The 108th Annual Dinner took place on Saturday 18th November from 6:30 pm for 7:30 pm until 11:30 pm in the Oldfield Hall, King Charles I School, hosted by President Dave Laverty.
There were nearly ninety attendees at the Annual Dinner this year, with the eldest member starting his education in 1939, and an encouraging total of twenty ladies. Again, my contemporaries that began at King Charles in the class of 1954 had the highest number (16%) of representatives at 14. The catering was in the expert hands of Plyvine, which provided a splendid feast and had an excellent team of servers. Even their after-meal coffee was accompanied by Plyvine chocolates. The customer service was better than what you often get in some top restaurants. The Rev Canon Rose Lawley, from St Mary's, Kidderminster said grace and the newly-elected President, Dave Laverty, opened the proceedings by welcoming everyone and proposing a silent toast to absent members. Seated with him on the top table were Old Carolian Cllr Martin Stooke, Deputy Mayor of Kidderminster; Dave Allen, President of Hartlebury Old Elizabethans' Association; Tim Gulliver, ex-Headteacher; Steve Brownlow, the present Headteacher; Rosemarie Morgan, Chair of Kidderminster High School for Girls Old Girls Association; and Peter Picken, Treasurer. Also present in the body of the Hall were Caitlyn Gray, Head Girl, with Sam Fisher and Leigh Fuller, Deputy Head Boy and Girl, respectively, of the School. Following comments last year about the ambience of the Hall, Dave Laverty and Peter Picken had solved the problem with a selection of glass containers and bottles on the tables. Filled with glowing lights, they contributed to an excellent atmosphere.
As the guests enjoyed their meals, the screen at the end of the Hall showed Norman Broadfield's rolling programme of the history of the school, old photographs back to the 19th century, old sports team photographs and prize lists from annual ceremonies. Memories again came flooding back.
At the end of the meal, Dave Laverty offered a toast to The Queen before a comfort break and the speeches.
Steve Brownlow, in his, mentioned the excellent year which the School had enjoyed. In the 2017 A-level results, King Charles achieved the best results in the town and 4th overall in the County. Last year, the school had been 21st – a tremendous improvement and richly deserved. The Headteacher, staff and pupils are to be congratulated on their success after years of hard work. The school had enjoyed many educational and leisure trips, to the World War I battlefields, to Paris, Disneyland, Cologne and New York, plus even skiing trips. The U-15 soccer team were Wyre Forest champions, the U-16s were champions of Wyre Forest and the County, and there was also success for the handball team, for a Year 9 cyclist and in fencing. Steve mentioned that this overall success was aided significantly with monies from the Roy Woodward Educational Foundation, King Charles I School Foundation and other Old Carolian-related trusts. There were also several musical concerts, including one in Worcester Cathedral. The school is, therefore, offering not just excellent exam results, but also a curriculum full of a wide range of sporting and cultural events. At the end of his interesting speech, Steve proposed a toast to the Old Carolians Association and to its new President, Dave Laverty, who is a retired Head of History at the School.
Dave, in his speech, mentioned his memories of his education in Devon. He noted that the future at King Charles was very bright, and this followed from the very successful past history of the school, as evidenced by the Honours Boards around the hall. He thanked the Old Carolians Committee for all the work that they do and for all their help to him. He congratulated all those who had made the meal possible, in particular Peter Picken, David Slater, Mike Wilson, Roger Perrin, Colin Lloyd, Peter Guy and Norman Broadfield. These gentlemen, he said, were the glue that made the Association such a success. He also asked us to remember Ken Garbett, who had died recently after decades of work for the Committee, and Beryl Bedford, who was ill at this time. Mention was made of the contribution made by Pat Yarnold whose association with our School commenced sixty years ago when he started as a 10-year-old and has seen unbroken service as a scholar, teacher and Governor – a tremendous achievement that surely will never be equalled. There were also a few humorous memories of Jake Potter, whom Dave had never known, but who was obviously one of the main affectionate teachers at the school in the 50s and 60s. As memories of Jake circulated among those of us that had known him, a groundswell of laughter swept through the hall. Dave concluded with a few lines from a poem of Robbie Burns, which highlighted the importance that the past is not necessarily better than the future and that we need to build on friendships.
'Here's a bottle and an honest friend
What wad ye wish for mair man
Wha kens, before his life may end
What his share may be o' care man?
They catch the moments as they fly
And use them as ye ought, man.'
David finally proposed a toast to King Charles I School, its students, teachers and governors.
The Dinner ended with the National Anthem and 'Auld Lang Syne', and the result of the raffle was announced, with Colin Lloyd's win of a bottle of Glenmorangie whisky!
'Captain' Peter Vaughan, Chief Educational Correspondent