MESSAGE FROM THE OF COORDINATOR

Vivienne Clark (Staff 2020–present)

I am approaching the end of my third year at Fettes and no two have been the same. The last academic year is the first one that has been ‘normal’ and the main thing I have learned is that Fettes’ normal is very busy!

The highlight of the year for me was my first ever Commemoration weekend. Over the two days, we welcomed over 350 Old Fettesians back to campus and celebrated into the evening with 200 of them. See some of the amazing pictures from this reunion weekend on pages 4 to 7. There have also been lots of events going on around the world for OFs to get involved in wherever they end up beyond Fettes. Read all about the range of events that have taken place this year on pages 35 to 39.

One of the things that makes Fettes stand out is its people and we have some wonderful staff, students and OFs. At Founder’s Day we will say goodbye to Bruce Russell (Staff 1997–2023) as he retires after 26 years in the sports department and Claire Montgomery (Staff 2009–2023) as she moves home to Northern Ireland to spend more time with her family. Sue Bruce (Staff 2000–present), while not leaving Fettes, is leaving College West to take up a new role as Head of Wellbeing. One person who is leaving and deserves a special mention is Director of Development, Nicola Pickavance (Staff 2015–2023), who has been the guiding force in our team for the last eight years. Many OFs will have met Nicola over the years and will know what an impact she has had on the school and its wider community. My personal thanks go to Nicola for all she has done to support me in my role and for her guidance in events, communications, and this very Newsletter.

While we say goodbye to some of our much-loved members of staff, we also bid a warm welcome to new staff joining us this year. On pages 11 to 13, we introduce you to our new Archivist, Alley Jordan (Staff 2023–present), and find out what her favourite finds in the archives have been so far. Further into the Newsletter on pages 30 and 31, we hear from the Headmaster of Fettes Prep School, Charlie Minogue (Staff 2022–present) about his first year in office and some of his highlights of the year.

There is always a lot going on at Fettes and one of the key aspects of my role is helping to keep OFs connected to each other and the school. There are lots of ways you can do this but one of the easiest is via the Fettes Community

Portal. We now have over 2,200 members signed up to the portal, but we would always love to see more of you on there. It is an easy way to get in touch with your peers, find or offer mentorship or reminisce over your school days by browsing the Digital Archives. What are you waiting for? Visit fettescommunity.org to sign up or go have a look around.

There is lots to look forward to in the year ahead including Commemoration celebrations, the 150th anniversary of Glencorse House and many regional events. Keep an eye on your email inbox as that is the quickest way to hear about events and updates relevant to you. If you don’t think we have your email on file, get in touch with ofa@fettes.com

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible throughout the year. In the meantime, if I can be of any help or if you have any queries about the OFA, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

With my best wishes,

Vivienne Clark, Old Fettesian Coordinator ofa@fettes.com

+44 (0)131 311 6741

Guidance For Of Visits

Easily one of my favourite parts of my job is getting to welcome OFs back to Fettes for a tour around their old school.

We have security at Fettes to keep our current students safe, so it isn’t possible to just walk straight onto campus, but I always say to OFs that Fettes was your home, so the gates are always open. This is absolutely true, but it makes the security team’s job easier if you get in touch first so we know to expect you.

If you are thinking of coming to visit, the best thing to do is drop me an email (ofa@fettes.com) or give me a call (+44(0)131 311 6741) and I can arrange for you to come and visit. That means when you arrive, you’ll already be on our visitor system and the security team will be ready to welcome you.

I have had the joy of hosting several OF visits throughout my time here and I look forward to welcoming more of you in the future.