Next OTA Reunion Dinner and AGM Saturday 30th April 2011

OTA Annual Reunion Dinner and AGM

Please note for your diaries that the date for the next Dinner and AGM will be:

Saturday April 30th 2011

Former pupils and staff of the Thetford Grammar School and of course any members of the Old Thetfordian's Association, may attend the Annual Dinner

(The 2012 Dinner and AGM falls on the 14th April 2012)

Mrs B Downie- OTA  President 2006

The 2006 OTA reunion took place on the 22nd April 2006 with a record turnout of around 150. Once again theWilliamson Hall was the packed venue for Old Thetfordians to meet old friends and learn about developments at their old school from the Grammar School headmaster Mr Gareth Price.Pictures from the dinner....

Kathryn Baskerville will be running the 2006 London Marathon to raise funds for the Save the Rhino International appeal (web site at http://www.savetherhino.org/).

Kathryn hopes to raise at least £1,000 for her cause. Here is the email Kathryn sent to OTA Secretary Jill Beart:-

Dear Jill, 

I am a member of the OTA, having left Thetford Grammar in 1998. I am currently working at Colchester Zoo as an Education Officer and I am planning to run the London Marathon for Save the Rhinos International in April.

The reason I am supporting Save the Rhino International is because rhinos could be extinct in just 10 years if they do not receive help. They are poached for their horn, which is more valuable than gold, even though it is made out of keratin. The horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine and for decorative dagger handles.

I am writing to ask for your support. I need to raise £1,000 to get a place because it is a guaranteed place. I have a webpage where you can sponsor me directly:

www.justgiving.com/katsrhinomarathon

I have started training and so far can run for an hour and if I can keep this up would be able to complete the marathon in about six and a half hours, though I am planning to improve this time.

Thank you for your help.

Best wishes,

Kathryn Baskerville

Latest News (updated 14th May 2006)

Kathryn completed the 2006 London Marathon in five and a half hours and raised £1,000 for her chosen charity Save the Rhino International.

Kathryn is now looking for her next challenge. Possibly the Inca Trail !

The Class of '75 (or thereabouts) Reunion

The reunion  of the class of '75 took place at the Thomas Paine Hotel at Thetford on the 28th May 2005. The event was organised by Liz French and Ben Williamson following the last reunion back in 2000.

Around 40 attended including ex TGS teachers Sue & Ivan Godfrey who taught at the Grammar School from 1969 until 1975. Martin Wuest travelled the greatest distance from California where he works as an Electronics Engineer.

The event was also covered by a reporter from the Thetford & Brandon Times resulting in a half page article.

The Thetford & Brandon Times have kindly allowed us to reproduce their article from the Wed June 1st edition here:

Technology keeps old school mates in touch

By Sarah Brealey

Thirty years may have passed since the class of 1975 left Thetford Grammar School, but the memories are as clear as ever. And travelling across the country, or even the Atlantic, was not going to get in the way of old schoolmates determined to see each other again. Martin Wuest, 49, had travelled from California's Silicon Valley, where he is an electronics engineer, to be at the event on Saturday night. He said: "The toilet broke down on the aircraft so we had to fly down to New York. But I wasn't delayed enough to miss this." The power of the internet has helped to keep old friends together. Mr Wuest said: "We were a very close knit group at the time. Now people are being brought closer together through Friends Reunited, because they can put pictures and information about themselves on, so we are finding out more about each other." Teachers Sue and Ivan Godfrey, who now live in Devon, are also fans of Friends Reunited. Mr Godfrey, 59, said: "We have used it to email quite a few people recently. It is amazing how the years just go." Mrs Godfrey, 58, said: "It was our first teaching post. We were just back from honeymoon and straight into teaching. It is really amazing to see everybody."

Liz French, who works at City College Norwich, had brought some of her memorabilia along, from old party invitations to 30-year-old essays. She said: "We have all kept in touch with each other really. We have been meeting up since 1985." The 40-odd former pupils at the Thomas Paine Hotel also had a chance to look at old photos, school magazines and a celebration cake decorated with the school crest.

There was just one downside. As one woman observed: "It makes me feel very, very old."

Pictures of the event  kindly provided by Ben Williamson. Thanks Ben! More pictures....

Ex TGS Teachers walk the Pyrenees

Sue and Ivan Godfrey ( teachers at Thetford Grammar School 1969 - 75 ) are setting off on a 900km trek of the Pyrenees on the 12th June. Their first day involves climbing just over 1000 metres! They also plan on walking around 18 kilometres per day for at least 50 days.

At the moment they know they will raise £60 per day in sponsorship for their charities Hospiscare and Children's Hospice. Sue and Ivan hope that even more pledges of money will roll in during their trek. All monies pledged will go to their charities as they are paying their own way for the entire journey.

If all goes well, they hope to report news of their progress and post pictures of the trek on their website.

For more information on their trek and how to pledge, please visit their website www.godfreytreks.co.uk

Latest News

Sue and Ivan completed their trek, raising over £7000 for their charities. For more information and pictures visit their website www.godfreytreks.co.uk

TGS Medal bought on eBay Auction Site

Eagle eyed old boy Chris Garrod (69-76) recently spotted a TGS medal on eBay. Several bids later, Chris became the proud owner of the medal.

Chris describes the medal as being 33mm in diameter. It is blank on the reverse side, but bears a 1934 hallmark. Does anyone have any further information regarding the history of these medals? If so, then please email contact@oldthetfordian.org

Update....

TGS Medal Information provided by Dr Dan Waters

Following an appeal for information regarding the TGS medal,  I received an email from Dr Deric Daniel (Dan) Waters 1930-1936. Dan writes.....

Dear Chris,

I have three medals, a little the worse for wear, of the same pattern as shown on your website.On what you describe as 'the blank side' one of mine is inscribed:

'D D Waters, 75 yds under 11, 1931' ( I would have been 11 a few months later).

I clearly remember winning that sprint. My father was delighted. My other two medals are inscribed, ' D D Waters PT 1935' and there is another for 1936. I was always good at gymnastics and I used to walk fairly long distances on my hands, up steps and so on. I could also put on a reasonable display on horizontal and parallel bars.

All three medals each has its own blue, padded case with a thin gold line around the edge of the hinged lid. Each case measures 7.0cms x 7.0cms x 1.75cms. The makers were Mappin &Webb Ltd. Oxford Street, London W (by appointment). As far as I remember all the time I was at Thetford this type of medal was awarded at athletic meets and on a few other occasions. (of course there were silver cups as well).

I lived at Watton but for most of the time I was a weekly border although for the last year I was a train-boy. The Hockham and district boys that I remember included Chris and Jimmy Bush, Fitt and Dove. Leslie Kerridge also came of a Hockham family although when he was attending TGS in my time he lived at Thompson. We still send each other Christmas cards. He now lives at Hingham.

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end ... !'

By all means put this on your website if you so wish. Also, please add my name and details to your data base.

God bless,

Deric Daniel (Dan) Waters 1930-1936 (born 1920)