A large group of Old Girls and former staff joined current pupils in the first assembly of the summer term to celebrate the 135th anniversary of the Old Girls’ Association (OGA).
Mrs Lynne Kyle, Head of Girls’ Division and President of the OGA, welcomed everyone to the Great Hall before passing over to Laura Henthorn, the current Chairman of the OGA. She addressed the Great Hall about the organisation’s history from its genesis in 1889 as the ‘Past and Present Club’, which was formed to provide opportunities for entertainment and fundraising for local causes between current and former pupils. It became the Old Girls’ Association in 1926, with threefold aims: to form a link between the school of the present and the school of the future, to help Old Girls to keep in touch with each other and with the school, and to form a centre for philanthropic work. Though initially the Headmistress was both President and Chairman of the OGA, since 1951 an Old Girl has been elected to the post of Chairman. Mrs Henthorn said she is proud to be the sixth to hold the post, and shared the names of her predecessors. From the 1950s onwards, the OGA has held regular social events, charitable fundraisers and other activities, which continue to the present day, and 1995 saw the first edition of the Old Girls’ Newsletter.
Next Prefects Harriet Dickens and Felicity Field shared the work and values of the OGA, and Old Girl Liaison Officers Mrs James and Mrs Greene spoke about the OGA today. They spoke about the various charitable endeavours undertaken by the association, and the ways in which Old Girls contribute to the current life of the school through a wealth of careers talks and professional guidance and mentoring for current pupils and young Old Girls alike.
Philip Britton, the Head of Foundation, put the OGA into wider context, noting that it came into existence in the same year as the Savoy hotel, the RSPB and the Children’s Charter. He said that its founding during the later part of the Victorian period, years before the Old Boys’ Association, makes sense: while there were plenty of places for men to gather and share a common purpose, the same could not be said for women at this time, and Bolton School offered its alumna a shared heritage, interest and community. This of course continues into the present and the future.
The occasion also featured Sofia Riaz (Year 11) giving a piano performance of ‘Improvisation’ by Edward MacDowell, the singing of Jerusalem and the School Song accompanied by the Choir, and Head Girl Phoebe Chuck reading of the School Prayer.
After assembly, a board displaying the names of past chairmen of the Old Girls’ Association was also unveiled, to go on permanent display on B corridor opposite the Head’s Study.
Watch the OGA 135th Anniversary Assembly
Gallery of photos from the Assembly and Celebration Lunch:
Past chairman Jean Howarth (née Lever), current chairman Laura Henthorn (née Carless) and Mrs Kyle posed for photos with the new board during the lunch. These pictures can be seen in the above carousel.
