Chair’s Letter View from the Chair

Nick Walford (B’69)

It has been quite a year since the last issue of The Arch in January, with complex challenges emerging for the UK and world leaders on several fronts. At times like this, I follow the advice of the Dalai Lama “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.”

After the restrictions on the Society’s activities placed on us by Covid, I am pleased to report that we have had a full calendar of events. As you all know we want the Society, through its events and activities, to engage with, and be relevant to, as many ORs as possible particularly our younger and female ORs, as they are essential to our future success as an alumni community. I must stress that this is very much in addition to all the more traditional events and activities of the Society.

We started 2022 with the School Choir singing Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral followed by a Drinks Reception for ORs and parents. It is lovely to see young ORs who were former Choir members, support the event, remembering the pleasure it gave them singing in such a special place.

The OR Office found an excellent, modern and more informal venue for this year’s Drinks in the City in March which attracted young and female ORs as well as our loyal older ORs such as Sam Swerling (B’53) who is now 83 years young!

There were three events that I was not able to attend – two Women’s Leadership Fora, one virtual and one live, which were excellent initiatives, and the Careers & HE Convention in June at Repton, which many ORs attended. We have recruited over 40 industry ambassadors over the last 18 months to help pupils better understand the career opportunities out there. This is an important and valuable group we are building to help both pupils and ORs in finding and developing their careers, and my thanks to all those ambassadors. If you would like to be an ambassador do email the OR Office on or@repton.org.uk

After two postponements the OR Summer Ball at The Hurlingham Club in west London, celebrating 50 years of girls at Repton, finally went ahead on a bright sunny evening in early May and was a huge success. Our thanks to Daisy Heath-Abbott (G’06) for coming up with the idea of the Ball and for her welcoming speech; to Carole Blackshaw (A’70), whom I remember arriving in the Sixth Form in 1970, for her interesting and insightful words and to Anna Parish for her amusing and heartfelt speech about what it is to be an OR. There were nearly 200 ORs in attendance with 82% under 30 and 62% female, and the most pleasing thing to me was the number of girls who said that they never expected an OR event to be such amazing fun!

In the more traditional areas of OR activity, the previous Saturday had witnessed more ‘amazing fun’ as the Old Reptonian Football Club beat the Old Etonians 7-1 in the Arthur Dunn Cup Final. I imagine Old Etonian, Arthur Dunn, would not have been amused by the result! The Headmaster very kindly hosted a Dinner the day before this year’s OR Day in The Hall for the winning Dunn squad plus the team from 1991, the last time we won the trophy, having lost three finals in the last ten years. This event preceded an expanded OR Day which involved seven OR football teams playing three matches against the School and two other matches between OR sides.

The Girls’ 1st XI Hockey team played a star-studded OR Women’s Team including Georgie Twigg MBE (F’02) and other international ORs and top club players. Prior to the match, Georgie attended the naming of the Twigg McCallin Room in the Sports Centre hosted by Mark Semmence, Martin Jones (C’97) and Nigel Kew. Georgie was in good company with another room named after OR sporting legends CB Fry and Harold Abrahams.

There was a squash match with the School after which many who had played or watched sport on the day descended on the Boot for a barbeque from 4.30 onwards. The following day saw the School and members of staff play golf at Mickleover GC with members of the OR Golf Society. Plans for women’s football against the School did not materialise this year in the end but from all the feedback there is much momentum behind this expanded OR Day with more and more women’s events, so put Saturday, September 2nd 2023 in the diary!

The following day the OR Tennis Club retained the D’Abernon Cup at Wimbledon – so that is yet another success in their seventh consecutive final – a phenomenal achievement. Earlier in the year our Halford Hewitt golfers did extremely well under new captain Mark Anselm (C’86), reaching the last eight in a competition for 64 Schools. This year we entered the prestigious Silver Tassie, which is played at the Berkshire Golf Club and is a competition for lady golfers. The OR Golf Society is extremely keen for women to join and play in our golf days and matches and so if you are a golfer do get in touch with the OR Office.

It has been a phenomenal year for our sports clubs and I would like to thank the leadership teams of each club for their time, commitment, enthusiasm, and congratulate them on the success that they have achieved for themselves, together with enhancing the reputation of the OR Society and the School. There is more on our sports clubs later in The Arch.

I just want to update you all on the OR Office. Andrew Cook was involved in both the OR Society and the Repton Foundation. He was approached by his alma mater, Millfield, to perform the role of Development

Director that he did for us, which understandably was something he was unable to turn down. I would like to thank Andrew on behalf of the Society for all his work over the last three years as he leaves us in a much stronger position than when he started, and we wish him and his family well.

Jess Smith, whom some of you know had a dual role working on both the Repton Foundation as well as the OR Society has also left to take on the Role of Deputy Development Director at Denstone College. This is a promotion for her, and Denstone College is close to where she and her family live. I would, on behalf of the Society, like to thank Jess for her contribution to the OR Office whilst she was with us and we wish her well for the future. Once we have appointed a replacement for Andrew, we shall decide then on what further resources the OR Society requires.

Lia continues to be the day-to-day face of the Society in the OR Office in Repton and is doing a fantastic job for us all, and I know that she is excited about the year ahead.

Thank you to all those people who gave us feedback about how much they enjoyed the look, feel and content of the last issue of The Arch. We are keen to ensure that The Arch reflects how the School and the OR Community are today. We all very much hope that you enjoy this edition and please give us feedback with any comments you have to the OR Office – or@repton.org.uk

I would like to thank the OR General Committee and the OR Executive Committee for all the work undertaken in the year so far. I am delighted to have welcomed onto the General Committee Abigail Halidu (A’07) and Rhada KaushalBolland (G’11) to increase our female representation. Rhada was runner-up in MasterChef demonstrating the depth and breadth of talent that ORs possess, and she appears later in the magazine.

I would also like to thank our outgoing President, Rachel Bacon (A’86), who will stand down from her role at the AGM in November. The strategic direction of the OR Society was heavily influenced by the research among OR women that Rachel undertook. In her role as President Rachel was able to help in the implementation of the strategy to address the challenges that emerged from the research in terms of the need for the OR Society to be more relevant for our OR women.

I am looking forward to working with our new President, Nick Smith (B’69) when he begins the role in November. Nick and I are direct contemporaries from Brook House, which rather sadly for us is now a block of flats opposite the Indian restaurant on the High Street! I was President in 2017 when Nick was Chair, we are very much looking forward to carrying on with the momentum that we have been building for the OR Society, albeit delayed by Covid.

I would like to thank Mark Semmence for how he has strengthened the reputation of Repton in his time as Headmaster, which is reflected in the fact that it is full and with an increasing waiting list. Progress of the OR Society is inextricably linked with the strength of our relationship with the Headmaster and the School. I am getting towards the end of the first year of my second three-year term as your OR Chair and I would like to also thank him for his enormous support and encouragement f or everything we are trying to achieve for the Society.

I hope I have given you a sense of what has been achieved over the last 12 months and that in spite of what is happening all around the UK and the world as far as Repton School and the OR Society is concerned we have every reason to be optimistic.

You will see the feature on Repton’s association with the Royal Family and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and in particular, her visit to the School in 1957, of which I know many ORs have fond memories.

Let me finish by saying that we were all shocked and saddened by the suddenness of the Queen’s death, and the extraordinary response from the nation highlights the gratitude of us all for her enduring life of service, demonstrating clearly to the very end that there are higher callings than self interest.