OLD DERBEIAN SOCIETY
Centenary Year Draw
WHAT IS YOUR LUCKY YEAR?
Download draw form (PDF)
£500 PRIZE FUND - 7 Prizes
1 x £250, 1 x £100, 1 x £50, 4 x £25
The Society is holding a Centenary Year Draw to offset some of the costs in respect of the centenary celebrations, including the loss incurred by the cancellation of the Centenary Concert due to the severe weather.
The cost will be £10 for each year chosen between 1911-2011 inclusive
It is hoped to have all the years sold on or by 9th November to enable the draw to take place at the Centenary Dinner.
Please forward the above application form or apply by email to the Hon Sec.
Confirmation of your chosen year (or alternative if already allocated) will be forwarded / emailed by return on receipt of remittance.
23 June 2012 - Cricket Match and Barbecue
A cricket match will be played between the School 1st XI and an Old Derbeians XI at the Derby Grammar School sports ground, Merlin Way, Mickleover commencing at 1.00pm. This is the annual Alan Sanders trophy event. Read more ...
Centenary Gala Concert - 4th February 2012
Regrettably the atrocious weather around Derby and elsewhere on 4th February 2012 caused the cancellation of the Centenary Gala Concert due to be held in the evening.The weather's timing could not have been much more unfortunate, the orchestra, conductor, chorus and soloists all arrived safely for a rehearsal in the early afternoon and they prepared thoroughly for the evening's performance. However, the weather did not co-operate and with orchestra members coming from across the Pennines, from the North of England and from all-round the East Midlands it was clear that it would not be practicable to ask them to stay and face journeys home in such worsening circumstances.
Therefore with heavy hearts it was decided that cancellation was the best course.
It was unfortunately impossible to contact those ODs and guests who were planning to come to the Centenary Gala Concert. A few intrepid souls, including the City's Deputy Mayor and Mayoress, representing the City of Derby, did manage a difficult journey and did get to Derby Grammar School, Littleover. Copies of the Society's Centenary Print of St Helen's House were presented to the guests and the refreshments, set out for the interval, proved their worth.
The Society's thanks are particularly due to David Walker and Ralph Holden whose contributions to the organisation and detailed preparations for the Centenary Concert were substantial. Thanks are also due to the Headmaster, staff and pupils at the School who provided facilities and physical support respectively.
Old Derbeian Society President
Old Derbeian Society President
Hedley W A Alcock OBE (1937-44) (right)
meets Derby Grammar School Headmaster
Mr Richard Paine and Deputy Headmaster
Mrs Lesley Reynolds
Society Centenary Year 2011-12
There is a growing sense of anticipation for the unique opportunity to celebrate the Centenary of the Old Derbeian Society, which was inaugurated in October 1911. Planning for this auspicious year is at an advanced stage and it is a wonderful opportunity for ODs to make it a memorable celebration year. There will be a number of opportunities for ODs and their guests to meet up and review the past and to see the present. The events currently planned are listed on the dedicated Old Derbeian Society Centenary page. Please note these forthcoming dates in your diary. Why not contact fellow ODs from your years at School and make up a party for one or more event during the Society's Centenary Year?
Reunions of the Class of 1950
Having left Derby School in 1955, and with the objective of trying to trace a few of his long-lost contemporaries from the Class of 1950, a member of that intake who was (and still is!) resident in Australia, arranged with the then Derby Evening Telegraph to have an appeal, illustrated by an old form photograph, published in its pages some time during May 2000. He had not kept in touch with any of his old class mates since leaving the School forty five years earlier so he was delighted when he received about a dozen responses to the appeal. As a consequence, in August 2001, a memorable reunion was held in The Midland Hotel at which thirteen members of that 1950 Class were in attendance.
The above photograph shows most of the Re-union party, plus OD Society Archivist Barrie Sheard (1945-50), on the staircase of St Helen's House during their visit on August 23rd 2011.
Since the initial reunion back in August 2001, well-attended annual gatherings have been held and, in more recent years, the events have become so popular that two get-togethers have been held each year. It is the collective memories of the time at Derby School that have provided the inspiration behind these regular gatherings together with the particular enthusiasm of a small group that undertakes the task of organisation. A two-page annual newsletter also is prepared as part of the task of keeping everyone in touch.
On 23 August 2011 the Class of 1950 reunion, held in the Dolphin Inn, attracted a record attendance of twenty four and, additionally, the Old Derbeian Society Archivist, Barrie Sheard, also accepted an invitation to attend. The usual cordial and spontaneous interaction between old friends ensued and, afterwards, courtesy of the restoration developer, a party of eighteen took a journey down memory lane to pay a visit to St Helens House and the other associated buildings that had played such a large part in their early lives. This nostalgic event brought to an end a perfect day.
John Dring (1950-55)
Why not see whether you could set up a similar gathering of the Old Derbeians from your intake year? You can never know what might be turned up when you & your fellows take a trip down memory lane!
A brief
letter to the Editor of the Old Derbeians Society website at
John Booth (third from the left) in characteristic form with friends at the Edinburgh Dinner 2010
It was with very mixed feelings that the officers and committee members of the
Old Derbeian Society learned at the society's January 2011 Annual General
meeting that "Jonny" Booth, one of our longest serving committee members as
well as a past Chairman and past President of the society, had decided, upon
recently celebrating his seventy-ninth birthday, not to stand for re-election
again.
On the one hand, John's fellow committee members were reluctant to lose the
initiative, energy and dedication with which for three decades he has fully
committed himself to playing a leading role in attaining the objectives of the
Old Derbeian Society Committee. On the other hand, John's ultimate aim for
veteran committee members to make room for new and much younger members of the
society, including former pupils of the new Derby Grammar School, is recognised
as being the only logical way forward.
John Hall Booth JP attended Derby School from 1942 until December 1949 and
subsequently gained numerous academic and teaching honours including BA and MA
via Durham University (Bede College), Nottingham University, London University
and the Open University.
Although essentially a school teacher (including Headmaster of St. James' CE
Junior School for 17 years) John Booth has always been a man of many parts.
Despite being a confirmed life-long bachelor, and for many years the sole carer
of his widowed mother, he has proved to be a loyal and considerate friend to
the many ladies attracted to him by his personal charm, neatly trimmed beard
and impeccably formal style of dress.
Following his National Service infantry training with the King's Royal Rifle
Corps, John served as a Royal Army Education Corps training Sergeant with the
Royal Signals Regiment. In life generally, his various very active fields of
interest can be summarised as:-
In conclusion, John is an incredibly kind man and deeply concerned for others
and their welfare. He is extremely generous with his hospitality and will be
greatly missed in the general management of the Old Derbeian Society. He will
be a hard act to follow and all of his colleagues and friends wish him
continued good health and happiness.
Norman Chapple OD
He was President of the Society for the years 2006 and
2007 and he was thrilled to be elected and spoke many times of the honour which
the Old Derbeians had bestowed on him.
Stan Smith with Adrian Hayes (left) at the Edinburgh Dinner 2010
Stan had the foresight, along with the late Alan Sanders,
to see that the future of our Society was with the pupils leaving Derby School
after the days of St. Helen's House, the pupils who attended Derby School
whilst it was sited in Moorway Lane and then, subsequently, with the boys and
girls leaving the new Derby Grammar School. During his period of office Stan
was an active President, travelling from his home in the Wirral to attend many
Committee meetings, functions and events in the OD calendar. Often the
distances and timing of meetings necessitated him staying over-night.
At Amber Valley
re-unions Stan was accompanied by his wife Joyce and also at other Society
functions including the annual Derby Dinner in November. Again staying
overnight enabled them both to attend the OD Remembrance day Service at St.
Helen's House. As our President, Stan stressed the importance of inviting all
Old Boys to become involved in the Society affairs and he instigated the
President's letter to welcome individually the new ODs as they left School.
At the Society AGM in
January 2008, Stan relinquished the Presidency and was then elected Honorary
Secretary. This presaged a busy period in the history of the Society, increased
correspondence and utilising new technology in order to keep ODs abreast of
developments; Stan took all this in his stride. The Society numbers increased
as did the frequency of Committee and sub-committee meetings often involving
long travel for him. With sadness he has now tendered his resignation which was
very reluctantly accepted at the AGM on January 27th 2011.
Stan and Joyce have indicated that they will continue to
support and attend OD meetings and reunions they will always be made very
welcome.
A.R.Thomas. February 2011
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
Secretary.
New Derbeian Newsletter 2010 (PDF)
We are anxious that anyone (OD's and their respective families) with records of
their time at School including photographs and other written material considers
contacting Barrie, through our e-mail address, so that arrangements may be made
for their collection. Barrie still lives in Derbyshire, down in Shardlow, so
this makes this relatively easier for everyone.
Obviously some documents may be personal family photographs and treasured items
- we, the OD Society, will arrange for them to be copied electronically and
recorded so that the originals maybe returned safely.
We look forward to a 'bumper' response.
Click here to e-mail the Old Derbeians
Stalwart OD John Hall Booth Retires
Retirement of Committee Member John Hall Booth JP, MA, BA
Honorary Secretary Retires
G.Stanley Smith, Past President and recently retired
Honorary Secretary of the Old Derbeian Society was known as "Stan" from his
early school-days at Amber Valley, by all his family and indeed by everyone.
Latest Newsletter and Society Mailing
The 2011 newsletter has now been published. An electronic version is now available to download and keep.
"The New Derbeian" Newsletter
Derby Grammar School former pupils' newsletter. For recent news of your Derby Grammar School colleagues click on the link below.
Old Derbeian Society Archivist
In an endeavour to ensure that our School past is remembered, recorded and not
lost due the passage of time the OD Committee, at their September 2010 meeting,
agreed to the appointment of an Archivist. They appointed J. Barrie Sheard, who
is an OD himself and a recently appointed Committee member. Barrie was at Derby
School from September 1945 to November 1950 when he left to follow his chosen
career.
