Page 32 - The Old Ratcliffian 2015 Magazine
P. 32
32 RATCLIFFIAN ASSOCIATION EVENTS
THE OLD RATCLIFFIAN AUSTRALIAN DINNER
SATURDAY 13TH JUNE 2015
Old Ratcliffians at the Sydney Dinner in June
We met in Sydney at Ripples Restaurant, right by the water, in ended up in Australia, but Alan was the Aussie boy who ended
Chowder Bay. In attendance were Mike Dyer (53), Alan Oakey up at Ratcliffe. We also discovered that three of us had lived and
(69), Peter O’Donovan (83), Peter Tarimo (84), Piers Brogan been part educated in Africa; Piers and John came from the same
(64), Tim Starling (00), John Ward (00) and Rachel Anderson village in Nottinghamshire and realised that they actually lived
(née Boaler) (81) - a somewhat motley crew! Apologies were in houses next door to each other; John and Tim came from the
received from Lawrence Norton (68), who had injured himself same village, went to the same schools, the same university, and
and had been advised not to fly, and from Richard Parnell (81), are now both in Sydney; Piers and his wife, Jill, were revelling
who, by his own admission, had ‘man flu’. We did give Dick a bit in being grandparents; and John was discovering the joys of
of a hard time in his absence, but Jill Brogan pointed out that having a toddler and a newborn. We shared memories of meals in
the flu had actually claimed a local life recently, so we backed the Refectory, jam roly-poly and custard (which was, apparently,
off. Most of us were Sydney based, but Mike Dyer and his wife, called ‘dead man’s leg’), schoolboy pranks (supergluing another
Sandra, had come all the way from Perth (a five hour flight), and boy’s possessions onto the ceiling), going to the TV room for a
Alan Oakey had driven from Yass. good snog (post 1977), and the teachers - the ones who were
memorable, the good ones, and the ones who fell from grace.
There were forty-seven years between the oldest OR, Mike Not all memories were good ones, not everyone was happy there,
Dyer, who left in 1953, and the youngest two, Tim Starling and but for some, being there was preferable to being at home.
John Ward, who left in 2000, so a fair bit of Ratcliffe history Regardless, Ratcliffe played a role in shaping each one of us and,
was covered. Discussions about the College ranged from when despite being a random group who just happened to attend the
it was predominantly a boys’ boarding school to the admission same school, we did have much to talk about. We enjoyed each
of a few girls, right the way through to being completely co- other’s company and were keen to meet next year.
educational. We chatted, and then changed places, so that
everyone talked. We were all English, attended Ratcliffe and Rachel Boaler (81)
OLD RATCLIFFIAN NEW ZEALAND DINNER
In typically casual New Zealand fashion, an informal gathering in the Union, drinking cans of Ruddles or Red Stripe, whilst being
among the bright lights of the small city took place on a cool watched by those entrapped in the smoking room. But, mainly,
Auckland Thursday evening in late October. Not an inaugural the deeper we got into our due diligence on the local brew, the
OR gathering in New Zealand, but the first in the 21st century better at whichever sport we became in our time at Ratcliffe.
and probably for 25 years or more. To coin a local term, the night
was ‘choice bro’ for many reasons, but especially to marvel at the A great night was had by
many and varied quirks of fate that had led this gaggle of ORs all, and we very much look
to be in Auckland. To be absolutely sure about the quality of the forward to next year’s
craft beer on offer, an extensive and meticulous sampling took Auckland OR Dinner.
place. Andrew Box (91) and Ed Meredith (93) marvelled over a
picture of the Ratcliffe first XV, circa 1991, and recalled the Ed Meredith (93)
historic Pete Banks’ hockey tours to Holland. Charlie Meredith
(98), resplendent in an OR bow tie, remembered the Bar Nights Ed Meredith (93) with his
cousin, Charlie Meredith (98)
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