Honorary Old Blue.....?

[Richard Ruck]

From the school's website -

Donation Governorship

Donation Governors are individuals, or nominees of corporate bodies, who support Christ’s Hospital by making an unconditional donation of a minimum amount. Their gift is recognised by election for life to the Court of Governors.

Donation Governors also have a duty to present or nominate one suitable child for entry to the school if they so wish. This means that as long as the child passes the entrance exam, he or she will be guaranteed a place at Christ’s Hospital; a presentation has no financial value to parents who will still be expected to contribute financially according to their income.

Donation Governors are invited to the two Court Meetings each year, one at the School and one in London, and are invited to major School events such as St Matthew’s Day and Speech Day.

The current minimum donation to become a Donation Governor is £15,000 or £11,700 if made under Gift Aid (whereby Christ’s Hospital can reclaim basic rate tax on your gift). This donation can be made as a commitment over a series of years or as single gift of either cash or shares.

For more information on this unique and highly valued way of supporting both Christ’s Hospital and a child at School, please contact the Partnership Office
-figures valid until 31 December 2004

Nearly a year out of date, of course...

[Hendrik]

NO.

you can't just spontaneously become an OB, any more than i can spontaneously decide to become Sioux Indian (however tasty i think the pastry is).
It's not that we're not flattered. It's a technicality. you can't change your past. what you can do is become a donation governor and personally assist a child to get such an education.
you could become a freemason ( ) and donate large sums of cash to the school (and use your contacts to swindle it back out again next time they sell off westminster real estate, ahem. [alegedly - mod])
you can buy all the sh1t merchandise. you can buy nearly all of the uniform on the black market (PM me)
you can visit the school, become a friend of CH arts, go to open days etc.
you just can't be an Old Blue anymore than you can be a Blue Whale.

what you can do is become an Associate Member

[englishangel]

the dubious fashion sense of those who prefered wearing their girdle as a bum-belt and how annoying it can be when freshly starched bands flicked in your eye on a windy day in no time at all.

Oh dear, my brother still wears his broadie below his a*se - why oh why do boys want to give themselves a huge bum?

And bands in the eye really really hurt.

Boys can't see their bums so they don't exist. Nor do they understand why we women are obsessed with ours.

[DavebytheSea]

No that's right. So why are you?

[Hendrik]

Yeah, why are you?

It's one thing for us to be...

[englishangel]

No that's right. So why are you?

I am not, and I thought you were working.

[AKAP]

Early on Deb GP asked me what it meant to be an OB when your 51 and I gave a bit of an answer, thought more about it since then and here I go.

A lot of people have described it in this thread, it'a a shared experience of CH, the strange thing is you didn't all need to be there at the same time (or same place when you include Heartford).
What set me thinking that is not just looking forward but also looking back.
Do people remember the photos of OBs killed in the Graet War outside the masters study. All had died young. I always felt a shared experience with them, walked the same corridors, got up the same time, lived the same routine etc.
Similarly in Mid B there were some hand written attempts of a house magasine called the "Green and Black" (not chocolate don't get excited).
written in the 40's or 50's, I felt a shared experience with them even if their changing rooms were more primitive.
In the same way I feel a shared experience with those kids on "rock school"

To be an OB you have to do your time, I don't even think staff can really be OBs unless they were also pupils.

So in a long winded way I'm saying I,m voting no.

[Great Plum]

I guess as Hendrik is saying he could be an 'associate member'...

[AKAP]

I must use spell check before posting

[Richard Ruck]

Do people remember the photos of OBs killed in the Graet War outside the masters study.

Didn't realise it was such a dangerous place...

[sport!]

Early on Deb GP asked me what it meant to be an OB when your 51 and I gave a bit of an answer, thought more about it since then and here I go.

A lot of people have described it in this thread, it'a a shared experience of CH, the strange thing is you didn't all need to be there at the same time (or same place when you include Hertford).
What set me thinking that is not just looking forward but also looking back.
Do people remember the photos of OBs killed in the Great War outside the masters study. All had died young. I always felt a shared experience with them, walked the same corridors, got up the same time, lived the same routine etc.
Similarly in Mid B there were some hand written attempts of a house magasine called the "Green and Black" (not chocolate don't get excited).
written in the 40's or 50's, I felt a shared experience with them even if their changing rooms were more primitive.
In the same way I feel a shared experience with those kids on "rock school"

.

Nicely put. I'm sure people regard army regiments in much the same way - camararderie, shared experiences etc.

Which leads me to - can I be an Honorary Royal Marine please?

[Richard Ruck]

Which leads me to - can I be an Honorary Royal Marine please?

Why don't you go to a Royal Marines forum, ask them, and report back with the answer?

I'm sure they'll be VERY polite

I agree, though, they've got such LOVELY uniforms and moustaches.....

[englishangel]

Early on Deb GP asked me what it meant to be an OB when your 51 and I gave a bit of an answer, thought more about it since then and here I go.

A lot of people have described it in this thread, it'a a shared experience of CH, the strange thing is you didn't all need to be there at the same time (or same place when you include Hertford).
What set me thinking that is not just looking forward but also looking back.
Do people remember the photos of OBs killed in the Great War outside the masters study. All had died young. I always felt a shared experience with them, walked the same corridors, got up the same time, lived the same routine etc.
Similarly in Mid B there were some hand written attempts of a house magasine called the "Green and Black" (not chocolate don't get excited).
written in the 40's or 50's, I felt a shared experience with them even if their changing rooms were more primitive.
In the same way I feel a shared experience with those kids on "rock school"

.

Nicely put. I'm sure people regard army regiments in much the same way - camararderie, shared experiences etc.

Which leads me to - can I be an Honorary Royal Marine please?

and me, I love the hats

[AKAP]

My house Captain became a Roayal Marine. Last saw him on telly when they were off to Afghnistan. He was the the Lt Colonel. The funny thing was he looked and sounded just the same as when he was at School except he had grown a b****y big moustache.


Strange experience

[Richard Ruck]

I got suspended for doing that!!