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T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 8 EDiToRiAL At the beginning of 2014, it is good to take heart that the first magazine that is in general circulation is dated 1914 and thus we are celebrating the Centenary of publications of 'The Stationer' and its successor, 'The Old Stationer'. The last edition of 'The Stationer' was published in July, 1983, thirty years ago when the Stationers' Company's School closed its doors for the last time. However, 'The Old Stationer' had already appeared, under the aegis of Hermon Symons, as the School's publication was intermittent at that time. By now, 2014, 'The Old Stationer' is a regular magazine appearing twice a year, in February and July. What a record firstly, the School Magazines are, of the events and activities that took place in School and in the Old Boys, each School magazine having a section of Old Boys Pages; and secondly 'The Old Stationer' full of events and activities of the Old Stationers' Association and its members. Once again, the number of Reunions of Year Groups continue to take place, with four celebrations during the time of this publication. The year group celebrating their year of intake, for the first time was the 1963 group, marking 50 years since starting at Stationers, followed by year groups of 1944, 1951 and 1954 who have regular reunions. The outcome of such events is that 14 new members were added in the summer and there are another 14 here in this edition. This is remarkable that the membership has increased by more than 5% in one year when there is no alma mater! There is no doubt that the diligence of Gordon Rose has much to do with the efficiency of the system of membership, working together with each Stationer who organises a Reunion, in sending out forms to Stationers who, formerly were not members. At the mention of Gordon Rose, I am delighted to say that having had a spell in hospital, we are pleased to see Gordon back home and being able to pick up on many of his interests and activities. The sad side of membership, of course, is that we are also recording deaths of members, many of whom, have been members for many years. We welcome the new members. We sympathise with Old Stationers who have lost their spouses and other close relations in recent time and with the families of former members who have died. The AGM takes place on Friday, 28th March, 2013 at 6.00pm. If you wish to be nominated for a place on the Committee, please inform the Honorary Secretary, Tony Hemmings, whose details are on page 3 of Magazine Number 77. Tel. No. 01992 638535. E-mail: hemmingsac@hotmail.com Anyone interested please contact Tony before the 28th March. Tony Moffat is looking to update our membership data base. If your e-mail address has recently changed, please let Tony Moffat know of the change. All details on Page 3 of Magazine Number 77. Also Tel. No. 01954 782366. E-mail: tnymfft@aol.com Mike Pinfield has also set up a button on the front page of the website to make it easy to email with your details. Congratulations to Reg Bailey 1961-1967, on being awarded the CBE for his brilliant work for the Mothers' Union and on tackling the commercialisation of childhood. Very many thanks to all the contributors to this edition, their contributions are very much Reg Bailey CBE appreciated by the readers and the editor. The correspondence section is of great interest where a number of members have taken the trouble to write. The articles are so varied often referring to events in the past, still vivid in the mind of the writer and of interest to his contemporaries. The travels, at home and abroad, under the section 'Far as you Roam', actual experiences of Old Stationers, give an added richness to these pages. Keep on writing! A Happy New Year to all our Readers. Geraint Pritchard DATES for the DiARY AGM & ANNuAL DiNNER Friday March 28th 2014 Stationers' Hall, Ave Maria Lane LONDON EC4 7DD AGM 6.00pm. Annual Dinner 7.00pm. LuNCHEoN MEETiNGS Thursday May 8th 2014 Imperial Hotel Russell Square Wednesday September 10th 2014 Imperial Hotel Russell Square Wednesday December 3rd 2014 Stationers' Hall, Ave Maria Lane PRESiDENT'S DAY Sunday August 24th 2014 42nd Annual Cricket Match Botany Bay, East Lodge Lane, Enfield, EN2 8AS Lunch 12.30pm; Match 2.00pm. oSA CARoL SERViCE To be advised 4
T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 5 PRESiDENT'S ADDRESS As 2013 comes to an end and my presidential year of office passes the halfway mark, I am pleased to report that the Association continues to remain in very good heart thanks to the efforts of a small but dedicated and hardworking committee and to the wonderful support that you all give for the many activities that fill the Association's calendar year. Membership continues to remain strong at just over 500, and it is pleasing to see that despite the inevitable passing away of old friends, new applications for membership are constantly coming forward and being processed by our Membership Secretary, Gordon Rose. As your President for this year, I have had the privilege of being very involved in many of the Association's events and activities. As golf is a major passion of mine (as well as Arsenal of course), I have been particularly delighted to see the O.S. Golf Society flourish under the able leadership of Peter Bonner. This year I was able to participate in four events, the first being against Old Tollingtonians in May at the West Herts Golf Club, and then at Dyrham Park in a match against the Stationers' Company, and finally in two trophy events in July, at Mill Green and in September at Aldwickbury Golf Club. No President's luck I'm afraid as we lost both matches against Old Tollingtonians and the Stationers' Company (just!) and I came runner up for the second year running in the Trophy events behind Bruce Kitchener. It was great fun though with lots of banter and camaraderie and we always sit down for a nice meal after each game . So if you play a bit of golf and haven't joined the OSGC then I would thoroughly recommend that you came along and take part. After playing for the Old Stationers Football Club for 29 years until the knees gave way in 1992, I was delighted to be invited to the OSFC Annual Dinner at the Southgate Masonic Centre on May 10th, 2013. It was a wonderful evening, very well organised by Jim Mulley and Dave Fuller, with Pat Dunphy as a very amusing and entertaining Toastmaster. Another event that I was pleased to attend was the Annual Ex-Players Reunion that took place on Saturday afternoon October 12th at the Clubhouse of Old Elizabethans Memorial Ground in Barnet. Meeting old friends, a number of whom I had played with over many years, and watching from the touchline our 1st Eleven brought back so many happy memories. Returning after the game to the Clubhouse for the usual convivial refreshments and aftermatch banter, was like going back in time. Well done to Ian Meyrick, the Chairman of the OSFC, and his assistants, for keeping those dreams and memories alive for us 'old codgers'. The sporting occasion of the presidential year so far, was not Arsenal beating Spurs, but of course, President's Day. My grateful thanks to all of you who supported me by attending with your families at the Botany Bay Cricket Club on August 25th. We had a lovely day; the weather was kind to us after a lot of overnight rain which at one stage threatened to wash out the game. My team manager, Geoff Blackmore, was a little worried when I insisted on opening the bowling, but he felt more at ease when he found out that I was probably the only Old Stationer to ever gain an international cap at cricket! Yes indeed, I played for Malta against the British Commandos in 1969 and was run out for 0 going in at number 11. (Take a look at the photography in the Gallery Section of our website and see what you think of my bowling action.) Well, my President's XI capped a brilliant day by comfortably beating Botany Bay in a restricted over match by 8 wickets. My thanks again to Gordon Rose and Tony Hemmings as well as Geoff Blackmore, for organising and overseeing the event so well. I always enjoy a good lunch especially in the company of old friends, and it has been a pleasure to attend the May and September Luncheons at the Imperial Hotel, which are always superbly and efficiently organised by Alan Green. At the May lunch I was very pleased to welcome as my special guest, Mr Nicholas Hammond, the Headmaster of Wisbech School, the School which kindly took in some 312 pupil evacuees and staff from Stationers between 1939 and 1942. There are of course still Old Stationers amongst us who can remember those days, and it is nice to see that our shared history has led to an underlying desire to maintain links between the two schools. My guest at the September Luncheon was William Alden, the Clerk to the Company, who was able to confirm that the Stationers' Company is planning to open a new school, probably south of the river. We should be able to hear more about these proposals at our December Luncheon at the Hall, when the Master of the Stationers' Company, Tom Hempenstall, will be my special guest. The Master had already invited me to a splendid Court Luncheon at the Hall on October 1st, where I was made very welcome and look forward to reciprocating. During the course of my Presidential Year, I chair a number of committee meetings which take place on Monday evenings at the Botany Bay Cricket Club. I have been very impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the Committee and I can assure you that the Association is in very good hands. I particularly want to single out the work of Tony Hemmings as Secretary. Tony has been a stalwart behind the scenes operating with a steadying and wise influence which is most appreciated by the Committee. I cannot thank Tony enough for the guidance and friendly support that he has given me during my period of office. However, we cannot be complacent with our future for indeed it is a finite future and as our esteemed editor, Geraint Pritchard has emphasised in a recent OS magazine, the challenge for us members, if we wish to continue to enjoy the rich variety of events and activities that bring us together, is to be proactive in recruiting into the Association. There are literally hundreds and hundreds if not thousands of Old Stationers out there who know 5
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From THE Archives 60 YEARS ago In C
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OSAmag78

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