Old Boys' Dinner 2011

On Saturday to school, not for P.S. but to attend a most enjoyable Old Boys' Dinner with a hundred or so Old Mancs, the High Master, the Recorder (Paul Rose), and the evening's Junior Steward (Nick Gartside) and Senior Steward (Steve Corbett).

A sideline on the evening: I was privileged to wear a new design of OM bowtie (one of only two prototypes in existence at present) - an offshoot of the latest silk tie design for the association.

We are fortunate to have catering staff at school who can produce not only wholesome daily meals but rise to the challenge of cooking for special events.  So the food and wine were good, the company enjoyable, and the speeches from HM and the Stewards entertaining and thought-provoking.  Nick is in investment banking and told us that the rigours of Borrowdale Camp had been good preparation for many aspects of City life.  Steve is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon specialising in elbow and shoulder procedures.  He reminisced about a special 4 alpha he belonged to (memorable to their staff as well as to members of the form) and emphasised the importance to him and many like him of the success of the Bursary Appeal and the continuing efforts to ensure access to MGS regardless of family means.

An evening to remember, which continued for some of the younger attendees as they hit the bright lights of the city centre - 4 alpha would have been proud of them.

London & SE OMA Dinner

Down to London on Wednesday for the annual dinner of the London and south-east-based Old Mancunians. It used to be the case that the venue changed each year for the sake of variety, but this year we were again at the Oxford and Cambridge Club, which has looked after us well in the past. The food and wine are good, and the surroundings, combined with a relatively informal dress code, produce a memorable but relaxing evening, attracting 60-plus guests.

This year's Chairman, Fred Wheeler, introduced his successor, Lee Gabbie, who proposed the toast to our Founder, Hugh Oldham. Then our special guest, actor Robert Powell, gave an extremely amusing account of his life in drama from his days in the second form, later Classical Sixth at MGS, to the present time. Like (Sir) Nicholas Hytner, who spoke at last year's dinner, Robert explained how plays at school allowed him to discover the person he was. For him, as for many, this was in an activity outside the school curriculum, which in those days involved reading plenty of literary texts but not being examined on them. He shares our excitement at the development of facilities for drama at MGS and has kindly offered to present a one-man show in the rebuilt theatre in the autumn. The High Master rounded off the speeches with a brief (yes, really, seven minutes) account of highlights of the last year.

It was good to see the age-spread of the guests - the youngest two or three are still undergraduates at the London universities, the oldest two or three joined MGS in the mid-1930s. All walks of life seemed to be represented: I sat between a retired professor of medicine and a special needs teacher, and opposite an investment banker, a commercial aviation expert and a management consultant.

Back to Manchester to catch up on plans for our big Reunion on 8 May for pupils who joined MGS pre-1950. It's exciting to know that people are coming from as far away as New Zealand and California. Thank goodness the planes are flying again.