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AUTUMN 2001 NEWSLETTER Roger Evans,
9 Sussex Close, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 5PA |
About the dinner
The date of our dinner rapidly approaches so it is time for a few reminders.
Occasionally I am asked what the dress code is for the occasion. Jacket
and tie is the norm but it is not a black tie affair. I know many of you
will be wearing the association tie and for those without, we will have
a number available for sale on the night. On the day of our dinner, the
Rugby club's first team will be playing at home so the downstairs bar
will not be available. That's no problem. You are all asked to arrive
at 7.00 p.m. in order to be seated by 7.30. On arrival simply go upstairs
to the Quantock Suite where we will be waiting. No tickets are being issued.
Memorabilia
As in previous years, we hope to have a display of memorabilia so, if you have anything to bring along, can you please let Bill King know in advance (Tel 01278 456405). This year's display will be based predominantly on Mal Davies' photographic collection (i.e. sports teams not his pornographic collection!) but if you have anything unusual to add to, just let Bill know in advance.
New members and Tales from the Crush Hall
After our recent article in the Bridgwater Times, I received a number of phone calls from new contacts. The first two, to my amazement, were from old boys who joined the school in 1931, Peter Barton and Ron Bryant. That the first two contacts should be from the upper end of our age range took me by surprise but equally I was delighted in knowing that through that press article we were reaching old boys who previously had no awareness of our existence. The next surprise came when they told me how they used to pay for the privilege of attending. Peter, who still possesses a rugby team photo from 1934, could remember taking his envelop once a term and handing it to Mr. Gillard, the head - and despite paying for the privilege, he still got the occasional caning.
Then Ronald Bryant gave me a similar story, where his uncle gave him the £4 per term. It seems half the boys attending were on scholarships and the other half were fee paying. This was confirmed with the next phone call from William Davis.
William first attended the school in 1926 when it was in Mount Street and he remembers how 'Trout' Trenchard had introduced the new game of rugby. Previously it was an all football school! Trout, in teaching the boys, used to play himself until he was caught at the bottom of the scrum on one occasion. William also remembers the old cannon which took pride of place mounted on a plinth standing at the front of the school.
And we have picked up yet another Australian member in Gareth Jones, but at least he paid his membership in UK Sterling unlike my old classmate mentioned in the last newsletter who settled his account in Australian dollars!
Next year's dinner
Please note the date in your diaries - next year's dinner will be Saturday, September 21st, 2002.
Meanwhile I would appeal to you all to keep your networking activity going. There are still a considerable number of old boys who know nothing about the association. So any time you bump into one of your old school mates, please give the association a plug. And if you can get their address details, we'll ensure they receive an 'invitation to join' pack. At present we have made no approaches to anyone to be our guest speaker for 2002, so if you have any views on that topic, perhaps you could let one of the committee members know your thoughts at the dinner.
Trevor Crook - on the mend
Many of you are probably aware of Trevor Crook's recent illness. I am pleased to report that he is well on the road to recovery and I am sure you will all join me in wishing him well.
Bowing out as membership secretary
About six years ago, Bill King, Mike Dodden and I talked about starting an old boy's association. Most of you will be aware of the story. Then three years ago we finally did it. At the time I declared my vision to be an association with a membership 200 strong and we now approach that number with over 150 members signed up. I also said at the time that I was prepared to put three years into getting the association off the ground and I would then take a back seat. This year's dinner sees the conclusion of that three year period.
We recently increased our numbers from the original gang of three to a more reasonably sized team and I'm pleased to say that Peter Ruddock has agreed to take over the membership secretary part of my role. So future membership payment forms will have Peter's name in the letter head rather than mine.
I have however agreed to continue producing the newsletter for the time being - at least until a volunteer surfaces to pick up the reins. So if anyone out there fancies the job, please let me know. Meanwhile, I can only keep the content interesting with feedback from yourselves. Tales from the Crush Hall has proven popular in the past, so please feed me with your recollections of your schooldays so I can pass them on to other members through the newsletter. As many of you know, I enjoy telling a good story.
Ghost stories
And that neatly leads me into an opportunity to tell you about my next book. Due for publication on October 25th (available in all good book shops!), it is entitled Somerset Stories of the Supernatural. It's a collection of ghost stories from across the county and I justify it's mention here on account of Garry Sutton and Chris Sidaway, both old boys, both playing leading roles amongst the many stories within its pages.
There is also a cracking story involving a school trip to Charterhouse Mendip which occurred shortly after the school became the Haygrove Comprehensive. If you want to know more, you'll have to buy the book! Remember Christmas approaches and your gift problems could be solved with one visit to the bookshop.
Roger Evans
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