St George's House,
Northern Police Orphanage. 1898-1956
Harrogate, Yorkshire, England.
The 2008 Reunion.
The 2008 reunion,
organised by Sheila Stephenson, held on 18th & 19th April at the
Majestic Hotel, Harrogate, was well attended, attracting
53 old boys & girls, spouses and friends of St George's.
An impromptu pre function
get together was
The Majestic Hotel, Harrogate, where the
held at the Black
Swan, Burn Bridge, Harrogate.
reunions are held annually.
Included amongst those present were: Michael & Liz Baxter. Vera Robinson, a recently located old girl who travelled from Scotland to participate in the occasion. Des & Eileen Drummond, Eddy & Josie Drummond, accompanied by members of their extended families, see photo below.
The Drummond
family group
The band: David Holdsworth-Drums
Wilf Mcdonald-Trumpet
Stuart Garden-Keyboard
The weekend was enjoyed by all that attended and it was great to see the
younger generations of the Drummond family having a good time together.
Eileen Drummond and Amy
Sunday 20th April saw a large number of the St George's group
one of her grandaughters
visit St Andrews, Northern Police Convalescent and Treatment
dancing the night away.
Centre, Harrogate, for morning coffee and a tour of the premises.
Pictured are our hosts:
Gemma Pettman:St Andrews Publicity & Fundraising Officer.
Michael Baxter QPM: St Andrews Chief Executive.
Sheila Kellett: St George's Police Trust Administrator.
St Andrew's,
Northern Police Convalescent & Treatment Centre
Harlow Moor Road,
Harrogate. HG2 0AD
Yorkshire, England.
How the
Reunions began..
Miss Knocker started
the original reunions in the 1930's, later,
during the Second World War, old boys on leave or on embarkation leave
would visit St George's to say goodbye and to visit
their childhood home before going overseas. After the war it was
possible to formalise and arrange a regular reunion of old boys and
girls and this was done at Easter. Every girl and boy leaving St
George's automatically became an old girl or boy and received a
Christmas card and a letter with news of the recent happenings at St
George's. The reunion of 1946 was the first time after the war that an
organised reunion function took place. The choice of Easter time to hold
the get-together meant that the older children were away on holiday,
thus freeing the dormitories for use by any old boys and
girls requiring accommodation. The main thrust of Miss Knocker's
reunions revolved around a Thanksgiving Day ceremony held always on
Easter Monday, these functions continued until her retirement in 1949.
Reunion at St George's 1946, arranged by
Miss E. Knocker.
Sheila Stephenson and Elsie Gale
Following Miss Knockers retirement the
reunions went into limbo and it wasn't until 1964 when Elsie Pickering,
nee Bradley (now Elsie Gale), took on the challenge to co-ordinate the
old boys and girls and organise the reunions, that they became
re-established. Elsie continued in her role as organiser of
reunions for a period of nearly 20 years, at which time she handed over
the 'baton' to Sheila Stephenson, nee Potts and Tom Milburn to continue her work.
After a while Sheila became the main organiser and carried on the tradition admirably ever since.
Main Reunion held Annually.
The current format for the main reunion is that old boys and girls, with
their respective spouses or partners (usually around 50-70 people), meet once a year at the Majestic
Hotel in Harrogate, usually around April (as close to St George's
Day 23rd April as possible), everyone gathers on the Friday for drinks and
an informal chat to catch up on news. Groups usually form and have
dinner together at the hotel, along with a few more convivial drinks.
Saturday lunch is usually enjoyed at one of the
local hostelrys accompanied by a pint or two, this, with the pleasant
company of old (and new) friends, makes for a memorable occasion.
Saturday afternoon a meeting is held at the hotel where the formal side of
business is conducted and a range of topics discussed.
That evening, everyone meets in a small private Banqueting Suite where, after dinner, those
that have the ability and the energy, can dance the night away to the
music, kindly provided by St George's long standing friends from the
Bradford City Police Dance Band.
Some in attendance dress formally, some don't, either way it doesn't
matter, for everyone connected with St George's is welcome and made to
feel part of the group. The most important thing is that we enjoy one
anothers company while we can and not stand on ceremony.
Sunday, after breakfast, some of the old boys and girls go to the local
church service, after which, everyone meets for
coffee at St Andrew's, Harlow Moor Road and a last chat, then it is a time for packing bags and saying goodbyes, until the next
time.
Majestic Hotel, Harrogate
Mini Reunions.
The first mini reunions outside Harrogate were held in Matlock at
various venues including The Duke William pub, The Greyhound, Ye Olde
Englishe and Gullivers World. Other mini reunions were held at the
Parkwater at Lytham St Annes, the Lord Hill at Shrewsbury, pubs in
Buxton, Bradford, Llandudno and in 2005 The Rendezvous in Skipton where
about 17 people attended. These mini reunions are a much more casual affair and involves choosing a Pub suitably
located
for the convenience of all attending (usually around 10-20 people) and
simply having a relaxed time
in the company of old friends. What could be better.
Selection of various early reunion photos.
Reunion held at St
George's 1934
Reunion held in 1964
in Majestic Lounge Hall.
Reunion also held in Majestic, Lounge Hall.1974
Reunion held at St George's Hotel, Ripon Road, Harrogate. c 1976
Reunion held in Majestic c 1978
Barbara Boschi, Elsie Gale & Sheila Franks
Photo taken: 2/5/1981 at the reunion in Matlock
Selection of various more
recent reunion
photos.
Standing: Mary Spence, Elsie Gale
Tasting the local brew.
Seated: Sheila Franks, Aileen Geraghty,Arthur Boschi
Peter Geraghty and Jean Moulding.
Reunion group outside St Andrew's
Bob & Janis Park with Barbara Roberts
Vera & 'old boy' Peter Taylor,
from New Zealand
Pub time during the Harrogate 2004 reunion
The
current, known, St George's House, Old Boys & Girls.
536
584
519
533
541
532
394
A.Boschi B.Moore B.Park B.Roberts E.Gale F.Fawcett G.George
nee Fawcett nee Bradley
nee Mitchell
392
527 637
535
551
542
434
G. Kirk J.Moulding L.Ball M.Longley M.Spence N.Green O.Brett
nee Thorpe
nee Bewick
nee Geraghty nee Bradley
nee Hewitson
548
478
471
560
459 638
602
P. Geraghty F.Gilbert P.Shepherd P.Taylor P.Waddington R.Ball
R. Bassett
MBE, BEM.
592
445
497
395
554
341
464
The Rev R.Ruddick S.Franks S.Gardiner S.Stephenson T.Berry V.Partridge
D.Uffindell
nee Nutt nee Smedley
nee Potts
nee Lea
561 629
552
574
573
549
567
J.Geraghty R.Knighton P.Mason H.Redpath J.Redpath J.Newton A.Drummond
nee Geraghty
564
566
605
338 302
312
435
D.
Drummond E. Drummond C.Wheatley
A. Cantwell K.
Moore J. Webster R.Stevenson
nee Bridge nee Webster nee Hopkinson
598
584
583 597
603
526
619
V.Robinson M.
Moore S. Pollington
A. Deakin M.
Deakin P.Aspinall-Collins
A. Roberts
nee
Moore
nee Lea
594 595
596
513
514
515
G. Potter
M. Stent
E. Turner J.
Williams T. Williams
J. Dougan
nee Rich
nee Rich
nee Rich
nee Williams
For information regarding future reunions see News & Events page.
Request to web site visitors: if you
know anyone that went to or was associated with St George's House, please get in touch with one of the organisers whose contact details are shown on the page headed,
Contact- Links. Thank you.
Deus vult