1646 – Issue 4

A MESSAGE FROM THE READING OLD B LUES ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT This year has been another busy one for the Reading Old Blues Association and we are delighted to have worked closely with the Foundation Office to make it successful. Our annual dinner was well attended in March with Old Blues from across the years enjoying the evening. Due to the success of the raffle, we are excited to offer a discounted ticket price to younger Old Blues for next year’s dinner, more details to follow so watch this space! We also helped Louise run two successful Daniels Cup days (cricket and rowing) I was able to take part in the rowing event which was a close run thing resulting in a draw. Cricket was won by the Old Blues side but the School team put in a truly valiant effort and with 40 overs being played, it was an excellent full day of cricket. The Old Blues Golf tournament is put together by committee member Andrew Watson (1986) and is a very popular event which took place in August. Thank you to Andrew and to everyone who took part, we hope this will continue to be an annual event. Please do get in touch with Louise if you want to get involved with any of these sporting events and she’ll be sure to pass on your details. I have the honour of being present at several other events such as the Remembrance Service, Carol Service and Malthus Service and it is at these occasions that I am reminded what an honour it is to be an Old Blue and be part of such a wonderful community. I hope that I will see you at such an event very soon! Cameron Johnson (2009) ROBA President Welcome to the fourth edition of 1646 . A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the latest edition of “1646”, I amdelighted to bring you another exciting collection of stories and updates from our incredible Old Blues community. In this edition, we aim to capture the diverse journeys and accomplishments of our Old Blues through the Arts, Sport, Conservation, Business and Politics to name but a few. Thank-you to everyone who has contributed. This issue also highlights the various ways in which you can stay connected or indeed re-connect with the School; through our many Foundation Office events; our newMentoring Programme which we are excited to launch later this year; joining our dedicated Old Blues online platform Reading Blue Coat Connect or coming back to Blue Coat to share your experiences with current students. As we enter a momentous year for Reading Blue Coat, welcoming girls in Year 7 and becoming fully co-educational by 2027, there has never been a better time to connect with the School. I hope that this issue fills you with pride, nostalgia and a renewed sense of connection. I look forward to having the opportunity to meet and engage with many of your over the coming year. As ever, if you would like to contribute to themagazine next year or include an achievement you are proud of, I would love to hear from you so please do get in touch with me at lms@rbcs.org.uk . In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy reading this edition of 1646, celebrating the achievements and contributions of the Reading Blue Coat Old Blues community. Louise Smith Foundation Manager