Rye Old Scholars’ Association (ROSA) is the old scholars’ association for Thomas Peacocke School in Rye and it is looking to recruit more members, especially pupils from the 1990s and 2000s.
School days can bring back good or bad memories, or even a mixture of both. Why are school memories important? They influence our behaviour, shape our identity, and contribute to our general well-being. They are the building blocks to our emergence of adulthood and often the profound effects of what we did there, how well we coped, and what friends we made do not resonate with us until we are much older and look back on those early years.
Kevin Moore, a member of ROSA committee and pupil at Thomas Peacocke School 1968-1975 has found himself recently doing just that – looking back:
“I suppose I had entered my fifties when I first noticed that I became a lot more reflective about things generally and about my own life in particular. As we advance through our adult years, we are very busy with our families and work and there seems little time available to think about the past.
“However, social media had started to come to the fore and my wife Ann had joined the now long-forgotten Friends Reunited. She had noticed that some of her former school friends and indeed some of mine had posted entries on that site. As a result, I decided to create my own post which led to some of my former school friends responding. Looking back, I believe that this was when my reflections about my school life and its influence on me started to take shape.
“I discovered and joined the Rye Old Scholars’ Association (ROSA) and was intrigued to read entries in the annual bulletin written by former pupils and indeed teachers. Some I knew and some I didn’t but each and every one was interesting, especially those written by pupils who detailed what they had been doing since they had left school. It encouraged me to respond similarly.
“I then attended a couple of reunions for those who, like me, had attended the Thomas Peacocke School in 1970s. It was great to catch up with so many people. Sadly, there were no other members of my actual school year but that did not detract from the overall experience. It seemed logical for me to join the ROSA committee when I stopped working in 2018 and had more time available. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and together with my wife Ann, also a former pupil, we have enjoyed getting involved in the annual lunches, helping to organise the various reunions and, in my case, writing articles for the annual ROSA bulletin. As the years have passed I have come to appreciate how my school years helped to mould me for me for my future. This was not so much academically but more in the way of helping to shape my personality and who I am and I am extremely grateful for this.
“I appreciate that not everyone’s experiences of their school years are positive. However, we all made friends and I have recently been in contact regularly with one of mine whom I had not seen since I left school in 1975.
“One of the really positive things to happen recently has been the creation of the Generation X Fund. This was started by Rebekah Gilbert, a former pupil, during her time as mayor of Rye with money being allocated to the cause through her fundraising. This has been added to since through fundraising at our reunions. Former students can access amounts of up to £300 to help them in setting up a business, attending courses relevant to their professional development or even purchasing tools and equipment.
“I, like my other ROSA committee members, am keen to see our organisation continue to develop and advance. To do this, we need to increase our membership especially in relation to those who attended the school / college during the 1990s and 2000s. Those individuals will now be in or approaching their 40s and maybe starting to reflect more on the years that have passed. Hopefully, like me, this will include thinking about their school years. Remember the saying – if you don’t use it you lose it. If we do not continue to develop ROSA, in a few years from now it will sadly cease to exist and that would be a great shame.
“Please therefore consider joining our wonderful organisation and getting involved. We would love to hear from you, especially if you have any photographs or other memorabilia which can be added to our website. You can learn more by contacting me on 07935 130206 or email saintkev1957@outlook.com.”
Image Credits: Kevin Moore archives , Kevin Moore archives .