Old St Paul's Church was chosen as the venue for the reunion due to the central role it played in the lives of the boys who lived on Havelock Farm. The boys attended Sunday services weekly and sat in the east wing of the church each week. Even today, a plaque remains on the wall of the church, resuced from the cairn that was once situated outside Havelock Farm. There is also a stain glass window in memory of Harry Benfield, one of the first superintendents of the farm.
The reunion was co-ordianted by Shirely Woodall, Church Historian at Old St Paul's. Shirley put together a superb event with wonderful displays of memorobilia and detail and a spectacular cake. A service of thanksgiving was held in the church. The service was led by Revd Ted Winter and Revd Dr Virginia Lane (daughter of a Havelock boy), and current Headmaster, Nick Seward, preached. The service was followed by dinner, provided by the Auxiliary Women's Group in the church hall. We send our very grateful thanks to Shirley and all at Old St Paul's for such a warm welcome and their wonderful hospitality. To read more about the reunion, please read this article from the Woodstock Sentinel Review.
Shirely also drove me out to the site of Havelock Farm. The name Havelock, chosen by the Founder, still remains a key name in the area - a new housing development built on former farm land has been named Havelock Corners. A house still stands on the original site of Havelock Farm. The orginal house was destroyed by fire in 1946 but the new house still sits in a rural setting. A big thank you to everyone who attended the reunion and to all those who contributed with stories and memorobilia.