Clubs, teams and associations that are either related to or that have been set up by pupils who attended the Hatcham College.
Hatcham Association
Our sister association for those who attended the Girls’ School. Contact: Janet Gearing
Click here for the Hatcham Association website
CITY DINERS – contact Steve Homewood
The OA City Diners was set up in the early 1960‘s as a Luncheon Club for Old Askeans working in the City of London. In its early days, it met at the Monument Club, but over the years it has found it necessary to change its venue, holding its lunches at several well known eating places, in and around the City. In recent years, the Diners have met at The George Inn at Southwark, an old Coaching Inn dating from the 17th Century.
The Diners meet three times a year, usually in February, June or July and October. The February and October lunches are for Diners and their male guests only, however ladies are invited to the Summer lunch, particularly the ladies of those Old Askeans who are no longer with us.
GOLF SOCIETY – contact Roger Goodman
OLD ASKEAN RAMBLING CLUB
Originally formed in 1889 as the Old Askean Cycling and Rambling Club, we can lay claim to being one of the oldest rambling clubs in the country and certainly the oldest connected to a school.
Membership is open to all members of both the Old Askean and the Hatcham Associations, their spouses and partners, and school/Federation staff past and present. Individual membership costs the princely sum of half-a-crown each year, unchanged since the club’s inception. However, since decimalisation, our treasurer will only accept subscription payments in multiples of two years or two people!
The annual programme consists of walks roughly every third Saturday or Sunday afternoon. The normal distance covered by these walks is around 4 or 5 miles. Most walks are rural but a few are in London and other urban and suburban areas.
If you like to walk and would enjoy the company of former Hatcham attendees, the current members of the OA Rambling Club will be delighted to welcome you.
Click here for the Rambling Club website where the full programme of walks is displayed.
ASKEAN RFC – contact Ian Lunn
Now an Open Club, but still managed and supported by a large number of O.A.s and maintaining a link with the rugby players at the current Federation. Contact for the Supporters Club is Chas Wickens. Click here for the Rugby Club website
Click here for link to the Rugby Club Fixture List
‘Friends of Askean RFC’
A new charity ‘Friends of Askean RFC’, which has been created to support the rugby club and the local community.
It follows a very generous donation by a former player, Mike Lalley, who wants to put something back for all the good times he enjoyed playing for Askeans.
Today we are launching the ‘Friends’ website – It is your website and, with your help, we will update it on an on-going basis. Including details of a number of new planned and regular events.
We are excited about this new project and want as many Askeans as possible to get involved in the events and the website.
If you’d like to help the launch, there is a Just Giving page that will be opening next week, for a short while.
Our aim is to build on the legacy and ensure the future of Askean Rugby
Thanks for reading,
Steve Homewood, Paul Walsh,
Chair Askean RFC Chair ‘Friends of Askean RFC’
The Club at Well Hall, Kidbrooke Lane, London, SE9 6FL
The Old Askean Lodge
Contact Peter Dessent with a link to http://www.oldaskeanlodge.co.
Old Askean Social & Leisure Activities Ltd. – Current Company Sec: R P Robinson
The Old Askean Social and Leisure Activities Ltd. is a Private Company limited by shares (Registered No. 259400).
Any Full member of the Association may apply in writing to be a shareholder of the Company.
The Company’s Memorandum of Association state in paragraph 3 that The Company’s objects are to assist financially in the establishment, upkeep and conduct of clubs or groups as the Company may from time to time identify as created for the reunions, social, leisure and recreational activities of the former male pupils of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College and its predecessor Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham Boys’ School and all such things, financial or otherwise, as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of these objects. All issued shares in the Company may only be held by OAs who are Full Members of the Association and are former pupils of Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College or Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham Boys’ School.
Links to other Old Askean related sites
There are at least two FaceBook pages/groups related to the Association. The “official” one can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554107793748
Then there is the “Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham (1960s)” group which is an “unofficial” group. This can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/248952745141810
Anthony J. Sargeant who was at School from 1955 -1962 has a wonderful series of Blogposts that can be found at:
It is well worth following the links on these posts as they bring back memories and have a great wealth of detail about the school and life in those days. Imagine teenagers going to a party wearing jackets with a collar and tie!! It really happened and there are photos to proof it.
Sadly there are parts of school that were less than perfect to say the least. The account below happened in eighties; but I know of abuse (not to me) that happened in the sixties. You can find out about the less savoury parts here: