11958 RGS ONA Magazine 78_V 18/12/2009 20:37 Page 10
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ONA — Old Novocastrians Association Magazine
I met an ON a little while ago who had left the school about 7 or 8 years previously. He said that, whilst he was aware there was a London dinner every year, he didn’t realise there was a regional ON association in London organising it.
The average age of the attendees is getting older every year. Has the London ONA lost its relevance to younger members? The comments of the person I met who said he didn’t know there was a London ON Association would appear to partly support this. Therefore if the London ONA is to have a long term future we need to be asking its members “what are we here for?” Should our sole function be to organise a dinner every year? Or can we be doing other things as well that would enable our association to remain relevant to everyone, young and old?
networks that resulted from this were invaluable to many in being aware of career opportunities and other openings at various stages.
This model of what happens to ON’s once they leave the school has, however, become outdated in a number of respects. There is a far wider choice of degree awarding The London ONA is the only active regional institutions around now than existed a association in existence at the present time. No generation or so ago, and the routes into and doubt we all regret the passing of the other through higher education and career choice regional associations. But I believe the London are more diverse, so it is more likely now than ONA, by virtue of being based in the capital city, it used to be that when ON’s progress down has the potential to fulfil a unique role. For this these paths they will not have the ready reason it’s vital we don’t let it go to the wall in availability of near-contemporaries to I believe there are a number of areas that we the same way as the others. Of course, if any associate with. Also the old certainties of a organisation is to survive across the decades, it could explore. What underpins many of them, lifetime career have gone – it is more likely needs to reinvent itself from time to time. If it does however, is the concept that as well as being merely a social club facilitating an opportunity to now that in the course of ON’s economically not do this it will lose its relevance to the age in which it is trying to operate. I believe the London meet up once or twice a year we should also be active lives they will make two or three career choices, often requiring further periods of active in the area of mutual self help. There has ONA has reached this point in its history now. study in mid-stream to facilitate these That is why, over the last few months, I have been of course been some of this in the past but it attempting to meet with as many London-based has been mainly on an informal basis. It used to changes. People have to make more choices at different times and because of the atomised be quite common that, upon leaving the RGS, ON’s as possible to see if we can arrive at nature of modern society they cannot rely on one went to a university where there was some consensus about our future direction. already an ON studying who had left the school informal networks to support them in this a year or two previously. If you were lucky there process so we need to be thinking about For some time now our only activity has been slightly more formal structures instead. Our might even be someone else going there from to organise a dinner at the RAF Club every your own year cohort. This continuity of contact ON’s may also need help sometimes in facing year. Numbers attending this fluctuate a little, with near-contemporaries often continued into other work-related issues such as redundancy but regardless of the headcount there is a and retirement – and increasingly pregnancy, one’s professional life afterwards. The informal slow but steady trend in the demographics.
Bruce Embleton (66-73), President of the London ONA, considers what role the London ONA should have in the future.
Whither the London ONA?
