Back Row: Former Presidents: Brian Daniels, Dennis Phillips.

Third Row: Former Presidents: Brian Williams, Cyril Trust, Mike Horner, John Crotty.

Second Row: Ex Masters: Tony Moore, Rev. John Innes, Hugh Batchelor, Stanley Owen.

Front Row:  Roger Edgell (Secretary), Tegan Creedy (Soprano), Bryan Bone (President), Clive Beal (Master of Ceremonies).

__________________________

On 2 April 2011, Farnham Castle was again the venue for the old boys’ annual dinner, and there were no complaints about this. As age envelopes our membership, we feel we deserve a taste of the good things in life and attending an event that combines companiable friends, good food and a beautiful historic building is life at its best.

This event was honoured by the presence of four ex-masters of the school, men we now cherish almost as much as our fathers.

A special treat this year was to hear four songs sung by a student of Farnham College, the soprano Tegan Creedy. Tegan has received the John Goddard Award from the Farnham Educational Foundation (originally the governing body of FGS) to assist her in a project to teach music to children in Bolivia before entering university.

The speakers were all in good form. John Cooke proposed the toast to the school, recounting some amusing and sentimental memories – his late arrival on the first day (giving rise to an admonition), Ed Godsil steering his distracted behaviour back to the subject and the good musical start he got from Alan Fluck. Dennis Phillips proposed a toast to The Association and spoke warmly of the various people who help keep the OFA functioning and in place as a gathering point for old boys across the world. He paid a special tribute to the current and former secretaries of the association who have played a key role in keeping the OFA so active. He concluded with a joke that was highly amusing but slightly risqué for these pages!

The new President, Bryan Bone, responded by thanking the previous speakers and then recalling fondly some of the members who had recently passed away, particularly his contemporary Stan Armstrong and Peter Clark, who had acted as toastmaster for many years and ensured the programme flowed with much good cheer. He announced that next year the dinner will become a daytime lunch on 12 May, once again at Farnham Castle.

The Roll Call started in 1938 and concluded in 1971, with the last intake of FGS. After that, it only remained to sing the School Song and the National Anthem before 85 old boys and masters wended their way home, many with a tear in the eye.

Ian Sargeant
4 April 2011

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Attending

Alan Spink	David Edgell	John Pesterfield	Peter Ford
Bill Luff	David Hughes	John Saunders	Peter Mylles
Bob Frampton	Dennis Phillips	John Travers	Peter Read
Bob Golding	Derek Roe	John Wilkinson	Phil Dunford
Bob Hewes	Dudley Coakes	Julian Bentick	Ray Bowtell
Bob Kite	Fred Loveless	Julian Walden	Ray Cleminson
Bob Matthews	Geoff Harnett	Keith Elkins	Rev J Innes
Brian Daniels	Geoff Hewes	Keith Mentzel	Richard Frost
Brian Williams	Geoff Hooker	Keith Mortimer	Richard Phillips
Bruce Philpott	Gerald Frost	Martin James	Robin W Jones
Bryan Bone	Gordon Andrews	Martin Wingent	Roger Edgell
Chris Fairclough	Harry Upfold	Matthew Owen	Roger Jones
Chris Mullins	Howard Torode	Maurice Jeffreys	Roger Moorcroft
Chris Nash	Hugh Batchelor	Maurice Sturt	Roger West
Clive Beal	Ian Sargeant	Mick Watts	Scott Bell
Cyril Trust	Jim Peace	Mike Horner	Stan Owen
Dave Everitt	John Clarke	Mike Mehta	Tim German
Dave Foster	John Cockle	Mike Seignot	Tim Withall
Dave Grimes	John Cooke	Neville Timmins	Tony Gatfield
Dave Polglaze	John Cope	Paul Blowfield	Tony Moore
Dave Stoddart	John Crotty	Paul Cope	Trevor Andrews
			Wally Walsh

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