Dear Old Godhelmian,
We hope you are all well. It finally looks as though spring has arrived with the promise of warmer days ahead.
There are a couple of events planned for this year:
- On Saturday June 11th 2022 at 12.00 there will be an informal reunion for those who left Godalming Grammar in 1972 or 1973 at The Stag on The River, Tel: +44 (0)1483 421 568, Lower Eashing Lane, Eashing, Surrey, GU7 2QG. If you haven’t been notified of this and would like to come, please let Eleanor Andrews (evwandrews3@gmail.com) More details will be sent out soon.
- The class of 1970-1977 reunion will be a picnic from midday-18.00 at Godalming College on Sunday 17th July and will include a tour of the college. There will be a cost of £12. 25-30 attendees are expected. It is being organised by Steve Teague (s.teague@gmail.com) – please contact him directly if you are interested.
The next full reunion for all Old Godhelmians is scheduled for October 2023.
Book – Godalming Grammar: A School on a Hill.
The book is progressing well and Annette Ettorre (née Pickford) has done a wonderful job of collating a number of short articles and sourcing photos. There has been a fantastic response to the call-out for content and images. However, there is always room for more. We want your anecdotes about sports activities, the Debating Society, trips abroad, the staff (also from the staff too), any clubs you might have been involved in and any GGS traditions. Do you have any video of GGS dramatic or musical productions? Was there someone in your year who stood out for any (good) reason? What about the music scene outside school? Were you a frequenter of the Gin Mill, for example? If you have any interesting information or photos about the school, please send them to annette.ettorre@gmail.com
The draft contents at present are:
Preface (Ben Elton)
Chapter 1. Growing up in Godalming (Louis de Bernières)
Chapter 2. Famous and eminent people associated with the school
- Famous Alumni
- Eminent people associated with the School
Chapter 3. A short history of Godalming Grammar School
- The New County School
- Early days of the School
- The War Years
- Towards the 21st Century
Chapter 4. Teaching Staff
Chapter 5. School Curriculum and Examinations
Chapter 6. School Societies
Chapter 7. School Customs
- Travel to School
- Uniform, badges and colours
- Daily Life at School
- School Reports
- Speech Day
Chapter 8. Sports and Sports Day
Chapter 9. Music and Drama
Chapter 10. School Trips
Chapter 11. School Influence on Careers
Chapter 13. From Grammar School to College
Index of Names
It is now really important that we find 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.
New Committee Member
A very warm welcome to Jude Baker (née Tribe 1965 – 72), our new committee member.
Poetry Workshop
The online poetry workshop will be held in the Spring. This will be a discussion group, similar to a book club, and if the trial run is successful, it will become a regular event. Each session will be led by a different person, starting with Pat Williams (née Youngfir). This is one of Pat’s choices: https://poets.org/poem/one-art
Website
Some lovely new photos, taken at the 2021 Reunion by Joan Palmer, have been added to the website (www.theoga.org). Please have a look and where possible help us to fill in the names of the people who appear in the uncaptioned photos.
Membership
- To date (March 2022) 463 people have confirmed their membership of the OGA and 153 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.
Subscription Fee
You will shortly be receiving a letter from our Treasurer, Peter Cousins, about a subscription fee. It was agreed at the last committee meeting that it would be reasonable to attempt to get 100 members to agree to donate £10.00 per annum each. This would leave the Association a headache-free period to plan all the various reunions and projects.
Our bank account details are as follows:
Old Godhelmian Association
Co-operative bank
Sort Code: 08-92-99
Account No.: 65719682
It would be much appreciated if you would set up a standing order on your internet banking for 4th April. We have a draft letter to your bank for anyone who struggles with the internet (which will be attached to Peter’s letter), or you can send him a cheque at: 23, The Terrace, Wokingham, Berkshire. RG40 1BP.
Best Wishes,
The OGA Committee