The Old Diocesan Issue 12 - Magazine - Page 119
NEWS
ODU news updates
This year, the OD Committee
(ODC) has formally established a
Cape Town branch of the OD Union.
While The Mitre has long served as
a natural gathering place for ODs
in Cape Town, the creation of the
branch has brought renewed energy
and focus to the activities and our
community. Jordan Flax (2014W),
together with OD Ambassador Paul
Murray, helped to strengthen and
expand the programme.
A series of talks now takes place
regularly, both at lunchtime and
in the evenings, covering a wide
range of topics. Subject matter
has included the history of Bishops
architecture – inspiration for the
feature on page 50 – and the
submarine service, and cybersecurity.
These gatherings have proved
popular and have added fresh
momentum to the life of the
OD community in Cape Town.
The first-ever panel day was also
popular and will certainly become an
annual event, as was the inter-schools
alumni seven-a-side tournament.
Great traditions such as the Walker
Cup, the annual Bishops-Rondebosch
Old Boys Union golf tournament,
continue to draw a full field.
As can happen at the ODU, a
handful of topics have prompted
lively debate over the past year;
all of them remain moving targets
as this magazine goes to print. These
include discussions about the Rhodes
Scholarship situation, informed by
the work of the ODC-mandated
Rhodes Working Group; the ODC’s
desire to create a Parents of ODs
(PODs) group; and the ongoing
challenge of expanding the OD
Bursary Fund to include tertiary
education for ODs. These and
other topics are continually being
explored by the ODC, with regular
The current ODU Committee has been working with energy and enthusiasm
since its announcement at the 2025 OD dinner; it held its first meeting the
following morning. Pictured here at the dinner are, from left, Andrew Day
(1985S, originally on the ODC, subsequently appointed to Council), Wouter
Pentz (in blazer), Simon Koch, David Leslie, Warwick Smith-Chandler,
Manfred Oelz, Lawrence Rose, Richard Webber and Nik Augoustatos.
communications via email, the
newsletter and the website. If you
are interested in finding out more
about these (or any other) topics,
please contact us directly by email
– or drop in at the Mitre.
The ODC’s focus for the coming
year includes:
• Expanding mentorship and
support groups;
• Establishing fundraising and
friend-raising initiatives for OD
tertiary education, driven by new
appointment Thandi Moyo;
• Pending the appointment of new
trustees, seeking to expand the
OD Bursary Fund to support
the tertiary education for ODs;
• Signing up more schools for
old boys sports competitions.
See also the Chairman’s Letter
on page 6.
The new-look full-time duo
at The Mitre, Gisela Zunckel and
Andy Wood, with Tom Batty, CEO
of International Boys’ Schools
Coalition, who addressed the
Bishops academic staff in January.
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