Lunch Club Zoom Meetings

Lunch Club Meetings Lunch Club Zoom Meetings

LUNCH CLUB MEETINGS

What are these? When do they take

place? Can anyone join in? What do I need? Do I have to say anything?

The meetings are currently one of only two windows where Old Bristolians can meet during lockdown. The other forum is the lecture series organised by Pete Jakobek.

The Zooms usually take place at midday on the first Friday of each month. There is an OB guest speaker who talks on a subject of their choice, quite often from their careers but not exclusively. They talk for 20-25 minutes followed by questions from those present on the Zoom.

You do not have to participate actively, you can just watch and listen and stay muted. All you need is an internet connection and a device. You can be at home anywhere in the world, at work, in a parked car or on the beach – to name but a few locations.

Please come and have a look. It is not an exclusive club for a chosen few. All are welcome. Details from obs@bgs.bristol.sch.uk

Mike Burmester

(1953-1964)

Lunch Club Meetings Lunch Club Zoom Meetings

September Helen Molesworth spoke to the lunch club in September from her rather smart apartment in Geneva. The subject embraced her career in the jewellery business. After studying Classics at BGS ( here she paid tribute to David Miller) and Oxford University, she walked the October November length of Bond Street to look for a career opening. During her first ten years she worked for both Sotheby’s and Christie’s in London and Geneva.

At the age of 26 she was invited to Kensington Palace to value the tiara that Princess Margaret had worn at her wedding to the Earl of Snowdon in 1960. Viscount Linley produced the jewel from the safe while the wife of the Aga Khan poured the champagne. It sold for £1M as did the accompanying necklace.

Since this crowning moment in her career, Helen went on to work on famous private collections, set up an academy on gemstones before branching out into archaeology and mining, exploring the source of valuable stones.

The title of Helen’s talk was “From BGS to Bling” but to this listener “The Jewel in the Crown” would have suited equally. Richard Horton was our guest in October ; he is Editor-in-Chief of the Lancet, which he described as the medical equivalent of the Economist. Richard reflected on his time at BGS, praising Edward Towne and Ron Cockitt in particular. After Birmingham University he spent ten years as a medic before joining the Lancet in 1990, where he could pursue “a mix of words, medicine and politics”.

From his contacts in China the magazine had published five papers in late January 2020 which demonstrated quite clearly how serious the “syndemic” was.

His own book titled “The Covid 19 catastrophe” underlines the message. Richard summarised a few key messages on pandemics generally. History shows they change society. The margins of society move to the centre. The virus will not go away; we can at best seek peaceful co-existence.

Vaccines will not be 100% successful, will not cure 100% of those injected and will not reach everyone. He left us with a quote from an authority that Covid 19 will be “ a portal between one world and another.” No Great Hall ceremony nor Failand commemoration this year. However we were amply compensated by being able to watch a fifteen-minute video created by Tony O’Callaghan which had been shown to students at school earlier that morning.

Starting with views of Thiepval and Normandy cemeteries we were then transported to the Bavarian Alps and the sound of cow bells to see and hear Captain Simon Lowes give an address.

After BGS, Manchester University and Sandhurst, Simon served seven years in the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. He went straight to Helmand province after joining up where he was to spend two more tours. Simon explained what Remembrance meant to him.

There followed a service from school with Annie from Y9 on the bugle, two minutes silence, wreath laying by the Head of School and our President, recitals from the two deputy heads of school and an address by the Headmaster.

All the while the camera shot crossed to the Headmaster’s Lawn and row upon row of crosses. Simon spoke further to those watching the Zoom before answering questions.

Remembrance is still moving whatever the setting.

Lunch Club Meetings Lunch Club Zoom Meetings

December Rev. James Harris – a student of classics at BGS and Cambridge University - spoke to us in December of his time based at the Anglican church in Athens from August 2018 to July 2019. Through a slide show we were able to enjoy the contrast of the Acropolis with modern day Athens, to January appreciate the stunning blue sea, city and countryside, sun and snow.

St. Paul’s lies in the diocese of Europe whose Bishop is located in Brussels and his deputy based in Gibraltar. This bishopric extends from Reykjavik to Casablanca, from Moscow to Spain. St Paul’s has a team of multinational clergy led by the Archdeacon to the East who ministers to a congregation of sixty including HM Ambassador. Their duties were not those of

a UK parish but rather “just” worship and care. The Anglican community consists of 1/3 UK expats, 1/3 African and 1/3 other English speaking. One of James’s responsibilities was to help Syrian refugees write CVs to help them find work in Greece where it is likely they will spend up to ten years before moving elsewhere in Europe to settle permanently.

James concluded with pictures of the Greek Orthodox church celebrating Good Friday-– before some delightful pictures of art and iconography. January saw President, Rich Berry, in the hot seat. His first appearance with our extended family was to play for the OB’s 3rd XV at the age of 14, going on to captain the 1st XV, be rugby club chairman, then sports club chairman. In recognition of these achievements he was made an honorary member of the Old Bristolians’ Society.

Rich was educated at St. Brendan’s College where he was beaten three times by the Christian Brothers for misdemeanours. He went on to St. Paul’s and St. Mary’s College in Cheltenham for a 4-year PE teaching course, followed by a range of jobs in further education, before being seconded to Henbury School in 2002 to help it through special measures imposed by Ofsted. Rich concluded his talk with reference to the commemoration of Remembrance Day by the junior sports sections at Failand. An inspiring talk from a committed and talented leader.

Mike Burmester

(1953-1964)

Free on Fridays?

His next, and in his words most significant, appointment was at the Bristol Gateway School in Lawrence Weston where he climbed the steep learning curve in social and mental health issues – a speciality that informed the rest of his career. After retirement, Rich became chairman of “Engaging in their future” and set up his own independent education consultancy specialising in the understanding of emotional brain growth. Our monthly Lunch Club Zoom Meetings will continue during Lockdown and beyond A chance to meet over a virtual drink beforehand and enjoy a an entertaining speaker

They run between 12 and 1 approximately Why not try logging in and jumping on to Zoom? You do not have to be a regular attender Next term’s talks and dates will be available via the Old Bristolians’ website soon