Photo by Patrick Ryan (1985O)

8 FEBRUARY 2019

It's less than two weeks before ticket sales are due to close for the 2019 OD dinner! So, make sure to get yours before they're sold out!

Book Now

OD Dinner Raffle - Prize Donations

At this year's OD Dinner, we are planning to have a raffle which will be drawn on the night, however we are in need of some amazing prizes. It's a great opportunity to market your business. So, if you would like to offer a prize of any kind, we would be tremendously grateful!

Contact: [email protected]

The Old Diocesan - Issue 3

We’re very excited for the launch of Issue 3 of The Old Diocesan!

Please join us to hear our guest speaker - OD Union Patron and South African business giant Raymond Ackerman, and to find out:

- How Prof Jonathan Jansen believes we should be preparing Bishops boys for the future;

- Who the OD Hollywood director making movies with Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman is;

- What it’s like to free solo a sheer cliff with a 100m drop below;

- How 5 ODs met in the middle of the ocean;

- What political-economics expert Greg Mills thinks South Africa must do to prosper after the 2019 elections and more from ODs doing interesting and ground-breaking things around the world.

The launch will be held at The Mitre on Thursday 7th March from 6PM onwards. All are welcome to attend! Please RSVP below for admin and catering purposes.

RSVP

Founders Day 2019 Program - Approved

Please note: This is the Proposed Programme, and it is awaiting final approval from the school
Please contact the OD Captains, or the OD office in order to join one of the participating sides.

Please click on the button below to view.

Your Help Needed in Bishops Mystery

On this day, exactly 50 years ago, a fire broke out at the North End of the Brooke Wing of Founders House. It occurred at about 3pm, and the fire brigade responded commendably. When the clock tower struck the half hour, the fire was under control, the tension released, and all present broke into a spontaneous burst of applause...

Peter Steyn (1955O) at Lingua Franca

Peter Steyn (1955O), the world-renowned ornithologist, was very kindly invited by Dr Paul Murray (Bishops Historian/ Archivist) to address the Lingua Franca Society on Tuesday 29 January 2019...

Varsity Cup Opening Round

Monday 04 February 2019 saw the opening round of Varsity Cup Rugby 2019 in South Africa.
Our congratulations goes out to the various ODs who are representing different University sides...

Calling all ODs in Stellenbosch

To all ODs in Stellenbosch or Boland area:
The Bishops water polo sides will be playing against Paul Roos Gimnasium on Saturday 09 February 2019, at PRG.
The First team is scheduled to play at 11:50am.
Your OD support will be highly appreciated by Bishops.

It's Glen Biderman-Pam! (2007F)

Glen Biderman-Pam (2007F) plays a frustrated office worker who is determined to pick a great Superbru team (free social sports prediction game) after being defeated by Humphrey in the office pool the previous season...

Chester Missing on eTV

Conrad Koch (1995K), South Africa's top comedy ventriloquist, has once again teamed up with Chester Missing, one of the country's toughest political analyst, in a hilariously hard-hitting series called Almost News with Chester Missing...

Thursday Touchies

Thursday Touchies is well underway for 2019.
Please feel free to join the lads anytime from 5pm on Thursdays at the Lutgensvale Fields.
Feel free to contact the OD Office should you like to be added to the Touchies WhatsApp group, and receive updates.
ODs are most welcome to bring friends along.
Past attendees can be seen here

Starlight Classics - Saturday 2nd March

We still have some space available in the reserved area on the Saturday performance of Starlight Classics. Please book via Computicket and let us know the names of those attending.

NB: WE ONLY HAVE THE SPACE FOR SATURDAY 2ND MARCH

Book Now

Thank you to those who have taken the time to complete the questionnaire survey on ODU engagement. If you haven't gotten around to it yet, please could you do so by clicking the button below.

The survey will run until mid-February and we hope to release a summary of results at the AGM on Wednesday 27th February.

Your answers will be treated in the strictest confidence and no one's responses will be attributed, so please provide us with your honest and frank opinions.

Please click on the button below to begin the survey.

Begin Survey

UK Branch Secretary, Nicky Bicket (1973F) reports: "The ODU sends its best wishes to you for 2019. With resolutions still, hopefully, firmly in place, there are, happily, only about 350 days until these need to be reset. And for those of you smugly resisting these life-shaping decisions as a modern-day fad, bear in mind that NY resolutions date back 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonians!"

Mentee response: "...He has been and still continues to be a great mentor...his words and guidance will always be there and I will carry them with me throughout my career..."

To sign up as a Mentor/Mentee, click on the button below.

Sign-Up

Upcoming Events

2019 OD Dinner - Thurs 28 Feb

The annual dinner of Old Diocesans will take place at Kelvin Grove on Thursday 28th February 2019 at 6 for 6:30 PM.

We are delighted to have Professor Jonathan Jansen as our guest speaker for the evening

2019 AGM - Wed 27 Feb

The 2019 AGM will be held on Wednesday 27th February 2019 at the Woodlands Pavilion at 6PM.

Please RSVP via the button alongside for administrative purposes.

RSVP

Founders Day - Friday 1st March

Founders Day will be rather early this year due to the earlier school holidays.

More details will follow soon but ODs are urged to keep this date open should they wish to participate.

1954 Reunion - 1st - 5th March

The class of 1954 are organising various reunion events around Founders Day.

Please contact Margie Brown for more information: [email protected]

1969 Reunion - Friday 1st March

The class of 1969 are organising a reunion on Founders Day in the Woodlands Pavilion.

Please contact John Smuts for more information: [email protected]

1979 Reunion - 28 Feb - 3 Mar 2019

The 1979 Matric Year will be holding a reunion centred around the 2019 Founders Day weekend starting on Thursday 28^th February 2019 and ending on Sunday 3^rd March 2019. Please could any ODs of this vintage that have not yet been contacted by the organisers please contact Simon Peile at [email protected].

1989 Reunion - 28 Feb - 3 Mar 2019

Duncan de Groot (1989G) is organising the class of 1989 30-year reunion over the Founders Weekend next year, and anyone whom he has not been in contact with yet can get hold of him on [email protected] or 082 410 6081.

Walker Cup Golf - 25 April 2019

Venue: King David Mowbray
Date: Thursday 25th April 2019
Time: TBC
Shotgun Start, 4BBB Stabelford
128 Golfers – 64 per school
Greenfees: R300 per golfer to be paid at the ProShop.

Please contact John Smuts should you wish to play: [email protected]

1999 Reunion – 16 – 17 August 2019

The class of 1999 will be holding a 20-year reunion over the weekend of the Bishops v Rondebosch fixtures on 16-17 August 2019. Matrics and post-matrics of 1999 are welcome to contact Alistair Price on [email protected]. Further details will also be made available on the Facebook group: “Bishops 1999 Class 20-Year Reunion: 16-17 Aug 2019”.

School Updates

Message from the Principal

These past few weeks have been frenetic as the summer sports are in full swing and the boys prepare for Sports Day on Monday next week. Sports Day is on Monday as a result of term 1 being unusually short. Please do support the event, it begins at 1pm on Lutgensvale. A highlight of relay sports was the performance of Ollie Stewart who ran a sub 9-minute time setting a new record for the team event, a brilliant achievement!

Bishops Beat Bosch in T20 Cricket

On Wednesday 06 February 2019 the annual Bishops vs Rondebosch Boys' High School T20 Day/Night cricket match was played at the Frank Reid Field. Will Linley (Kidd), current Senior Prefect, and the Grade 12 group, did an excellent job in getting a large Bishops crowd - in No. 1's - to support the match...

Sports Day 2019

Sports Day Athletics will take place on Monday 11 February 2019 from 13:00 - 18:00 on the Lutgensvale Fields.
ODs are most welcome to come along and support their Houses.
Triangular Athletics is taking place on Wednesday 20 February 2019 from 14:00 - 18:00 at SACS.

Follow Us and Find Out More

Owing to so much OD related news, it is often challenging to report on the wide range of Bishops activities.

For ease of use, we thus include links to the Bishops Website, the Principal’s letters, and also the UK OD letters.
For all our previous weekly updates, click HERE
Please enjoy spending some time reading these, as they are the best means of keeping up to date with Bishops.