Oldest OLs Day 2023

On Saturday 10 June we celebrated Oldest OLs Day, a special occasion for our vintage OLs to come together, reminisce, and enjoy being back at the College, some after an absence of 70 years!

This was our eighth Oldest OLs Day, four years after our last one. The first event of this kind was held 15 years ago in 2007 and it has become a tradition particularly as this group makes up such an important part of our vibrant Lancing community. In 2007 we only had 60 guests and 16 years later we broke the record with 150 guests enjoying a glorious hot and sunny day.

OLs receive an invitation to this important event after their 75th birthday and this year it was wonderful to have 42 newcomers in the crowd. Sanderson’s House topped the leaderboard with its attendance, closely followed by Gibbs’ and Head’s. It was a special day too for the two OLs who left in 1953, David Debere and Robin Kimmerling as they were celebrating 70 years since they left the College.

The day began with tea and coffee on the Chapel Lawn, followed by a Eucharistic service in the Chapel at 11.30am with David Lloyd, OBE (Gibbs’ 1954–1959) reading the lesson and the Reverend Peter Dewey (Sanderson’s 1951–1957) saying prayers. As the guest list had scaled new heights, we moved to drinks in the Rose Garden and lunch in a marquee alongside the Chapel with a spectacular outlook across the sports fields and over the Adur valley. A view loved by so many.

The Head Master, Dominic Oliver, managed to call order despite the raised buzz of conversation in the marquee from reunited friends. The oldest OL present (aged 95) was the Revd Michael Campling (Field’s 1940–1946) who said Grace and he was an incentive to us all as to how we should approach the nonagenarian years. The Head Master spoke about how moving and meaningful it was to have such a gathering at the school and to be able to embrace the older generation alongside current pupils. He said there was so much to celebrate about the Lancing of today as well as to cherish its past history and traditions and to look forward with confidence to its future. He finished with a toast to everyone in the marquee, to Lancing and to those OLs who sadly are no longer with us. After lunch, Anthony Phillips (Gibbs’ 1954–1959) gave the vote of thanks on behalf of the assembled group.