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 By the OLA President,
Mike Christelow (1966-1973)
I am delighted to be able to report that this has been a year of substantial development within the Old Lyonian Association.
Over the last three years I have been alluding to an ever-increasing relationship with The John Lyon School itself and the work that has been put in to ensure mutual development and sharing of resources - and, to this end, we have been highly successful.
Database
In the past, we have been utilising a database of approximately 1,500 with whom we have nominally been ‘in touch’. By utilising school records and other means, we have managed to increase our database to a figure of 4,548. Work is currently being carried out on cleansing and improving the data we now hold in a number of ways.
Year representatives
To date, 22 Old Lyonians have agreed to act as year representatives. Their task is, with the aid of records already held and using their own contacts etc, to search for ‘lost or missing’ Old Lyonians from their year group and to encourage them to meet and support Old Lyonian events. Each representative has now received a ‘Rep's Pack’ containing a welcome letter, guidelines/duties, business cards and a list of names currently held for their year. If anyone is interested in becoming a Year Rep they should contact the...
Association Administrator
With the aid of the School, and because of different funding through the collection of Old Lyonian Association subscriptions at the same time as the boys' parents pay school fees, we have been able to appoint a full-time Administrator. Mrs Adielah Mia-Gardner has been appointed and has been working for the Association out of an office at the School, which has been given by the School.
Adielah has been working exceedingly hard with the items mentioned above, but also with a number of different ideas ranging from the sale of Old Lyonian leisurewear, assisting at reunion evenings and also looking for Old Lyonians who would be able to help in giving work experience and careers advice to boys at the School. To this end, she is also being assisted by someone who is well known to Old Lyonians, Brian Holgate. Brian is working one morning a week in the office following his retirement from the full-time teaching staff at JLS.
Adielah can be contacted at
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or by telephone on 020 8872 8451.
Old Lyonian website
For a number of years, the Old Lyonians have been lacking a ‘working’ website which would allow members to keep up-to-date with results and events at Pinner View, plus the relevant goings on of their former classmates.
This has now changed. www.oldlyonians.org will give up-to-date information on every aspect of Old Lyonian life. It will also allow you to keep us up-to-date with any changes of address, telephone number etc so you need never lose touch again.
The site continues to be developed as increased benefits and services come on stream so keep logging on.
Association team
Needless to say, all these developments have not just happened overnight. A special Old Lyonian Project Team was put together to assist in taking all this forward and they deserve due recognition.
Under the Chairmanship of Paul Harrison (Old Lyonian and School Governor) and the watchful eye of Dale Vargas (Manager of the Harrovian Association) the following Old Lyonians have contributed a great deal with their own expertise and enthusiasm; Malcolm Ames, Chris Baron, Chris Baulch, Andrew Forman, Steve Hallam, Colin Nunn, Ian Parker (School Liaison), Andrew Reed - and thanks should go to them all.
We are also very much indebted to Kevin Riley (Headmaster) and Nick Marten (The John Lyon School Bursar) for all their help and assistance.
We continue to liaise with the School over the possible move from Pinner View.
Where do we go from here?
We are looking to start special interest groups which will be of interest to those who, perhaps, have no great interest in the sporting side of the Association. The possibilities are endless; Dramatic, Choral, Music, Medical, Law……All it needs is an enthusiast to start it off, so please let Adielah know if there is something that interests you.
Events within the Association are currently limited to the various sports clubs, the Annual Dinner (next year on Friday 31 March at the Shepherd Churchill Hall) and Association Day. We have to ensure that the current events are publicised and popularised through the website and Year Reps and, thereafter, thought must be given to expanding the programme.
All suggestions are welcome and we look forward to hearing from you.
Events of 2006
Was successfully reinstated at the Shepherd Churchill Hall, and a very enjoyable evening was attended by 130 people.
The Toast to the School was proposed by Alex Brick, with the customary witty and informative reply coming from Headmaster Kevin Riley.
The previously mentioned Dale Vargas gave us an insight as to how matters were progressing with the Old Lyonian Association office and increasing the database, and the way that it was hoped that matters would move forward.
I (Mike Christelow) replied on behalf of the Association.
Please be aware that this year’s event is to be held on Friday 31 March – get your ticket applications in early to Adielah at the Association office.
The Old Lyonians raised three sides to play the School this year.
The 1966 starters held a ‘40 years on’ reunion ( I know it is usually from the date of leaving The John Lyon School but we didn’t feel we would be able to cope in 2013!) and still had the courage to play the School 1st/2nd XI - but lost alarmingly.
I regret I have lost the record of the results of the other two games. If anyone knows, please do let me know and we will announce them on the website!
Overall though, another really excellent day – a great chance to meet up with a few old faces and my thanks go to all those who took both an active and passive part in the day.
John Barnard has, as usual, been the organiser of two reunion nights for the recent leavers. They were held in September and proved a great success with a large percentage of recent leavers turning up for a liquid reunion.
My thanks go to John for organising it all and to Adielah for supplying the refreshments.
Was held recently at the Harrow Hotel. Arranged by Malcolm Ames, who has taken over this position from Derek Harrison, the lunch was a great success. Also present was the current Headmaster, Kevin Riley.
I will not give a full account of the past and current situation of the various sports clubs as these are, or shortly will be, available on the website.
Suffice to say that we continue to play an increasing variety of sports at Pinner View and involvement of any sort, whether in a playing or administrative capacity, would be beneficial to yourself and the club. Do think about coming down and joining us.
THANK YOU! To everyone who has helped develop and keep the Association and its sections running this year. It wouldn’t be the same without you.
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