97th Annual Dinner November 2006
18 November 2006
The 97th Annual Dinner proudly proclaims itself on the plasma screens of the School's new electronic information system in the new Reception area as well as the Oldfield Hall itself.
As usual, the Oldfield Hall is transformed into an attractive Annual Dinner location. One of the new information system's plasma screens can be seen high on the wall and just right of centre of the picture. Some 105 Members and Guests sat down to a meal of winter vegetable soup, roast topside of beef with Yorkshire Pudding, roast and boiled potatoes, and carrots, cauliflower and peas; deep-filled apple pie with cream; and cheese and biscuits with celery and grapes. And of course a fine selection of French, Chilean, Californian and Australian wines and/or Banks's Bitter to accompany it all! Hardly room for the coffee and mints after all that lot!
Cllr Paul Harrison, Mayor of Kidderminster and Member of the Old Carolians Association, proposed a toast to the School and the Association.
Headmaster Tim Gulliver responded by giving a brief overview of the School's again impressive academic, sporting, scientific and cultural achievements over the past year, obtained despite the upheaval brought about by the implementation of the recommendations of the Wyre Forest Educational review.
And the 2006/7 President Keith Bowkett responded on behalf of the Association by reminiscing about his days at School, in particular his involvements in its many sporting opportunities; and George Oxendale's annual failed attempted massacre of the moles living beneath the Stanklyn Lane cricket pitch!
The President's chosen character-assassin, Allan Elcock, in proposing the Toast to the Chairman, pondered some of the more unfathomable mysteries of his (and the President's) school days: for example, who really was "the rat in the School", blamed by the legendary Headmaster John Drake for all the more serious misdemeanours? He also, as is required, ensured that the new President spent at least a few uncomfortable minutes during the evening by revealing some presumably long-forgotten embarrassing truths about him in one of the best speeches heard at the Annual Dinner for many a year.
Cllr James Dudley, Chairman of the Wyre Forest District Council and himself an old boy of the School drew the raffle and presented the bottle of Glenmorangie to the winner, one of our guests, Maurice Evans, President of the Old Foleyans Association.
All the President's men ... those members of the Year of '56 that attended the dinner were (l to r) Geoff Coley, Trevor Bradley, Richard Wood, Allan Elcock, Association President Keith Bowkett, Ray Evans, Andrew Ives, Ray Steadman, and Roger Thomas. Steve ("Sam") Wood, another member of the Class of '56, was unable to attend the Dinner because of other commitment, but did arrive later, but sadly too late for this photograph.
Some of the School's old trophies were on display and here Bob and John Spilsbury hold the Junior Victor Ludorum Cup, which Bob won in 1948 and John in 1942, making them the only pair of brothers at the School both to win that particular award.
Norman Peacock holds the Rose Bowl for cricket, which is presumably the first time he has touched it since he won it nearly 50 years ago in the late 1940's!
And finally, we were pleased to welcome (left to right) School Head Girl Becky Wilcox, Head Boy Princeton Lancaster and the youngest member of the Association present, Joel Faulkner, who left the School only this year.
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