The 2025 Chronicle

our successors to focus on taking the next step upwards rather than having to rediscover the basics. We have evolved the organisation and accountability among our 21 branches and affiliates worldwide. The number and di verse nature of global events has grown from 19 in 2021 to 52 in 2025. This doesn’t happen by magic. A special type of volunteer is needed to break inertia and make things happen. It turns out we have lots of these sorts of volunteers. We have built strong, deliberate relationships with brother old boys’ clubs – in South Africa and overseas – most notably Hil ton, College, Kearsney, St Andrew’s, Bishops and Harrow. We meet regularly and will be enthusiastically hosting the College old boys on Saturday, as they hosted us at their old boys’ day last year. We also freely share our knowledge and are regularly asked for advice by other alumni organizations, from College to St Andrew’s, Bishops and St John’s. How and how much we communicated has been critical. We launched OM+ in 2021 to facilitate self-help engagement. It has worked really well and now has more than 3 000 registered users. We also established a global WhatsApp network in 2023 at branch level, now with more than 2 000 members. We’ve maintained strong private and public social media channels on Facebook and LinkedIn. First impressions count. We established a nine-month on boarding programme, starting in March each year, to slowly introduce A Block boys to their Club. This is headlined by the A Block mentorship programme, where young Old Boys mentor

the A Blockers as they go out into the world. We also felt it was important to re-establish Christianity into our lexicon and activities, with the Chapel as our beacon. We now welcome boys to the Club in the Chapel – a sacred rite of passage. And for the first time, a ceremonial handover of the President’s Office will occur in the Chapel this Saturday, presid ed over by our Patron, the Rector. Importantly, we reimagined expectations for Old Boy volun teers: you can no longer be a passenger; you must be account able to our members. Being elected as a branch chairman, cen tral committee member or president is no longer about whose turn it is but about who can prove they are the best person for the job. Finally, we spend time looking to the future, embracing genera tional thinking and ensuring the Central Committee is spoilt for choice when electing our successors. So, as the peaceful transition of power begins and I return to the back benches, I can only say that being your President has been one of the great privileges of my life. So many deserve a medal for their patience, advice, guidance, friendship and good graces. Naming you all would keep us here longer than I already have. Know that I see you all and thank you. To close, I leave this office in extremely capable hands. Dedi cated souls – led by the irrepressible Rich Bates – will take our Club upwards with passion, high standards, bright new ideas and undeterred love for our school. Thanks.

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