My christmas greeting is a little different this year.

Having re-discovered a passion for photography I decided to use one of my recent images with a short message over the top to wish you the best for the season and next year. May it also be a time of remembrance for those that have departed this world.

So here is an edited NOT found list removing all the names I have found and then adding what information I have about the remaining folks.

• Marcus Burrows
• Jonathan Collingwood
• Inigo de Alvear - I guess back in Spain
• Paul Doherty
• Michael Doyle
• Nicholas Edward - confirmed found and in Bristol as suspected
• Philip Embley – have contact via his wife
• Patrick Farrell
• Alonzo Fearnside – technically found his mum, but Alonso never replies to messages left or texts.
• Julian Fisher - turned up at the funeral. Appears to have bee in contact with Thommo all along.
• Richard Ganley
• David Illingworth
• Paul Jervis -
• Iain Knox - known to be a psychiatric nurse in Devon/Cornwall but appears to be ex-directory
• James Lauderdale
• Andrew Lea
• Ricardo Matesantz - Replies via Friendsreunited under the pseudonym of Jim Bird
• John McCafferty - found. Now a maths teacher.
• Paul O’Brien - one eMail response in 2002 and nothing since
• Kevin O’Hara
• Paul Openshaw
• Andrew Ransom - His brother says he’s in Spain but no answer to the email address or phone number supplied.
• Ronald Sam
• Sundeep Singh-Bal - still in Sheffield I’m told
• Humphrey Uddoh – in contact via Facebook.
• Mark Young

I have just finished replying to:

• Nick Edward

… with the date of the eMail he was replying too was dated May 2008 – so either he doesn’t check his emails that often or he’s a bit of a horder like me.

Anyway, Nick is as I’d heard, living and working Bristol though not as a lawyer but as owner of his own company installing aerials and satellites (amongst other stuff). So, there we have it. Some 31 years since I left MSM and this year has been one of the saddest and joyous in a long time.

Sad that we have all lost a friend – a comrade in arms – a fellow trouble maker – a fellow cheeky chappie.

Joyous that after years of wondering I wasn’t let down by catching up with 6 of my ex school chums – brief though that was.

Many of you will already be aware of the sad news of the death of Richard Thompson OM81.  Richard collapsed and died suddenly from a heart attack on Friday 16th September.

The Mount Association has arranged for Fr Michael Beattie, SJ to offer a mass for the repose of his soul and the intentions of his family.

Richard was a well respected and popular member of the OM community and will be missed by many, not least by his brother Benjy (OM 88).

The funeral will take place on Friday 23rd September at 2.30 pm in the Chapel at Mount St Mary’s College then afterwards at the Hop Pole in Retford to celebrate his life.  He is to be buried at Darfoulds in a private service with just his family.

Yesterday at 3pm and with no prior illness or signs my great friend and fellow conspirator at school passed away.

Richard “sparky” Thompson, 47, you will be missed.

Funeral service is expected to be at The Mount. Details when I know them.

• Humphrey Uddoh

without even trying. It would appear that he’s now on facebook and the suggest a friend feature threw him up one day.

So, another find for the list – not that I’m counting any more.

Anyway, if anybody can shed any light on exactly whom everybody is then I’ll update the details at a later stage. The pictures can be found by following the link at the bottom of the pictures page to more or by clicking this link here.

Details are below: but please note you may need to register for the Alumnus site to reach the links.

This year’s Reunion Weekend will be held on Saturday and Sunday 23/24th October 2010.

Please follow the links below for further details:

http://mountassociation.club.officelive.com/2010AnnualReunion.aspx

http://mountassociation.club.officelive.com/Documents/BookingForm2010.pdf

Please note that the booking form needs to be completed and returned, together with a cheque, by no later than Monday 18 October 2010. If you require any further information, please contact Robert Catterall whose details can be found on the Reunion Letter.

I’ve had the following communication from the school. Due to my initial promise of NOT passing on any of your details I haven’t filled in the section on “other pupil details” – however I did say I’d pass this on … so..

July 2010

Dear Old Mountaineer

As you may know we have made strenuous efforts in the past two years to improve the quality, frequency, accuracy and efficiency of our communications with Old Mountaineers. Many Mountaineers have expressed a wish to be kept informed of current and future developments at the school.  In return we are keen to learn what Mountaineers are pursuing in their adult lives.  Therefore as part of a major database refreshing exercise, we are contacting past students of the Mount and Barlborough Hall School electronically and/or by post.

Consequently, we would be grateful if you would spend a few minutes completing the attached questionnaire and return it to us electronically or by post. We would also appreciate it if you could add the names and brief contact details of any OM’s whom you may communicate with, but who you think are not currently in touch with the school.

It is probable that you are already well known to us and are still very close to the school, so we do apologise if some of the questions seem rather fundamental or seem to concern information we probably already have.  We are simply trying to keep this questionnaire as generic as possible to make it all-encompassing and to maintain the administrative burden at a minimum level.

Once we have accurate details in our database we will be in a better position to keep you informed of exciting developments at both Mount St Mary’s College and Barlborough Hall School.  We will also be better placed to arrange reunions and other events or to help you stay in touch, or reconnect with, your old school.  Any information you give us will be treated in the strictest confidence – we are in full compliance with the Data Protection Act.

My very best wishes

Laurence McKell
Headmaster

And the questionaire can be downloaded from here - if in doubt right-click the link and save.