Our Summer reunion at the Croydon Park Hotel went well, offering the opportunity to catch up and reminisce with old friends over a pleasant lunch. Dennis Gifford came along after a long absence and it was good to catch up with him. Dennis was at Reedham from 1936-39. It’s always heart-warming to see our loyal regulars and it’s hard to believe that the last reunion was over 6 months ago – it seems like yesterday.

A presentation was made to Maureen Jones who, in spite of having retired as Secretary, continues to work in the background doing all she can to help with the running of ROSA, which is much appreciated. Thanks Maureen.

During one of our chats we discovered that one old scholar, who we think was Marco Guiseppe Stevens, has found fame as an actor (stage name Mark Strong) and in newspaper and radio interviews he mentioned that he went to a state funded boarding school in Surrey which was a ‘asylum for fatherless children’ founded by a London philanthropist. In his interview he says “I was homesick when I first went away, but I genuinely don’t remember it as being a bad time. The educational system was much more enlightened in those days, so that kids like me from very poor families weren’t allowed to fall through the net. Every day we’d all be bussed out to a local primary school. I think we were regarded as oddities at the school, but again there wasn’t a stigma to it”. Mark Strong has appeared in TV series such as Our Friends in the North, Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes and Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy. We will try to find out more about him. If anyone remembers him, please contact us at rosa@reedham.org.uk so that we can verify his name and dates when he attended.

We will be in touch regarding our pre-Christmas lunch which again will be at the Croydon Park Hotel in November (date to be confirmed). Looking ahead to Summer 2016, we are happy to report that the Trust have offered the use of the Lodge and its garden, which I’m sure will prove popular as it is on the Reedham site. It will have a special meaning to be able to go back to our spiritual home. We are looking into this and will report back later in the year.

‘Bye for now – we look forward to seeing you in November.

Those attending included: Terry & Ann Anderson, Tali Atvars, Keith Bullard & Gwen Duffy, Byron Butler, Celia (nee Anderson) & Cyril Gamblen, Dennis Gifford, Mick Hogan, Maureen (nee Newbolt) & John Jones, George & Denise (nee Ward) Kanetti, Linda Lestourgeon & Paul Cotton, Joan McGill (nee Dutton), Gary McQueen, Shirley (nee Spooner) & Mike Mockford, Mandy Murie (nee Lyons) and Paul, Tony Page, Albert & Joyce Pollington, Alan Sidaway, Stan Smith, Keith Traill, Lindsey (nee Bellinger) & Andrew Trotter, Fred, Janet & Gwen Williams and Nora Jeeves (nee Williams).

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