From the President

Dear Old Virgilians

I can report that there has been a great deal of work done by the Committee in addressing the structural (constitutional) and operational aspects of the Old Virgilians Association. This has become necessary as the feedback from members has been very clear as to what they would like to see from their organisation.

The first priority of your committee is to ensure that our communication with members is improved and effective to inform members of matters of interest and the activities of the OVA.

In seeking to do so we have identified some shortcomings in the membership records of OVA which we are currently addressing with the support of the College. To ensure we have recorded the details of all members and provide the opportunity for membership for members that may not have previously had the opportunity to be a member of the OVA, your committee will be writing to all members and working with the College to communicate with past students who may not have had the opportunity to be a member of the Old Virgillians network.

This task is a significant one and one that the OVA is committing financial resources towards, to deliver a more vibrant communicative approach to members. Not only is your OVA devoting time and resources to improving the membership database, but it is also embarking upon a strategy to improve the modes of communication to the broad-based membership to enable communication to be received in all formats appropriate for the broad membership base.

I acknowledge the ongoing support of the College through the Principal, Mr Jon Franzin, in assisting the OVA.

What your Committee is expecting to deliver towards the end of 2024 is a rejuvenated OVA that is focused on delivering value and interaction with its members. The timing of this work is fortuitous as it works well alongside the return of Year 12 Graduation later this year at which the OVA will be again represented.

The message we have received from members is that since the College ceased providing education to Year 12 the threads of the Old Boys have been somewhat lost. Now that has been returned to the College it is time for OVA 2.0 to be activated with the vigour and passion that the OVA Army has held onto throughout the last 30 years.

Accordingly, I am hoping and trusting that passion is evidenced in the response to our communications. There will be more communication soon and I hope to see as many as possible at the Annual Dinner in Hobart on 11 October 2024 – a great opportunity to be informed by members as to the expectations of the OVA and what it needs to deliver to its members.