Old Albanian AssociationHome · About & History
The Association
About Us
The Old Albanian Association exists to keep the fellowship of St Albans School alive far beyond the school gates. For more than a century we have gathered Old Albanians in dinners and reunions, supported the sporting clubs that carry the School's name, and quietly endowed the bursaries and youth sport that open its doors to a new generation. In all of this we are guided by a single motto, carried on the crest since the beginning: Non Nobis Nati — born not for ourselves.
About Us
The Association is the member body of Old Albanians — the alumni of St Albans School, a foundation that traces its origins to the year 948. Constituted in 1892, it is governed by a Committee that meets quarterly at Woollams, the home of Old Albanian sport.
That Committee is led by its principal officers — the President, the Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer — and draws together those who steward every part of the Old Albanian community: representatives of the Sports Clubs, the Head Master of St Albans School, the trustees of OA Sport, and the OA Lodge. Together they hold in trust the traditions, the playing fields and the friendships that bind one generation of Old Albanians to the next.
The story of the Association reaches back more than a thousand years, from the founding of the School beside the Abbey to the global community of Old Albanians today.
Our history
Milestones
The School is founded
St Albans School is established beside the Abbey — among the oldest seats of learning in the world.
The Association is constituted
Old Albanians formally band together under the motto Non Nobis Nati, to preserve their fellowship for life.
The first Annual Dinner
The tradition of the Annual Dinner begins — to this day the centrepiece of the OA calendar.
The sporting clubs take root
Rugby, cricket and the other OA clubs establish themselves at the Woollam Playing Fields.
The 948 Sports Foundation
A registered charity is founded by the OA Sports Club to fund youth sport across St Albans.
A global community
Old Albanians the world over remain connected through events, sport, and the giving that endows tomorrow.
The day-to-day life of the Association rests with its honorary officers and committee, who serve their fellow Old Albanians without reward.
In office
The Committee
Paul Richardson
President
Nick Tubby
Hon. Secretary
David Hughes
Hon. Treasurer
Alan Philpott
Committee Member
David Milnes
Committee Member
Kelvin Thomas
Committee Member
Steve Burgess
Committee Member
Nick Barnes
Committee Member
Anna Philpott
Committee Member
Archie MacDonald
Committee Member
Jason Shepherd
Committee Member
Bill Ractliffe
Committee Member
David Buxton
Committee Member
Parents
Parents of St Albans School are warmly welcomed into the wider Old Albanian family. Through Association events, the sporting clubs at Woollams and the life of the School itself, parents may share in the fellowship that their sons and daughters will carry with them long after they have left. To stay close to the School and its community is to keep a place at the heart of all that the Association holds dear.
Networking
Old Albanians the world over remain connected through OA Connect, the Association's online community. Whether you left last summer or half a century ago, OA Connect lets you find old friends, make new ones, offer mentorship and open doors in your profession — a living network bound by a common school and a common motto.
Paying it forward
Open the School's doors for the next generation.
Every gift to the Association endows the bursaries and youth sport that allow another young Albanian to take their place beside the Abbey. To discuss giving, a bequest, or how your support might be directed, the Association's Development department would be glad to hear from you.