CLUBS & SOCIETIES
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OLD ALLEYNIAN LODGE It has been a good year for the Lodge. We have been able resume our meetings and dinners in pre- pandemic form, and to engage with the wider world once more. Freemasonry is a sociable organisation, so the various restrictions and lockdowns had a large impact on our activities. Fortunately, we were able to hold a very successful Centenary Meeting at the College in October 2021, and our new website has helped us to attract new members. We are looking forward to 2023. Freemasonry is sometimes called "the world's oldest and largest fraternal organisation" and the fraternity is open to men of all backgrounds and faiths: belief in a Supreme Being is the sole requirement. All faiths are respected. It has existed at national level for over 300 years, and has benefitted from royal patronage for much of this period: our current Grand Master is HRH The Duke of Kent.
The organisation is more open than some might imagine. Frequent tours of Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen Street take place from Monday to Saturday, and the Museum of Freemasonry is open to the public. The website of the United Grand Lodge of England contains a great deal of useful information: www.ugle.org.uk Although most public schools have an associated masonic Lodge, not all of these Lodges are fortunate enough to be able to meet at their old school. Our meetings usually take place in the Old Library, and our splendid dinners are held in the Salle, for which we are very grateful to the College and its fine catering team. Our meetings are held four times a year, with the installation of a new Worshipful Master in April, and regular meetings in May, October and December. Every October, non-masonic guests are invited to our “White Table” dinner. This year we were delighted to welcome Mrs Fiona Angel, Senior Deputy Master, as our guest of honour representing the College. Representatives of the Old Alleynian Association and the Common Room are also invited. Our current membership has an incredible age range from early 20s to early 90s. OAs and members of the College teaching staff are eligible to join. The photograph shows Lodge members in full regalia after our recent meeting, with James Boultbee (97-98) as our Worshipful Master (front row, centre). Charitable giving is central to Freemasonry, and the OA Lodge regularly gives to worthy causes. We have recently supported St Christopher’s Hospice, the NSPCC, MIND, and the Dulwich College Bursary Appeal. We now have an excellent Membership Team to deal with enquiries about joining the Lodge, who would be pleased to hear from you. If you are interested, the best way to get in touch is via our website: www.oldalleynianlodge.org.uk OAs who are already Freemasons are most welcome to visit the Lodge, and may even wish to consider joining! If you are not a Freemason, the OA Lodge could be a great place to start your masonic journey - please feel free to enquire. Sergei Subotsky (78-86) Secretary oalodge4165@gmail.com
OA CROSS COUNTRY For the first time, the Alumni Cross Country Race was held on a Saturday in the middle of September and not on one of the last shopping Saturdays before Christmas. Whether the stated aim of encouraging more students to participate before they head off to university was met remains to be seen. However, I suspect there will be few who would advocate for a move back to December given the glorious sunshine, the dry terrain making the course unprecedently fast (the race was won in a brisk 26 minutes) and the fact that, unlike in previous years, the last runner crossed the finish line before dusk. I suspect too that the change will meet with approval from the course marshals, who are out on the course well before the start and long after the first runner has showered and changed. One of the great pleasures of the race is seeing OAs from a range of professions taking part and this year was no exception, with a doctor, a PhD student and a political journalist making up our team. Jack Teh (13-15) came in 82nd place, Francis Aznaran (07-14) followed close behind in 86th place and Chris McKeon (01-08) came in 124th place. Each one of our three runners was wearing Old Alleynian colours for the first time, and their combined times helped us to come a very creditable 23rd in the team competition. If you want an event guaranteed to shake off any summer inactivity, then keep an eye on the OA e-bulletins for next year’s date. Good times, in every respect, promised.
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