News Compendium

My great grand-daughter is now into her second year at “big school”.  She will be six in a few weeks' time.  The other day, she came home after an art lesson, and told her mother excitedly that they had learned all about Van Gogh – about his self-mutilation, his friendship with Cézanne, the way his moods influenced his choice of colours, and so on – and they had all been invited to choose one of his paintings to copy.  This is at a normal Church of England Primary School, not some sort of private establishment for precocious or abnormally gifted children.  Crickey!  I doubt whether I had even heard of Van Gogh until I was in my Forties!

Comment received from Greg Barry, re "We will remember them....". To see full article and comment, click here. 

The annual Old Bordenian Remembrance gathering took place at the School at 11a.m. on Saturday 9^th November 2013.  In the past, it has been held in the School vestibule beneath the Honours Boards which record the names of Old Boys who died on active service in both World Wars and other conflicts.  However, this year – because of the numbers attending – it took place in the Old Hall, appropriately beneath the plaque which records the Association's gift of the turret clock in memory of WWII casualties. 

I (Andrew "Bill" Bailey) have kept in touch with quite  a few OB's who left school in 1964  and, with the approach of the 50th anniversary of our release into an unsuspecting world, have lately made a concerted effort to round up as many of my former colleagues.

Old Bordenians have active Football and Hockey clubs. This article highlights the recent progress of both these clubs. 

Comment received from Nicholas Vincent, re "Frank Nicholls - Obituary". To see full article and comment, click here. 

 I think I should start by making it clear that what follows is not necessarily the official view of the Association but the thoughts of just one very, very Old Boy.

In trying to answer the question, my first instinct was to draw up a list of the benefits that any Old Bordenian can get from Membership of the Association, but in some ways to do this is to miss the point. I found myself returning to that old President John F. Kennedy exhortation : “Ask not what your Country can do for you. Ask instead what you can do for your Country”. The fact is that the tangible advantages are somewhat vague or insubstantial, and at the end of the day the Association exists as much for the benefit of the School as for its Members.

This is the fourth article documenting the early years of Borden Grammar School, written by former Headmaster, Bryan Short.

Mr Bond's School