What is the purpose of the ODU Dinner? It can’t just be a Sporting &
Dining Club get-together for ODs to meet to have a “jolly good time” since with
social media and the world a global village, ODs can - and do - arrange jolly good
times for themselves.
But yet still we hold them – the largest being in Cape Town
– but with others, specifically in the UK, achieving high engagement. 90 ODs,
fifteen percent of the total up here, come to do more than have a jolly good time; they come to renew relationships, rekindle memories and
work at meeting ODs they have not known and build mutually beneficial networks
which other than in and around their own years, they couldn’t otherwise do. And to celebrate their School which today plays an even more important and responsible role in South Africa than it might have done "in our time". So that when we drink a Toast to Bishops, it is in part recognising the past, what it has meant to us and wishing it well (and committing our support) for its future.
On Friday 29th June, we held the 2018 dinner at our now
almost-spiritual-home, the Carlton Club in London. We, with wives and partners,
assembled in the stately Morning Room for pre-dinner drinks before being
marshalled into the Churchill Room for dinner.
Tom Baigrie (F, 2978) once
again amusingly but firmly guided and nudged the evening along in his
witty and commanding style. He thanked various guests, in particular Anthony Record MBE (S, 1956) who not only - again - very generously donated the wine for the dinner but is also our sponsoring member of the Carlton. Matthew
Golesworthy (K, 2011) said the Grace of Jesus
College Oxford, somewhat disloyally being a New College man himself, but selflessly setting up Nick Dowdall (G, 2008) who is a current Bishops Rhodes Scholar and a member of Jesus College.
Nick then proposed the toast to Bishops and he did so with aplomb, wit and a sensitivity, talking about what the School meant to him. He captivated his audience with his message that in return for the privilege of a Bishops education, we had a responsibility to play leading (in the widest
possible sense) roles in society and that Bishops boys/ODs should not turn
their backs on this on “paying forward”.
Raymond Ackerman (S,1948) the ODU
President welcomed ODs and their guests underscoring Nick’s message and
stressing the indivisible links between the country and Bishops, and the ODs
with the School. Such relationships created obligations and responsibilities
and Bishops, now more than ever, has a role to play in the developing South
African democracy.
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Speakers' Corner: Guy Pearson, Tom Baigrie,
Matthew Golesworthy, Nick Dowdall,
Raymond Ackerman and Choppy Bands
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Guy Pearson, Bishops
Principal was our main speaker and guest of honour. He spoke of the essence of
Bishops, the challenges the School has faced and will continue to battle with
and the leadership role it must (and does) play in the country. Leaders are
what Bishops produces, not always in the obvious high-profile roles of
business, politics and sport (where the School is well represented anyway) but
in society, charities and education and any field of endeavour where vision,
courage and an ability to bring people along is required. Guy gave a examples
boys in the school who have displayed such characteristics which the school,
both formally and informally – because it’s Bishops – has nurtured. He said –
without any disagreement – that it was the very essence of Bishops that it was
alive to these talents and potential and set about uniquely to develop them.
Boys who leave Bishops become ODs and the link and relationship between the
School and the ODU is crucial in supporting Bishops boys throughout their lives
to make a difference in society wherever and whichever they are, but importantly, for the
advancement of South Africa.
Choppy Bands (K, 1990)
replied and thanked Guy for his wonderful and sympathetic address.
Choppy touched on the key points of Guy’s speech stressing the importance of
the seamless Bishops-ODU relationship. And presented Guy with a small token of
our appreciation.
After dinner, we were back in the Morning Room where, at midnight, our
revels ended, another truly wonderful home-from-home OD dinner came to a close.
Perhaps it is WB Yeats, who in his The Municipal Gallery Revisited, gets us closest to the answer of why we do all this when he wrote:
"Think where man's glory most begins and ends,
And say my glory was I had such friends."
Until next year, Pro Fide et
Patria.
The houses and years of the ODs in the photos are given at the end of this blog
Click on the photos to enlarge
Pre-dinner drinks reception:
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| This is how it starts |
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| Warming up in the Carlton's Drawing Room |
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Top: Byron Messaris, Matthew Fawcett, Justin Thorne and Guy de Freitas
Bottom: James During, Doug Mallett, Christopher Leach and Justin Thorne
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| Neil Orpen, Pat Thomas Baldwin and Greg Baldwin (in the background: Nick Heesom) |
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| Murray McPherson, Choppy Bands and Marc Willmott |
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| Charles McGregor, Rupert Pardoe, and Peter and Marie Syfret |
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| Lood van Niekerk, Matthew Golesworthy, Philip van Biljon and Abu Talib Sheikh |
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| Stephen Ryall and Justin Fish |
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| Marie Syfret, Guy Pearson and Rupert Pardoe |
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| Julian Wood and Tim Loughton |
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| David Shepherd, Matthew Fawcett and Guy de Freitas |
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| Dru Danford and Simon Milne |
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| Anthony Record MBE and Carole Turner-Record |
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| Ian Curie and Charles McGregor |
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| Nick Dowdall, Rupert Pardoe and Sir Winston Churchill |
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| Peter Syfret, Marée Pearson and Marie Syfret |
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| John Richards, Dru Danford and Simon Milne |
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| Gordon Robinson, Stephen Larkin and Neil Orpen |
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| Nick Dowdall, Tom Baigrie and Nicky Bicket |
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| Byron Messaris and Matt Hacking |
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James Stewart and James Plimsoll
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| Pete Karstel and Mano Ghioules |
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| Raymond Ackerman, Camilla Pepper, Wendy Ackerman and Nick Heesom |
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Back: Doug Mallett, Justin Thorne, James Stewart, James Plimsoll, James During
Front: Brett Ormrod and Darren Bosman
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| John Richards and Dru Danford |
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| Lood van Niekerk and Philip van Biljon |
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| Tom Baigrie, Eric Louw, Nicky Bicket and Raymond Ackerman |
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| James Deane, Marc Willmott and Murray McPherson |
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| Gordon Robinson, Niall Carroll, Caelim Parkes and Iain Derrick |
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| Mark and Olga Hartnady and on the right, Chris Clemes |
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| Wendy and Raymond Ackerman and Charles McGregor |
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| Eric Allan, Nicholas Olds and Stephen Ryall |
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| Olga and Mark Hartnady, Riandi and Matthew Bilton, David Shepherd and Stephen Lourandos |
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| James During, Doug Mallett, Chris Leach and Justin Thorne |
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| Byron Messaris, Mathew Fawcett, Matt Hacking and Guy de Freitas |
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Top: left: Matthew Golesworthy and Camilla Pepper; right: Marc Willmott, Murray McPherson and Choppy Bands
Bottom: left: Nick Heesom, Neil Orpen, Pat Thomas Baldwin and Greg Baldwin; right: Rupert Hill, Dru Danford and Gordon Robinson
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Left: Stephen Larkin and Iain Derrick
Right: Nick Heesom and Camilla Pepper
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Top: left: WWW and Simon Milne; right: Doug Mallett and Justin Thorne
Bottom: left: Peter Karstel and Stu Commins; right: Charles McGregor and Rupert Pardoe
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| Nicky Bicket, and Guy and Marée Pearson |
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| Tom Baigrie and Nicky Bicket |
Dinner
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| The Churchill Room, the beautifully laid tables and the traditional "E" |
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| Moving to dinner |
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| Arguing about the seating plan |
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| Tom Baigrie welcoming guests |
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| Matthew Golesworthy (l) saying Grace with Abu Talib Sheikh and Rupert Tripp |
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| Celebrating James Johnston's selection to Team GB Rowing |
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| Nick Dowdall proposing the Toast to Bishops … |
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| The Toast... |
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| … the Toast |
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| Raymond Ackerman beginning his welcome ... |
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| … and finishing |
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| Garth Gilmour, Pat Thomas Baldwin, Vibeke Gilmour and Greg Baldwin |
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| Guy Pearson |
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| Guy's speech well-received |
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| Choppy Bands replying ... |
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| … and thanking Guy ... |
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| … and presents Guy with a gift from the UK ODU, a crystal bowl with an engraving of the Bishops Chapel and a message of thanks |
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| Byron Messaris, Nicholas Ackerman, and Adam and Sebastian Francke-Matthecka |
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| Tom Baigrie, Rupert Pardoe, Wendy Ackerman, Nick Heesom and Marée Pearson |
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Caelim Parkes and Choppy Bands
James Stewart and Mano Ghioules
Rupert Hill and Seb O'Keefe
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Marée Pearson and Raymond Ackerman
Carole Turner Record and Nicky Bicket
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Darren Bosman, James During and James Plimsoll
Abu Talib Sheikh, Rupert Tripp and Ben Baigrie
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Christopher Leach and Renier Horne
Stephen Larkin and Stuart Crawford-Browne
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Vibeka Gilmour and Greg Baldwin
Nick Heesom and Marée Pearson
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Adam Franke-Matthecka and Nicholas Ackerman
Ed Sellier and Matthew Fawcett
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Seb Franke-Matthecka and Jos Cunningham
Guy de Freitas and Byron Messaris
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Camilla Pepper, Seb Franke-Matthecka and Olivia Crawford
Rupert Pardoe and Wendy Ackerman
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Nick Stirton and Olivia Crawford
Camilla Pepper and Karolina Lahdenpaa
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Dominic Hibbert and Ian Currie
Stuart Commins and Peter Karstel
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Doug Mallett and Brett Ormrod
Anthony Record MBE and Guy Pearson
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And the after-party in back in the Drawing Room
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| Christopher Leach and Justin Fish |
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| Greg Dooley |
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| Doug Mallett, Justin Thorne, James During, Justin Fish and James Plimsoll |
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| Add caption |
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| Renier Horne, Justin Thorne, Guy de Freitas, Ian Currie and Byron Messaris |
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| Niall Carroll and Gordon Robinson |
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| Rupert Tripp, Nick Heesom, Nicky Bicket, Pat Thomas Baldwin and Niall Carroll |
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| Stuart Commins and Christopher Leach |
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| Stephen Lourandos and Greg Dooley |
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| Ian Currie, Greg Baldwin, Pat Thomas Baldwin and Christopher Leach |
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| Add caption |
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| Philip van Biljon and Matthew Golesworthy |
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| Nicholas Olds, James Stewart, Stephen Ryall and Justin Fish |
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| Mr and Mrs Greg Baldwin |
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| Matthew Golesworthy and Philip van Biljon |
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| Rupert Tripp, Ben Baigrie and Eric Allan |
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| A Founders reunion: Garth Gilmour, Rupert Pardoe, Gordon Robinson and Nicky Bikcet |
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| Olivia Crawford, Karolina Lahdenpaa, Nick Stirton and Seb Franke-Matthecka |
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| Christopher Leach, Doug Mallett and Nicholas Ackerman |
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| Philip van Biljon, Matthew Golesworthy and Lood van Niekerk |
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| James Stewart, Peter Karstel, Stuart Commins and Christopher Leach |
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| Rupert Pardoe and Jeremy Friedlander |
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| Brett Ormrod, James Plimsoll, James During and Christopher Leach |
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| Eric Allan and Nicholas Olds |
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| Nicholas Olds, Justin Fish, Stephen Ryall, Eric Allan and Rupert Tripp |
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| James Stewart, Peter Karstel and Stuart Commins |
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b: Nicholas Olds, Eric Allan, Nicky Bicket, Darren Bosman, James During, James Plimsoll, Justin Fish, Christopher Leach and Peter Karstel
f: Ben Baigrie, Rupert Tripp and Stephen Ryall |
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| Pat and Greg Baldwin and Iain Derrick |
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| James During, Christopher Leach and James Plimsoll |
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| Justin Thorne, Stuart Commins, Darren Bosman, Seb Franke-Matthecka, Doug Mallett, James Plimsoll, James During and Rupert Tripp |
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| Nick Dowdall, Nicholas Olds, Matthew Golesworthy and Lood van Niekerk |
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| (Caelim Parkes) Nick Dowdall and James Stewart |
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| As above |
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| Lood van Niekerk, Matthew Golesworthy, Philip van Biljon, Ben Baigrie and Nicholas Olds |
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| Caelim Parkes, Nicky Bicket, Lood van Niekerk and Neil Orpen |
