An unexpectedly sunny autumn day was a very welcome addition to our OS 50th Anniversary Reunion on Thursday 29th September. Welcoming back our Leavers from 1970, 1971, 1972 the College were overjoyed to be able to host the event after a covid break since 2019.

A fabulous turnout across the leaving years made for a wonderful atmosphere as the cohorts gathered in the Ferguson Lecture Theatre, better known to our guests as the indoor swimming pool during their College days. Friendships were rekindled over coffee as guests reacquainted themselves with contemporaries from 50 years before. Guests were joined by the Head as she mingled amongst them, many joined by their partners, introducing herself and hearing their first hand recollections of their school days.

Informal chats and refreshments enjoyed, OS President, Chris Forster (SuH, 82-90) offered a warm welcome to all, mentioning just some of the positive changes that the College has enjoyed such as the move to co-education and the modernisation and extension of College facilities over the past 50 years. Handing over to College Head, Kathy Crewe-Read, Chris encouraged attendees to register with the Stortfordian Foundation portal to keep up to date with all the Foundation’s OS activities and to thoroughly enjoy their day ‘back at school’.

The Head, hosting her first 50th Reunion at the College, cordially welcomed all our guests, many of whom haven’t visited the College since their own Speech Day 50 years before. Warmly expressing her enthusiasm for supporting the thriving OS community, the Head also outlined not only changes over the past 50 years but also the College’s newly published Strategic Vision for the future ‘Excellence for today and tomorrow’. She explained that it is ‘a strategy based both on observations and feedback gathered from the College community today and a confident outlook on the skills and attributes our children will need for their rather exciting futures. Preparing the next generations of Stortfordians to make their mark with confidence and poise is a privilege – and one that we take very seriously here at the College.’

The beautiful autumn sunshine enabled the ubiquitous group photograph to be taken on the steps of the Memorial Hall with everyone quickly remembering the necessary etiquette of mem hall step photographs to ensure that everyone was clearly visible in the finished photograph.

A group of enthusiastic sixth form tour guides were on hand to take small groups on leisurely tours of the College campus sharing familiar sights and newer additions. Taking time to share the stunning restoration of School House, our distinctive new Art Centre and brand new boarding houses, which are much more ‘ensuite bathrooms’ rather than the ‘cold baths’ that our guests might have been more used to in the early 1970s.

With appetites reinvigorated after the campus tours, guests returned to the Ferguson Lecture Theatre, charged their glasses and took their seats for a delicious three course lunch, surround by friends of the past. During lunch the FLT resonated with the sounds of laughter and joy as stories of College antics and school day anecdotes were shared.

It was wonderful to welcome back our very special OS guests and their partners to celebrate their OS 50th Anniversary in such an affable way. Sadly not all those who had hoped to join us were able to attend in person on the day but they were most certainly with us in spirit as their contemporaries reminisced about their College days.

We thank all those who joined us, many travelling some distance to do so and an extra special mention goes to Mr Ian Taylor (Head of Science, 67-04) who was most certainly guest on honour on the day.

We do hope that nobody waits another 50 years to visit the College again…

An event photo gallery can be found by scrolling further down this page.

OS 2022 50th Reunion Guests

David Andrews, OBE (GH, SUH, 64-70)

Mark Avery (GH, SUH, 64-72)

Andrew Batchelar (GH, RPH, 63-71)

Ian Braybrook (GH, HH, 65-71)

Mark Brett (AH, 66-71)

Steve Chester (GH, HH, 63-71)

Michael Churchill (RPH, 66-71)

Stephen Crane (GH, SUH, 63-70)

Mark Creasey (SH, 67-72)

Mark Evans (GH, SH, HH, 62-71)

Martin Harvey (GH, SUH, 65-72)

Richard Haynes (GH, SHA, 61-71)

Mark Jackson (RPH, 66-70)

Henry Marchant (GH, HH, 63-72)

Peter Matthews (GH, AH, 64-71)

Dr Michael Miller (GH, SH, 67-71)

Patrick O’Donovan (GH, HH, 64-71)

Stephen Rapkin (GH, HH, 65-71)

Geoffrey Rice (GH, HH, 64-73)

Bob Robertson (GH, HH, 64-73)

Steve Ross (GH, SHA, 65-72)

Tim Rossiter (GH, SUH, 63-71)

Edward Sharpe (SH, 69-73)

Philip Soper (GH, SHA, 63-70)

Ian Turner (GH, HH, 64-71)

Anthony Vingoe (RPH, 66-71)

Chris Forster OS President (MJH, SUH, 82-90)

Ian Taylor (Head of Science, 67-04)