The 126th Old Elizabethans Association Annual Dinner – and your invitation to our forthcoming events

 It was great to see everyone at the Old Elizabethans Association Annual Dinner last weekend, and I now look forward to welcoming more alumni at our forthcoming events detailed below.

The dinner is always an enjoyable opportunity to mix with alumni from across the generations, and this year’s was no exception. There were reunions among Old Elizabethans of very different vintages – our ten-year leavers and those celebrating 60 years since joining QE – while we welcomed a number of governors and former colleagues, too. My thanks go to Surya Bowyer (OE 2007-2014) for his highly engaging after-dinner speech, which encouraged us all to share our memories with the School’s online archives, QE Collections. Photos from the dinner are now available through the QE Connect platform.

With 2023, our 450th anniversary year, fast approaching, it was also good to see a number of our 450 Club members at the dinner. We are hugely grateful for all the support received so far through the club – and for those who have not yet taken the plunge, it is not too late to join and enjoy the benefits of membership. Our 450 Club members are helping QE, a school within the state sector attended by pupils of all backgrounds and means, provide facilities and opportunities that are the equal of those at the most expensive and exclusive independent schools. Please do consider joining today and supporting current and future generations of Elizabethans – find out more below.

I am also pleased to be able to offer you the opportunity to join a ballot for a place at our Special Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on the occasion of the 450th anniversary. On Friday 24th March 2023 – 450 years to the day from Queen Elizabeth I’s granting of a Royal Charter for the establishment of the School – representatives from across the Elizabethan community will come together for this service of celebration and commemoration. A number of seats will be reserved for alumni. If you would like to attend, click the button below to send us an email to enter the ticket ballot. Please include your full name, the years you attended QE and your postal address. The service is due to begin at 12pm and last around an hour. Entry will only be possible for ticket-holders.

I invite you to be part of this unique occasion and wish you every success in the ballot!

With best wishes,  

Neil Enright

Headmaster

Rugby vs Haberdashers at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium: Wednesday 30th November

Habs are celebrating their centenary of rugby: come and cheer on QE and help our boys spoil their party on the pitch! There’s a Year 7 & 8 curtain-raiser at 6pm, with the First XV kicking off at 7pm. Admission is free and the bar will be open. All are welcome – just come along.

Winter Concert in the Shearly Hall at QE:
Thursday 1st December

Our old boys are very welcome at this, our main Autumn Term concert, which will feature a wide variety of ensembles. You can look forward to Handel and Shostakovich, some up-beat jazz numbers, music from around the world and a few familiar Christmas tunes. The concert starts at 7pm.

Carol Service & Tudor Hall reception:
Wednesday 14th December

Alumni are invited to join us for our traditional carol service at St John the Baptist Church on Wood Street – a wonderful and festive way to round off the term. The service begins at 7.30pm, but why not join us for drinks and mince-pies in the School’s historic home, Tudor Hall, for a pre-service reception from 6.15pm? Tudor Hall is located just across Wood Street from the church.

Join our 450 Club

The 450 Club remains open to new joiners. Those who join the club, by donating £450 or more (either as a single gift, or by committing to regular giving by direct debit), will have the option of naming a seat in The Robert Dudley Studio once this is completed. They will also receive a complimentary copy of Dr John Marincowitz’s brilliant book, charting the history of the School from 1573 to the present day, which will be published next year to coincide with our big anniversary.

And finally…

We trust you have enjoyed reading this edition of the QE Connect e-magazine produced by QE for all our old boys. What next? Well, if you haven’t already discovered QE Connect, our online social and business network, why not take a look.