On Tuesday 11 November, almost one hundred Old Vikings gathered in Covent Garden for the 2014 London Reunion. Former pupils and staff spanning over four decades were in attendance, with at least one representative from 25 individual year groups. This equates to almost 50% of the yearly cohorts since the school’s founding in 1959.
Guests were given a free drink upon arrival as they made their way through the crowds to pick out familiar faces. The ‘class of 2006’ claimed the ‘most well represented year group’ accolade with 14 attendees, followed by 2005 (7), 1978 (6) and 1980 (5). Of course, it is not just the opportunity to meet up with their contemporaries which attracts Old Vikings to these events, but also the chance to see their former teachers. Current Headmaster Gregg Davies was joined by recent Housemasters Keith Settle and Chris Alcock who are all well known to pupils from the last decade. Current Head of College Yeem Chanthanawan, Deputy Head Emma Haynes and Year 13 Prefect George Lawley also made the trip to discuss with their predecessors how times have changed at Shiplake.
The venue – Browns Bar – was formerly the Westminster County Court, which gave OVS President and long serving staff member Hans Wells-Furby the opportunity to ‘bang the gavel’ and begin the evening’s brief formal proceedings. After sharing an amusing anecdote from his teaching days, Hans handed over to OVS Chairman Ben Fitzwilliams who announced plans for an exciting event in 2015. On Saturday 19 September, Old Vikings and their families are invited to attend a huge OVS Touch Rugby Festival held at Shiplake, to celebrate the Rugby World Cup. We hope to see teams from all eras taking part an afternoon of light entertainment and friendly competition.
Ben also took pleasure in welcoming two new members onto the OVS committee. Rob Robertson (1975) and Charlie Jenkins (2006) kindly volunteered to join and we look forward to the fresh impetus they will provide over the coming years. After the current Headmaster Mr Davies brought OVs up to speed on the latest goings on at the College, the remainder of the evening was spent socialising, catching up and reminiscing about old times.
The OVS Chairman commented: “We were delighted to see the £1,500 bar target blown out of the water, and hope that all those in attendance had an enjoyable evening. The new venue was positively received and we look forward to making it our permanent London Reunion home for the foreseeable future.” 
More photos from the evening can be viewed on the Old Vikings' Facebook page.
