Dear OD

Well, what surreal times we're living in.

Most importantly, I hope this letter finds you well. Please do remember that if you are unable to leave you house, need help with transport, medicine or grocery collection or just someone to call you to see how you are, please don't hesitate to let me know. There are ODs willing and able to assist.

Last month I sent out a letter to all 620 UK ODs inviting them to contact the ODU should they need assistance through this pandemic period. I received an amazing 109 replies, none saying they were in need of help, but all saying that this was exactly the kind of sentiment and spirit they expected from the ODU and were pleased to be able to contribute if and when necessary. Thank you each and everyone of you for your kindness and concern for other ODs. Some of the responses are collected and posted in the "Correspondence" section of this letter.

This letter is not yet another self-help of pompous how-to guide on how to get through the lockdown. We have enough of those. But since social gatherings are banned, the contents are more "editorial" than activity-focused.

In the past month, we have had to postpone our three-way drinks party with Hilton and Michaelhouse and our annual golf match against the Old Tonbridgians. The Carlton Club is closed "indefinitely" so we can't be too sure that our annual black-tie dinner on the 19th June is certain to happen - at least on the 19th June. (Those that have booked will, obviously receive a refund if and when I know we will have to change the date and for the moment no further bookings are being taken).

On the positive side, some of us may be enjoying the reduced pace of our lives and, if like me, I hope you are managing to combine working-from-home with other pastimes which you just don't have time to get to. See the section below if you're at a loose end!

Iain Derrick (W, 1985) is somehow evading the Easter Egg police and getting out to train for his charity-supporting swimming marathon to raise money for Aspire a charity that helps people with spinal cord injuries. While living in Germany, Iain suffered a spinal injury and spent the better part of three weeks partially paralysed. After surgery and while recovering, he developed an interest in spinal cord injuries which motivated him to raise money for the charity while fulfilling his ambition to swim the English Channel. Should you want to support Iain to raise money for this fantastic charity, please click HERE to go through to his JustGiving page.

Good luck Iain!

Last week I communicated the sad news that Tim Bravington (S, 1951, left) had passed away. This was nothing to do with the pandemic. As I said in the letter, Tim for several years had been a terrific supporter of the UK branch and he will be missed. A short bio of Tim's life can be read HERE.

Peter Macan (F, 1954) wrote to say, "I am so sad to hear of the death of Tim Bravington. I have fond memories of a pleasant afternoon spent with him and Rosemary while they were living on Rustenberg Farms. My dear friends Philip and Fiona Erskine had invited them to join us for lunch at their homestead in Idas Valley when Doreen and I visited them during our visit to the Cape for the 50th reunion of the Class of '54 in March 2004. He had become great friends of the Erskines during his time as Rector of St.Mary's, Stellenbosch. Philip, as Churchwarden, was a staunch supporter of Tim during those difficult times in Stellenbosch. I was ordained Deacon in St George's Cathedral in December 1960 just two years after Tim, but we were destined to work in different parts of the country before Doreen and I left South Africa in 1968. Philip's widow Fiona will be saddened to hear of Tim's passing.

The ODU send to Rosemary, Tim's wife (also a great supporter of ours) and to Des (W, 1991) and Helen our sincerest condolences. RIP.

To all of you, good health and forbearance

Kindest regafds

Nicky Bicket
OF HELP AND/OR TO KEEP YOU OCCUPIED

Not all of us will find this self-isolation/quarantining a welcome break from our routine. And, indeed, some of us may feel emotionally isolated and unsupported. Peter Arthur (W, 1965, right) after a career in top-level corporate law is now a certified coach and mentor and has written up some points for his own clients which may be helpful (see HERE). He has also very kindly offered, pro bono, to chat to/coach or otherwise just be on the other end of a phone for those who would like to establish contact. In the first instance, get in touch via email:  petera@cantab.net

Chris Danziger (G, 1958) has devised a series of quizzes which he sends to friends and neighbours to while away the time - and test their general knowledge with some very tricky questions. This, the second in his series, is, aptly, "Farewell to March". Open the quiz HERE and when finished, press submit. You will receive back a copy of your answers and a set of the correct ones - which might of course be exactly the same. May your children not beat you!

Good luck!


Most of us will know by now that at the end of last month, Moody's downgraded South Africa to junk bonk status. What this means and the impact of the decision is discussed in this summary from Sanlam Investment Managers (which contains a more detailed paper in the summary). Click HERE Note that this is an independent view not endorsed by the ODU.

The London Business School are running a series of online webinars which are open to the general public. For more details and a list of the topics to be covered, click HERE. Their past webinars or those that you'd like to participate in but can't are posted on their website to view later.


For our asset and investment managers, here is the latest (2020) Global Private Equity Report published by Bain & Co which is in the public domain. To read or download it, please click HERE.

Ever since 2002 when Daniel Kahneman won the Nobel prize for Economics, psychologists (Kahneman is a psychologist not an economist) have dominated the field of Behavioural Economics. And with good reason. If you'd like to read more about this fascinating subject and acquire or enhance your own manipulation techniques, read or download the latest journal (also in the public domain) HERE.

With all music concerts cancelled, there is still much to listen to online, gratis. One interesting website, pointed out to me by Peter Joelson (O, 1967) is the Gstaad Digital Festival which features a wide array of classical music, masterclasses (don't miss those with Sir Andras Schiff) and interviews. To register and enjoy, click HERE.

For your children in either Year 11 or Year 13 (or in between, presumably), Eton, via EtonX are offering free online courses in CV Writing, Creative Problem Solving, Interview Skills, Making an Impact, Resilience, Research Skills and Writing Skills. You will need to register HERE, but there's no charge for the courses mentioned above. EtonX is a British education technology company founded by Eton College in 2015 with one mission in mind: to create innovative software and high-quality course materials that allow students to develop the skills they need for their future success.

Harvard University, via their EDX platform are providing a free online course Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies which explores how entrepreneurship and innovation tackle complex social problems in emerging economies. The full course is free, but there are various chargeable upgrade options which don't look at all necessary. To enrol, click HERE

And, lastly - for lovers of art - another fabulous website to spend as much time on as you might in the building itself is that of The Royal Academy. There are countless lectures, talks and exhibitions posted and their 60-seconds series is a joy. Enter free HERE

 
IN NUMBERS : THE UK BRANCH OF THE ODU

Marketers - the good ones anyway - will tell you it's all about knowing your market. And our market is the UK (with Scotland peeping over the Wall every so often).

The new ODU 2020-2025 Strategy makes a point of emphasising the "connectedness" of the ODU which presents challenges when considering how far-flung the diaspora is, the different age groups and the different interests the membership covers.

At a very superficial level, I thought it might be interesting to have another look at how the UK membership base breaks out and if that is something which might interest you, please click
HERE.

The implications of the ranges of data give cause for pause when considering how to achieve and measure the effectiveness of the ODU. The key measures, to me, are interest and engagement. Engagement requires interest, but not all those interested are able or want to engage. Without interest, there is no reason for the ODU to exist. You will appreciate that this is a very broad market and finding common areas of interest and engagement are challenging.

If you have any comments about the data, suggestions on segmentation strategies for different interest "hooks" and the relevance or otherwise of our functions, events and newsletter, though which ODs are able to engage, please do let me have them.

The data in the presentation reflect a snapshot at a point in time. More than ever, the pandemic aside, ODs flit around the planet, some for very short periods, some to move out of South Africa forever. I think I reach most of those that get to the UK, but not all. And some who I do reach, have already left our shores.
I have put together a list of the ODs I have on my circulation list, grouped by year. If you know of any that should be on the list - or shouldn't anymore - please let me know. The list is HERE.

 
ODs ON THE MOVE

This month we congratulate:

Byron Messaris (G, 2004, right) who completed his probation period at
International Data Corporation (IDC) last month. His role at IDC is now permanent. As Consulting Manager for International Data Corporation (IDC) he will oversee all consulting engagements within the industry (Healthcare, Manufacturing, Finance and Retail) focused technology teams and practices in Europe, and the United Kingdom.

Cormac Petit (O, 1973, left) after a long and successful career with IBM has been made an associate of
The Sustainable Finance Lab, based in Utrecht
(we claim Cormac as one of our UK members based on his commitment and participation in our activities!).

Liam Cook (S, 2015, right)) has been appointed as an analyst in the Investment Banking off-cycle Division : Leveraged and Acquisition Finance at HSBC. Previous to this until the end of last year, he was Tutor for Finance 2A at UCT, taking weekly tutorials of 20+ students covering equities, portfolio management and ethics topics.

Shaun Little (G, 2007, left) has as part of his solicitor training just moved into the Real Estate department for the second seat of his training contract with Eversheds Sutherland in the Manchester office. He has just completed his first six month seat in the Corporate team, where he had the opportunity to get involved supporting the team on a wide range of M&A, private equity, and equity capital market deals.

 
CORRESPONDENCE

Personally, I have a bit of a "thing" about the maintaining of space between us being called "Social Distancing". I think more than ever, we should be keeping socially very close - physically distant, of course - but increasing communication and social support as much as we can. One way is through correspondence, another using the many communication apps (while keeping our banking details private) and of course just over the phone.

The past month has seen a very welcome uptick in correspondence (written and telephonic) within our branch.

The Corona-virus Pandemic

The Corona-virus pandemic has challenged society in the most serious of ways. Politically, economically, socially and scientifically, we are all stretched to our limits as we seek to find ways of coping with what, a month or so ago, was almost unimaginable, catching all sectors of society flat-footed and floundering for answers.

But it's time like these that brings out the best in people as they rally together against a common threat and this was as evident in the ODU as anywhere else. I wrote a letter to all the UK ODs offering, on behalf of all of us, assistance to any OD who required help with transport, food and medicine deliveries or just company. The response was overwhelming. 620 emails were delivered and I received 109 responses which is unprecedented. And what wonderful responses they were. I share a selection of them
HERE for no other reason than to illustrate that we really are a very special Union (this letter to alumni was subsequently "borrowed" by a few other associations) and that as ODs, we instinctively "do the right thing" when called upon to do so.

John Joubert

Several ODs replied to the notification of the broadcast of John Joubert's (O, 1944) An English Requiem on Radio 3 last month. 

Alan Chippington (G, 1958) wrote,
"Thank you for your note on John Joubert. We have noted the time and will be listenting on Monday afternoon via the satellite here in France. The major part of my reply is a response to your last full paragraph concerning Claude Brown (or Bruno as we called him), Doctor of Music and FRCO who travelled to Capetown in the company of  "Panks" Payne (Science I think from Cambridge), both of whom, if I am not mistaken, spent their entire careers at Bishops. I first came across Bruno at Prep in 1949 aged 8.  Our singing lesson was in Stanmore in a large room overlooking the playing field.  He announced that he was going to "separate the sheep from the goats"!  The meaning of this expression was not familiar to us but we soon got the gist.  Each boy had to sing alone while he played the piano and very quickly he placed those "in tune" in the "sheep" category and those less fortunate in the "goats" category. I was lucky enough to be a "sheep" and not long thereafter I found myself in the choir where I spent the next 10 years gradually decending from treble to alto to tenor and to bass. Claude Brown was a colossus in the Music world of Capetown.  Apart from Bishops he had an adult choir which sang with us boys (plus "Panks" Payne who was an excellent addition to our ranks) more or less on a yearly basis in the Town Hall with the participation of the Capetown City Orchestra.  Bach's Mass in B Minor, The Dream of Gerontius, Hiawatha to name but a few, all trained, rehearsed and conducted by Bruno himself. December of each year saw the Carol Service in Bishops Chapel.  This was always broadcast to the nation by the SABC. I claim that we were in every way the equal of Kings College Cambridge! Who could forget Richard Wharton-Hood's (W, 1958) "I know that my Redeemer liveth" and Timothy Farrell (G, 1961) at the organ when only a lad.  We all gained an awful lot from Doc. Brown.  An appreciation of music and all that it means that lasts for a lifetime. There were those who felt that Bruno was too single-minded, even fanatical in his pursuit of music.  But in his lighter moments, for example at Philharmonic Society meetings at Skip's house, he would retort that when he needed his choristers they were far too often "either training for a run, or running for a train"!

Peter Carter (F, 1963) remembered, 
"I remember him on a visit to Bishops chapel during a choir practice. I was a treble at the time so it must have been during my prep years – late 1950s. That was a while ago. I also remember the school singing ‘Torches’ at a carol service. There was a lad called Borcherds (Gerry Borcherds (F, 1960) who marched to a slightly different tune to the rest of us. The school thus amended Torches to Borcherds and there was this rousing refrain “Borcherds, Borcherds, run with Borcherds, All the way to Bethlehem!” Those were the days when the Bishops carol service was broadcast by the SABC. I don’t remember any consequences. Maybe the powers that be pretended that it didn’t happen.

Going off on a slight, but related musical memory tangent, Dominic Ward (F, 1976) reminisced, 
"Apart from the friends, BGdeK [Brian de Kock] & Mike [Fisher], the craic, sport and Founders, my happiest memories of school included big elements of music. Evensong singing, Holbrow [Mark, S, 1976] unleashed on the chapel organ during quiet hour, Founders quad concerts, Rohan’s [Rohan Millson (F, 1973)] records in the Rec room, music at the house socials, early parties, and Sunday’s spent playing guitar at friends’ houses. In ‘73 I think there was a music eve in the music hall. A band which included Shaggy [Grant MacLachlan, F, 1973] & Nigel Tebbutt [F, 1974] played the Spell by Uriah Heep. It was stunning. Were you there? Was lead guitar Geoff Rudman [O, 1973]?"

It is great to receive reminiscences and any form of correspondence from ODs. They are always interesting to me and, more importantly, to other ODs for whom, I'm sure, these memories stir up memories of their own.

Lastly, Archie Swanson (G, 1973) the class poet laureate, has used the lockdown to write more poetry. He sent me his latest work, a very poignant poem called Enigma which describes the way music has the capacity to lift the human spirit. To read and enjoy it click HERE.

Please do make these newsletters a two-way communication.

 
THE ODU STRATEGY 2020-2025

Towards the end of last year, there was a flurry of consultation on the ODU 2020-2025 strategy. After much very useful and varied input from ODs around the world, the strategy was summarised and presented in a one-page schematic. It was accepted by both the outgoing Committee and the new incumbents. To look at it, click HERE - but do read on!

At the heart of the strategy is the idea (Vision) that Bishops is "for life". The fact that the School and alumni association carry different names is a quirk of linguistic shorthand, starting pretty much on the day that Bishop Robert Gray founded The Diocesan College which seemed too complicated for Capetonians who immediately "renamed" the School Bishops (the Bishop's School, in effect). The founders of our old boys' society had no such difficulty and persisted with The Old Diocesans Union as the name of our alumni association.

But "Bishops for Life" reminds us that once a Bishops boy, always a Bishops Boy and while we may, after matric move out of one entity (the School) into another (the ODU) we are the same person. Thinking about this strategically, it is easy (easier) to recognise and leverage the relationship and synergies which exist between the School and the ODU.

The answer to the question "why does the ODU exist" (its Purpose) was defined as: To connect the worldwide community of ODs to each other and Bishops".


From there four objectives were agreed which, if delivered on, would enable the ODU to fulfil its Purpose and achieve its vision. Those four objectives are:
  • A Support framework for ODs worldwide
  • Engagement of the complete ODU membership
  • Effective two-way communication
  • Pride in and support for Bishops
None of this is clever stuff. Rather it reflects the practical essence of what the ODU has always been. What is does do, particularly through the Initiatives, which support the Objectives, is to focus and align the strategy so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

The new ODU Committee, under the chairmanship of Wilbur van Niekerk (K, 1985, right) is now hard at work - through seven sub-committees: finance; marketing, communication, IT; branches; member development (including bursaries); governance; societies and clubs; and events and functions - to give effect to the strategy and guide the implementation.

 
MENTORING
 
"I continue to work with Peter and the experience has been nothing short of invaluable. Whether it be advising me on how to approach job interviews or evaluating which career path to follow, he has taught me to always keep a cool head and to believe in your own ability and value. The opportunity to consult someone with such distinguished experienced is priceless to any young person beginning their career and is something I will always be grateful for. "
 
This and other testimonials give impetus and urgency to the ODU Mentoring Programme, now in its fifth year. Of course, not everyone needs a mentor, but the benefits are huge. It's a crazy world out there and ODs don't have to walk alone.

The panel of mentors is building steadily and the requests for advice and guidance increasing. More and more, this programme which is managed completely confidentially, is being seen as something of real value and it is gratifying that non-ODs are writing in to see whether they too can tap into the wealth of experience available.

The quote above, is, with permission, from one of the mentees, Michael Foxcroft (W, 2011). describes the benefits he's derived from working with Peter Arthur (W, 1965, also mentioned with permission).

So, if you would like to put yourself as a mentor or request one, please do so via this form.

 
PROPOSED OD TRIP TO THE LUBERON
October 9th -16th 2021
 
In last month's newsletter, I wrote of a proposed short OD break to The Luberon, to be organised by Simon Burrow (F, 1968) hon.sec of our France branch.

There was enough interest to encourage us to move forward a step or two and confirm the dates which are 9th October 2021-15th October 2021.

As this may be a long time for a short break, the trip will be organised on a "hop on-hop off" basis so you can join and leave as it suits you.  A very draft itinerary is HERE.

Thank you to those who have already expressed their interest. If you are interested in joining this trip, please indicate by clicking on the response below. This doesn't commit you, but get our planning one step further. If you have already expressed an interest, there's no need to do so again. 

I would be interested in joining the trip

Back to Contents
THE OLD DIOCESAN
5th Edition, March 2020
 
The fifth edition of The Old Diocesan has has hit the streets. Picking up on SA's RWC success, our artist, Stephen Rae (K. 1994) deployed a Warhol-esque rendition of The Mitre for the cover and spontaneously used the green and gold of the Bok colours. That green, as we should know, was the green gifted to the Springboks by the fifth-ever Springbok captain, Barry "Fairy" Heatlie (OD, 1890). The picture on the right is Barry as captain of Bishops - note the Bishops mitre!

The magazine cover painting serves as the header for this newsletter. It is a high quality magnum opus, the work of many dedicated experts and contributors, led by our inspiring editor, Tim Richman (B, 1995) who works tirelessly to ensure we have one of the best alumni magazines that I've ever seen.  It covers the huge gamut of achievements of ODs. It reflects the quantity, breadth and quality of ODs around the world who share a common heritage: Bishops. To read the magazine online click 
HERE or on the cover of the magazine. If you would prefer to receive a hard copy, and have not informed the ODU of this, please then let me know by emailing me HERE with your name, house and year and postal address.
 
Guy Pearson, Principal, writes, "It has been a very unusual and difficult end to the term. It has certainly taken the gloss off what has been a very good term for the boys of Bishops. I have been very impressed with the overall leadership of the school by Michael Ford and his Matric group. I have been equally happy with the way in which the Grade 8 year group have settled in and embraced what Bishops has to offer. It has been a very busy and fulfilling term. Our sportsman have enjoyed great success, particularly in water polo, cricket and athletics. We were so looking forward to the winter sports program which promised so much.  We need to encourage the boys to remain positive. This too shall pass! 

"The Covid-19 virus is threatening our health and well-being. This has created a challenge to learning in our traditional physical classroom. We are fortunate to have had a one-to-one laptop programme in place since 1999. Bishops boys have become accustomed to relying on a well structured and dynamic intranet for most of their resources. 
 
"In the event that boys are physically unable to return to school on the 14th April, they will need to learn online.  We will continue to use the intranet and lesson plans will be outlined in each subject area. Appropriate resources will be linked so that it is easy for boys to navigate their own learning. Fundamental to meaningful classroom practice is, of course, the human interaction and input from staff. Staff were trained in the use of Microsoft Teams at the staff conference on Tuesday. Teams for every class in the school are being set up. Boys will receive detailed instructions on how to engage in Teams with each subject class, when the time is right. Staff spent most of the day preparing these online lessons which will be uploaded if we need to start remote learning. 

"It was evident from the staff conference that Bishops teachers are excited by the potential and prospects that online learning could provide. 
 
"The Minister of Education has announced that the June/July holidays will be cut short to make up for missed academic time. We will notify parents once this has been finalised but please consider this as you make plans for the June/July holidays.
 
"I would like to wish you all a Blessed Easter time with your families and share with you a reflection for our times from Fr Monwabisi Peter (see
HERE). We are all affected by this pandemic and it is going to be a challenge to keep your sons engaged and positive, please find a safe space to get them exercise and emphasise social distancing and washing of hands to them. It is going to be a case of “short term pain for long term gain”. Most importantly I pray that you and your families will remain safe."

 
Copyright © 2020 UK ODU, All rights reserved.


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