also highlights the ways in which
Old Boys are relevant to the life of current boys.
We are also grateful that our increased engagement with
College has led to benefits for the Association. One of the priorities for 2017 was to work out a new approach to signing up members. That has now occurred. From 2018 on, College will purchase a life membership for every boy who is at College for more than one year. This means that from now on, every boy will become a member of the Association. Although in recent years over 90% of leavers have joined, this will, in time, eliminate any distinction between members and non-members of the Association. Finally, as one of the two bodies that appoints members to the College Board, the Association is in a privileged position. With that privilege comes a responsibility to ensure the appointment process is transparent and robust and that we work with the Board to appoint the best person to match the skill-set the Board needs at that particular point in time. Catherine McMillan is the first non-Old Boy appointed to the Board by the Association, and the first woman. The Association is very grateful that Catherine is willing to lend her considerable skills and judgement to the Board and thank her for her work. We are also grateful to Peter Davie for his continued work as our other appointee.
That success has primarily been driven by a closer working relationship between the school and the Association, as well as some fresh thinking on the part of the Committee. Success and innovation can be seen across both the Association's engagement with College and in the Association's own activities. The challenge from here is to ensure that recent success does not become complacency and that the Association and its Old Boys work to ensure their continued relevance to College and to support College through its capital campaign. Engagement with College Our excellent working relationship with College and Executive Principal Garth Wynne continued throughout 2017, as can be seen by:
Christ’s College Canterbury
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