Welcome... ne of the particular highlights of 2022 was the visit of Kim Darroch (1972). In an interview with Tom Swarbrick (2005), Kim gave a packed Amey Theatre an insight into his experiences in the Foreign Office, including his interactions with Donald Trump, the then President, during his spell as Ambassador to the United States. Earlier in the day, Kim had met with a small group of students to discuss global issues. It was a privilege to hear Kim’s reflections but I was also struck by the quality of questions that our students asked and by their level of engagement with current affairs. Younger generations are often derided for their lack of involvement in the wider world but these Abingdonians showed an impressive level of understanding and interest, which we see on a weekly basis in Other Half activities, such as the Debating Society, the Model United Nations and student publications, such as The Martlet, which won a national award as School Newspaper of the Year. This spirit of intellectual curiosity and enquiry is on daily display in lessons around the School and it helps make this school such a stimulating and exciting place in which to study and work. We want to make sure that an Abingdon education is available to as many families as possible, regardless of their financial circumstances, so I am enormously grateful to the many Old Abingdonians who have supported our bursary campaign Seven years to change a life which you can learn more about in this edition of the Griffen. 2022-23 will see some significant changes in Common Room. Michael Stinton is retiring at the end of the academic year as Director of Music after an extraordinary 35 years of music-making at Abingdon and we wish him well in his retirement. David Dawswell will also be standing down as Second Master, having given me and my predecessors as Head superb support. Happily, he will continue to teach Maths so his talents won’t be entirely lost to the School. Our connection with former students is one we value greatly and I hope you enjoy learning more about the School and fellow OAs in the following pages. year ago, we were anticipating the full relaxation of Covid restrictions and the chance to meet those friends and families we were not able to see during the pandemic. I am pleased to say that, through the indefatigable efforts of the OA Office, the Club has been able to offer a full series of social events in 2022. Highlights include the virtual Early Careers Masterclass with John Magdwick (1979), Tom Swarbrick (2005) ‘In Conversation with’ Kim Darroch (1972), a return to Waste Court pitch at the School for some of our OA rugby players, year group reunions and a regional reunion for OA students in the North East, attended by Mark Hindley, Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Ben Simmons, Head of Physics and Electronics. As all of us geared up to return to pre-pandemic life, the events in Ukraine in late February set the world on another course that none of us could have predicted. Today the world is even harder to fathom – probably more so for those in, or have recently left, education. This is where the strong sense of community and togetherness at the heart of the OA Club can help, by providing some form of continuity and stability in these times. The support towards the Club was exemplified by the appreciable response that was received in last year’s Chairman’s questionnaire and I thank everyone who took the time to respond. The questionnaire revealed continued support for the Club’s careers initiatives to date and we are keen to build on this success. In addition, we are looking at ways to establish a dedicated mentoring scheme for OAs – look out for more news on this soon. Any offers of assistance will be very well received. As your Chairman I am honoured to serve the OA community. I hope to meet many of you at Club and School events in the coming year. However, I realise that OAs are located far and wide around the globe so do feel free to contact me via the OA Office. [email protected] OA Club Committee Chairman: Julian Denée (1991) President: Henry Scarlett (2007) Elected Members: John Rawlinson (1972) Charles Lowe (1976) James Smethurst (1989) Sebastien Wilson (2008) Peter Moore (2013) Ian Fishpool (Hon. OA) Ex Officio Members: Michael Windsor (Headmaster) Simon Bliss (Common Room) Alexa Broad (Director of Development and Alumni Relations) Alison Lester (OA Club Officer) Becca Robinson (Communications and Events Officer) O From the Headmaster From the OA Club Chairman A The OA Club Committee is pleased to hear from OAs interested in getting involved with the life of the Club by serving on the Committee. To find out more, please contact the OA Club Office. [email protected] Michael Windsor Julian Denée (1991) G R I F F E N 2 0 2 3 | 2
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