The Old Diocesan Issue 13 - Magazine - Page 5
Welcome
to Issue 13
PHOTOGRAPH JONTY QUENET (2014M)
The Old Diocesan is published
by the Old Diocesans Union.
odunion.com
Publisher-at-large
Lawrence Rose (1978W)
Editor Tim Richman (1995B)
Copy editors Ania Rokita
Taylor, Deborah Rudman
Designer Simon Richardson
Commissioned contributors
Forrest Beaumont, Brandon de
Kock (1986K), Steven Riches
(2003K), Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk
(1991B), Mike Wright (2014B)
Magazine sub-committee
Paula Caradoc-Davies,
Dr Paul Murray, Alan Ramsay
(1960F), Tim Richman (1995B),
Lawrence Rose (1978W),
Andy Wood (1977G)
Archivist Dr Paul Murray
Advertising Paula CaradocDavies: paula@caradoc.co.za;
Giles Pohl (1985W):
giles@caradoc.co.za
Printed by Novus Print, Cape
Town – Peter Metcalfe (1981O)
The Old Diocesan is available
in hard copy and online. To
receive your physical copy,
contribute story ideas or
find back issues, contact the
Union at ODU@bishops.org.za
or +27 21 685 1829.
T
his is the second issue of The
Old Diocesan this year, a return
to biannual publication for the
first time since 2021. For the team that
works on the magazine, it’s a welcome
move, giving us twice the space to do
(a modicum of) justice to ODs doing
remarkable things all around the
world. As noted in Issue 12, though,
it is only possible due to the drive to
attract more advertising to our pages.
While the school still contributes to
our budget, paid ads now provide
more than 80% of the revenue that
makes the magazine viable – and
for this we again thank ODU vicepresident Alan Ramsay and Paula
Caradoc-Davies for leading the way.
When The Old Diocesan was first
mooted by then-ODU chair Bruce
Jack (1987G), back in 2017, the idea
to partially finance it with advertising
was controversial. Advertising! Would
our venerable institution tolerate it?
Of course it would – for two reasons.
As a soundly educated man of the
world, the average OD understands
financial reality. Moreover, there is
a truism in publishing that people
don’t dislike advertising; they dislike
bad and irrelevant advertising.
In plotting the magazine’s way
ahead, Alan, Paula and I have been
reminiscing with our new publisherat-large Lawrence Rose about the
heyday of New York magazine
publishing, Lawrence’s old hunting
ground. Back then, readers often
bought magazines for the ads as
much as for the articles. We’re not
quite at those levels, but you may
notice the effort to attract excellent,
relevant advertising to our pages.
This is particularly worthwhile given
our additional focus on expanding
the appeal and distribution of the
magazine to the full Bishops family.
On that note, watch this space
for the continued evolution of the
magazine in 2027. In the meantime,
enjoy reading about remarkable
Bishops boys doing remarkable things.
Tim Richman, Editor
THE OLD DIOCESAN | 1
