Just to give you a heads up on some dates for our events this year. Firstly we are reintroducing the London Lunch which has not taken place since 2019 and used to be hosted by the late Simone Marella and his family. The restaurant sadly no longer exists. This year we have booked Sartori's Italian Restaurant near Leicester Square tube station for SATURDAY 25th MARCH.
In the autumn we will again be holding our annual Westgate Lunch in our old school buildings, St. AUGUSTINE'S COLEGE, 125, Canterbury Road, Westgate-on-Sea on SATURDAY 30th SEPTEMBER.
Our annual REMEMBRANCE will held at St. AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH followed by lunch in Ramsgate on SATURDAY 11th NOVEMBER.
More details will be posted on our Website and published nearer the time of each event but we do hope you will be able to make one or more of these events this year.
It is with great sadness we announce the news of Peters' death on 23rd November 2022 - please remember and pray for Peter and his family.
His Funeral Mass is on Tuesday 6th December at 10.30am at St. Austin's Church. 82, Wolverhampton Road, Stafford, ST17 4AW
Over many years Peter arranged and organised a special lunch in March and September for OA friends to get together and enjoy a wonderful lunch in the Terrace Restaurant at the Charing Cross Hotel in London. Sadly due to the Covid pandemic the past year or so, it was not possible to hold this event. Peter will be sadly missed by his family and his many friends.
On behalf of the OAs who knew Peter, we offer our deepest condolences to his wife and family.
If you wish to make a donation in memory of Peter - Funeral Notices - Peter Charles HADDOCK (funeral-notices.co.uk)
May he Rest in Peace.
The Society of Old Augustinians have donated £1,000 to the Ursuline College as a gift to help with paying for small extras during the cost-of-living crisis. The donation was made by Canon Brian Coyle, former Principal of St Augustine’s College to Keryn Poulter, Chair of the Ursuline College Governors.
The presentation, was made following a Remembrance Mass at St Augustine’s church, Ramsgate, for Old Augustinians who gave their lives in Wars. The Mass was attended by Old Augustinians, Ursuline Alumni, Ursuline College Students and Staff, parishioners and the Chair of Thanet District Council, Cllr Jason Savage.
Ursuline College students read out the names of all those who gave their lives and gave readings. They later laid one of the wreaths at the Old Augustinians War Memorial.
A further gift of £500 was given to Andrew Kelly, Shrine Manager and St Augustine’s church to go towards church repairs and maintenance.
Chairman of the Old Augustinians, Andrew Sharp said: -
“The donation was made as a goodwill gesture in response to a request for support from our successor school, the Ursuline College. This is a good school with an excellent ethos as we wish to support them in whatever practical ways, we can during this cost of living crisis.”
Again, we are grateful to the students of the Ursuline College in Westgate on Sea for reading out the Roll of Honour. Those that laid down their lives are not just a list of names and its important that this generation of Students in Thanet Catholic Schools today should remember those before them.
Update - 29 November 2022
We have received a letter of thanks from Danielle Lancefield, Academy Principal at the Ursuline College. You can read the letter by clicking the button below:-
Dr. Roderick "Roddy" Macaulay's funeral will take place on Thursday 1st December at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Broadstairs Road, Broadstairs CT10 2RH at 12.30pm. A private family burial will follow.
In place of floral tributes, any donations are requested to be made to CAFOD - https://cafod.org.uk/
The Reception will be from 2.30pm at Thanet Wanderers Rugby Clubhouse, Callis Court Road, Broadstairs CT10 3AE The Clubhouse will be open from 2pm. Parking is available at the Church and Clubhouse.
https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/tributes-pour-popular-gp-who-7764984
Roddy was a great supported and member of the OAs and up until a few years ago was still attending OA Remembrance and Reunions in London and Ramsgate. All OAs are most welcome to attend. If you are going to the funeral/reception, please let the family, Liz, Henry and Peter know, for catering purposes. Their email is: wizdurrant@gmail.com
May he Rest in Peace.
The annual OA Mass of Remembrance takes place on Saturday 12th November at 12 noon at St. Augustine's Abbey Church, Ramsgate to which you are invited and most welcome to attend.
Our Chaplain, Canon Brian Coyle is Presiding and Students from the Ursuline College will read out the Roll of Honour, followed by the Last Post and 2 minutes silence. Tribute to OA Michael Thunder will be given by Peter West, OA Archivist.
After the final Blessing, there will be the Blessing of Graves, firstly Michael Thunder then the monks and others requested. Finally, the Laying of the Wreath at the OA War Memorial with prayers and a blessing by Fr. Brian.
At the end of the service all are welcome to light refreshments in the St. Augustine's/Pugin Visitors Centre where the Presentation of Gifts will be presented to St. Augustine's Visitor Centre and to the Ursuline College.
There is no charge for this gathering but there will be a collection to St. Augustine's Church during Mass.
For those who wish to, we are going for lunch at Raushan's Ramsgate Tandoori Restaurant afterwards. If you would like to come, please email Richard at oldaugustiniansevents@gmail.com so we can give numbers to the Restaurant by Friday 11th November. We shall just pay for ourselves.
Do hope you can join us on this special day...
Our Annual Old Augustinians Remembrance Mass will this year take pace on Saturday 12th November at St. Augustine's Abbey Church, Ramsgate, Kent commencing at 12 noon to which you are all invited.
More details and the order of the day can be found on our Forthcoming Events Page.
Mass was offered by the Archbishop of Southwark, Most Revd Dr. John Wilson at St. Augustine's Church, Ramsgate. Streamed live on Wednesday 12th October 2022 - to view go to YOUTUBE.COM
Archbishop John made his first visit to St. Augustine's Church in Ramsgate and was celebrant at Mass to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Pugin Project and the Shrine. Old Augustinians were thanked for our support and old boy Alister Stewart gave one of the readings.
The OA Committee has agreed to give extra support to our successor school, The Ursuline College, let by their excellent new Headteacher, Danielle Lancefield, who gave an inspirational speech to our recent OA lunch in Westgate.
Our support will be given on the basis of their priorities as Ms Lancefield and her team are best placed to judge what these are.
If you can help, please contact Andrew Sharp via our Contact Us page as we will assist the College by prioritising the offers of help made following their advice.
Our shared goal is that the Ursuline College, whose roots are made up of St. Augustine's College and the Ursuline Convent School, will once again become the Catholic Secondary School of choice in Kent. That means that the current and future generations of Ursuline College students enjoy the same opportunities in education as we did. Anything less is not good enough!
We invite our Sister Alumni from the Ursulines to join us in this project. There should be no reason why this College, with its strong Ursuline ethos and Benedictine influence, cannot match the success of previous generations. Nothing but the best will do!
For those Old Augustinians who want to help, here is what you can do: if you live in Kent or travelling distance of Westgate and you think you can use your knowledge and experience to help the Ursuline College, then please consider becoming an Ursuline Governor. Alternatively, you may wish to make a donation to the school particularly to help with those additional costs as we enter difficult economic times where some children need extra support from the school. As a Society we will be making a donation but individual donations are welcome too. We want to work with the Ursuline Alumni, so that we can work together as a support and recourse that the Ursuline College can call upon when they need some help.
If you can help in any of these ways, please contact Andrew Sharp at oldaugustinians@gmail.com and not the school directly as we will help coordinate the offers of help as this will help them. We hope you will give us your support in this important endeavour.
We are very saddened to hear the news of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. For the vast majority of OAs, she has been the only head of state we have known. In a world of such rapid change over the past seven decades, she has provided the necessary stability for our nation, not just in the UK, but beyond. She has represented the best through her sense of duty, service and faith. While we mourn her loss as a nation and as citizens, we hope and pray as Old Augustinians that the future heads of state will follow in her fine example.
Andrew Sharp Chairman
It is just under 3 weeks to go before our 50th Anniversary lunch at St. Augustine's 125, Canterbury Road, Westgate on 24th September to commemorate Assumption House and Les Oiseaux Convent School closing and the Abbey School new start in Westgate.
We invite all Old Augustinians, as well as Alumni of Les Oiseaux, Ursuline and La Sainte Union Convent Schools and hope many of you will be able to attend.
To book: PLEASE USE THE BOOKING FORM ON THE HOME PAGE
Tickets are £45 each which includes tea/coffee on arrival; a guided tour of former school and chapel; a pre-lunch drink; a three course lunch with wine.
The Itinerary for the day:
11.00am Arrival and coffee
11.15am Tour of former Les Oiseaux building and Chapel
12noon Special Celebratory Mass
12.45pm Welcome Reception drink
1.30pm Three course Lunch with menu choices
3.00pm Guest Speaker - Danelle Lancefield, Principal of the Ursuline College followed by awards to retired St. Augustine's Staff for outstanding service to the school
3.30pm End of Formalities and School Song - chance to mix...
4.30pm Close
We must confirm and order lunches in advance so please make your booking and payment by Friday 16th September.