Oberon - 50 years on
Gazette
Radleian Society Welcome
The Radleian Society office has had a very busy Michaelmas term as we bring our events and communication programme back up to full speed and we have had the honour of delivering two of the most significant events for the College this year. The first, a celebration of the life of Dennis Silk (in support of the Silk Fund), and the second, a College Memorial to pay tribute to Richard Morgan in the newly extended Radley Chapel. These occasions were attended by many hundreds of people and were filled with warmth and love, reminding us how special it is to be able to come back together at Radley again!
The Radleian Society will host a number of events and activities over the coming year for this community, including a special celebration of Radley music at Cadogan Hall in London, a series of talks on Zoom called the Big Thinking Talks (featuring different perspectives on our future world), and in September, we will also be launching a brand new format for our reunions where we will be inviting different decades back to Radley for an ‘Old Radleian’ day. Finally, we will continue to grow our resources to support Radleians in their early careers, drawing on the wealth of expertise and willingness to help that sits within the Radley Community.
With Radley turning 175 in June 2022, we have now entered a year of celebrations to mark this special birthday at the College, when we will commemorate the past, celebrate the present and look forward to the next 175 years. This is also a fantastic opportunity to bring together the broader community that is the beating heart of the College, Old Radleians, Radley parents, Radley staff, and Radley partnerships, the people who enrich everything the College does on a daily basis.
I’m very excited about the coming year for Radley and delighted that the Radleian Society is at the centre of many of the 175th anniversary celebrations reaffirming our purpose ‘as the means by which all Radleians, Radley parents and friends of Radley can maintain their link with the school and with each other around the world.’ Sam Melluish (1976) Radleian Society President
With this year’s attendance at the Old Radleian Dinner (over 200) being the highest in many years, it is clear the desire to reconnect is strong within the Radley Community. After a year of hosting our events on Zoom it is such a pleasure for the Radleian Society to bring people together in person again and the dinner was a wonderful evening which reunited past and present Radley in style!
Editor’s Note This year saw the celebration of my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary and amongst the tales and stories told of their years together was one from the evening before the ceremony. As tradition dictates, they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other all day and so when the phone rang, my father answered. On the other end was my mother, who didn’t say a word but instead put the needle on the record she had ready and Never My Love by The Association played down the line. When my brother then played this song at the party, there weren’t many dry eyes in the house!
Mansion or even the songs sung by the raucous support on Bigside, music of all sorts permeates Radley. In this edition of The Old Radleian, we hear from ORs who have gone on to become producers and songwriters, conductors, impresarios and performers in myriad genres. Most impressively, this list only just scratches the surface of the many ways that ORs have (and still are) involved in music. And we also remember the special part music played in the memorial to pastWarden Richard Morgan and that gives us our front cover image – the trumpet fanfare composed for his installation as Warden in 1991.
I give this personal example of the powerful impact music can have on us as an introduction to this year’s theme for The Old Radleian: Music. Whether it be the ‘15 @ 1:15’ performances in Coffee Shop, the hymns sung in Chapel, the sound of the Clerkes drifting through
If nothing else, however, I hope as you read through this year’s issue, it reminds you of a special piece of music, perhaps even one you first heard or sang during your time at the College. Simon Brand Editor
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the old radleian 2021
