OLD DERBEIAN SOCIETY

Hon. Secretary, Stan Smith - Retiring at AGM 2011

G. S. Smith, (1942-48) Honorary Secretary of the Society will be placing the following note in the forthcoming Newsletter.

It has been my very great privilege and honour to have been both President and Honorary Secretary of the Old Derbeian Society, from which I have derived much pleasure but the time has come for me now to relinquish the office of Honorary Secretary and so this will be the last time I will be editing the Newsletter. Alas, advancing years have caught up and the distance between my home and Derby make it increasingly difficult to attend Committee Meetings and it is time for someone much younger to take on the role and bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to energize the Society for its future well-being. Having said that, let me hasten to add that it has been wonderfully rewarding to make my small contribution and to enjoy the fellowship with the committed members of the Committee. So there is now an opportunity for someone to come forward to take on this most rewarding role and make a valuable contribution to this illustrious alumni.

Stanley Smith.

Society Mailing

Over the next few years the Committee of the Old Derbeian Society plans to move its mailing procedures and main contacts with the membership into the 21st Century by adopting e-mail and the website www.oldderbeians.com as its medium of communication and also as a means of containing costs and reducing its carbon footprint.

Members are therefore asked to kindly inform the Society of their up-to-date e-mail address and to note that any future changes will need to be notified to the Society if mailings are to be received.

In addition to being circulated by e-mail the Annual Newsletter and enclosures will be available each year on the website and will be capable of being printed, by downloading, if a hard copy is preferred.

Members who have not yet forwarded an e-mail address or who have changed their e-mail address within the last twelve months are asked to contact the Honorary Secretary

Click here to e-mail the Old Derbeians

A letter from the President

February 2010

As you will read elsewhere the AGM of the Society was deferred for two weeks until Thursday January 28th.

At that meeting the Society did me the singular honour of electing me as President for the next two years. At that moment, looking back at the roll of former Presidents of our Society, I truly felt very humble.

As is clear from my years at school I was among the first YHA Overton Hall evacuees, later moving to Amber Valley Camp. I started at School in 1937 and well recall entering through the doors of St Helen's House. Those days are well and truly behind me now, but I really value the time at Derby Grammar School, what it did for me, and the preparation for my life after school.

When friends first approached me and suggested that I allow my name to be put forward for election, my first and several succeeding thoughts were "why me ?" ... My personal instincts were to say thank you, but "no thank you".

I thought of my age, and why should the Society not elect a much younger President from the new generation. However I was persuaded and your AGM elected me.

President's message continues ...

Alan Sanders

Members of the Society were saddened in December 2008 to learn of the death after a long illness of Alan Sanders.

Alan was a stalwart Old Derbeian who had served the Society over many years, sometimes in a multiple capacity, as Secretary, Membership Secretary, Committee Member, Archivist and Web-site creator and Editor.

The Committee spent a considerable time and consulted widely amongst the membership before deciding upon how best Alan's contribution to the Society could be remembered. Knowing of Alan's keen interest in sport, particularly his appreciation and knowledge of the game of Cricket it was decided to establish the Alan Sanders Memorial Trophy which would be gifted to the School for presentation to the winners of the annual cricket match between the Old Derbeians and the School cricket XI.

The Society is grateful to Mrs Thelma Sanders who graciously agreed to present the Trophy to this year's winning Captain, James Lowden of the Derby Grammar School First XI on the occasion of the game on Saturday 26th June.

Contributions towards the funds which were required to establish the Alan Sanders Memorial Trophy can still be made to the Hon. Treasurer, David Walker.

Members from Derby Grammar School years.

For recent news of your Derby Grammar School colleagues click on the link below.
New Derbeian Newsletter (PDF)