WELCOME
The PRESIDENT’S VIEW
Dear OPs,
A very warm welcome to the 2019 OP magazine.
The OP Association continues to be in a strong
position, so I must begin by thanking all the
committee members for their support and, in
particular, Eszti Pontone (née Gyarmati, 95-
97) for her work as Treasurer, ensuring that we
remain healthy from a financial perspective! The
commitment and enthusiasm of Rachel Dare,
ably assisted in the OP office by Leanne Maycock,
guarantees the smooth running of the Association
from day to day, deserving of a massive “thank you”
on behalf of us all.
At the London OP dinner in November (an
excellent event held at the impressive Athenaeum
Club thanks to former teacher Darrell Buttery MBE),
we said goodbye to Mark Ronan as he moved on
to a new Headship in Dublin. I would like to thank
Mark for leading the school successfully through
challenging economic times and hope that, as an
honorary OP, he will wear the colours with pride!
After Christmas we welcomed the new Headmaster,
Toby Seth (a fellow keen tennis player!), who quickly
appreciated the support of OPs when he attended
the annual Boxing Day rugby fixture at Pocklington
RUFC.
I have been fortunate to have been able to support
the vast majority of OP events, including excellent
performances from both the sevens teams on a
beautiful Good Friday afternoon, drinks evenings
in Newcastle and Leeds, the Summer Reunion,
the Pocklingtonian golf day and, with former teacher
Peter Edwards, the 1999 leavers’ reunion in York
(where have those twenty years gone, guys?!).
Thank you to everyone who has played a part in
these events.
It has also been a privilege to have attended all
the Careers & Business Network evenings, with
inspirational contributions from Nick Pollard (69-
76), David Strachan (67-77), Jodie Hill (00-06)
and Will Treasure (74-79). The Pocklington values
of courage, truth and trust were certainly evident
in what they had to say. Please do consider joining
the network if you haven’t already done so, but also
please contact the OP office if you are able to offer
support to our younger members and sixth form
students with insight visits, CVs, job applications,
university courses, etc. – this engagement and
willingness to help each other is at the heart of our
vibrant OP community.
Please keep in touch, let us know your news and let’s
maintain the “Spirit of Pock”!
Best wishes,
Trevor Loten
KEEP UP TO DATE ON ALL THE LATEST
NEWS AND INFORMATION
Trevor Loten (70-80)
President, Old Pocklingtonian Association
OPA
COMMITTEE AGM 2019
OP ELECTED Co-opted (London): Richard Skowrenek (99-10) The Annual General Meeting of the Old
Pocklingtonian Association will take place on
Thursday 14 November 2019, 7.00pm to
8.00pm in the Gruggen Room at Pocklington
School. During the meeting, the committee will
be elected for the forthcoming year. All OPs are
welcome to attend the AGM and/or stand for
election. Please make your intentions known in
advance of the meeting if possible by contacting
Rachel in the OP Office. Nominations for election
to the committee should be sent to Rachel as soon
as possible.
SCHOOL APPOINTED Refreshments will be available at the meeting and all
are welcome. The agenda is as follows:
President: Trevor Loten (Teaching staff and OP 70-80)
Vice President: James Sweeting (81-88)
Treasurer: Eszti Pontone (née Gyarmati, 95-97)
Joan Gough (née Sawyer, 75-77)
Sarah Gough (96-07)
Charlie Lambert (01-08)
Tom Nash (68-77)
Co-opted (Newcastle): Steven Kyffin (70-77)
Toby Seth (Headmaster)
Rachel Dare (OP Liaison Officer, OPA Secretary)
Phil Donaldson (Teaching staff)
Lucy Hornby (Teaching staff and OP 02-04))
EX OFFICIO
Andrew Wilson (89-99, immediate Past President)
FOLL OW US
@PocklingtonOPs
ELECTION OF THE COMMITTEE
• Apologies
• Minutes of last AGM
• President’s Report
• Secretary’s Report
• Treasurer’s Report and approval of accounts
• Nomination and election of committee
• AOB COVER STORY
(A copy of the OP annual accounts is available upon request). Photo credit: Alex Pritz, taken in Blue Nile state, Sudan.
The OP featured on the front cover of this
year’s magazine is Ashley Hamer (99-06) , a
freelance journalist and photographer based
in East Africa. Read her story on page 8.