Old Boys’ Society

By Peter Trevett, Chairman of OSOBS

There is not a great deal of history available regarding OSOBS - but this is it as best I know.

1970s Old Boys OtterInitially all boys leaving Ottershaw School could become life Members on payment of £1. Then OSOBS became a more active Society and needed an income, so members paid an annual subscription of first £3, then £5 and finally from the early 1990s £15.

Currently there are some 345 paid up members, including Honorary members. This represents about 20% of the boys who went to Ottershaw in its comparatively short life - 1948 to 1980.

For their £15, members get two Gazettes each year and once a year an updated members Directory.

Of course we would hope that members look not only to what they get but what they can give.

Members are scattered all over the World - USA and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia and China, plus in Europe we have members in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus. So for those travelling and armed with a Directory there is often an Old Boy that they can look up.

The business of the Society is looked after by its Officers and Committee, which meets twice a year under its Chairman, currently Peter Jones.

At first the post of President was an Honorary one filled by the Headmaster Mr Allan Dodds, but since the late 1960s, early 1970s the President has been an Old Boy and more hands-on attending or being a Committee member. First Jeremy Burbidge and from 1973-76 Tony Forward, then Ian Hislop from 1976-92, followed again by Tony Forward 1992-98, Dennis Williams 1998-2005 and currently John Furlonger who is both an Old Boy and former master.

The only formal function organised by OSOBS is the AGM held in November. The meeting is followed by a lunch or dinner when there is an opportunity to meet with friends and talk over food and drink.

Old Boys Otter 2006Other less formal meetings are arranged by the Committee, or Old Boys and may be a lunch, golf or meeting at a pub for a drink. This web site should be used to help arrange and promote such get togethers. Some such as the AGM are advertised in the Gazette and members are invited to inform the Gazette editor of any functions they are arranging.

This web site is, we hope, to be active in that it will help to add to our membership - £15 per annum is hardly a fortune - and will be used by members to contact each other, arrange meetings etc. In addition it will have a members Directory and copies of the Gazette both for access by members only.

Finally it’s recommended that for the history of Ottershaw Park users of this web site go to the links page and visit John Athersuch’s excellent website.