THE INAUGURAL UK ODU CAROL SERVICE

In 1935, in the Memorial Chapel under the direction of the Head of Music, Dr Claude Brown, Bishops, following the King's College Cambridge format, held its first Ceremony of Nine Lessons and Carols. It has been sung at the School every year since then.

87 years later, on Wednesday 7th December 2022, the UK Branch of the ODU held the first ever Bishops Carol Service outside the School campus. All Saints Margaret Street was the venue, a beautiful church in Fitzrovia designed by William Butterfield who also designed the school chapel at Rugby (arguably the most magnificent school chapel in the UK). 

Led by the choir of All Saints, the service was attended by ODs, family and friends, some Old Hiltonians and a former headboy of Paarl Boys High School (!). It included four carols composed by ODs: John Joubert's (O, 1944) There is no Rose and Torches, Grant McLachlan's (F, 1973) Come, Colours Rise (words by Frank Barry (G, 1973)) and Dormi Jesu composed by Stephen Carletti (G, 1983). And all the old favourites (see Order of Service at the bottom of this post).

Eight of lessons were read by ODs (as is tradition, the Vicar reads the ninth) and those readers were:

• Paul Murray (ODU Ambassador)
• Jonathan Frost (S, 2016)
• Thomas Withington (W, 2000)
• Caelim Parkes (O, 1990)
• Nick Boswell (S, 2010)
• Jeremy Friedlander (F, 1972)
• Niall Carroll (O, 1981)
• Nicky Bicket (F, 1973)

In this glorious church where we sang from candle-lit service sheets, from the beautiful soprano solo of the first verse of Once in Royal David's City, through the soaring descants of the much-loved carols we sang at School, to the (by popular demand) thundering recessional, the Widor Toccata, it was a truly beautiful and uplifting occasion.

Mulled wine and mince pies were served afterwards and, if that were even necessary after the magnificent singing - congregation included! - that fortified us for our homeward journey. London is very cold at this time of the year and for once, singing In the Bleak Midwinter we, as UK ODs, don't anymore have to rely on our imagination as to what that really means. 

This was the inaugural out-of-Cape Town Bishops/ODU Carol Service; it was a resounding success and will most certainly be on our calendar next year. Wednesday 6th December, back at All Saints. Make a note.

To watch and listen to the carols composed by our ODs, click on the titles below:

TORCHES by John Joubert

DORMI JESU by Stephen Carletti

COME, COLOURS RISE by Grant McLachlan

THERE IS NO ROSE by John Joubert

and

HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING followed by the Widor Toccata

Please click on the photos to enlarge/download

The lighting of the candles before the start of the service

The choir singing the opening carol

Fr Peter Anthony, Vicar of All Saints Margaret Street, saying the Bidding Prayer

The OD readers (clockwise from top left): Paul Murray, Jonathan Frost (S, 2016), Thomas Withington (W, 2000) Caelim Parkes (O, 1990), Nicky Bicket (F, 1973), Niall Carroll (O, 1981), Jeremy Friedlander (F, 1972 and Nick Boswell (S, 2010)

THE CONGREGATION

The Choir recess

AFTERWARDS

Mince pies and mulled wine de rigueur

Paul Murray and Peter (W, 1965) and Diana Arthur

Anthony Record MBE (S, 1956) and Caelim Parkes (O, 1990)

Peter Robinson (S, 1966) and John Battersby (W, 1966)

Michael Starke (K, 1996) and Virgil Parenzee (O, 1996)

Robert Simpson (S, 1968), Jeremy Friedlander (F, 1972) and Verne Grinstead (PBHS, 1972). Sally Simpson with back to the camera

Rob White-Cooper (S, 1961) and Debs Morris

James Husband (G, 2010), Nick Boswell (S, 2010) and Guy Whitfield (F, 2010)

Brian Mannion (S, 1979)

Caelim Parkes (O, 1990), Maida Shivik and Adrian Bottega (W, 2000)

Niall Carroll (O, 1981) and John Parker-Wood (G, 1960)

THE ORDER OF SERVICE

OF FEUDING FAMILIES, ETON, CRICKET AND ... JAMES BOND

Matthew Fleming is a Partner at the international wealth management and family office Stonehage Fleming. He is also a commissioned army officer, international cricketer, former Chairman of the MCC and great-nephew of Ian Fleming whose bestselling book, a bit counterintuitively if James Bond springs automatically to mind, was ... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And whose familial and literary legacy still infuses the Fleming family of which Matthew is the fifth generation.

His role at Stonehage Fleming is to counsel high net worth families on intergenerational wealth planning. In practice, this means, on occasion, mediating between warring family factions, creating the balance between wealth preservation, wealth augmentation and using that wealth as a force for good. Not always compatible goals. To do this job, one has to be tactful, insightful, empathetic and, above all, have a sense of humour.

Matthew Fleming

Matthew has these in spades. Pithily introduced by Thomas Withington (W, 1990) Matthew gave an urbane and witty talk to UK ODs on Thursday 3rd November at Stonehage Fleming's new and very smart offices in St James's. He spoke with great self-deprecating humour, starting by alerting us to the differences between English English and South African English and the pitfalls of the British  propensity for very confusing (to South Africans who are generally more direct) mitigating speech. Basically, pay attention to what I mean, not what I say. Huh? He touched on the highs and lows of his time at Eton (low academically, he confessed), time spent in South Africa - mainly Cape Town, and there, mainly Forries and the Pig & Whistle - and his twelve years as a professional cricketer (England international), a career brought to an abrupt end by the unforgiving batting of South Africa's Lance Klusener. 

That out the way, he moved onto wealth planning, stressing the critical importance of clarity of purpose to guide and align families. It should never, he said, be about, or start with, the money. He talked about Stonehage's "Four Pillars of Capital": Financial, Intellectual, Social and Cultural, the guiding principles underpinning the organisation's philosophy. He also talked about the lessons he had learned from his father which in order were: country first, then community, then family and only then oneself. And another life lesson from his father: be the very best you can be, no matter what the field of endeavour.

In all it was a great privilege to listen to him, notwithstanding his somewhat oblique observation about Bishops (about which he was extremely complimentary) being the best school in Rondebosch (we think, in that British mitigating way, he really meant South Africa — or perhaps,  even,  the world)!  We hope we will hear more from him. 

We are extremely are grateful to Thomas Withington who works in the investment area and Hamish Sinclair (S, 1992) a Partner at Stonehage, for their kindness in hosting us and their ongoing support for the UK Branch.

Please click on the photos to enlarge/download.

Caelim Parkes (O, 1990) and Nick Bell (S, 1998)

Gabi Grodzki, Stuart Bristow (K, 2914) and James Johnston (G, 2012)

Greg Baldwin (O, 1975), Tim Loughton (G, 1993), Peter Arthur (W, 1965) and John Parker-Wood (G, 1960)

Hamish Sinclair (S, 1992), Mark Jones (K, 2007), Brice Dunlop (F, 2012) and David Jordan (W, 1962)

Hamish Sinclair (S, 1992) and Oliver Cunningham (K, 1991)

James Johnston (G, 2012) Hamish Sinclair (S, 1992 (back to camera)), Greg Wibberley and Oliver Cunningham (K, 1991)

Mark Jones (K, 2007), Brice Dunlop (F, 2012) and David Jordan (W, 1962)

Matthew Fleming and Tim Loughton (G, 1993)

Matthew Fleming, James Johnston (G, 2012), Nick Heesom (W, 1961) David Jordan (W, 1962) and Wendy Heesom

Nick Bell (S, 1998), Caelim Parkes (O, 1990) and Adrian Bottega (W, 2000)

Adrian Bottega (W, 2000), Nick Bell, Nick Heesom (W, 1961) and Wendy Heesom

Peter Arthur (W, 1965) and Miles Maskell (O, 1953)

Peter Arthur, John Campbell (F, 1974) and James Johnston (G, 2012)

Reece Corbett (S, 2017) and Carrie Mandy

Rob Campbell and Brice Dunlop

Tim Loughton, Peter Arthur, John Parker-Wood with Greg Baldwin back to camera

Thomas Withington

Matthew Fleming speaking

Listening attentively: Mark Jones, John Parker-Wood, Miles Maskell, James Johnston, Thomas Withington and Peter Arthur