From:    Dacre Watson, President of the St Beghian Society.  
              2 January 2015.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I hope that you don’t mind me writing to you in this way but I wanted to introduce myself to those of you who have not yet met me as well as outline to you what I would like to achieve during my time as President of the Society. I also apologise for the length of this letter and any future ones will be shorter.

Over the years the Dinner organisers have all done an outstanding job of keeping the Society vibrant and alive through organising the annual dinners and lunches, and I include Don Williams here as an occasional event organiser such as the Rugby match on 1 February. Inevitably, though, it is a small core of Old St Beghians who keep things going and in doing so accept a considerable workload.

In answering Don’s invitation to the Rugby, he and I had a long chat about how we could move things forward, becoming more inclusive of all those Old St Beghians who are always supportive of social events but who might also have something to contribute, and indeed might like to, but are unsure on how to go about it or might be unsure of the support they would receive. Golf seems to be the pursuit of many Old St Beghians and while we have an excellent Golf Society most of their matches are serious or formal events. During our conversation, Don mentioned the name of a contemporary of his who suggested in passing that he would be delighted to host a golf day at Hexham at some time, perhaps in May.

In seeking your help (and views) in this way, I am not only hoping to spread the load but I also wish to bring in your own ideas as to how we can have the occasional smaller and less formal  get- togethers organised by either a group of you or an individual to share a common interest.

For instance:
In January of 2014, the School Girls’ Choir came down to London to sing Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral; the Headmaster (who played the organ for the occasion) and Darryl Davies not only organised it but also issued invitations to all southern Old St Beghians for Evensong and then afterwards for supper at a nearby pub, the Samuel Pepys. It was an outstanding evening, very social, very informal and offered a rare opportunity for the 30 or so present to mix amongst the different age groups.

Perhaps some Old St Beghians have gained a Private Pilot’s Licence over the years and belong to a flying club; if so, I am sure that a small fly-in could be organised and non-flying attendees could have a flight (before lunch). The same could apply to a day at a gliding club. (Oddly enough, our fly-ins for retired pilots are organised by another Old St Beghian, Roger Andrews, whom some of you might know).

Perhaps some of you fish while others might shoot for game or clay. There might be a particularly fine concert at one of the northern cathedrals followed by a supper nearby. I seem to remember reading in one of the Bulletins that Nick Acons organised a pub evening in Woodstock not long ago and was a great success.

Particularly relevant at the moment is the acknowledgement of the sacrifices by so many Old St Beghians during WW 1. Would anyone like to organise a trip to Flanders not only to visit the battlefields but also to locate some of the graves where Old St Beghians are buried? It would also be fitting to learn about their lives at St Bees and how they died.

I think by now you have all got the idea where I am heading and Don or I will be happy to offer advice to anyone in order to get an event off the ground, but the most important thing is that whoever organises such an event would not be out of pocket financially nor would I envisage more than a total of 2-3 such events per year in the whole country.

In writing to you all, I hope to plant a seed in your minds; we share a unique experience in our time at St Bees and we have also inherited an unusual history going back to 1583. In bringing us together in small groups as well as the more formal occasions, my hope is that we will rekindle old friendships and strengthen the Society as a whole.

Please do feel free to contact me via Email (I am not on Facebook) or by phone if there is anything you wish to discuss.

In the meantime, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families my very best wishes for the coming year.

Kind Regards

Dacre Watson

dacrewatson@btinternet.com or (01367) 252384

 

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The St Beghian Society    
St Bees School,    St Bees,    Cumbria,    CA27 0DS.

         Tel: (01946) 828093      Email: osb@stbeesschool.co.uk      Web: www.st-beghian-society.co.uk