This year’s annual OJ Dinner took place on Friday 12 October, and was a wonderful evening of celebration. Spanning the generations from the 1940s onwards, 115 OJs from eight decades were in attendance.
The evening began with welcome drinks in Montgomery (Monty) House to celebrate the 45th anniversary of its foundation in 1973. Many of the former housemasters of Monty (seven out of nine) were able to be there, so OJs enjoyed catching up with them and reminiscing about their time at the School.
Guests were then welcomed to the Dining Hall for a delicious three course meal, after which toasts were made to The Queen, the Duchess of Gloucester as patron of the Governing Council and to St John’s.
Following a welcome from Chairman of the OJ Committee, Mark Cooper, guests enjoyed a speech by the first housemaster of Monty, Richard Rhodes. During his speech, Richard Rhodes reflected on his time at St John’s and commented on his pleasure at seeing again so many of the original ‘pioneer’ Monty OJs.
Alex Macqueen (Monty 1990-1992) then took to the stage as guest speaker. Best known for his character as ‘Neil’s Dad’ in The Inbetweeners, Alex Macqueen has appeared on stage, film and TV, including Holby City, Peep Show and The Thick of It, to name a few. His entertaining stories were met with rapturous laughter and applause, whilst his warm enthusiasm for St John’s was greatly appreciated by all the guests.
GET INVOLVED…if you would like to join the OJ Committee, please contact the Development Office on 01372 385450 or email development@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk
