1. family and parenting

THE OLD GREGORIAN E-NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2011
CONTACT: PRESIDENT | EDITOR | EXEC SEC | OG OFFICE AT DOWNSIDE
VISIT: OG WEB SITE | ON LINE SHOP
GENERAL ITEMS
Happy Christmas to you all!
OGs who were at Worth when it was a Prep School. No records exist of those who went to
Worth as a prep school. Please let the editor know if you are one of those and the dates you
were at Worth.
You don’t know what you are missing if you haven’t yet bought your copy of the 2011 edition of
The Old Gregorian magazine which is an excellent read and contains more news about OGs than
six copies of The Raven. A snip at £12.50 or £15 if you live outside the UK. Order your copy now
on line by clicking here and scrolling down.
Old Maltese Gregorians Soccer Match against the school: Andrew Ganado (B 85 and a current
parent of two at Downside) will be bringing an OG team across from Malta to play the 1st XI at
Downside on Saturday 3 December. Kick off at 1300.
Advent & Christmas at the Downside Pastoral Centre & Bookshop which has a wide range of
books, Christmas cards, nativity sets, candles, and gifts for sale. Why not visit it for a cup of
coffee, a slice of cake or a mince pie and a browse in the shop. To buy Downside Christmas
cards on line click here. The shop is open: Monday to Friday: 9.30am - 12.00pm & 2.00pm –
4.00pm; Saturday: 9.30am - 12.00pm and Sunday: 11.00am (after Abbey mass) – 12.30pm. For
more details call 01761 235174 or email books@downside.co.uk.
Heritage Gardens, an on line Garden Building & Furniture specialist, has a carefully chosen
selection of Christmas Gifts for the home & garden whilst its games website
www.classicindoorgames.co.uk offers a superb choice of handmade Chess & Backgammon sets.
OGs can benefit from a 15% discount during December. Personal, prompt service from Gilbert
Stedham (U 72).
Hugo Lesser (C 92) has launched a company selling luxury handmade Argentine leather goods,
and is offering OGs a 10% discount up until Christmas. Contact Hugo Lesser or enter OG1011 at
www.estados.co.uk.
The Downside Wanderers' Facebook group has now been launched. The group provides details
of fixtures, match day info and results (including scorecards). We will also include photos and
videos of matches, provide details of any social events as well as offering a forum for all things
cricket. Please follow this link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/169801023113628/.
Jamie Acheson (S97) has been appointed Cricketer Cup Captain for the Downside Wanderers
from 2012. The Wanderers will play Oundle Rovers in Round 1 on Sunday 17 June 2012.
The President and Committee of OGRFC invite players and supporters to its annual general
meeting and social (2 December at 1800 in the Private room upstairs at The Antelope, 22, Eaton
Terrace, London, SW1W 8EZ). Warning: Singing of the school song and participation in the
annual juniors v veterans boat race will be compulsory. Dress - Jacket & Tie. £10.00 will be
collected at the door charge for food. RSVP : Facebook - “OG Rugby & Friends” - please join and
/ or email Ben Jennings.
Reunion for Participants in the Ten Tors challenge (Brown’s Hotel in London 17 February
2012). For more detail please read the attachment.
Hong Kong Drinks Party (9 March 2012): venue to be announced. Contact Guy Fulton if you
would like to attend.
OG Tie/Brooch/Pendant Day (12 March 2012). Please make a note in your diary. OG Ties
available from the editor!
OG Day at Downside (12 May 2012). Please make a note in your diary.
Ullathorne 1972 &1974 Joint Reunion London Dinner (date in July 2012 to be announced). To
register an interest please contact Patrick Rea (U 75).
An OG Dinner in Germany is in the early planning stage. Please contact Nikolaus Roggendorf (R
09) to register an interest.
Guy Traynor (R 06) is currently in the process of moving to London in order to find
employment/internships. He is interested in pursuing a career in either the property sector, film
industry or working for some charitable organization. His main priority at the moment,
however, is to obtain some work experience of any sort. His CV is attached. Please help if you
are able to.
Benedict Jennings (R 05) is running the Sponsorship & Advertising for the forthcoming White
Knights’ Ball, in aid of the OMV and is its major fundraiser, with Sponsors and Advertising
forming a large part of the money raised. Another major section is the Auction Prizes, which this
year will be run by Marius Graham-Watson (S 04). Lourdes is still OMV’s largest single activity,
but this year it has also run pilgrimages to Lebanon and Malta (arranged by Anton' de Piro (C
04). Would anyone who may be willing to place an advert in the ball programme, donate a
prize, or simply help by making a donation please contact Benedict Jennings.
Ed Plunkett (B 01) is about to embark on a fund raising cycle endurance test from Gibraltar to
Hereford (The Rock to Clock) for Veterans Aid (VA) which helps destitute, homeless exServicemen; many are young. VA receives 2,000 calls for help, provides 20,000 nights of
accommodation at its hostel in Stepney annually – no fuss; also travel, food, clothing – nothing
complicated, just the basics to restore dignity. Please sponsor Ed by clicking here for his
Justgiving page. The trip will involve 3 men, 3 bikes, 5 legs, 1 tent, 150,000 Calories
burnt/man, 1583 miles of cold, rain and snow, and plenty of Deep Heat!
Simon Halliday (S 77), who organised the first Help4Heroes rugby match at Twickenham
featuring his team and the Rest-of-the-World in 2008, is organising “Help4Heroes 2” on 3
December 2011. This time teams representing the Northern and Southern Hemispheres will
play each other, also at Twickenham. It will feature world class players and coaches and will be
broadcast on Sky television. Simon hopes to better the £1.4 million the first match raised. Flier
attached.
Victoria Harrison (daughter of Robert Prendergast (S 59)) wonders if any children of OG's or
young OGs for that matter would like to come to London for 8-12 weeks from January 2012 to
be an au pair. If so, please contact Victoria for more detail.
Following the 'Movember' movement (Google will help), Anthony Murray (C 02) is raising
money for a well known charity that supports Prostate Cancer research. You can donate at this
site: http://mobro.co/AnthonyMurray. By way of incentive, 1 in 9 men will now statistically be
diagnosed with prostate cancer, so this is a very worthwhile cause, for which Anthony is growing
some very inappropriate facial hair!
Ted Bruning (U 72) has published a new book in digital form. It is “pub-related” - but then Ted
has been in the hospitality trade press for 25 years. The book, titled Lager - the Story of the
World's Favourite Beer, is available either on Kindle or as an e-book or downloadable PDF (for
those without e-reading devices) from www.authorson line.co.uk,price for a mere £2.95!
Mark Kennedy (S 92), who has suffered renal failure and been given a kidney transplant, appeals
in the attachment. Please read it and help if you can.
2012 London Marathon (22 April 2012). If you would like to run to help raise funds for the
Downside Fisher Youth Club, details of how you can do this are attached.
Michael Callender (C 56) has just completed his second book titled Leopard on a Razor Wire,
about his 40 years in South Africa - the "Wild South' as he terms this controversial land and
others on 'The Dark Continent'. He risked losing his life on several occasions, including a buffalo
goring and drowning in a kayak race in a notorious wild river known as the Duzi. The
Benedictine monks of Downside are given full praise in his book, as indeed the school itself, for
the indomitable spirit which they instilled in the boys to deal with the vicissitudes of life. Click
here to buy your copy or contact Michael direct by e-mail or telephone 0033 (0)490 720566.
DIARY DATES
2 Dec – OGRFC AGM
17 Feb 2012 – Ten Tors Dinner in London
9 Mar 2012 – OG Drinks Party in Hong Kong
12 Mar 2012 – OG Tie Day
12 May 2012 – OG Day at Downside
DEATHS WITHIN THE GREGORIAN FAMILY
Deaths. The deaths of the following members of the Gregorian Family were reported during
November:
1. Thomas Addington (B 37)
2. Peter Martin (R 49)
3. Redmond Mullin (C 53)
Please pray for them and those they left behind.
© 2003 St Gregory's Society