[Report written by James Gardener (W, 1974)]
Almost sixty years separated the matric classes of the seventy-two UK based OD’s ancient and modern who gathered on December 12th beneath the cavernous oak beams of Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament. We were soon swept along on a current of lobby anecdote and hospitality through one of the world’s great iconic buildings - power, privilege and parliamentary democracy all flowing with us as surely the waters of the Thames alongside.
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| Cold, and with a thought to those Executed in the Hall, ODs listen to final instructions for the tour. |
The Palace of Westminster itself has a history dating back to the early eleventh century when a fortification was built on the site by that notable waterfront property developer – King Canute. It’s difficult not to shiver at the notion of standing on the spot where Guy Fawkes stored his gunpowder kegs; where Charles I unsuccessfully defended himself against Cromwell’s treason charges or where the suffragette Emily Davison hid in a broom cupboard on the night of the 1911 census so that she could better fight for women’s rights using the Houses of Parliament as her official address. We were reminded of the two South African members of that elite band of statesmen who have addressed joint sittings of the Lords and Commons – Smuts and Mandela. It is a palace with a unique narrative – a harlequin blend of monastery, gentlemen’s club, Oxbridge college, legal chambers and boarding school.
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Anthony St John (1974) welcoming the ODS. Bottom right: Francis Eliot, Virgil Parenzee and Michael Starke (all 1996)
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Anthony St John (G, 1974) welcomed us warmly and wittily and appropriately enough to the Cholmondeley Room & River Terrace. In his usual self-deprecating manner, Anthony alluded to his own remarkable journey from becoming the youngest member of the House of Lords in 1978 - complete with scruffy Kalk Bay surfer dude goatee - to the urbane senior statesman he is today, sitting as a non-partisan crossbencher and serving on state occasions as Lord-in-Waiting to Her Majesty. She is apparently a slightly easier guest to accommodate in the House than Basil Bey and a Bishops touring rugby party of the 1980’s.
Nicky Bicket (F, 1973) responded on behalf of the constituency of 800+ UK domiciled OD’s that he so tirelessly represents. He touched on his vision of a global OD community which is far more a vigorous, supportive network than a nostalgic, restrictive knot in an old tie. Nicky spoke of the relationships that he has built with other distinguished UK alumni networks and their willingness to engage with the much admired OD Union. “We punch way above our weight,” Bicket asserted - without offering to take on Black Rod’s splendidly liveried representative standing but a sword’s pace away.
Nicky also reported from the previous day’s Varsity match where Zandy Macdonald (son of arguably White House’s greatest loose forward) had scored the try that unleashed a Dark Blue flood. He also reminded us of the names of the three OD rugby Blues who had fallen in the First World War: R.H.M. ‘Reggie’ Hands, S.S.L. ‘Stodgy’ Steyn and W.M. ‘Mike’ Dickson all of whom were commemorated at Twickenham a century after their sacrifice.
A pleasing number of OD partners attended this gathering reinforcing the old adage that behind many a successful OD stands a slightly surprised woman. Amidst an extremely convivial evening of catch-up, chit-chat, banter and bonhomie, there were moments when OD’s from the mid-twentieth century joined those from the early 21st gazing over the December Thames tide in a silent yet heartfelt toast to our school across the water.
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| Top left: Jeremy Friedlander (1974), James Gardener (1974), Martin Calder (1991), Neil Orpen (1990); top right: Tim Maskell (1954) and Anthony Pickering (1990); bottom left: Stephen Larkin (1990), James Gardener (1974) and Choppy Bands (1990); bottom right: Michael Enotiades (2007) and Ian Currie (2005) |
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| Top left: Nicky Bicket (1973) and Patrick Rourke (2003), top right: Nigel Collard (1982) and Mark Ciolli (1981); bottom left Stephen Larkin (1990) and James Gardener (1974); bottom right: Joy and Richard Montgomery (1976), Steve Suckling (1976) and Nicole Seymour |
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| Top left: Mark Herringer (1989), Jeremy Friedlander (1972), Richard Immelman (1989); top right: James Masey (1983) and Sarah Keely; bottom left: Fran and Peter Wood (1974); bottom right: Greg Baldwin ( 1975), Martin Calder (1991) and Anthony Pickering (1990) |
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| Top left: Brian Mannion (1978), Andrea Villegas and Francis Eliot (1996) Top right: Charles Richardson (1972), Sir Anthony Richardson (1968) and Jeremy Friedlander (1972); Bottom left: Chris Olds (1999) and James Gardener (1974); bottom right: Ian Currie (2005), Michael Enotiades (2007) and Xavia Holt |
Top left: Alexander Enotiades (2012), Didier de Villiers (2012) and Robert Johnston (2010); top right: Nigel Buchan-Swanson (1966), Liz Lawton, Waine Lawton (1965) and Jeremy Payne (1966); bottom left: Martin Calder (1991) and Anthony Pickering (1990); bottom right: Greg Baldwin (1975), Michael Willis (1976 and Cormac Petit (1973)
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Top left: Nicholas Ackerman (1984), Lisa Baxendale, Camilla Pepper, Patrick Rourke (2003), Kelly Blakemore and Costa Ghioules (2004); top right: James Deane (1990), Choppy Bands (1990) and Martin Calder (1991) ; bottom left: Michael Enotiades (2007), Brian Mannion (1978), Xavia Holt, Didier de Villiers (2013) and Alex Enotiades (2012);
bottom right: Nicholas Ackerman (1984), Costa Ghioules (2004) and Ian Currie (2005) |
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Top left: Lloyd West and Ian Currie (2005), top right: choppy Bands (1990), James Legg (1990) and Francis Eliot (1996); bottom left: Chris Olds (1999), Sabina, Anthony St John (1974) and Lloyd West, bottom right: Charles Richardson (1972) and Robert Simpson (1968)
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| Top left: hanging on to Anthony's every word; top right: Robert Johnston (2010) hanging onto former coach Joy Montgomery; bottom left: Cormac Petit (1973), Jan and Mark Evans (1971) and Denis Christie (1971) |
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| Top left: Choppy Bands (1990), James Legg (1990) and Francis Eliot; middle top: Michael Willis (1976), Charles Richardson (1972) and Steve Suckling (1976); middle bottom: Joy Montgomery, Robert Johnston (2010) and Neil Orpen (1990); right top: Jeremy Friedlander (1972), Michael Enotiades (2007), Ian Currie (2005) and Sabina; right bottom: Michael Starke (1996) and James Deane (1990) |
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Top left: Chris Olds (1999), Sabina, Anthony St John (1974), Lloyd West; middle top: Richard Immelman (1989), Robert Johnston (2010) and Choppy Bands (1990); top right: Sally Simpson, Gillie Richardson and Robert Simpson (1968);
bottom: Gordon Robinson (1990), Nahnya Petit, Peter (1974) and Fran Wood, Cormac Petit (1973) |
