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AOSA ANNUAL REPORT 1999 |
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I will begin this report with the Englishman’s favourite topic, the weather. Unlike last year’s torrential rain, when the heavens seemed to be weeping for the closure of the school, we had a warm and sunny weekend.
Sunday morning began with what to so many of us was the focal point of Ayton School - Meeting for Worship. Clifford Morgan shocked us all when, in his ministry, he said that a former member of Staff had been refused an appointment because he/she came from a ‘failed’ school. How could anyone describe Ayton as a failed school? Next came a lunch barbecue at Roy and Caroline George’s
delightful home, Fir Tree Farm. This was a wonderful feat of organisation on the
part of Mary Banks and her team of helpers. One hundred and forty of us sat at
tables in the centre of which were floral decorations arranged by Barbara
Weschenfelder. We were fed on steaks, sausages (from Petches), and a variety of
salads, followed by strawberries with ice cream (Suggitt’s of course) and
coffee. No professional catering firm could have done better. In the words of
one Old Scholar ‘It was something out of this world Some of the more active then went for what, I understand, was a rather muddy walk. The afternoon continued with a humorous but thought-provoking Presidential Address by Joe Tillott, followed by the AGM. After tea and biscuits, it was time for Evening Meeting. The Speaker, Joyce Spinks, spoke about education in Quaker Schools and Ayton in particular up to the 1930s. It was remarkable that the thoughts expressed in Morning Meeting, by Joe in his Address, and then by Joyce all ran in the same vein - Education. I went home feeling that the weekend had been a wonderful success. Everyone had enjoyed it, friendships had been renewed and a commitment to keep the Association alive had been made. Dorothy Newby (Danby) There are more photographs of the 1998 Summer Reunion |
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Very few Old Scholars took the opportunity to meet in the
Small Meeting House on Saturday afternoon, so the reunion really began at the
Tall Trees Hotel with the inauguration of Joe Tillott as President. The dinner,
attended by seventy Old Scholars and their friends, was a great success. It was
pleasing to have a group of young Old Scholars present, sitting at what they
themselves described as ‘The table for the under eighteens’. The food was
good, the service was good, but, above all, the company was good. For several
Old Scholars, it was their first Reunion for many years and one of these,
Margaret Ramsdale (Waites 1936-38) drove from Hale, near Manchester, a journey
of four hours, arriving just before the meal and returning home immediately
afterwards.
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