OCA UNITED KINGDOM
ANNUAL REUNION LUNCH
At the Bombay Brassiere
Courtfield Close, Courtfield Road, London SW7 4UH
(opposite Gloucester Road Tube Station)
tel: 020 7370 4040

Date: 26^th June 2010
Time: 11:00 am
Charges: £ 25 with drink refreshments
Dress:  Tie and Blazer or lounge suits are required

Treasurer’s Report

Thank you for your very generous support which leaves the Association’s finances stronger than last year.

With great efforts the Chairman and the committee managed to organize the Sesquicentennial Reunion at the very befitting Marlborough College venue.     As expected, it turned out to be a great Reunion!

This year again, the committee has negotiated hard to arrange the June Reunion at the much improved Bombay Brasserie at no additional cost.     The restaurant’s conservatory has been recently refurbished and we are assured that the meal and the new fitted surroundings will be just right for the special occasion.

We look forward to seeing you all at the REUNION.

Best wishes

Puneet Singh
Curzon (91- 00)

Chairman’s Letter

After 10 wonderful years as your Chairman, I feel the time has come to hand over the helm to a new Captain – who better than Captain Vivek Bhasin.

Vivek has served on the Committee all these years and has been a tower of strength.    He has introduced OCs from India to jobs here.    He has been the person who persuaded John Whitmarsh-Knight to apply for a posting in BCS. – which has undoubtedly produced some spectacular results – academically and spiritually – for the boys.    Vivek has been a constant go-between for OCA(UK) – the School and OCA(India); travelling frequently to India and arranging with Arvind Mankotia for the installation of the fine new Irwin Hall doors, donated by us to the School to celebrate its 150^th Year – apart from a climbing structure gifted by his school batch.

Our 150^th OCA(UK) Appeal account has now been closed and the balance just under £300 is to be converted into Rupees for the purpose of a bench (benches), hopefully to be placed on the 1^st Flat – looking out towards Tara Devi – for younger Cottonians with the School behind them to look to the future and us older ones to recall, as the sun sets behind the dark mountain, the greatest and most privileged  days of our youth.

Our thanks again to Bob Myers for running the account and to all OCs everywhere who contributed to it.

There is now a new generation of young Indian OCs – with Puneet Singh in the vanguard, joining Raj and

Vinod – who have themselves contributed so much to the success and comradeship which has been built up over the years and to whom we now look to sail us into the coming years.

This year we celebrate the Centenary of the O.C.A. and I hope all the enthusiasm and spirit displayed for our Marlborough College celebrations, will be shown at our Annual OCA(UK) Lunch – which we are holding once more at the Bombay Brasserie in London on Saturday 26^th June 2010.

The restaurant has been re-decorated and we have obtained the use of the Conservatory – giving us the place to ourselves.     We are maintaining the price at £25 per head, to include the meal, tea, coffee and soft drinks before and after the meal – wine and beer before the meal and at the table.    A perfect fitting finale, I feel, to the 150^th Year and the 100^th of the O.C.A. and a grand start to the new era!

So please contact all your friends here and overseas – encouraging as many to come over from India to join us.

I look forward to seeing a full house and in the meantime wish you continued success and enjoyment in the fraternity of the Old Cottonians Association.

It has been my pleasure and pride to have served you over the years.    Thank you for your amazing support and friendship.    I will continue to support you and the OCA.    Meanwhile I look forward to joining you at the many wonderful OC gatherings held all over the country.

Please know you are always welcome in our home in Mallorca whenever you can get away for a few days.

With my fondest best wishes to you and your families.

Yours ever

Gay Niblett
Chairman OCA(UK)

Secretary’s Notes

This is my final NEWSLETTER as Honorary Secretary so I have thought to post it out early.    My wish is to give all members an advance-timed opportunity to attend a very important REUNION.

It will enable all members to participate to elect a new Chairman and Hon. Secretary and help guide the direction to take for the future of OCA(UK).

At this stage I would like to thank all members who have already expressed their caring and good wishes for my retirement.    In many ways it will be a sad departure from office that has fostered strong friendships and found my kind of people around the world.     You have rewarded me with honour and many privileges and much kindness.    No matter what members might say or think a secretary’s job is hard work – not for me – it has been inspiring and a fulfilling pleasure.     I might add for any member who has not attended or been touched by our Luncheon Reunions over the last 25 years well you have missed out – and we have missed you.

Before I move on I must sincerely thank all members of the committee both past and present for their unselfish and loyal support.    Chairmen, Treasurers and Committee Members I have relied on through the passing years has been beneficial to our fraternal association.     OCA(UK) has influenced our lives – to some in a small way for me it has swept me along.    We have not made any profound changes to the original formation of our OCA here in1928.     The simple innocent reasons was for Old BCS boys to meet and enjoy exchanges and good company and so keep in touch with our past and dear PATINA.   From earlier years Vinod Nanda and Raja Lamba have been wonderful younger soul mates and I salute them.

Selected at the Merlin Caves pub Reunion as Honorary Secretary & Treasurer in the autumn of 1983 led by Chairman, Dick Bayliss and cheered on by members.    We moved forward hesitantly as Maggie helped me with accounting, slowly I gained your support and we made progress with confidence.     Reaching out we increased our membership and dear Henry Lincoln volunteered and became Treasurer.    Dick decided we form a balanced committee so Vinod Nanda, Tony Verma and Raj Lamba were chosen.    In all fairness from then on our Association really grew in strength and contact with OCs around the world.     I know there are many more who are still to be found and the search will still go on.

In the background Anil Bhasin rendered good assistance and offered us the use of his Green Park Hotel banqueting rooms for Reunions.     From this stage we moved out of City pub Autumn Meetings and through his services he placed advertisement invitations in some national newspapers for OCA(UK).

Gaining success and after much thoughtful consideration we settled finally to hold our Annual Luncheon date on the last Saturday in June.   We enjoyed some handsome occasions with Anil’s facilities saving our expenditure and encouraging attendance.    We commemorated countless events and shared memories of school stories, the distant past and of our love and lives out in India.    After Henry Lincoln stepped down we welcomed Kamal Behal as our new Treasurer and Tony Sinha as a committee member.    The committee did enjoy some very memorable committee meetings (some in Southall).    We then sadly lost Dick Bayliss and thankfully Tony Sinha accepted the Chair and Luncheon Reunions moved to the Cumberland Hotel for a few years.      Kamal with his young family relocated to the USA and we signaled up Arthur Jones with dear Shirley’s help to hold the purse.     In our midst Gay Niblett stepped up when Tony Sinha relinquished the Chairmanship after moving from the Metropolitan area after his retirement from Scotland Yard.    On from hereto the Regency Hotel for a year and then onto the Bombay Brasserie.     We shall again return here after a break of two years to indulge in the cuisine by a new head chef and the refurbishments as well.    Previous to all this Tony Verma left the committee to attend his lovely Laguna Tandoori restaurant in Nottingham.    At Tony’s invitation we have gathered at his restaurant and enjoyed several yearly free unions and feasted on excellent khana.     Vivek Bhasin moved base from his home in Sweden to the leafy suburb of Weybridge and joined the committee.     Arthur and Shirley’s ailments decided them to hand over to our youngest Treasurer Puneet Singh – lucky for us he is a real banker and going places.    I appeal to his influence to encourage the circle of younger OCs in the UK to come in from the cold and warm all our hearts. 

I too would like to put in words of thanks to Bobby Myers for personally handling and overseer the Appeal Fund.     To John Phillips for coordinating the OCA Whiskey Galore that raised funds and all other generous OC donators.     It is also timely to thank, on behalf of all OCs who attended the celebrations in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Simla at the School, all the superb planning, organization and the wonderful SPIRIT OF BCS extended to each one of us and our wives and partners.    Many, many THANKS!

I shall now look forward to meeting you there and wholeheartedly supporting the Fraternity and the new postings and increase its reach.      Please remind yourselves that OCA(UK) is at crossroads, without you there can be no Fellowship or only just a marker in its history book..   The Old Cottonian Association will be celebrating its Centenary in India this year.     I know our friendship will continue as  always and I will follow the lead.     As we have all passed through the corridors of dear Patina forgive me if I sound too much of a tiresome sentimentalist – stand we must….foursquare!

Farewell! Salaam! Adios! & Cheerio.

Peter Stringer
(Lefroy 43-47)

For those who maybe interested :-

The Himalayan Hill Schools’ Reunion Luncheon 2010
Date: Wednesday 26^th May 2010
Time: Noon till 6:00 p.m.
Venue: The Clay Oven Banqueting suites
197 Ealing Road, Wembley.  LONDON HA0 4LW
Directly opposite Alperton Tube Station – Piccadilly Line.
Cost £29.50 per person.
This will cover pre-lunch drinks, 3 course Indian Lunch, Table Wine, Waiter Service
Background music and live music for dancing.
To purchase tickets and any further details contact Paul Dickson  01753 865 972 e-mail dicksonp@btinternet.com

Maggie and I will be attending with other OCs come and join us!

OCA(UK) COMMITTEE

Chairman:
Gay Niblett
Carrer Xesc Forteza, 5 Ubr. S’Arxiduc.  Valldemossa 07170 MALLORCA

Secretary:
Peter A Stringer
Fairlands, 375 Godstone Road. Whyteleafe SURREY CR3 OBF Tel. 01883 624 540  Fax. 01883 625 158

Treasurer:
Puneet Singh
34  Pursewarden  Close.  Ealing  LONDON W13 9PN   mo:  07841 590 990

Members : 
Vinod Nanda
37 Melbury Avenue. Norwood Green, Southall. MIDDX UB2 4HS Tel 0208 843 0027.
Raj Lamba
12 Western Court, Huntley Drive. LONDON N3 1NX .   Tel 0208 349 1041.
Vivek Bhasin
Flat 4 Southlands, 40 Queens Road. Weybridge. SURREY KT13 0AR Tel: 01932 841 614   Mobile 07887 98 3333.