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The 123rd Old Elizabethans Association Annual Dinner brought together old boys of all eras for an evening offering both formality and fun.

The evening featured the customary speeches and time-honoured toasts, but there was also opportunity aplenty for alumni to chat with old classmates and strike up new friendships in a relaxed and convivial environment.

As is usual at the dinner, there was a particularly strong turnout from the ‘ten-year leavers’ – those who started in Year 7 in 2002 and will therefore mark ten years since they left the School in summer 2009 at the end of this academic year.

Guest speaker Alan Ingham (OE 1987–1994) entertained his fellow alumni with his recollections of School life during an era of great international uncertainty, recounting the confident prediction of one teacher that the Berlin Wall would not fall in his lifetime – just months before it did.

Alan, a senior software developer with electronic trading company Nex Group, attended with his fiancée, Ana Maria Soler Castells, whom he was marrying on the following day. He had, therefore, been very busy in the run-up to the dinner, he said, but added that the resilience one learns as a QE boy had stood him in good stead as he strove to cope with these competing demands!

Reflecting on the evening afterwards, Headmaster Neil Enright said: “There was a lovely atmosphere at this dinner – a reflection, I am sure, of the increasing connections being made by our alumni both with each other and with the School.

“We are always keen to welcome alumni here and I know many OEs value the opportunity to visit, to see what has changed and often to check out who among their old teachers are still here. Many also take time during such visits to reflect on what they have gained in life by being a pupil at QE, and it is this appreciation which is driving so many to volunteer to help current boys and give something back.”

In his speech on the evening itself, the Headmaster began by welcoming all the guests: “Tonight is an opportunity for reflection, reconnection and celebration.”

Mr Enright reserved a special welcome the ten-year leavers, the class of 2002-2009 (or 2002-2007 for those who did A-levels elsewhere). They were, he said, a “fun, friendly and very successful cohort”, noting that they had started at QE on Monday 2nd September 2002, thus coinciding with his own arrival as a young teacher.

Those from this group who attended the dinner included Commonwealth Games triple-jump finalist Nathan Fox and George ‘the Poet’ Mpanga, the high-profile spoken-word artist who spoke in front of the Queen on Commonwealth Day and who performed a specially commissioned poem as part of the international TV coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.

The Headmaster outlined a number of “big themes” which are currently being considered as part of the School’s long-term development. One of them is “keeping in touch” – which includes drawing on the experience and insight of OEs to assist current boys, many of whom are the first in their families to apply to top universities or to try to enter the most competitive professions.

The formal proceedings included toasts to Queen Elizabeth II and to “the pious memory of Queen Elizabeth I” (by tradition, honoured in silence). School Captain Aashish proposed the toast to the association, with the response given by the association’s Chairman, Martyn Bradish (OE 1962–1969). This was followed by the toast to the School proposed by guest speaker Alan Ingham, with the Headmaster giving the response.

Association President Ken Cooper (OE 1942–1950) presented the School Captain with the Eric Shearly Memorial Prize for Outstanding Commitment. The citation noted Aashish’s “modest and quiet commitment to the life of the School.” It continued: “His talents and involvements are many and diverse; he has been a success at each stage of his academic career, attaining the top grade in every subject that he studied at GCSE and A-level, whilst also acting as form captain, colt prefect, and participating in rugby in each year group on his journey through the School. And he is an exceptional musician too!”

Aashish hopes to study Neuroscience at university and has already prepared for this by undertaking work experience in local hospitals and by examining neurological ways of treating depression in his Extended Project Qualification dissertation.

The guests enjoyed a smoked salmon rillette with pickled beetroot and pea shoots and a main course of roast belly of pork with roasted new potatoes, followed by Eton Mess for dessert, topped off with coffee and mints.

Many of QE’s younger musicians performed in a concert entitled The Show Must Go On – the first of the academic year.

The Music Department event in the Shearly Hall featured around a dozen ensembles drawn heavily from the Lower School.

And even though one – the Guitar Ensemble – was unable to perform because of a technical problem, true to the theme of the evening the other performers valiantly played on to deliver the rest of the programme.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a very good concert, amply demonstrating the strength of Music at the School in both breadth and depth, as shown on the one hand by the high levels of musical participation – around 100 boys performed in the School Choir alone – and on the other by the talent that was so evident on the night.

“Music is a key part in the wider life of the School, and I congratulate the boys on their preparation and performances.”

Music teacher Jennifer Brown paid tribute to the boys playing publicly for the first time. She pointed out that many members of the Concert Band in particular had not yet progressed beyond grade 2, yet had performed well, the concert providing them with valuable opportunities to improve skills such as sight-reading.

The concert featured diverse music from the world of show business, including hits from The Greatest Showman (the 2017 musical film about American showman and circus impresario P T Barnum), the jazz classic, In The Mood, and, of course, the iconic Queen song borrowed for the concert’s title.

Other well-known pieces of music in the programme ranged from the Allegro in Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, performed by the Flute Ensemble, to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme tune, played by the Celli. The Junior Indian Ensemble performed Paapanaasam Shivan’s Singara Velavan.

Year 13 pupil Niam Vaishnav won one of the UK’s two silver medals at the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad in Beijing.

His performance during the fiercely fought competition put him in the top third of the competitors, placing Niam among the world’s foremost young astrophysicists.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I congratulate Niam on his achievement and on the honour he has brought both to the School and to the country. He combined deep understanding and extensive factual knowledge with profound academic curiosity, thus exemplifying the free-thinking scholarship that we seek to cultivate at QE.

“While he is undoubtedly a talented young man, his success is the result of a great deal of hard work and he should therefore be very proud of his medal.”

Royal Astronomical Society Vice President Charles Barclay also congratulated the UK competitors: “This year the competition was particularly tough…and we are delighted with the result from this young team of five 17-year-olds.”

Although he enjoyed the competition itself, Niam says the highlights of the visit for him were meeting people from around the world who shared a common interest in astronomy. “We had lots of fun learning about our different cultures and exchanging card games! We also had the chance to see landmarks in China, such as the Great Wall, which was an amazing experience.”

Niam won his place on the five-strong national team after excelling at the British Astronomy & Astrophysics Training Camp at Oxford at Easter. His subsequent training included a spell at Marlborough College’s observatory.

He travelled with British delegates to Beijing, where he teamed up with other competitors from countries spanning the globe, including Nepal, Greece, Poland, Canada, Bolivia and Singapore. Niam and his fellow competitors stayed in the mountains near to the Great Wall.

The competition involved four tests: a five-hour theory examination, a five-hour data-analysis examination, a one-hour daytime observation round and a ten-minute night-time observation round, during which competitors could use telescopes. There was also a separate team competition in which Niam joined six people from different countries.

“The problems were tough but very interesting, with topics ranging from cosmology and dark matter to binary stars and the energy output of the sun,” he said. “Our knowledge of the sky was also tested: we were asked to recognise constellations and Messier objects [a set of 110 astronomical objects, of which 103 were included in lists published by 18th-century French astronomer Charles Messier].”

The aspects of the competition itself that stood out most for him were the questions looking into the evolution of the universe and of large-scale structures within it, as well as those which sought to answer the “big questions”, exploring the nexus at which elements of physics and philosophy merge.

The UK won two silver medals and received two ‘honourable mentions’. For a gold medal, a score of 78% was needed, for silver it was 68%, for bronze 56% and for an ‘honourable mention’ 44%.

“Overall it was an amazing experience that I will never forget, and I have made some lifelong friends from many different countries.”

Niam has already started the process for the Physics Olympiad competition next year, with Round 1 already complete, and Round 2 taking place in January.

The inaugural Christmas Gift Fayre run by The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s successfully got QE’s 2018 festive season off to an early start.

With almost 30 stalls selling an immensely diverse range of gifts to suit all budgets, the fayre offered extensive opportunities to stock up early on presents for Christmas and other forthcoming occasions. It was very well supported by School parents past and present – including many parents of the new Year 7 boys – as well as staff, alumni and neighbouring residents.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a splendid event at which we were tremendously encouraged to see our Elizabethan community and local residents come together to support each other and the School. My thanks go to everyone in the FQE whose sterling work made the fayre such a success.”

As well as some well-known national brands, there were many local businesses among the stallholders. Their wares included:

• Various types of jewellery, such as costume, chainmail and beaded
• Magic toys
• Children’s books
• Work from London artists and a wildlife photographer
• Knitwear and girls’ dresses
• Woodturning items
• Crystals and fossils
• Italian food gifts
• Skin care, beauty and pamper products
• Handmade handbags and purses.

Mulled wine and other seasonal treats were offered at the refreshments stall. For children, there was face-painting and also the opportunity to pay a visit to the Elf Grotto, where they could enjoy arts & crafts activities and write a letter to Santa.

In addition, the current QE Year 10 Young Enterprise team had a stall to raise funds for their business, where guests were invited to take part in guessing games, such as estimating the weight of a cake or the number of sweets in a jar. The team are developing an educational app as their business product.

A long-established organisation, FQE’s aims include helping new parents ensure their sons are happy and that they rapidly integrate into the School. In addition, the Friends facilitate social relationships between families, while also raising funds for the School in order to enrich the educational experience it provides.

With questions ranging from “Which part of the body completely renews itself every four days?” * to “George Orwell wrote ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’; on which waterway is the pier located?” ** this year’s FQE quiz night proved to be a popular and successful evening.

The quiz followed its traditional format, with rounds on subjects including geography, history and music, as well as a marathon round based around the number four. There were also speciality rounds on the human body (entitled The doctor will see you now) and on awards and honours, as well as an observation round, a Heads and Tails game and a raffle.

In a current affairs round, guests were asked to which song the Prime Minister took to the stage at this year’s Conservative Party Conference. As stated above, the answer is Dancing Queen, by Abba.

For their supper, guests could choose either fish and chips or vegetable curry.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I want to thank all those involved in both organising and running the occasion. The FQE undertake regular events such as this to raise money which goes towards adding to the resources on offer to our boys.”

The organising team included former QE parents Peter and Karen Forrester, who are on the FQE Executive Committee, their son William, FQE Secretary Diane Mason and her husband, George. William Forrester (OE 2009–2016) came to attend the quiz from Sheffield, where he is in his third year reading Aerospace Engineering.

The winning team was a table of Year 11 parents including the FQE Executive’s Lead Parent Ambassadors, Rekha Essex (mother of Zeke) and Anna Westcott (mother of Hugh).

Answers:
* The stomach lining
** The Leeds & Liverpool Canal