There are lots of ways to stay in touch with St John’s once you leave. Many OJs retain their connections with our school community, continuing favourite past-times such as rugby or running, making new friends from different year groups and enjoying the sense of connection and belonging which means so much to many of our alumni.
There are a number of specialist OJ groups, clubs and societies who are always keen to hear from new members. You can find out more about these via the links below.
If you’re an OJ with an idea for a new group, please get in touch at development@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk – we’d love to hear from you.
Clubs and Societies
OJ Cricket Club
It has been some years since there has been an OJ Cricket team but, thanks to Honorary OJ Adrian Gale, a new team has been established captained by Oliver Hunt (North 2012-2017).
The first game of this reformed OJCC v 1st X1 was played in June 2019. And, following an unplanned pause in 2020, the team made a welcome return in 2021.
St John’s and Old Johnian cricket has much to be proud of. If you would like to join Adrian in in taking it forward, please get in touch via abgale@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk with your thoughts and suggestions about how we might do this.
OJ Football
After two disrupted seasons due to the pandemic, the team gained their fourth promotion in five full seasons and have been promoted to Division 1 of the Arthurian League, after winning Division 2 last season by some margin. A fantastic achievement for a team that only played their first game back in 2016.
Looking forward to the 2022/2023 season, the squad can expect their most competitive season yet, with the holy grail of the Premier division being another optimistic yet achievable target. Also, the promise of a return to the hallowed turf at St John’s, with the support of current pupils and teachers, is another highlight of the upcoming season.
Home matches are currently played in Hampton with tea provided post-match. We would love to hear from any OJ’s who want to get back into 11-a-side football and want to join a competitive, enjoyable and sociable team. If you are keen to hear more, or you would like to get involved in the OJFC journey, please contact our Chairman Sam Thorowgood via e-mail at oldjohnianfc@gmail.com or via Instagram at @oldjohniansfc.
OJ Golfing Society
All golfing OJs are welcome to join the Society which consists of all age groups (and handicaps) from recent school leavers to those who left years ago. The golf played is nicely competitive but sociable and fun.
The OJGS was formally established in 2005/6 following surprise being expressed at the time by certain Old Boy opponents that Old Johnians were not more involved in Old Boys Golf. The point was taken and as a first step an application for membership of the Public Schools Old Boys Golfing Association (now known as the Grafton Morrish Association) was made. We are now members along with over 150 schools a number of whom are traditional sporting rivals of St John’s.
The OJGS is a group with some 90 OJs of all ages currently recorded on our membership database. Some of this number are not fully active whilst others, mainly more recent recruits, have yet to become subscribing members – nevertheless it is encouraging to be attracting such interest bearing in mind that golf at St John’s is not a major activity. Apart from holding an annual Society Day, we currently have established annual fixtures against O Epsomians, O Alleynians, St John’s pupils and the Bar GS. Matches also used to be played against O Lorettonians and O Cranleighans. At some stage we hope it may be possible either to restore or replace these fixtures.
As a member of the Grafton Morrish Association the OJGS enters a team each year in the Grafton Morrish Trophy, a stableford foursomes competition played off scratch. In the main the OJ team has performed with credit, bearing in mind the standard of play required, and in 2010 and 2014 did well to qualify for the final stages.
2022 Fixtures
- Sunday 8 May – Grafton Qualifier (Scratch Team) at Royal Wimbledon GC (Stuart Hibbert)
- Saturday 14 May v Bar GS at New Zealand GC (Richard Vosser)
- Sunday 17th July – OJGS Society Day at Tyrrells Wood GC (Andrew Wildey)
- Saturday 27 August v O Alleynians New Zealand GC (Graham Warren)
- TBC v The School at Effingham GC – (Dom Higgitt)
For more information please contact the Development Office.
OJ Lodge
The Old Johnian Lodge No 5282 was formed in 1931 and Consecrated on Monday 20th July of that year at Freemasons Hall. The Lodge was originally formed for Old Boys and Masters of St John’s School, Leatherhead, but these days also welcomes members who are not connected to the OJ community.
The Lodge continues to meet at Freemasons’ Hall on Great Queen Street in London four times each year. Freemasonry is a society of like-minded men of any race, religion or political belief who are over the age of 21 years and believe in God; irrespective of the denomination that takes. There are over six million Freemasons across the four corners of the globe; this includes 250,000 Freemasons across over 8,000 Lodges throughout England and Wales, and districts overseas; 40,000 of these members in London alone.
Old Johnian Lodge has an intimate membership of around 20, of whom half attended the school as pupils. We have very strong links with our sister Lodges, Old Epsomiam Lodge No. 3561 and Old Cranleighan Lodge No. 4680, with whom we share a Royal Arch Chapter (Surrey Schools Chapter). We try to meet at the School once every three years and welcome friends and family to share a formal evening dinner with us in the Dining Hall.
We welcome enquiries from anyone with an interest in what we do. Please do also get in touch if you are interested in joining Freemasonry, if you are already a Freemason looking to visit our Lodge or if you are thinking about becoming a member.
Regular Meeting Dates
The Old Johnian Lodge meets at Freemasons’ Hall on Great Queen Street on the following four days each year. We dine at the Hercules Pillars after the meetings.
- The first Wednesday in March
- The first Monday in May
- The first Wednesday in July
- The first Monday in November (Installation meeting)
Contact: Please get in touch with the Old Johnian Lodge Secretary, Mark Cooper, for more information: mark@cooperandlansbury.com
United Grand Lodge of England
Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London
OJ Rifle Club
The OJ Rifle Club is a friendly club with over 20 active shooters who have a happy habit of beating the Old Epsomians!
The OJRC has a reputation for turning out talented shooters with regular trophy wins and several members making it to county, national and GB teams.
We meet and shoot at the St John’s rifle range on Monday nights from 8.00-10.00pm (except Bank Holidays), followed by a visit to a local pub. During the summer we also shoot at Bisley at weekends and during the civilian meetings.
New members are always welcome. Contact the Development Office for more information.
OJ Rugby
Remember that feeling when you put on the green and white, ran out on the pitch with your team mates, delivered a hard fought win and then celebrated with your buddies over a few pints?
If you thought those days were in the past, then think again. You can now get that feeling every weekend by playing for Old Johnian RFC!
Things that will interest you about OJ RFC:
- We have a squad spanning all shapes and sizes and all standards from 1998 to 2013
- We have been promoted every year since we reformed in 2012 – we now sit in Surrey 3
- We tour, yes, we tour
- We play a game at the School in October
- We’re not scary people, pop along to training on a Wednesday night (at Wimbledon RFC) and find out
- We have coaches, trainers and a physio (all OJs)
- We WIN
- We WIN well
If this interests you, why don’t you drop a couple of your mates a line and see if they’re also keen. If they are – ‘hurrah’! Next step is the BIG one – get in touch.
Even though you don’t know us and we don’t know you, we share a unique bond in St John’s and we all know Butch. Trust me when I say this, as soon as you spend two minutes with the guys you’ll think you’ve known them for ages.
For more information on the OJ RFC, including fixture lists and the latest results, please visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
OJ Running Club
We would love to hear from anyone who wants to join us.
The Thames Hare and Hounds Cross Country Alumni Race is a great annual event and we would love to have a larger team together for this – and we will also be on the lookout for other races throughout the year. It doesn’t matter what your speed is – it is a social thing!
We are always looking for OJs of all ages and abilities to join us. You can find out more, including our latest running activity on our website: www.ojrunners.com
Please get in touch with us by email at OJrunners@outlook.com.
