Apologies from Bangor Grammarians for the relative silence in recent months; regular activities, including dinners and sports, have remained suspended since the Edinburgh Dinner in mid-March 2020, with a single ‘how things stand’ committee meeting taking place last September, in line with existing Covid-19 regulations.
While it is hoped the coming months will herald a gradual resumption of Grammarian business, as editor/ compiler of the annual Grammarian magazine I am delighted to confirm there will be a full (52-page) 2021 edition, scheduled for publication, as in the past, around the beginning of September. Distribution of the printed and online editions will follow promptly to members of Bangor Grammarians (aka the Old Boys’ Association), with other past pupils having free access to the digital magazine, by way of a link in these notes, later in the year.
I am particularly grateful to the dozen or so contributors, from both the College Avenue and Gransha Road eras, who are presently finalising their articles to meet the end-of-June copy deadline. While the customary coverage of Grammarian activities during the previous year will, regrettably, be missing, I am certain the wide variety of other material will ensure it is another memorable edition.
In the meantime I would wish to draw your attention to a somewhat sombre but nevertheless important element of the magazine’s regular content, namely the obituaries section in which we remember past pupils and staff members who have passed away since the previous edition. This comprises a list, with years of attendance included, as well as contributed tributes.
While we do our best to maintain an ongoing record of deceased former pupils, this has proved especially challenging during the past 14 months, with bereaved families, certainly in the early days of the pandemic, being discouraged from announcing funeral arrangements in the press. In addition, there was a two-month break in publication of the County Down Spectator during the first lockdown.
I am already aware of almost 20 past pupil/ past staff deaths during the past year and in a number of instances have been in touch with families and friends about tributes for the magazine. However, it would be a source of great regret if others were unwittingly omitted, certainly without at least an attempt on our part to reach out to those who have lost a loved one since the outbreak of the pandemic.
As a mark of respect to bereaved families please do not mention names in any posts associated with this message. Rather, write directly to me, Terence Bowman, via our grammarians@btconnect.com email address. I can confirm if we already know about a past pupil death; in some instances we may be aware of a death but without an accompanying tribute. The same target date of 30 June 2021 for final submissions applies, although please do not hesitate to make contact with me during July, the magazine’s production stage, to update existing information or to provide details about another bereavement.
Best wishes to everyone and hopefully ongoing changes in the regulations will permit us to see many of you at the annual Bangor Dinner, scheduled for Friday 12 November at the Marine Court Hotel.
Terence Bowman, chairman and Grammarian magazine editor