Michael Bratchell (1974) welcomed all to the function and made comments of his last visit to the School in early January 2020, the new impressive Boarding House, the well maintained sporting grounds and the buildings and sporting facilities. He made mention of the stripping out of Centennial House that was occurring at the time, with all the priceless ceiling space graffiti drawn by Boarders over the years being discarded. He also acknowledged the School in their approach to accommodate the International Boarders who stayed in the Boarding House during the December / January school holidays, rather than them returning to their home countries.
Peter Markey (1973) proposed the Toast to the School.
Alan Letcher, PAOCA President, provided an overview of past events, including the Old Reds sporting achievements, the various Country Dinners and Year Reunions planned, future planning developments and expansion of the School and its grounds and Boarding House numbers. He also made mention of the retirement of our Headmaster, Bradley Fenner next year, and the contribution that he has made to the School since taking on the role in 2014.
Due to the current situation that we are all living with and is now part of our daily lives, the scheduling of the 2022 Darwin Dinner is yet to be identified. However, watch this space. Where else in this great country of ours, would be better than spending time in the Territory in June.
Michael Bratchell
NT Dinner Convenor