From the President

Dear Old Virgilians

I am pleased to report that the resolution to change the OVA constitution to permit electronic means of communicating notices to members was unanimously approved at the special general meeting on Wednesday 14 August 2024. This change will enable your committee to provide more information in a timely and appropriate manner to all OVA members through improved communication channels.

The sub-committee focusing on other enhancements to the constitution continues its work on delivering additional recommendations designed to improve the constitution and keep members regularly informed about developments within OVA. As constitutional changes require significant consideration and planning—designed for the future benefit of the organisation on many levels — I wish to acknowledge the substantial contributions of sub-committee members Bill Ayliffe, Damian Bugg, along with Paul Boutchard and Alan Robertson (Chair of the sub-committee). The sub-committee has a range of other recommendations for members to consider, and these will be communicated shortly in a format that will allow members to review them (as a result of the resolution passed at the special general meeting).

On Friday 2 August, I was privileged to attend the College Mid-Year Academic Awards Ceremony, where I presented the Old Virgilians Association Scholarship to this year's recipient, Llewellyn Gray. Our congratulations are extended to him and his family; he is a worthy recipient of this scholarship, and we wish him well in his academic career and College experience.

With the assistance of the College and the support of the Principal, OVA is now embarking on an update of its membership database. This update aims to ensure we have accurate and up-to-date details of all members and, hopefully, to add new members, particularly past students who may not yet have had the opportunity to become members. Our preliminary review of the constitution indicates that we can extend membership to those who have been involved in the College community, including parents/carers, and others who have participated in College life. The sub-committee is providing guidance on how we might extend memberships beyond past students.

We hope to announce the appointment of a new Treasurer for OVA shortly, who will join the Committee at this exciting stage of OVA’s development. The OVA army remains strong in voice and action and is moving through an exciting rebuilding phase.

As your Committee has committed to listening and acting on behalf of its members, we would like to see as many members as possible attend the functions planned over the next few months. The Melbourne event is contingent on a strong indication of interest, and we need confirmations to be sent to the Secretary by the end of August. You will also find in this edition information regarding the OVA annual dinner on Friday 11 October 2024, where there will be three additional inductees onto the OVA Heritage Roll.

Lastly, for a casual gathering later this month, the Hope and Anchor will be hosting all available members—please see details in this edition.

We look forward to continued engagement with our members, and we hope to see as many of you as possible over the coming months.