EVENTS 2022–2023

7th July – London Summer Drinks Party

The OFA were delighted to host the first in-person drinks event in London in nearly three years. Over 100 guests gathered at The Reform Club on the Pall Mall for a Champagne and Canapés reception in The Library. This beautiful room proved a great back drop for the group shot which saw OF Coordinator Vivienne Clark (Staff 2020–present) having to stand on a chair to fit everyone in!

Throughout the evening the drinks were flowing and OFs were pleased to be back together once more. A short while into the event Henry Skeoch (Mo 1999–2004) said a few words of welcome and provided a little more information on the history of The Reform Club before handing over to Nicola Pickavance (Staff 2015–2023) to give an update on the Fettes of today and thanks to the organisers and guests.

A huge thanks must go to London OF Regional Representatives, James Macpherson (Gl 1997–2002) and Urosh Teodorovich (Inv-Ki 2001–2008) for organising this event and to Henry Skeoch for being the sponsoring member of The Reform Club.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and made this return to London in-person events so special.

6th September – Learning at the Law Society with Peter Gray KC (Gl 1972–1977)

On 6th September, Fettes College was fortunate to host Peter Gray KC (Gl 1972–1977) for a talk about studying law in the UK. He gave practical guidance and advice on what to study at university in order to pursue a career in law, with tips on applying to universities in the UK. Thank you to Peter for sharing his knowledge on the subject.

12th September – Eight years on from Fettes with OF Matty Jackman

Old Fettesian Matty Jackman (Ki 2009–2014) gave a truly inspirational talk to the whole of the Sixth Form. Matty provided relevant reflections having left Fettes himself only eight years ago.

The talk was well placed at the start of the academic year as members of the Sixth Form start to take serious considerations about their own steps beyond Fettes. Matty drew on his experiences at Fettes making the most of every opportunity. Keeping variety was his key message; always learn about yourself another; an open mindset a third. We are grateful to Matty for giving his time and sharing his insights with the Sixth Form.

20th September –Insight into Finance Careers

Fettes College was delighted to host experts in the field of Finance to provide first hand insights to those from the Fifth and Sixth Forms. We were fortunate to have members of the Fettes community with us for the evening representing investment, brokerage, crypto-currency, financial risk, regulation, fintech, research and technology.

Thank you to those in attendance for taking the time to share their wisdom with the students.

30th September – 1st October – Commemoration Weekend

We were delighted to welcome more than 350 Old Fettesians back to Fettes to celebrate Commemoration weekend with us. The weekend was jam-packed with Friday drinks, the OFA AGM, opportunities to watch the sports teams, House visiting and an insightful Careers Lunch. For the first time, we hosted the Commem Chapel service in the early evening before dinner which proved popular. Guests then enjoyed a wonderful black-tie dinner in the Dining Hall. Read more about this great weekend of events on pages 4 to 7.

2nd October –150 years of Carrington House

It was very special to host Carringtonians for a Sunday Lunch and House visiting to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the House. After lunch there were speeches from Carringtonian Roy Leckie (Ca 1985–1990) and former Carrington Housemaster 1999–2005, Rob Harrison (Staff 1991–2021). Guests were invited to visit Carrington, where they were welcomed by Carrington pipers. To read more about this event, please see pages 32 and 33.

9th October – South Africa Lunch

OF Regional Representative for South Africa, Stephen Fish (SH 1980–1981) arranged for OFs to gather for lunch. Stephen wrote the following:

It had been over two years since our last lunch gathering due to the COVID–19 pandemic which had chased us all into our homes and cut us off from our family and friends, so when the opportunity presented itself, the OFA Gauteng Group met for a wonderful lunch held at The Country Club, Johannesburg.

It was a very festive lunch held on the CCJ Auckland Park campus patio, on a magnificent, bright and warm spring Sunday, where we not only met up with old friends but were able to celebrate the very recent marriage of Fleur Hodgson (née Rollason) (Gap Student 2005) and Nick Hodgson. We all wish the new Mr and Mrs Hodgson all of the very best for their life journey together. A warm OF welcome was extended to Fleur’s parents-in-law, Valerie and Allan Hodgson, who were able to join us all for lunch.

We also welcomed a new member to the group for his first OF lunch, Dean Barnard (Mo 2008–2013) and his partner Madison. With Dean joining the OF Group, we had a span of 60 years between the youngest and the most senior leavers!

The Fettes Grace was read by our elder statesman, Colin Macdonald (CW 1948–1953, Staff 1956–1960). The food was superb, as was the ice cold Chenin Blanc and draft beers, followed by the required single malts. The lunch was thoroughly enjoyed by John Rollason (CW 1962–1966), Willie (Gl 1967–1972) and Maureen Rankin and their sons Chris (Gap Student 2009) and Alistair, Hitesh (SH 1976–1981) and Sonia Desai, Stephen (SH 1980–1981) and Maria Fish, Elena Kachkova (Staff 1993–2002) and her husband Nigel Wilkes, Fleur Hodgson and her husband Nick Hodgson.

Should there be any OFs in South Africa, who would like to be part of our annual lunch, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Stephen Fish (SH 1980–1981) South Africa

+27 83 253 3766, stephen.fish@liberty.co.za, fishman@iafrica.com

10th October – Fettes in Conversation: Bringing Digital Content to Life

We hosted a fascinating live webinar with Emmy-nominated Director and Creative Technologist Elliot Graves (Gl 2007–2012). Elliot has worked on both virtual reality and augmented reality environments and talked to us about some of the roles and techniques that were involved in his work on the recent David Attenborough productions Kingdom of Plants, First Life and Micro Monsters

It was inspiring to hear of his rapid career journey in the ten years since he left Fettes and it was beneficial to learn how his life as an undergraduate at Durham University was such a springboard due to his work on student radio and his passion for photography and promotion.

To hear the podcast of this Fettes in Conversation event, visit bit.ly/ elliotgravespodcast or search for ‘Fettes Community’ on your preferred podcast provider.

Thank you to Elliot for talking about this interesting subject.

21st October –Fettes Community Gather in Dubai

Members of the Fettes community, including Fettes’ Director of External Relations, Debbie Atkins (Staff 2022–present) and OF Regional Representative for the Middle East, Luke Daly (Ca 2001–2006) were generously hosted by past parents, Aditya and Helen Srivastava, at their home in Dubai. Everyone enjoyed a wonderful get together in splendid surroundings with Fettes friends old and new. We are deeply grateful to Aditya and Helen for providing the perfect setting for this special gathering.

27th October – British Columbia Annual OF Dinner

OF Regional Representative for Western Canada, Nigel Grant (Ca 1949–1952) arranged for OFs to gather in West Vancouver. Nigel writes:

‘We were very pleased to have two 2022 leavers in attendance, Harry Marson (PS-Ki 2011–2022) and Taylor Torkington (Ki 2017–2022), who fitted in very well with us oldies. In fact there was an 80 year age span between the oldest and these two youngsters!’

Those in attendance were:

Andrew Milligan MBE (SH 1938–1941) our resident nonagenarian at 98 years old; Nigel Grant (Ca 1949–1952); Sandy Aird (Ki 1955–1959); Jonathan Maillie (CE 1956–1960); Mike Weddle (Ki 1956–1959); Derek Morris (CE 1966–1971); Mike Robertson (Ca 1967–1972); Harry Marson (Ki 2017–2022); Taylor Torkington (Ki 2017–2022)

David Hunter (Gl 1948–1953) was much missed as he died suddenly a few months prior.

3rd November – Jake Wightman Talks to the Sixth Form

It was a great pleasure to welcome Jake Wightman (Gl 2008–2012) back to Fettes College to share highlights of his athletics journey with our students, from school all the way to his phenomenal recent World Championships gold medal.

- Jake’s advice to our students was: Don’t rush into specialising in one sport too early.

- Making sacrifices to achieve your goals is part of being an elite athlete.

- Understanding the small and mundane parts of training are important to gaining the edge in athletics.

We will again be cheering for Jake later this year when he is back on the track competing.

10th November – Remembrance Weekend Talk by David McDowell (Staff 2005–present)

Fettes was pleased to host a talk by renowned teacher of History and Head of Government and Politics at Fettes College, David McDowell. In the lead up to Remembrance Day, he talks fascinatingly about Fettes and the First World War.

To hear the event podcast, visit bit.ly/davidmcdowellpodcast or search ‘Fettes Community Podcast’ on your usual podcast provider.

13th November – Remembrance Sunday

On Remembrance Sunday, we were delighted to welcome back OFs and parents with military connections for a Chapel Service, coffee in the Library and lunch. Ninety-one guests attended the Service and 57 joined for lunch. The heartfelt address in Chapel was given by current parent, Brigadier Graeme Wearmouth OBE. We are delighted that the OFs in attendance were able to gather once again for the traditional photo in front of the Fettes War Memorial.

15th November – Young OFs talk about studying in the US

Through the Fettes Career Partnership programme our cohort of Sixth Form students intending to apply to study in the US were joined live on Zoom on Tuesday 15th November by young OFs who are currently or have recently studied in the USA.

Thank you to Fergus Bolton (PS-Gl 2011–2022), Amy Wong (CW 2015–2020), Ava Peters (PS-Ar 2012–2019), Annarosa Zampaglione (Da 2017–2019) and Justin Sian (Ki 2014–2016) for their time and insights into studying in the USA.

30th November – Celebrating St Andrew’s Day in London

St Andrew’s Day was celebrated in style by the 90 Old Fettesians who joined us for drinks and canapés at The Caledonian Club in London. It was wonderful for everyone to get together and hear an update from Fettes. We were also delighted to welcome several of our newest OFs who left Fettes in 2022 to their first Old Fettesian event. We are grateful to the Head, Helen Harrison (Staff 1996–present) and to her husband, Rob Harrison (Staff 1991–2021) for travelling down to London to celebrate with us. Thanks must also go to Regional Representative for London, Urosh Teodorovich (Inv-Ki 2001–2008) for supporting the organisation of the event and for his toast at the end of the evening.

6th December – Festive Drinks in Edinburgh

Informal festive drinks in the beautifully decorated Tigerlily created a wonderful setting for members of the Fettes community to get together in Edinburgh before Christmas. Conversations were enjoyed amongst Old Fettesians from across the generations from 1959 up to 2019 and it was a pleasure to have some current and past parents with us for the evening as well. The atmosphere was definitely one of friendship with a shared sense of connection. We are very grateful to Regional Representative for Edinburgh, David Hay (Ca 1991–1996), for his support towards this event.

9th December –OF Christmas Party in Hong Kong

Nineteen OFs in Hong Kong enjoyed a festive get together kindly hosted by Jerome Barty-Taylor (Inv-Ki 2000–2005). There was a delicious range of Asian and Western food including Christmas pudding and mince pies. We are very grateful to the Regional Representatives for Hong Kong, Joseph Ng (Ki 1983–1986) and Alice Stevenson (Ar 2006–2011) for their efforts in keeping the OF community in Hong Kong connected this year.

14th December – London OFA Carol Service

Despite the national rail strike, the London OFA Carol Service had a congregation of 200 Old Fettesians and was a truly wonderful occasion. All were in excellent voice with very strong congregational singing and there were some very happy reunions afterwards over mulled wine. Particular thanks must go to Rev. David Simpson (Mo 2001–2006) for all of his organisation. We are most grateful too to Adrienne Ferguson (Staff 2004–2014) for leading the service, to past parent Rev. Roger Simpson for his thoughtful address and to our OF readers, Urosh Teodorovich (Inv-Ki 2001–2008), Saskia Cooke (PSCE 2009–2018), Florrie White (CW 1986–1991) and Richard Llewellyn (Mo 1987–1992). The volunteer support team of Urosh Teodorovich, Peter Park (Ki 1997–2000), Debbie Spens (Staff 2007–2017) and OFA President, Richard Llewellyn were invaluable. We could not have hosted this special event without you! We hope that many OFs will be able to join us for this year’s carol service on Thursday 14th December 2023.

31st January – Insights into CVs and Digital Profiles

Our Upper Sixth students had an informative session with Elliot Reeves (Ca 1997–2000), Social Media Strategist and Digital Marketing Consultant and founder of Inspired Edinburgh, a video production and media company.

Elliott shared his experience on personal brand providing students with tools and tips to use when developing their own CV. He also utilised his digital experience to provide techniques to make a professional profile stand out online. We are grateful to Elliot for his time and his insights which students can use to put the best version of themselves forward.

10th February – Higher Education & Career Exploration Day

Four hundred students from Fettes and Edinburgh high schools along with their parents and guidance teachers gathered at Fettes for our Higher Education and Career Exploration Day.

The aim of the day was to provide insight and inspiration for the higher education journey beyond school. Thank you to Co-Founders of Days, Mike Gammell (Inv-Ki 2001–2007) and Duncan Keith (Inv-Ki 2000–2006) who delivered an informative panel conversation. Thank you also to the many members of the Fettes community who joined us to share their advice and insights with the students.

24th February –North West OF Dinner

OF Regional Representative for North West England, Norman Rowbotham (Ca 1963–1968) arranged for OFs to gather for dinner. Norman wrote the following: law and the legal profession to help them develop their knowledge and understanding of this wide-reaching career area. Everyone who attended was extremely grateful for the opportunity to talk to these fascinating professionals.

‘The North West dinner was again held at the Swan with Two Nicks by kind permission of Richard (CW 1957–1962) and Margaret Robson. It was a rather last minute and impromptu dinner but was attended by a dozen regular attendees.

‘The menu was settled by the manager Ann Amphlett, who has looked after us for several years. Grace was given by Ian Gillmore (CE 1951–1956). The Haggis and dram, was addressed by Allan Paterson (SH 1975–1979) in his usual entertaining manner. The evening was really enjoyed by all and it was good to meet up again after the three year break.’

Those who attended were Ron Crichton (CE 1955–1960), Ian (CE 1951–1956) and Val Gillmore, John Crompton and Dorothee Knight (regular guests), Anya Leaver (CE 1989–1991), Allan Patterson (SH 1975–1979), James Robson (JS-Gl 1985–1993) and Lisa Carter, Richard (CW 1957–1962) and Margaret Robson.

28th February – Insights into Careers with Law

Twenty of our students took the opportunity to find out more about careers with law. The informal format enabled students to ask questions and explore different aspects of the law and the legal profession to help them develop their knowledge and understanding of this wide-reaching career area. Everyone who attended was extremely grateful for the opportunity to talk to these fascinating professionals.

7th March – Insights into Careers with Creativity, Technology and Entrepreneurship

Fifty students chose to discover more about careers with creativity, technology and entrepreneurship. We were joined by ten members of the Fettes community who represented a diverse portfolio of experience, each with a unique career journey to share. They worked in film, animation, video games, ethical journalism, media, creative agencies, finance, venture capital, startups and sustainable energy and infrastructure. We are so grateful to everyone who supported this event with their time.

9th March – Fettes Drinks in Edinburgh

Old Fettesians and their guests gathered at Tigerlily in Edinburgh to catch up and enjoy a drink or two with their Fettes friends. Over 30 OFs braved the snow and bitter temperatures to join us for a glass of bubbly or beer. For those preferring to skip the alcohol, we were delighted to see Tigerlily serving Days 0% alcohol beer founded by two OFs and brewed here in Edinburgh.

We love to see our local OFs come together at these regional events, but it is especially great when OFs join us while travelling for work. Two Old Fettesians based in South England decided to pop in to say hello while in Edinburgh and one of them caught up with a classmate who they hadn’t seen since leaving school in 1984.

The evening was a wonderful occasion enjoyed by Old Fettesians from across the generations and we look forward to seeing you at the next Edinburgh drinks on Friday 29th September at Brewhemia.

14th & 15th March –Martin Lees visit to Edinburgh

In mid-March, we were delighted to be joined by Climate Change expert and Old Fettesian, Martin Lees (CE 1955–1960) for several events both at Fettes and in central Edinburgh.

On Tuesday 14th March, Martin delivered a keynote address to support the week long Third Form interdisciplinary learning project – Are we doing enough to tackle Climate Change?. The talk covered a broad range of areas including “How do we know the climate is changing?” and “Looking ahead, what does humanity need to do?”. The Third Form found the talk really helpful and made many notes throughout.

The following morning Martin attended a seminar with Lower Sixth Economic students in the Old Library. The students found the seminar “thought-provoking” and “eye-opening”.

In the evening of Wednesday 15th March, Martin spoke to a professional audience at the Library of Mistakes on Managing Systemic Challenges in a New Era of World Affairs

Mindful of our place in Edinburgh, the talk looked back at the legacy of philosophers and economists such as David Hume and Adam Smith, linking this to present-day concerns relating to sustainability and climate change and the need for new ways of thinking to solve the problem.

To hear the event podcast, visit bit.ly/martinleespodcast or search ‘Fettes Community Podcast’ on your usual podcast provider.

We are very grateful to Martin Lees for visiting Fettes to deliver these highly informative events.

12th & 14th April – USA Events in Washington and New York

During the Easter Holidays, Helen Harrison (Staff 1996–present), the Head of Fettes, and Nicola Pickavance (Staff 2015–2023), Director of Development, travelled to the USA. Their first stop was Washington DC, where they received a very warm welcome from OFs and past parents in the DC area, including several board members of Fettes’ US charity, Friends of Fettes Inc., Rupert Hammond Chambers (JS-Gl 1979–1986), Brock Landry (Mo 1965–1966) and Nick Burnett (CE-Ar 1963–1968) At an event hosted by Brock and Nick at Mission Dupont, guests were delighted to see old friends and make new ones and very much enjoyed hearing about Fettes from the Head.

The following day the Head and Nicola travelled to New York for Friends of Fettes Inc. AGM. After the AGM, one of the Trustees, Richard Blackett (Ki 1969–1974), hosted a wonderful drinks reception for the Fettes community in his home, with his wife Marissa and son Chris. This happy event was attended by OFs from across the generations and current parents. Every encounter during this trip underlined that the Fettes community is thriving in the US.

21st May – SW England OF Lunch

On Saturday 21st May 2023, 21 Old Fettesians and their partners sat down to a long and splendid lunch at The Boatman Restaurant in Bath hosted by Regional Representative for the South West of England, Nigel Shepherd (Mo 1975–1979). The Boatman is in an idyllic setting on the river Avon and with the sun beating down it was an ideal location for the South West of England’s Old Fettesians annual get together. We were honoured to have Mr Andrew Gordon Clark (Staff 1964–1981), known to many as the former Housemaster of School House. Nigel was delighted to host a range of Old Fettesians and it was excellent to observe how well everyone got on, clearly the bonds of Fettes run deep. Thanks to the great help from the OFA, the administration was flawless. We will be holding a similar event in May 2024 and Nigel would urge all OFs in the South West to come next year and enjoy a great day out in a great city.

Our Regional Representatives are working to plan events and establish deeper connections with the OFs in their region. A full list of OF Regional Representatives can be found on the next page so you can contact your local representative.

To keep up to date with upcoming events, please sign up to the Fettes Community Portal (fettescommunity.org) where we will share details of our plans. We very much look forward to seeing you at an event in the future.