OCA NEWS President’s Update October 2023 15.09.2023

Dear Old Collyerians,

I hope it has been an excellent summer for all and you have had a good opportunity to relax, travel and spend time with family and friends. As usual, the OCA marked the summer with a reunion event, this time to Chichester cathedral. Details and some photos of our trip can be viewed in this newsletter and also on the OCA website.

Thank you all for your engagement in discussions of the scheduling of our annual dinner. In the survey distributed to OCs earlier in the year there was a majority preference for continuing with a spring scheduling for the dinner so that we can take advantage of lighter evenings and spring weather. We thus look forward to gathering again at the college on 23 March 2024.

We continue to build the membership of the OCA to reflect the different generations of Old Collyerians and I am delighted to say that this summer more new members joined us as part of our invitation to departing Collyer’s students to take up a free membership for five years. We look forward to meeting more of our new members at upcoming events and to connecting with them through new channels including the OCA Instagram account where all OCs on Instagram are warmly welcomed to follow us: @old_collyerians_association.

We are also continuing to work on our ‘Decade Representatives’ scheme whereby we hope shortly to increase the representation on our OCA committee so that we have dedicated members representing the different decades of Collyer’s since the 1960s and supporting us in offering events and opportunities that speak to these cohorts.

The Association continues to work closely with Collyer’s to support the college’s continued academic excellence and the delivery of its ambitions including new building projects and the Quincentenary Fund. The opening of the new Shelley Building in September was attended by our Vice-President and we are grateful to Principal Dan Lodge and the college leadership team for the updates provided in this newsletter and through other channels.

Upcoming events include our AGM, to be held both in person and via Zoom on Saturday 18 November, and an opportunity to attend the Collyer’s Carol Service and a drinks gathering on Tuesday 5 December. Further details can be found in our Upcoming Events section.

I’d like to close by thanking the OCA Committee whose officers and members continue to give generously of their time and energy to ensure the health and vibrancy of the Association as it builds on its 100-year history. As my tenure as OCA President moves into its last months, I look forward to my continued involvement as a committee member and to supporting my successor.

I very much look forward to seeing you at the upcoming AGM and other OCA events and I wish you all the best for the autumn.

Roger