Belfast Royal Academy Old Boys’ Association
President’s Newsletter November 2018 Dear Member, I am honoured to have been elected as your President of the B.R.A. Old Boys’ Association and will endeavour to uphold the high standards which have been set by my predecessors. Due to family circumstances, I was more associated with Friends’ School, Lisburn at which my four children were educated, and at which I served on the Board of Governors for 30 years. Little did I think, when my family moved from Ballymena to Belfast where I was sent to Wingfield all those years ago, that one day, I would become President of the Association. This year we have continued to build upon what was achieved by my predecessors. It is my hope that we will strengthen all aspects of the Association, involving younger members in the running of the organisation, invite new and younger members to the committee so that responsibilities can be shared and encouraging ‘lapsed’ Old Boys to become involved in our activities. B.R.A. continues to thrive under the leadership of Mrs Hilary Woods. Having attended the Distribution of Prizes in the Spires Building, I am amazed by the academic standards set and the breadth of opportunities given to the pupils by the School. The Principal and the staff have to be commended for their commitment and dedication in preparing pupils for everyday life. This is not without cost and the Old Boys’ Association continues to provide support where it can, particularly in the current economic climate. In continuing to support the School, this year the Association donated six playground benches for pupils to use during break time. It is also appropriate to pay tribute to Billy Young, Moore Dickson and their colleagues who worked tirelessly over the last 10 years to ensure that the voluntary principle and academic standards are maintained in the NI education system. As an external examiner throughout GB and Ireland, I know that NI students are highly regarded and valued, by Universities as they know that ‘our’ students are very well prepared for tertiary level education. The Association is honoured to have Iain Henderson as a member. What a year in the history of Irish Rugby! Congratulations to Iain on the success of 2017 Autumn Internationals, 2018 Grand Slam and the successful British and Irish Lions tour to Australia. Iain has brought great distinction to B.R.A. and the Association. We wish him every success in his rugby career. This year has seen substantial change in the Association. After ten years of dedication and commitment, Dr Louis Campbell stepped down as Honorary Secretary. Louis has been a stalwart for many years, forming a very strong link between pupils past and present and always working strenuously for the benefit of the School and the Association. Louis has always provided sound advice and guidance to successive Presidents and even in ‘retirement’ continues to lend his experience to
help the ‘new boys’ through. The role of Honorary Secretary has now passed into the very capable hands of Philip McKenna, who brings a wealth of business experience and is a distinguished BRA sportsman. Philip is doing a sterling job. The Annual Dinner was held on Saturday 3rd November 2018 in the Europa Hotel, Belfast when some 120 members and their guests attended. Despite much competition from the Red Bull F1 Show, closing off many of the roads in the city centre, the dinner was a success. Philip McKenna proposed the toast to the School with a response from the Principal while Councillor Brian Bloomfield, OBE, who had a very successful career in education and in rugby coaching before taking up civic duties, responded to the toast to the Guests. I am indebted to Iain Knox for applying his considerable organisational skills in making this event run smoothly and making it the success that it was. Preparation for the London Dinner, to take place in the RAF Club, Piccadilly, on 8th March 2019, are well advanced. The Edinburgh Dinner is scheduled to take place in the New Club, in Princes Street on 26th April 2019. These events are opportunities for all past pupils to enjoy an evening of companionship, renewing old acquaintances and meeting new friends, all with B.R.A. connections. I strongly encourage all of you who are based in GB to make a special effort to attend these functions organised on your behalf. I am indebted to David Haslett and Dr Louis Campbell for organising these events. On the local front, the monthly Luncheon Club continues to be very successful. Average attendance is around 50. This is an opportunity for local Old Boys to meet regularly on an informal basis, reminisce and enjoy each other’s company. I am indebted to Robin Reid, who co-ordinates these popular events, and to all the hosts, who organise the events at their local club. Roy Henderson’s 100th Birthday was celebrated at the December Lunch, with a short address to which Roy responded. The Breakfast Club, organised by Martin Blake and Michael McDowell, continues to progress. Three meetings have been organised where young business members can meet in an informal atmosphere and exchange experiences in business and network to develop links and partnerships for future collaboration. Senior pupils have been invited to meet these young ‘entrepreneurs’ and gain invaluable insight into business opportunities. Old Boys and Old Girls have been invited to share their experiences in business through short presentations. My sincere gratitude to Martin and Michael for the time and effort they put into this initiative. While we entertain representatives from the Former Pupil Associations of other well-known schools throughout Ireland, it has been my pleasure to attend functions for Foyle College and the Belfast Old Instonians thus far. My Senior Vice-President attended the function for the Belvedere Union on my behalf and I am indebted to Moore for his support, advice and friendship. I look forward to attending other dinners on your behalf between now and the AGM on Tuesday 30th April. Under Ken Knox’s leadership, the Golf Society continues to make good progress. Very successful outings were held at the Malone Golf Club on 14th June 2018 when the Picken Cup was won by Chris Cooper. On Friday 14th September 2018, Mark Cooper was victorious in Jeremy Weir’s Captain’s Day Competition at the Royal Belfast Golf Club. Congratulation to Mark Cooper, the winner of the Ferguson Cup for the best aggregate score over both events. These annual events continue to be very popular and my sincere thanks goes to Ken and Iain Knox for their very valuable input to organising this competition.
In December, the Principal presented the Association with a copy of the late Vernon Clegg’s Belfast Royal Academy World War 1 Memorial Book. This will be retained in the School Library for reference purposes. We are grateful to the School for this gift. As the main function of the Old Boys’ Association is to support the School and foster good relations among past pupils, it is important that, if you have not been an active member recently, particularly recent school leavers, or you know of any old boys who would like to become more active members of the Association, I shall be grateful if you will encourage them to contact any member of the Association Committee or Alumni Office. I would like to pay tribute to Nik Simon who has for the past nine years managed the finances of the Association to great effect. Nik’s wisdom and expertise in financial matters has been a great asset to the Association. I would like to thank Philip McKenna and Iain Knox, and all other Committee members for all their unstinting help in supporting me through my year thus far and I take this opportunity to wish our Senior Vice President Moore Dickson and our Junior Vice President Trevor Sturgess every success in their time in office and especially Moore in his Presidential year. Important Dates for your Diary
London Dinner – 8th March 2019, RAF Club, Piccadilly, London – contact Dr Louis Campbell: email doc_malone2004@yahoo.co.uk
Edinburgh Dinner – 26th April 2019, New Club, Princes Street, Edinburgh – contact Dr Louis Campbell: email doc_malone2004@yahoo.co.uk
Old Boys’ Association AGM – 30th April 2019, The Heritage Room, Belfast Royal Academy
Annual Cricket Match against the School – June 2019 at Castle Grounds (date to be finalised)
Golf – Picken Cup – 20th June 2019 at Malone Golf Club – contact Ken Knox or Iain Knox at ken@cd-group.com or iainknox@cd-group.com
Golf – Captain’s Day – 13th September 2019 at Royal Belfast – contact Ken Knox at ken@cdgroup.com or iainknox@cd-group.com.
Annual Dinner – 23rd November 2019 at the Europa Hotel, Belfast – contact Iain Knox at dinnersec@bra-oldboys.com
Finally, the School and the Association are keen to keep its database of B.R.A. Old Boys up to date. If you are not already in the system, we would be grateful if you would email your name and school leaving year to the School's Alumni Office: at: alumni@belfastroyalacademy.net
Yours sincerely, Professor Robert McIlhagger President, B.R.A. Old Boys’ Association 2018-2019