I was hugely honoured to be elected President of the OSA recently, and I am looking forward to working hard over the next three years to further the aims and ambitions of our association.
Firstly, I would like to thank my predecessor John Isles who has done a tremendous job, and will be an extremely hard act to follow. John has worked tirelessly on the archives which is a necessary but at times a tedious job, but the fruits of his labours are there for us all to see and enjoy, and we are all delighted that John has agreed to stay on the committee as Archives Officer to continue his good work, and to contribute with his help and advice to us all. He single handedly organised the OSA Ball for pupils from the 50’s and 60’s which took place just before lockdown commenced, and we all had an enjoyable weekend. Thanks John!
Over the last few years, the committee have worked very hard to ensure the OSA continues to thrive, and one thing we have introduced is our sub group. The main committee meet twice a year, and several members live quite a way away, so the sub group was formed by local members and we meet on a monthly basis to conduct our business, and progress day to day affairs, and we can then report back to the main committee for their views and comments electronically and get their approval to progress important items. It has helped us get through a lot of work that would have probably had to wait a few months before we could get approval.
One area where we would like to see progress on is the 300 Club. This is our very own draw where cash prizes are there to win, and all profits are used to provide scholarships for students which will help support them and support the College. Please join up if you can, it is just £10 a quarter, and the forms are on our website. If anyone would like to know more, or any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me, my email address is on the website.
Another area which I hope to improve during my time as President is to try and get more of our students to take a more active role with the OSA. Their views are very important, it helps the committee shape the future of the OSA, which one day they will be leading onwards and upwards.
These are very challenging times for all of us, and it has been impossible to arrange any social events at all, but rest assured, we have plans in hand for a Grand Ball where we can all come together and celebrate our freedoms in the way that only Old Scardeburgians know how to do!! Keep an eye on the website for details.
Looking to the future, we recently held an electronic meeting through Google Meet which proved successful, and this was also used for the recent AGM. This is a something we intend to make use of a lot more of for future meetings, but this does require hard work, but our committee have some very able members who will ensure this form of media is used to benefit the OSA and its members.