Month: August 2023
It has been five years since Sedbergh sent its emissaries to Hong Kong, and to repair this oversight, a delegation was dispatched in June to convey our good tidings to our friends in the Far East.
Ben Collins and myself together with the Marketing Director, David Milner, were joined by the Headmaster, Dan Harrison, for a major event hosting parents (past, present, and prospective) and Old Sedberghians, at a grand ‘get together’ in Kowloon. It was wonderful to see so many old friends, many of whom had been taught by Dan over the years.
One person who couldn’t make the evening was Tyson Yoshi, a former Powellian, and now a Rapper of some renown in Hong Kong. He has a busy schedule and therefore David Milner, Ben Collins, and I sought him out at his new album launch where he was signing autographs.
The queue to see him was hours long and while I will do much for dear old Sedbergh, standing in a queue with a thousand excited teenagers is not my thing. Therefore, words were spoken with the management, and on announcing we were from Sedbergh, the queue was pushed aside and we were able to meet Tyson. The thousand excited teenagers were in awe and started taking photos of us. Tyson was most welcoming. ‘Call me Ben’ (his real name) he said and was the model of manners and politeness. Despite his evidential fame he had not forgotten his roots and we came away thinking what a genuinely wonderful person.
Well done Tyson, it was a great pleasure to meet you.
This aside, and if it were not enough for one trip, we were invited to dinner by Duncan and Sandy Pescod at the Hong Kong Club. We had also received an invitation for the following evening by Chris Page at the Hong Kong Football Club.
One can be forgiven thinking that these places are one and the same. Therefore, with Ben Collins and my boss, The Headmaster, in tow, we went to the Hong Kong Football Club to meet the Pescods. I announced ourselves on arrival to the receptionist who apparently had never heard of the restaurant at which we were dining. Neither did they have a third floor in which the restaurant resided. She must be new I thought, and asked her, politely, to check her records. She suggested I check mine.
That is when the horror of the situation dawned on me; we were in the wrong Club. To make amends the three of us dashed across the island, like Hugh Grant and Charlotte Coleman at the beginning of ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’. We turned up half an hour late, and out of breath. However, Duncan and Sandy were most understanding and said I wasn’t the only person (I’m sure they meant idiot) to have made that mistake.
The Hong Kong Club is a splendid place and we soon relaxed and had a most enjoyable and entertaining evening. Thank you Duncan and Sandy, for your warm hospitality and your support. We still talk about the Hong Kong Club. In fact it came up in my staff review with The Head!
On the last night Chris Page entertained us at the Hong Kong Football Club. This time we knew where we were going. It was a night of merriment, of old school tales, and hugs at the end. Thank you Chris, and thank you Leslie Page, for allowing Chris to stay out later than advertised!
And thank you Hong Kong. A great visit which has done much good. We hope to return soon, or at least in less than five years.
Jan van der Velde
On the weekend of 24th and 25th of June, Casterton Sedbergh Prep opened its doors in celebration of the founding of Casterton School by the Revd William Carus-Wilson in 1823.
Over the course of the weekend, over 400 Old Girls, parents, and friends were in attendance at the lunches, the Gala Dinner, and the Church Service held in the Holy Trinity Church.
The Gala Dinner, held in a marquee, was a sell out success with 250 people enjoying a glorious summer evening while being entertained by the prep school musicians before dinner. Thereafter we heard speeches from the Headmaster, Will Newman, and Castertonian Old Girl, Holly Story.
During the evening we were entertained through song by Olivia Patchett, a former pupil at the prep school and now a music scholar at Sedbergh. Olivia received a standing ovation after her faultless performance.
After the formal part of the evening concluded, the live band ‘The Dead Beats’ soon filled the dance floor. It was a tremendous evening all round and many kind comments have since been received.
In the morning, with some bleary eyed, the traditional Casterton Founder’s Day ceremony was re-enacted with the carrying of the banner ahead of the assembled crowd of 200, who together paraded from the School to The Holy Trinity Church. It was a spectacular occasion not seen for ten years.
The Church service itself was conceived by the Sedbergh School Chaplain, Paul Sweeting, and led by Casterton Old Girl, The Revd Olivia Haines, supported by another Casterton Old Girl, The Revd Sarah Simpson.
During the service the Casterton school song was sung with such vigour, and with such passion, that it echoed around the walls of the Church and down the Lune valley. Tears welled in the eyes as fond memories came flooding back.
It was a wonderful weekend. Thank you to all those who made it happen, and in particular to Will and Liz Newman who were so hospitable and accommodating.
It should come as no surprise that following the weekend 150 Old Girls have signed up to attend more events and we hope this will be the platform for many happy reunions in years to come. If you would like to know more about future Casterton events, please see the link here: https://forms.office.com/e/ajvTVCe83Uhttps://forms.office.com/e/ajvTVCe83U
The Old Sedberghians had a record turn out of shooters for the Public Schools’ Veterans Competition on 13th July which was held immediately after the Ashburton Shield Competition. For the first time in many years there were enough firers for 3 full teams which also reflected the talents of the younger OS shooters several of whom are now competing at international level. The competition was shot at 500 yards in conditions which were more challenging than usual with strong winds and threatening rain showers. In view of the quality among the younger shooters the teams were selected as follows (scores included):
OS A Team:
Harriet Bramwell – 48.4
Sarah Rorison – 48.5
Angus Strudwick – 47.4
Harry Welch – 47.3
Katherine Fleck – 48.5
Team Total – 238.21 (the .21 refers to the number of central bulls)
OS B Team
Lauren Robinson (Nee Crowson) – 49.7
Will Squires – 49.5
Oli Christy – 48.4
Peter Bromley – 49.6
Mark Wrigley – 49.6
Team Total – 244.28
OS C Team
Charles Anyan – 43.3
Ben Jones – 49.3
Megan Kenyon – 43.0
Abi Gibbs – 47.3
Toby Lehmann – 47.5
Team Total – 229.14
The B team comprising some of the more experienced shots won the day and were placed second in the “B” tea competition one point behind the Old Greshams team. We were placed 5th in the aggregate competition based on the combined scores of all 3 teams. Lauren Robinson was the top OS score of the day winning the McMullen Trophy with 49.7 which showed an impressive return to form after several years away from the sport. It was great to have this trophy back with us, it having briefly disappeared during the disruptions caused by Covid!
As a belated mention that in addition to those OS who have shot at international level before either for Great Britain or at National level, Harriet Bramwell has been selected to Captain the GB Under 25 Team to the World Championships in South Africa in 2024 and we have just had the news that Sarah Rorison and Daisy Armstrong have been selected for the GB Under 21 Team in the same competition.
Importantly it is not just the shooting that counts and after enjoying catching up on the range, we adjourned to the RAF Small Arms Association Club for an excellent BBQ hosted by the Ian Christy IC Sedbergh Shooting who has done so much to encourage younger shooters to remain in the sport. Several who could not make the competition because of work commitments arrived in time for the main Imperial Meeting competitions.
An innovative and unique new marketing App from OS James M. O. Robertson (E88-93) available right now on Apple and Android.
Do you own an offline business anywhere in the world?
Think hospitality, retail, personal service etc
Would you like to:
Increase sales?
Expand marketing reach?
Real time report on how your offers are being used?
Securely link discounts to your EPOS system?
Generate a new database you can push notifications directly to?
We have the answer.
No hardware required and staff trained in 60 seconds.
It takes 1 minute to download, 5 minutes to setup, 10 minutes to see results & costs the same as 3 pints at the Dalesman (which is obviously also money well spent)!
Please check out the website with links to download the App today.
If any O.S. would like a personal walkthrough then James would be delighted to assist, just drop an email to james@flycket.com
FLYCKET – the trackable FLYer and shareable ticket.
OS Ewan (W 97-99) and Mike (SH 93-00), both former professional rugby players, now work for St James’s Place who are a wealth management company that run an industry-leading financial adviser training programme.
Ewan and Mike discuss their transition from professional sport to life at SJB here.