The CCOBA will host the annual Reunion Weekend at College from 16–18 February. Old Boys always enjoy the sense of nostalgia that the weekend invokes and the opportunity to reflect on past experiences. It is always a good and spirited occasion.
If you are interested in attending, please register here.
The AGM will be held on Friday 16 February at 4.30pm at College. All members are welcome to attend. On the recommendation of the committee, I give notice of motions to elect former deputy headmasters Richard Bromley and Rob Donaldson, and Old Boys Peter Penlington, Tim de Castro, and Richard Batchelor as Honorary Life Members of the CCOBA. As College staff and Old Boys, they have all made a significant contribution to Christ’s College and the association. The meeting’s agenda, last year’s minutes, and accompanying documents will be available on the website from Thursday 1 February.
As night follows day, many of the CCOBA’s events follow a predictable pattern each year. I will not set out all the upcoming events. However, I hope Old Boys continue to engage with events across the country and overseas. Old Boys are increasingly engaging with the association, helped by both this newsletter and our many events.
Last week, it was announced that Garth Wynne will retire as Executive Principal at the conclusion of Term 2. Garth's faultless service to College has been remarkable. Under his leadership the school has flourished. He has lifted its game and its outlook. Through his vision as an educationalist, he has modernised College while ensuring the school remained true to its foundations and the vision of its founders. He leaves a lasting and meaningful legacy.
However, Garth has not only been a great leader of College, he has also been a champion of Old Boys. He has welcomed our involvement at College and he has been generous with his time and his thoughts. He has helped change this association to be more relevant to the next generation of Old Boys.
College has had many great heads and it will have more. However, I do not expect to see in my lifetime another as talented and reforming as Garth.
Finally, this note in The Quadrangle will be my last. It has been a privilege to serve as the association’s president over the past two years. I have greatly enjoyed meeting so many Old Boys, and working alongside Lizzie Dyer, Garth, College staff, and the committee. At next month’s AGM, I will stand down from the committee after seven years.
College is a remarkable school. Although each Old Boy’s experiences at College were different, we are linked by friendships, shared experiences, and memories. I believe the association’s role in advocating for the interests of Old Boys and College, as well as connecting alumni, remains as important as ever. Equally important is the association’s role in governing the scholarship fund which makes the opportunity of a College education available to boys who would not otherwise be able to attend.
As in all great schools, alumni play an important role in the life and the future of the institution. That is true for Christ’s College. I hope the link between students and Old Boys becomes ever stronger while the association remains faithful to its primary purpose of connecting, supporting, recording, and celebrating the history and successes of Old Boys, wherever they live, and whenever they attended College.
Angus Dysart-Paul
ccobapresident@christscollege.com
