Old Malvernians travelled from as far away as America, Canada, Germany and France to attend the School House Reunion held at Malvern College on Saturday 16th September.
Over 80 OMs were warmly welcomed by current HouseM, Mark Hardinges, for refreshments in the House itself, giving old boys the chance to revisit their old studies, see changes and developments within the House, and share stories from their years spent there. Of the guests, our oldest OM left us in 1956 and the youngest just two years ago.
After a Chapel service led by Rev. David Ibbotson, all headed to the Gryphon Room for a delicious lunch with speeches by the Headmaster, Keith Metcalfe, Mark Hardinges and Monty (Upper Sixth), who is the current Head of House.
During his speech, Mark spoke passionately about how the spirit of School House has remained unchanged through the years: “School House remains a place where enduring friendships are forged, memories are made, and boys begin honing skills that may shape their future careers… The main thing for me is the way the boys continue to throw themselves into various aspects of house and college life. To give things a go, and to support each other by doing so. And this is something of which the House remains very proud. Win or lose, School House is an environment which continues to celebrate participation.”
He continued: “Amidst the change and developments there is so much which has not changed. There are still the friendships, tolerance and mutual support. There is still the care, kindness and honesty shown by the boys towards each other and indeed to me as a Housemaster as well. I am often blown away by the group support and encouragement the atmosphere which seems lovers of sport supporting the musicians and of course, vice versa. There is something special in camaraderie… Here’s to the next chapter in our journey as we continue to cherish the traditions and bonds that make this house truly special.”
After lunch, OMs were able to join tours of the College to see what has changed (and what has not!) since their time here. The day certainly brought back many happy memories for our boys, rekindled friendships, and new acquaintances made. Thank you to all who joined us for making it such a fantastic day. We really enjoyed welcoming our SH OMs back to College and look forward to the next occasion very soon.
These are just a few of the lovely messages we have received following the reunion:
“I enjoyed seeing how the school buildings have developed over the years. We were delighted to meet a number of pupils and were impressed by their enthusiasm for the school. It was a pleasure to chat with the current housemaster Mark Hardinges – I now understand what an amazing job the housemasters do, and how key they are to the success of the school.”
“The walk round the house, and talking to the boys – all of whom seemed totally at ease – made for an amusing trip down memory lane. The Chapel was as beautiful as ever, and yet again rightly claimed Jerusalem as its own… The School seems in very good spirits and health and it was a great pleasure to see it thus. Many congratulations to all and thank you once again for putting on a special and memorable day.”
“Just a note to say we really enjoyed our visit today, you put on an enjoyable day for us. Seeing some of the major investment the school had made was fascinating… The luncheon was most enjoyable, great food and wine, your catering team did a grand job. Also, thanks to you and all the team for making us feel so welcome.”