Dear Old Lyonian,

I am hugely honoured to have been entrusted with the Presidency of The Old Lyonian Association. As you are perhaps already aware, the Association can trace its history back to December 1891 when the first Annual Dinner was held and during my Presidency I will do everything I can to ensure the Association continues to thrive.

I would like to thank Colin Nunn and Mike Christelow for asking me to stand for election and for the support I received from the members who attended the recent AGM. Mike, and Colin before him, both did a fantastic job in ensuring the Association survived and thrived and I very much hope to build on their great work during my term of office.

I will serve the Association in the following ways:

1. The current ‘active’ database stands at 1,200. There are estimated to be around 5,000 OLs around the world. I will focus on how we can maintain the contacts we have and reconnect with those we have lost.

2. We currently run a number of predominantly London-centric events. In the New Year I will distribute a short questionnaire to help identify how we can become more relevant to the membership.

3. Selling Pinner View and moving the Sports and Social Club to the school playing fields at Sudbury has long been an aim of the Association. I will review where we have got to and how this sale can ensure the survival of the Association in perpetuity.

4. The School has been an important supporter of the Association, particularly in recent times. I will develop this relationship to maximise success for both.

5. Careers advice from OLA guest speakers at school careers evenings has been a huge success and we now need to look at developing a work-experience network for the pupils and possibly even later-life support for OLs.

To achieve these goals I will be very dependent on the help of others including, I hope, many of you. When you receive the questionnaire, please let me know what you would like to happen to ‘your Association’ and how you personally could help achieve these goals.

May I take this opportunity of wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Stet Fortuna Domus!

Yours Aye

Paul Harrison (Norwood 1964-1970)