Message from the OF Coordinator

Vivienne Clark (Staff 2020–present)

It is nearly the end of my second year at Fettes College and what a journey it has been. My role has been delightfully evolving along with the ever-changing restrictions. From arriving right in the middle of a pandemic where all students and staff were wearing masks, with strict distancing and a one-way system, and the school gates were firmly shut unless you needed to be on campus, to now, where I am starting to see what a typical term looks like at Fettes. The Summer Term of 2022 was the first one during my time where there were no restrictions, and we could finally fling the gates open and welcome the Fettes community back.

In the time that we couldn’t host events we missed two Commemoration weekends, those of 2020 and 2021. We were therefore delighted to invite the reunion years and other OFs back for two special events. The first of these was the Black-tie Dinner on Friday 4th March and this night will be one that sticks with me for a long time as it was my first in-person event at Fettes. It was truly special to be able to host OFs in the Dining Hall again and experience some of the traditional elements of Commem. The second was the Summer Reunion Evening on Friday 27th May when the sun shone brightly as OFs gathered on the Head’s Lawn for drinks, delicious food, and a chance to catch up with their peers. Thanks must go to the OFA for hiring the marquee. This was put to good use at this event and at the Fettes Festival the next day. You can read more about these two amazing events on pages 40 to 43 and see how much fun was had at the Fettes Festival on pages 4 to 7.

The Fettes Community Portal has been part of the team just a few months longer than I have after its launch in April 2020. We continue to see a steady stream of Old Fettesians signing up to the portal and are delighted to have over 2,030 members at the time of print. 88% of these members are Old Fettesians with the rest largely made up of current students in the Sixth Form. We invite the students to join as they start making their post-Fettes plans so they can use the portal to make connections and seek support. This is something that can be done at any stage of your OF journey and we are very thankful to all the OFs who offer support and guidance to others in whatever form that takes. The Fettes family really does work and, on pages 32 and 33, there is a very moving example of OFs looking out for each other shared by Andriy Dudko (Inv-Ki 1993–2000).

If you have not yet signed up to the portal, I strongly encourage you to do so by visiting fettescommunity.org. Not only can you connect with other OFs, you can also access our Digital Archives and stay informed with everything going on. We also use the portal to send regular updates to everyone with an email address on our database. These updates have grown in popularity since the launch of the portal and are a great way to find out about upcoming events, OF news and the Fettes of today.

We have many wonderful members of staff at Fettes, several of which have been here for decades. The Head, Helen Harrison (Staff 1996–present) celebrated 25 years at Fettes College in August 2021. I decided this occasion could not go uncelebrated and gathered all members of staff who had 25 years or more continuous service in Callover for a glass of fizz, a chance to share the many memories made over the years and a wonderful photo opportunity. Some restrictions were still in place, so the gathering had to be socially distanced but, as a relatively new arrival at Fettes, it was great to see this gathering of Fettes’ longest serving staff members. You can see the photo for yourself on page 23.

As ever I am continually supported in my role by the members of the OFA Committee, the Regional Representatives, Karen Jones (née Houston) (Ar 1989–1991, Staff 2012–present) and my other colleagues in the Fettes Development Team. We wouldn’t be able to deliver the array of content that we do including events, podcasts and regular updates without the time and dedication that these people give. I am very grateful to each and every one of them.

As we look ahead to next academic year, I am delighted that this year’s Commem weekend is planned from Friday 30th September to Saturday 1st October. It will be amazing to have OFs on campus for this occasion again. We have many more events in the pipeline both at Fettes and in other regions. I do hope to meet you at an event in the future. In the meantime, if there is anything I can do to support you or help you connect with other OFs, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

With my best wishes,

Vivienne Clark, OF Coordinator ofa@fettes.com +44 (0)131 311 6741