With only weeks to go until the 2016 dinner at the Highcliff Marriott in Bournemouth on Friday 23 September, please get your bookings in now, via the booking form. Note that the dinner is only open to pupils who have attended the school plus past & present staff, i.e. not wives/partners unless they themselves attended Bournemouth School.
Old Boy John Dearing (1957-65) writes:
I have heard today that my contemporary, David Hopkinson who was at Bournemouth School from about 1958-65 has sadly died in Sligo, Ireland. David worked in technical publishing for over 20 years, aspiring at one point to being “Father of the Chapel” but took early retirement some 20 years ago, moving to Ireland in 1994. He was just over 70 at the time of his death.
Sue Alun-Jones writes to inform us of the death of her father, Thomas William George Farmer.
Mr Farmer was born on 11 February 1930 and attended Bournemouth School in the 1940s. He died peacefully on 21 July 2016.
A funeral service will be held on Thursday 4 August 2016 at 2.00pm at St Michael and All Angels, Highclere, near Newbury.
The Old Bournemouthians’ Association has teamed up with award-winning Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to offer OBA members a very tempting 10% discount on their first sailing with the line – and that’s on top of any current offers. Existing Fred. Olsen customers can save 5%, in addition to their 5% loyalty club discount.
To book, please call the Old Bournemouthians booking hotline 0800 0355 108, quoting code BOURNE10. Alternatively, you can validate your membership and claim your discount through this page on Fred. Olsen’s site, which also contains the terms and conditions.
We hope that members considering a cruise will benefit from this arrangement, however, the OBA takes no responsibility for travel booked with Fred. Olsen through this offer or otherwise.
Since contacting us last September to let us know that he was relaunching The Bournemouthian, the school newspaper, Ian Westhead has been busy. The paper now lives again, online, with some very impressive and interesting pieces, such as this overview of the school’s finances.
Ian has been in touch to suggest that some Old Boys may be interested in his scans of previous covers of the (print) editions of The Bournemouthian. It certainly brought back memories for this erstwhile editor.
Hugh Walker, the son of the late artist, composer and Bournemouth School teacher Bernard Walker has been in touch to share his online tribute to his father’s life. The website has a variety of material from Mr Walker senior’s life, including some of his programme designs and playbills from his time at the school that were found among his papers in 2014.
We can now announce that the following dates have been reserved for the Old Bournemouthians’ Association annual dinner.
The venue for these three events will be the Highcliff Marriott in Bournemouth (the same venue as in 2015). We look forward to seeing you.
Alan Owen writes:
I was at Bournemouth School from 1980-88. I recently read an article on School Officer Training corps from 1938 which recorded that the school’s OTC wore a gilding metal school coat of arms badge in their caps. When I was in the CCF we wore the Royal Armoured Corps cap badge due to the linkage to Bovington camp. The Signals platoon were given the Signal cap badge in 1984 with a parade at the bottom of the sports field. Anyway I recently found an old OTC badge which I thought you might like to use in your magazine as it might jog a few memories. I have as yet been unable to date when the badge changed to the RAC so if you know I would be grateful for the date.
Does anyone have any ideas?
A reminder that Old Bournemouthian ties are still available from our Membership Secretary, Graham Jones, for £9 delivered. The picture below shows the design. If you would like to buy one, please send a cheque payable to the Old Bournemouthians’ Association to Graham at 30 Wishart Gardens, Muscliffe, Bournemouth BH9 3QZ.
If anyone can name an English Literature master from the school in the period 1939-1946, please could they get in touch by email, or by commenting on this post? We have had an enquiry from an Old Boy of the era.