Dear Old Godhelmian,
Abou the very successful Reunion held on 9th October 2021 at Godalming College and the Inn on the Lake.
As committee member David Hayes says:
“This year’s enlarged programme was noticeable and gave people a wider choice of activities in addition to chatting to old schoolmates, lunch and the school tour which are regular reunion features.
[…] Lunch was very good too – reasonably priced tasty food served in generous portions, and with sufficient seating for everyone available in the college canteen.
[…] The Inn event was well attended and there was sufficient lounge space for those that came. In fact, it seems that late afternoon/evening at the Inn is now an established part of the reunion day. We are able to reserve comfortable lounge space at no cost to the OGA, and it means that the reunion runs from 11am to 11pm for those who want to stay the whole day.”
The next full reunion is planned for October 2023.
Treasurer
Peter Cousins has now taken over the role of Treasurer from Caroline Brooks. We are very grateful to him and welcome him to the OGA committee. He can be contacted at The Queens Head, 23 The Terrace, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1BP and pc537110@gmail.com If you would like to make a donation, please contact him.
Book – Godalming Grammar: A School on a Hill.
This is progressing well and we have collated a number of short articles and photos. However, there is always room for more. If you have any interesting information or photos about the school, please send them to Annette Ettorre (annette.ettorre@gmail.com).
The OGA is still seeking a sponsor to help with the financial aspect of this project. Please let us know as soon as possible if you have any ideas or contacts. We are considering having some advertising in the book to help with the costs.
The book will hopefully have a wider audience than just Old Godhelmians and sales of the volume will add to our funds. A second draft will be ready by summer 2022.
Poetry Workshop
We are hoping to hold an online poetry workshop in the Spring. This will be a trial run, and if successful will become a regular event. Each session will be led by a different person, starting with Pat Williams (née Youngfir). During the workshops various poems will be analysed and poets will be discussed. This is one of Pat’s choices: https://poets.org/poem/one-art
Dan Eley
The life and work of Dan Eley is an example of an ex-student who has overcome personal difficulties. He has gone on to establish a charity which contributes to the personal and professional development of underprivileged children and young people living in poverty or disadvantaged circumstances (http://daneleyfoundation.org/).
Membership
- To date (December 2021) 461 people have confirmed their membership of the OGA and 151 people have registered on the Website.
- Please register on the website (https://www.theoga.org/) in order to access the full range of information and photographs.
Essential Information
Website
The website (www.theoga.org) has been updated by Richard Hindle with support from Mary Pugh and Eleanor Andrews and is now live.
- Archive material (photographs, obituaries, history, etc.) from the original website has mostly been retained.
- We are adding more material all the time.
Archive
- We would be grateful for GGS images, in high definition. Until further notice, please send in digital form to Eleanor (evwandrews3@gmail.com).
Social Media
- Currently there are three Facebook pages for ex-pupils of Godalming Grammar School:
- GGS School Reunion 2017 (a closed group set up for that specific purpose)
- Godalming Grammar School Reunion (a public group set up for a specific reunion)
- Godalming Grammar School (a closed general group)
- Godalming College has a Facebook page.
- There is another interesting Facebook page for Godalming Town Past and Present.
- Twitter – @Godalming Grammar School, @ Godalming College
- Instagram – Godalming College
Finally, The OGA Committee would like to wish you all
A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.