Aldenhamiana No 24 February 2002 Published by THE OLD ALDENHAMIAN SOCIETY Aldenham School, Elstree, Hertfordshire WD6 3AJ, England e-mail: [email protected] www.oldaldenhamian.org THE PRESIDENT'S LETTER EDITOR'S NOTES As we approach our Centenary your Committee has prepared This edition of Aldenhamiana is packed with information, some important recommendations concerning changes to the reminiscences, and invitations to events - all in all, a good read, Society's rules and subscription arrangements, which will be put we think! There are some key dates for your diaries, being the formally to the AGM to be held in Tallow Chandlers Hall at 6 various events which are being planned to celebrate the pm on 9th April 2002 - the hundredth anniversary to the day of Centenary of the OA Society. We do hope that you will join us our foundation. The background to these proposals is set out at these events, and in particular please see the yellow "flyer" for elsewhere in this edition of Aldenhamiana but, in essence, they the Ball in the middle of this issue. It promises to be a truly are intended to ensure that we move with the times and continue splendid occasion. Now is the time to get your table together! to meet the reasonable aspirations of all OAs and attract their support in a manner that is financially viable and affordable. In One of the pleasures of being the Editor is to receive the "hard order to support these changes more effectively, your copy" letters, emails, photographs which you send. We try to Committee has also agreed to a major enhancement to the OA include as many of them, or at least extracts from them, as space website which will provide increasing opportunities for OAs, permits. This edition of Aldenhamiana is as always a wherever they are, to keep in touch with each other, the Society celebration of the diversity of the people who have been lucky and the School. enough to spend some years at the School. You will discover in this edition that we have an OA who is an archery champion, OAs will also see in this edition of Aldenhamiana details of the another who has been a "jackeroo", another (Richard Seville major events that are being arranged for our coming Centenary (K73-78)) who having been one of the driving forces behind the Year. Much thought and effort have been devoted by your first Eros to Eros Run, hopes to travel from Australia to take Committee members to these events and we hope that they will part in this year's Run. Jim Robinson (CR74-85), co-initiator attract the widespread interest and support that they deserve. So of the first Run has kindly sent a message of support (see OA do, please, make a special effort to join us on these occasions, News Home and Abroad). Response to our call for runners is, which I am sure will provide some memorable opportunities to I have to say, on the low side! Your Editor will be running. meet old friends and, at the School itself, to see how its Please join us - the more the, er……., merrier. imaginative development continues apace. Thank you for your response on photographs. We have managed I cannot conclude this letter without mentioning the death last to spice up this edition with some good ones - my favourite this year of Donald Parren. John Handcock has written for us a time is the one of the R101 airship over the School Library. I am memorable appreciation of 'DMP' who made a quite remarkable indebted to Tony Laurenson (M71-75) for the photo below, contribution to Aldenham and, especially, to those generations which is from Visitation Day in 1973 and shows a fine body of in School House Evens, like mine, who benefited so much from musical military men, of whom I recognise (right to left at the his enlightened guidance and front) Neal James-Crook encouragement. To acknowledge his (M70-75), Tony and your remarkable association with Aldenham, our Editor (K71-75). If anyone Chapel Service at 11 am on OA Day, Sunday else recognises himself, 19th May, will include a special tribute to please let me know. I think 'DMP'. "Chief" must had had nightmares about the hair Whether you receive this Centenary Edition protruding from under of Aldenhamiana through the post, or draw it berets and hats! Certainly, down from the OA website, I hope you enjoy when I entered BRNC reading it. And I look forward to meeting Dartmouth a few years many of you at the various events now being later, the Naval barbers took arranged for the special year ahead. a less indulgent approach to the hair fashions of the Dick Vincent 1970s. 1 Finally, to whet your appetite for the OA Dinner this year, a copy McAllister, who will be well known to many of you, and Molly of the menu for the first ever OA Dinner appears below. Clearly, Barton who divides her time between her work as secretary to no-one went home hungry that night. the OA Society and to the Development Office. No doubt you will hear in due course of various events and plans emanating from this office and I look forward to keeping in touch with you Old Aldenhamians through this initiative. First Annual Dinner May I draw your attention in particular to the Celebration Ball to be held at the School on Saturday 29th June. Further details - Menu - can be found in a special flyer inside this edition and I look forward very much to seeing as many of you as possible at that event, which celebrates amongst other things the Centenary of Hors d'Ouvres your Society, the Queen's Golden Jubilee and a range of School SOUP anniversaries! There is certainly much to celebrate in 2002. Tomate Consomme a la Wiggins Richard Harman FISH Turbot & Lobster Sauce Filleted Soles & Tartar Sauce REPORT FROM THE OA WEBSITE ENTRÉE WWW.OLDALDENHAMIAN.ORG Vol au Vent a la Letchmore Heath I am pleased to report that the OA web site is now fully Saute of Chicken operational again. (The site was "off-line" for the last few weeks in December and January while a new fibre optic Internet JOINT link was installed, which proved highly problematic for the Saddle of Mutton contractors). GAME I am also pleased to report that the Committee has approved the Pheasant & Salad purchase of Scholastica.net, which will provide all the features we need for Phase II of the web site development. The system DESSERT will be implemented over the coming months, with details, instructions and user names being sent out with the October COFFEE issue of Aldenhamiana. The new section of the web site will permit users to edit their Miss Wiggins was Housekeeper/Matron of the School. Details personal records on-line and decide how much information to of this year's Annual Dinner can be found inside. publish to other members of the Society about themselves in an on-line directory. The download area for all publications will be Please continue to send your news to us, no matter how brief. If moved into the secure area. There will also be discussion you only have time to send an e-mail, that will do nicely, thank threads and eventually an on-line booking system for all OA you. events, with a list of those who have already booked. Trevor Barton We are always looking for contributions to the current web site, either stories or photographs or any other material. Please send HEADMASTER'S LETTER it either by post to the OA office, or via e-mail to [email protected], or [email protected] It gives me great pleasure to be writing to you once again in this edition of Aldenhamiana. The School continues to thrive with a Mark Jordan successful hockey season in full swing and excellent achievements in the academic and extra curricular spheres a regular occurrence. I am delighted to see that in its centenary THE OLD ALDENHAMIAN SOCIETY year the OA Society is stronger than ever and I look forward NEW SUBSCRIPTION PROPOSALS FOR 2002 very much to joining you in the various celebrations in the ONWARDS course of this year. Key Points: As I write we are busily working on development plans to take * Existing Members: not affected, except will benefit from the School forward for the next decade and I hope to have news improved levels of service. Once of 20 years' standing, will be of this to pass on to you later in this academic year. We have invited to make voluntary annual subscription, amount at their recently established a Development Office staffed by John discretion. 2 * New Members: will pay a 20-year subscription, with option to Collection of Annual Subscriptions by the Society; - continue thereafter at an index-linked annual subscription. * New members will receive The Aldenhamian by post for 5 Both the voluntary subscriptions for existing OAs and the on- years only. going membership subscription in 20 years time will be * Improved OA Society Website due late 2002. collected directly by the OA Society. * All publications available via the Website. * OA Society rules to be amended accordingly at AGM 2002. Charging by the School for The Aldenhamian: - The School would charge the OA Society for the distribution Introduction: - cost only of the hard copies of The Aldenhamian sent to all The recent Life Subscription debate, the successful future OAs in the first five years, unless they chose to download establishment of the OA web site, the ever-increasing cost of it from the web site.