On Sunday 6th September 2026 OHs, former staff and their guests enjoyed the third annual Foundation Day held at Haileybury in glorious sunshine. The Society were delighted to collaborate with Haileybury on this joint event once again, and would like to thank the Master Eugene du Toit, and his team for the warm welcome back to Haileybury and the school’s excellent hospitality.
Following registration and coffee in the Attlee Room, a Chapel service was led by the Chaplain, The Rev’d Matt Austen, and Peter Blair, the Assistant Chaplain. We came together for worship surrounded by the names of our forebearers and former staff, and sang hymns well known to generations of Haileyburians including our beloved school hymn, Lift Up your Hearts, together with Jerusalem, I vow To Thee My Country and Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer. Former OHs choristers were able to sing with the Choir which gave beautiful renditions of Handel’s Hallelujah! and Vivaldi’s Gloria, led by Richard Brain, Director of Music, with the organ played by Samuel Ali, the College Organist. A retiring collection was taken for the Society’s Still Mark Campaign to support OH Mark Bowen (LS & K 87)
The afternoon’s activities included tours of Haileybury led by current pupils, to include Houses and familiar buildings. Clock House, home of the Haileybury Archives was open for guests to view the Attlee exhibition curated by Dr Sam Koon, Director of Teaching and Learning.
There was a selection of OH vs. pupil sports matches to enjoy including Cricket, Football, Hockey, Lacrosse, Netball, Rackets and Tennis. The OH teams triumphed in four of the seven disciplines, with Boys’ Cricket and Girls’ Hockey in particular being very close calls.
The newly refurbished Rackets court was celebrated with the ribbon being cut by Sue Palmer, mother of Lieutenant Richard Palmer (E 92) a former Haileybury Rackets player who was killed in action in Iraq twenty years ago this year. We give special mention and thanks to Deane Pennick (B 77), Chairman of the Old Haileyburian Rackets Society for his tireless fund-raising support, and to the OH Rackets community and other OHs for their generosity in helping make this project possible.
A buffet lunch was served on Pavilion after which the Master, Eugene du Toit, together with the President of the Haileybury Society, Fiona Illingworth (BF & Alb 76), and the Chair of Council, Martin Rayfield, gave short speeches on the very special wider Haileybury community.
We send thanks to all those who shared their wonderful memories and Haileybury stories with us and who purchased Haileyburiana from our stall during the course of the day.
We are delighted to share some comments received from OHs after the event:
What an excellent day it was on Sunday. Looking around Trevelyan was fascinating, completely unrecognisable and the boys are so lucky to have such wonderful facilities. It’s a bit different from my day!!
It was lovely meeting you on Sunday and thank you for helping to organise such a wonderful day. The day brought back some wonderful memories and it was great to catch up with old friends.
Thank you so much for putting on such a wonderful day for us on Sunday. There were so many things to see and do and we were very lucky with the weather. I particularly enjoyed the time with friends over lunch on Pavilion, and the service in Chapel. I also got over to the Rackets court to see the refurbishments there, and to Clock House for the Attlee exhibition.
More from The Haileybury Society
- Philip Leaper (Staff 1987-2000)
- Foundation Day 2026: Celebrating Our Haileybury Heritage
- Grays Careers – Kirsty Bell (E & Alb 88)
- 100 metres down… for a very good cause!
- A Rugby Exchange to Remember: Will Roberts’ Journey to South Africa
- Maryanne Bass
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Unless otherwise stated, all content and images on this website and blog © The Haileybury Society, 2024, all rights reserved