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The College:
OBA Sport:
 This "HitMap" is recording site visits from Old Brightonians all over the world - click to see where our visitors are coming from (this map service started recording hits on 14th January 2006).
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Letters from the President
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Written by Tony Whitestone (ex staff, 1971-2006)
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 Dear Old Brightonians,
I hope this finds you well and enjoying whatever season you may be in, although there has been little pleasure to be had in the recent British weather!
During the summer, Alison and I enjoyed a very agreeable trip to New York City with Richard Cairns and Simon Smith. All of us would like to grow an East Coast branch of the OBA and hope our visit has sown some further fruitful seeds. If you live or work there and have not already done so, please e-mail Fiona Aiken (
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
) with your contact details, so we can plan our next reunion.
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Written by Tony Whitestone (ex staff, 1971-2006)
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 Dear Old Brightonians,
I hope you are enjoying the summer (if that is the season where you happen to be). I hope also that you are enjoying the new look website, and I am very grateful to Alex Bremer (R. 1979-83) for his efforts in bringing it into the 21st century. The OBA has recently hosted two events, a Vice Presidents’ Lunch at the Carlton club and the celebration of the entry of the latest cohort of College leavers into the Association, which coincided with the College graduation. For younger OBs we are arranging an informal reunion at the College for those who attended the school under Anthony Seldon, who was the Headmaster from 1997 to 2006. Details and/or reports of all these events can be found elsewhere on the site.
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Written by Tony Whitestone (ex staff, 1971-2006)
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Sunday, 01 June 2008 |
 Dear Old Brightonians,
I hope you are all thriving and enjoying the summer (if that is the season you are in!). I hope too that you have enjoyed reading the latest Brighton College Review recently sent out by the Headmaster, Richard Cairns, and learning of all the exciting developments taking place at your old school.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Thursday, 01 November 2007 |
 Dear Old Brightonians,
This is my last letter as your President and I am in reflective mood.
It has been a very enjoyable and challenging three years.
I have been fortunate to have Fiona Aiken to lean on, organise me and generally make things happen. But I have also been fortunate to have some very committed colleagues on the Committee who have helped to keep the wheels turning. Though it may be inappropriate to single out individuals, I must mention Tim Loadsman who has served more Presidents than even he probably cares to remember. I am grateful to him for his wise counsel and continued patience even when all around him were losing theirs!
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Sunday, 01 July 2007 |
 I promised that in our 125th anniversary year there would be some special events and they don’t come much better than this year’s Commemoration Weekend.
The Leavers’ Ball, the first ever to be held off campus, was a glamorous affair, judged a huge success by the 250 attendees. The following day was a return to the traditional programme of cricket and other sports fixtures against the College, with an informal BBQ on the Home Ground. Though the weather was a bit unreliable at times the atmosphere was fantastic with over 400 people of all ages filing through the College gates. It was a pleasure to welcome the newest OBs following their emotional graduation ceremony in the Chapel and to welcome so many parents and families.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Thursday, 01 March 2007 |
 Welcome to The Pelican Online, packed with news and reports, plus details of the many celebrations we have planned for our 125th anniversary year - including the return of the Commemoration Weekend!
Following the sell-out Annual Dinner in 2006, which was addressed by Ann Widdecombe, this year’s Guest of Honour is none other than Philip Robinson. Known and loved by generations of OBs for his dry wit, his masterful direction of College theatre (often as part of the hugely successful Smith-Robinson partnership), and for gently pushing many a lazy student towards exam success, it is no wonder that half of the tickets have been sold already. It’s going to be a night of nostalgia with the Class of 1987 already booked and several other year groups re-establishing contact with one another. My strong advice is book early and drag your mates along too!
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Sunday, 01 October 2006 |
 We have, perhaps, become blasé to the College’s regular coverage in the British media but recent reports in Le Monde, The China Morning Post, The Sydney Morning Herald and on CNN, the BBC World Service and Chinese national television have helped the College to gain an international reputation for excellence and innovation. The College remains a British school with an international outlook rather than an international school in the UK and offers places to only the brightest and most promising overseas students, many of whom remain in contact with the College in later life through the OBA.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Saturday, 01 April 2006 |
 The new Headmaster of Brighton College has certainly made his presence felt, what with making Mandarin Chinese compulsory for all students and teaching History to the Fourth Form! With his worldwide search for a young lad to benefit from the Peyton Scholarship, he has also enjoyed considerable media exposure.
On my recent visits to the College it is good to feel the warm welcome for OBs continues under his leadership and already Richard Cairns has proved himself to be a strong supporter of our Association. Such a mutually strong relationship can only benefit the College and I look forward to many more OBs returning to see the changes which are making it one of the most successful co-educational schools in the UK.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Thursday, 01 December 2005 |
 This has been a year of innovation for the Association, especially in the way we communicate with our members and the College community.
The Association website, which is now updated almost daily, has been totally revamped with the addition of a community notice board, photo gallery, and an expanded OB Hall of Fame. We are registering an average of more than 150 hits a day on the website and many OBs are emerging from the woodwork to provide us with news. Going forwards, we are developing a new membership page, and looking for greater expansion of the Directory of OB Businesses and Services. My thanks go to our web designer, Alex Bremer (R. 1979-83) for all his hard work and constant enthusiasm which goes well beyond the call of duty.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Thursday, 01 September 2005 |
 Dear Old Brightonians,
This is proving to be a tremendous year for the Old Brightonians. As reported elsewhere on this website our social events have been proving more popular than ever and reunions are taking place across the generations. It is especially pleasing to see so many young members getting involved, though our sports teams still need players, so please contact John Aiken if you’re interested (talented or not!).
The Annual Dinner in November has sold out but we have made additional space by booking the Blackshaw Room as well as the Dining Hall, so some tickets are still available. There are a number of reunions taking place that evening including a 1980 Silver Reunion, and a gathering of the 1949 PT Team, while the OB Lodge will be hosting two tables. We are also offering all post-1997 leavers discounted tickets as this will be Dr Seldon’s last formal engagement with the OBA as Headmaster. There are already over 120 guests confirmed, and many more who have reserved tickets, so if you would like to join us, please contact us without delay.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Friday, 01 April 2005 |
Dear Old Brightonians,
Not just Old Boys! - Anyone who believed the Old Brightonian Association was just a bunch of old men would be surprised these days. For one thing, we’re not all men – girls have been educated at Brighton College for more than two decades now and I am pleased to see that more and more of them are returning to OB events such as the London Drinks (next one 10 May!).
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Monday, 01 November 2004 |
Dear Old Brightonians around the World,
It is a privilege to be President of the Association of Old Brightonians and I relish the challenges ahead – not least, getting to know the thousands of Old Brightonians.
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Written by Jane Haviland (F. 1979-81)
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Saturday, 01 November 2003 |
 We had a good year last year in relation to the OBA, there was an especially successful reunion dinner to celebrate the 30 years of co-education in the College. The Association is still working to foster a partnership relationship with the College which is going well so far, we had a successful Old Brightonians Day in September which was the first of many we hope, since the College has now adopted Commemoration Day for its speech day and graduation ceremony, so we will see how the OB day works in the next few years. We would like to stress that all OBs are still welcome to attend the St Peter's Day service on commemoration day, despite the day not being dedicated in the same way to Old Brightonians. Any feedback on events would be appreciated.
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Written by Jane Haviland (F. 1979-81)
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Friday, 01 November 2002 |
This is just a note in my new capacity as President of the Association to say hello, and thank you to Richard for all his hard work over the past two years; he is a hard act to follow. I am pleased to be the first woman president particularly in the run up to celebrating 30 years of girls at the College.
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Written by Tony Whitestone (ex staff, 1971-2006)
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Thursday, 01 January 2009 |
 Dear Old Brightonians,
Having just glanced at the on-line Pelican, I have to admit to being somewhat ashamed at seeing that my last presidential letter to you was written well over six months ago! I hope that you have enjoyed a good Christmas, wherever you may have spent it, and I wish you the best of good fortune for 2009.
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Written by Tony Whitestone (ex staff, 1971-2006)
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Saturday, 01 December 2007 |
Dear Old Brightonians,
I feel honoured to have been elected the President of the Association of Old Brightonians, although when David Gold asked me to put my name forward last June, my initial reaction was that I surely could not be eligible for the post, not having been to the College. David assured me that there were precedents for retired members of staff being elected President, and some quick research has shown me that the two very first Presidents were, perhaps not surprisingly, retired members of the Common Room. At least my thirty six years at the College have given me a distinct advantage over all my predecessors, in that I know personally far more former members of the College than any of them! Indeed it was a great pleasure for me to see so many familiar faces from the past at the recent OB Dinner, which was a fitting tribute to the many years of dedicated and multifarious service to the College of Philip Robinson.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Wednesday, 01 August 2007 |
Dear Old Brightonians,
I would like to put on record my congratulations to all our newest members, the Class of 2007, who have smashed Brighton College A-Level records this year with a staggering 87.5% A and B grades, of which nearly 60% were A grades (see results tables). Brighton College is the top performing school in Sussex, beating Roedean, Lancing, Eastbourne, Hurstpierpoint and Christ Hospital among others.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Sunday, 01 April 2007 |
 Spring finally seems to have arrived and it’s great to see the College looking so colourful, if slightly disrupted by the building work in the Woolton Quad for the new Visual Arts Centre which is to be named in honour of the late Old Brightonian Lord Alexander.
Another Old Brightonian whose untimely and premature death affected many of us was of course Joe Scourfield. I am delighted that the OBA was able to contribute to the appeal for a memorial in the College Chapel and the fund which has been established in his name to help BC families affected by the severe illness of a son or daughter. The fund remains open for OBs and others who wish to contribute and I would invite you to contact me to obtain details of how you can help.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Monday, 01 January 2007 |
 Happy New Year to Old Brightonians the world over and welcome to the OBA’s 125th anniversary year.
The celebrations got off to a great start with the traditional belated new year celebration London Drinks (photos). We enjoyed the fantastic surroundings of the new Rocket bar and restaurant at Adams Court in the City and were joined by more than 30 Old Brightonians from across the last five decades. The next London Drinks will be held in the Spring, so please check the Events page for the date.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Tuesday, 01 August 2006 |
 Well it’s certainly all change here. It wasn’t enough to be appointed the new Development Director for Brighton College, I then went and got myself selected to stand for Parliament in Eltham, a key marginal constituency in South East London, for the Conservative Party. But fear not. As much as the OBA Administrator was hoping I’d have rather less time to find things to add to her list of tasks, it simply means I get up earlier and go to bed later!
And it’s not just my life which is changing. The OBA gained over 100 new members this Summer as the Upper Sixth graduated in a moving ceremony in the College Chapel. Those talented, bright young men and women have entered the next phase of their lives. I am certain, having met many of them, that they will are well prepared for the challenges they face. I am sure every one of us wishes them well and we look forward to welcoming them to some of the events planned for the future.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Wednesday, 01 February 2006 |
 Dear Brightonians,
If anyone thought the departure of Dr Seldon would also signal the departure of the camera crews and hacks we’ve grown used to seeing around the College they were wrong. After what seemed like only a few minutes in the job, Richard Cairns marked the Chinese New Year by making Mandarin Chinese (Puotonghuà as it is called in Chinese) compulsory for all new pupils at the College and instantly he was the lead item on national news broadcasts across Asia – and CNN, the BBC, most of Europe... Hits to the College website reached their monthly average in one day, calls from diplomats and government departments, not to mention prospective parents, from across the world flooded the College switchboard. The College is the first British school to make Chinese a core subject alongside Latin, French and Spanish, reflecting the international flavour of the community but also providing the best possible preparation for the modern world. We just pray the compulsory element doesn’t reach former Brighton College pupils….
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Tuesday, 01 November 2005 |
 Dear Old Brightonians,
As we approach the end of 2005 it’s with some pride that we look back at what the Association has been able to achieve in this, Brighton College’s 160th Anniversary year.
We opened with a very well attended Drinks Party at The International in London. Proving what a sociable lot we are, there were plenty of familiar faces but also friends and family to add to the mix and a good few OBs who had never attended an OBA event. It was a promising start to the year.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Wednesday, 01 June 2005 |
Dear Old Brightonians,
As Brighton College celebrates its 160th anniversary, in spite of several near misses, it is good to see the place continuing to evolve, experiment, and adapt. I am sure that just as Anthony Seldon will be missed when he leaves us at the end of December, so the newly appointed Headmaster, Richard Cairns, will make his own mark and make his own changes. Sometimes we will approve of those changes, other times not, but he will be aware that to retain the College’s position as a school of excellence, standing still is not an option.
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Written by David Gold (S. 1986-91)
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Tuesday, 01 March 2005 |
Dear Old Brightonians,
This year we celebrate 160 years of Brighton College and it is a delight to see the place in such good shape - consistent successes in sports locally and nationally, (and even internationally!), star performances in Drama, Dance, Public Speaking, Art, Music; the creation of a new charity to help communities affected by the Tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka in addition to the College’s many other charitable involvements, the continued strength of the Cadet Force, the strength of the Chapel, the roll-out of new facilities and new buildings – there has never been a time to be more proud to count ourselves as Old Brightonians.
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Written by Jane Haviland (F. 1979-81)
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Tuesday, 01 June 2004 |
 Hello Old Brightonians wherever you may be in the world. I would like to get more of you involved on an international basis - maybe a representative from each country or continent? Please could you email Fiona Aiken in the OB office (address below) if you are interested in sending in news from say the USA, Australiasia, Asia or a mainland European country and we will arrange a page on our website for you. I was working in Pakistan a few years back and whilst waiting in the Mott MacDonald office in Karachi I bumped into Andrew Gubbin, who had been there for sometime. It was lovely to see him and to catch up - it also proved what a small world it is out there. When I was in New Zealand 18months ago I wrote to all the recorded OBs there - they all got together for an evening and are hopefully still in touch. It is a great resource if you do happen to go travelling or working overseas, particularly for the school leavers/gap year students, to know that there is an emergency contact available. So please use the resource it is there for us all to use.
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Written by Jane Haviland (F. 1979-81)
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Sunday, 01 June 2003 |
Hello all out there and welcome to the new tax year and 30 years of girls at Brighton College!
It has been quite a year for me and, I suspect, for quite a lot of you out there.
I can feel the sadness that Daniel Braden’s family must be feeling; the shock, unjustness, anger and deep love. Although I can’t imagine how it must feel to lose your brother or son, I did lose my mother very suddenly last year and a close friend was ruthlessly, violently and needlessly killed, so I can understand the deep sense of loss and all the other emotions that come with it.
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