Page 31 - Old Ratcliffian 2020 Edition

RATCLIFFIAN ASSOCIATION

EVENTS

THE LONDON DINNER

FRIDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2020

Old Ratcliffi ans enjoyed the medieval setting of St Etheldreda’s Crypt as the stunning venue for the annual London Dinner in February.
With 63 guests attending, the evening began with Mass, held in St Etheldreda’s Chapel, concelebrated by Fr Philip Sainter (69) and
Fr Simon Giles (60). The drinks reception followed promptly afterwards.

Dick Cunningham (59) performed the role of Master of Ceremonies, ably encouraging guests to take their seats for dinner at 8pm, with
Fr Philip leading them in saying grace. Scottish salmon, roast rump of lamb, and a chocolate dessert were all enjoyed by the guests,
followed by coffee and petit fours. Port and cognac, donated by the London Club, were also served. The guests then joined in the
musical toast, ‘Ad Multos Annos’, accompanied by Anne De Graeve (79) on the piano, to
toast the Association President and the Headmaster.

The guests then shared a sombre moment, as a toast was proposed to the late Mark
Balmbra, a current teacher at the College, who passed away suddenly on Wednesday
5th February. Andrew Yell (82), on behalf of the Headmaster, Jon Reddin, expressed the
shock and sadness that the whole Ratcliffe community was feeling at this very diffi cult
time, explaining why Mr Reddin was not present at the event.

Louise Jackson (91) then proposed a toast to her older brother, Association President
Ben Jackson (88). Ben began by encouraging guests to enter the traditional raffl e by
fi lling the envelopes on their tables with donations towards the cost of producing The
Old Ratcliffi an magazine. He went on to commend the College in dealing with the tragic
loss of Mr Balmbra, especially Mr Reddin, for making the diffi cult decision not to attend
the dinner at the last minute, instead remaining at his College and putting the needs of his
staff and pupils fi rst. Ben also talked eloquently about the beauty and history of the Crypt
and what makes a ‘Ratcliffi an’, ending with a toast to Ratcliffe College and Mark Balmbra.

This annual event is always a highlight of the Ratcliffi an Association calendar, and we
were delighted to see so many ORs coming together, once again, to enjoy an evening of
good food, good company, and lots of laughter. With God’s grace, we hope to be able to
welcome even more ORs to the 2021 London Dinner.

The Old Ratcliffi an 2020 31