‍71st AGM and Dinner – 21 March 2025

‍The 71st AGM and Dinner of the OPU London branch was held at The Army and Navy Club  on Friday 21 March 2025 with Tony Richardson (M, 1987-94) in the chair as President. 27OPs and guests attended, very much a similar turnout as last year. In a return to our pre-COVID dinner format we had a speaker after the meal; Brigadier John Graham OBE (M, 1965-72) spoke on the School’s archives, a topic very close to his heart.

‍Once again, the evening was a great success with OPs of all ages catching up on what their contemporaries have been up to.

‍All the planning and preparation was thrown into confusion early on the morning of the dinner when Heathrow Airport was closed due to a power failure. The School party were due to fly in from Belfast and John Aiken (U, 1972-79) from Dublin. Remarkable backroom work at the School in Enniskillen succeeded in transferring the School party’s flight to arrive at Stanstead; unfortunately John was unable to divert his flight and missed the evening. The School party with probably remember the delights of Stanstead Airport as much as those of the Army & Navy Club!

‍The evening commenced with the AGM. Tony opened proceedings in the Wellington Room by welcoming the party from Enniskillen Royal Grammar School: Principal, Elizabeth Armstrong; the School’s Head Boy, Robbie McIlwrath; Head Girl, Leah Irwin; and the London branch Bursary Prize winner, Mateusz Walas.

‍To ensure the evening ran to time, M/C WynnAnderson (U, 1966-70) oversaw the running of the meeting agenda. Tony gave a short review of his year President  before James Wilson (U,1960 – 67) spoke about past President Hubert Schaafsma (C, 1956-63), a longstanding supporter of the London Branch, who died in the autumn after a long illness. (A full obituary and photograph is attached).

‍There then followed the reports and elections of the officers for the coming year. Ian Burn (L,1961-69), Secretary; and Ron Walker (C, 1965-71), Assistant Secretary Timothy Gardiner (U, 1991-01), Treasurer were all re-elected. Both Ian and Ron have been carrying out the secretarial duties for many years and they would like to step back and asked for a volunteer/s to shadow during the year to ensure we have continuity for the future.

‍The Bursary Prize certificate and cheque was then presented to Mateusz Walas by Tony Richardson OPU London Branch President. Following the presentation Mateusz thanked the London OPU, and provided us with a lively summary of his background, involvement in School life and future plans.

‍Head Boy, Robbie McIlwrath and Head Girl, Leah Irwin followed with a polished and entertaining joint address on the varied activities and achievements at the School during the past year. Several OPs have mentioned how much they appreciate this recap of the School year from a pupils’ prospective.

‍The meeting then highlighted future plans. The 2024 Summer Lunch event was very well received and attracted several OPs who cannot attend the more formal March dinner. This year the lunch will again be taking place and a date of 18 June has been set. Tony reiterated his enthusiasm for an Autumn Evening Event with a location, timing and format that would provide wider accessibility, especially for younger working members.

‍The formal business of the AGM complete, OPs and guests moved to the Library where dinner was served after Muir Coburn, the most senior member present, said Grace.

‍Following an excellent meal Brigadier John Graham OBE (M, 1965-72) gave a very interesting talk on the School’s archives .

‍Following John’s talk Tony proposed a toast to the health of the School. Elizabeth Armstrong who, after reviewing a very positive picture of the school year, stressing the importance of ongoing collaboration between the School and London Branch, proposed a toast to the Health of the OPU London Branch.

‍Finally, with the formalities fully completed, OPs and guests retired back to The Wellington Room to continue conversations with their friends and acquaintances. Following last year’s successful trial we arranged for a bar extension until 23:59. Once again the OPU London branch Dinner was a resounding success.

‍Further information on next year’s dinner and other OPU (London branch) activities is posted on our website: www.billburn.webmate.me/OPULondon/Welcome.html.