Over 110 alumni, current and former staff gathered in The Lansdowne Club’s Grade II listed 18th century Ballroom for the annual Bradfieldian London Lunch in May.
It was a pleasure to see multiple generations of OBs in the same room, from Christopher Lee (G 45-50) and Geoffrey Beccle (G 47-50) to Marshall Scott (G 17-19). It was also wonderful to welcome guests from the first intake of Palmer House, Abbie de Bunsen (nee Davies) (I 89-91) and Antonia Lester (I 89-91) who caught up for the first time since leaving Bradfield in the early 90s.
Micky Denehy (E 73-78), Chair of the Bradfield Society Advisory Board, welcomed everyone with a rousing introduction prior to the meal. He has been a firm supporter of The Bradfield Society concept, the inclusive umbrella group of friends of the College, alumni, parents and staff which enables all to maintain relationships. Al MacEwen, Director of The Bradfield Society, later thanked Micky for his support, saying “He bleeds Bradfield, as many do, he is an alumnus, a parent and most importantly a real friend.”
Several Bradfield College staff attended the lunch, some of whom are Bradfieldians themselves. Sarah Thompson (M 12-14) joined a large group of her peers including Merle Gibson (M 09-14), Lara Hubbard (M 07-12), Emma Cole (M 07-12), Emma Mercer (M 08-13), Annie Berry (K 12-14), Laura King (K 12-14), Gabby Houseman (K 12-14) and Lucy Black (I 11-13).
Shelvin Gumbs (G 07-09), part of Bradfield’s Computer Science and Wellbeing departments, was also joined by many of his OB peers while former Heads of Faulkner’s Roger and Fiona Wall were present, hosting many of the hockey players who were enjoying a mini reunion of their own. Hockey Tours have taken place at Bradfield since 1996 and Will Barrett (F 95-00) and Marc Sydenham (G 98-03) were part of the 1999 tour to Singapore and Malaysia.
During dessert, Al MacEwen, celebrating his 21st year at Bradfield, addressed guests with a brief history of the College from 1950 to the present day. Initially there were 372 boys whereas now, as a co-educational school, there are 827 girls and boys. He also talked about the importance of the Society’s ‘Be Involved’ campaign and shared some insights about the Bradfieldian lunch guests in attendance including:
22 guests were current or former parents; 19 guests have been or are a member of the College and/or Club Committees, contributing much to keep both the College and Bradfield Society moving forward and operational; 25 guests have been involved with the College Horizons team either offering work experience or interview practice for pupils; 41 guests helped The Bradfield Foundation either through bursary support or for capital projects such as The Science Centre or the current St Andrew’s Church project; one guest carried the Olympic torch in the local procession in 2012 whilst at College and one guest was the first female Bradfieldian to send both her son and daughter to the College.
Finally, in preparation for the lunch next year, Al challenged attendees to write down the names of three Bradfieldians who they would like to see at a future lunch. We hope to connect more Bradfieldians as we look towards that event in May 2023.
