The 104th Annual Dinner took place on Saturday 23rd November from 6:30 pm for 7:30 pm until 11:30 pm in the Oldfield Hall, King Charles I School, hosted by President Charlie Combes.
When 119 Old Carolians and their guests from the Girls' High School, together with the School's Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl, met for the Annual Dinner, the first site that met their eyes in Oldfield Hall was the transformation that had taken place. The old Girls' High School Academic Achievement Boards were already in place on the North wall, but joining them now were the new King Charles I School Academic Boards, which had been faithfully recreated and expertly hung along the West and East walls. In addition, window blinds have been designed which celebrate the badges of King Charles I School, the Girls' High School and Queen Elizabeth's, Hartlebury, and which truly encapsulate the joining of the schools in 1977. We have to praise here the work which has been done by Norman Broadfield and Tim Gulliver in making possible this wonderful achievement in the Oldfield Hall. It surely is now one of the premier examples of Kidderminster's history. It was also apparent to all of us that the atmosphere was enhanced by the very sizeable presence of a number of ladies for the first time this year. It was something to be celebrated along with an increased attendance this year of 30%.
The original King Charles I School Boards can still be seen in the old Woodfield Hall, now the Register Office. On 11th November, a large group of Old Carolians attended a Remembrance Day Service in this hall, to honour the memories of all the Old Boys that had died in the First and Second World Wars. I have to say that this was the first time I had returned to Woodfield Hall since 1961, and my memories were still alert enough to notice that very little had changed. A splendid Chinese meal was also enjoyed by a group of us in China Lodge, the restaurant opposite the school in the transformed public house.
On the top table at the Dinner this year were Wyre Forest's MP, Mark Garnier; the Town's Mayor, Cllr John Campion; the President of the Hartlebury Old Elizabethans' Association, Terry Allsop; Old Carolians Association President Charlie Combes; Treasurer Peter Picken; Association Secretary Colin Lloyd; and, returning from his Anglican theological course at Oxford, David Morgan.
This year, it was very pleasing to note that two overseas members of the Association, Stan Hutton and Tony Marsland, were able to attend the Dinner, both having travelled from Canada.
Following the usual splendid meal provided by our caterers, Plyvine, we reminisced. Mark Garnier spoke of his political year on the Treasury Select Committee, and his work as our MP; and Tim Gulliver spoke of the School's excellent academic results and the educational climate generated by Michael Gove's new policies. These comments were liberally laced with a hefty sprinkling of old jokes, some hilarious and others dreadful. Charlie Combes gave his Presidential address, remembering his time at the school from the start of his career at King Charles in 1966 and mentioning involvement in sports, drama and the Sixth Form, plus his time as a House Master and a School Governor. The boy from the Wirral now felt that he was most definitely a man of Kidderminster and an adopted Old Carolian. Ex-President Pat Yarnold seconded Charlie's speech and endorsed his successful King Charles career. According to Pat, we have appointed one of King Charles I School's most successful teachers as our new President.
At the end of the speeches, Colin Lloyd rose to announce perhaps the most significant moment of the whole evening. He said that the Association at present has five Honorary Life Members, the honour awarded in recognition of outstanding services to the Association or the School. He then announced that the Association had decided to award three more Honorary Life Memberships. Amongst members of the Committee, this had been top secret information for some weeks; I had lost count of the number of email messages that I had put through the shredder. Despite this, I'm sure that Julian Assange and the whole Wikileaks empire have known the details for some time. Or should that be GCHQ?
The three members of the Association to be honoured are as follows:
Tim Gulliver
Tim continues to promote and actively support a close relationship between the School and the Association. He has always been exceptionally generous in making significant financial support to our various projects, and, as we could see, the present Oldfield Hall has been one of Tim's most successful contributions to our history.
Martin Hobson
As well as being a Past President, in 1985-1986, Martin has been a loyal and active Committee member for 30 years. He always contributes to various Association functions and none would be complete without his support and his appearance in an Old Carolians Association blazer. If the Severn Valley Railway has a similar award, we are sure that Martin has been given that, too.
Peter Picken
Peter was President of the Association in 1997-1998. He has been awarded the Queen's Police Medal for outstanding Police service and has been a Committee Member for many years; thirteen of those years have been in the vital position of Treasurer. He has kept us all aware of our financial transactions and our monetary health, and he also makes tremendous contributions to the organisation and success of our major functions – for example, the Annual Dinner and the Summer Barbecue. As many will also have noticed, he somehow finds time to carry out significant personal contributions to the life of Kidderminster.
The Dinner closed with David Morgan leading us all in the time-honoured finale of the National Anthem and 'Auld Lang Syne'.
'Captain' Peter Vaughan, Home Affairs Correspondent