“On Friday 20th October seventeen OGs who had joined the School in 1953, plus two welcome additions from, respectively, 1955 and 1956, together with four wives and one daughter, gathered at Downside for a seventy-years-on Reunion and were made extremely welcomed by the Headmaster, Andrew Hobbs, and by Jess Newman and Silvia Acosta Santos from the Development Office; blessings on them and also on the Catering Manager, Sarah Kieck and her team who fortified the inner man and inner woman splendidly; we have asked the Recording Angel to take careful note of their twelve-out-of-ten hospitality.
The visiting dramatis personae were Desmond Birkett (R58), Patrick (R58) and Catherine Branigan, Tony (C58) and Christine Bueno, David Burnand (R58), Michael (S58) and David Cane (U61), Michael Fysh (R54), George Harby (R58), Michael Hoy (S58), Guy (S58) and Katharina Knapton, Howel (R58) and Elizabeth Lewis, Richard (Dom Stephen) Ortiger (S57), Martin (B57) and Najwa Powys-Lybbe, David Robinson (R58), Hugh Rolfe (B58), Simon Sugrue (B56) and John Tackaberry (S58).
The visit included an evocative tour with Jess and Silvia -the echoes of ‘there seems to be some slight misunderstanding’ were almost audible in the main Hall- a toothsome lunch with our kind hosts in the former Smythe Refectory and a gentle Mass in the Abbey Church at 3 pm for Downside past, present and future.
Before departing, some of us made a visit to the monastic cemetery to say hello, goodbye and thank you to some memorable people; may they rest in peace and also pray for us; their help, now as before, is greatly appreciated. And now, onwards and upwards!”
by Dom Stephen Ortiger (S57)
This remarkable reunion served as a reminder that the legacy of Downside School continues far beyond the classrooms and time as a pupil. The connections forged within its historic walls have stood the test of time, proving that the memories and values instilled during school years continue, even nearly 70 years after departing the School.
