Robbie Dillon – Presidents Address
On Tuesday the 18th of October this year I was honoured to be voted in as the Terenure College Past Pupils Union President for 2022/2023. I’d like to thank last year’s President, Fergus Bishop, for his hard work steering the union out of Covid and ensuring I’m taking over a very well-oiled machine. I’d also like to welcome Ian Morgan and Will Moore as my two Vice Presidents for the year ahead, along with our excellent committee. As The PPU enters its 97th year, our focus will be ensuring past pupils of Terenure College can easily maintain a connection to the school and to each other at our many annual events.
The PPU is a valued member of the larger Terenure College Carmelite Community, and its work is important in the context of this wider community. The PPU has strong relationships with many other schools with the President and committee members having the pleasure of attending many other Past Pupil Annual dinners each year. As a union, we provide a platform for two extremely important causes for Terenure College Students Past, Present and Future.
The Benevolent Fund was established by the PPU over 20 years ago and supports Past Pupils and their families who require financial assistance in times of hardship. Given the recent economic challenges, the Benevolent Fund has naturally had an increased number of Past Pupils contacting them for help. Thanks to past donations and fundraising, the Fund have been able to help many Past Pupils and their families with general day to day living expenses and educational costs for their children. The Benevolent Fund is here to help and if you require assistance please contact the Fund through the PPU website (www.nure.ie) or via benevolentfund@nure.ie. The Benevolent Fund’s activities are funded mainly through raffles and activities organised by the PPU, the Carmelite Charities Golf Classic and donations and bequests. All donations are welcome with instructions on how to donate on www.nure.ie.
Past and current members of the PPU have been involved in the establishment of the Terenure College Scholarship Programme, working closely with the Carmelite community, the school board, the Vincent de Paul and the Solas Programme (established by past pupils Johnny Bourke and Marty Doyle). Thanks to the generosity of its initial donors, the initiative is up and running with a number of students already attending the school. This has been particularly rewarding for the PPU as setting up the Scholarship Programme has long been an ambition of many of my predecessors on the committee of the PPU. With your financial support, we hope to grow this programme. We are extremely grateful of the wide range of contributions and generosity to date. I would invite you to visit www.terenurescholarship.ie to learn more about this initiative and for ways to contribute to this very worthwhile cause.
The PPU host a number of events each year and I look forward to welcoming you all to each of our events. • Annual Dinner: This is the flagship event each year for the PPU and is typically attended by roughly 300 Terenure College Alumni. The invitation is for all past pupils to attend the dinner with special emphasis on gathering, 5, 10 20, 30, 40 and 50-year groups. Last year we held our biggest Annual Dinner in recent years with 400 guests enjoying a magical evening in Lakelands Park. Recognition is also given at each year’s dinner for ex-pupils who have excelled in Business, Sports, Politics, Medicine, Law or the Arts. This is an excellent opportunity to catch up with old friends and it is also a significant charity fund raiser for the PPU’s charities. We’re busy working on the Annual Dinner 2023 and details will be announced in Jan 2023.
BUSINESS LUNCH: The business lunch is typically held at the Westbury Hotel. It has been very well attended in recent years and the centre of town venue has proven very popular. The lunch gives PPU members an outlet to catch up with old friends, showcase their businesses and entertain clients. Each year the event has been enhanced by great guest speakers drawn from several fields including business, the arts, sport and journalism. This year we’re celebrating the success of our past pupils with a panel discussion on thriving during uncertainty.t:
ANNUAL GOLF EVENT: Another popular day in the PPU’s calendar is the annual golf outing, at Grange Golf Club in Rathfarnham. This a friendly competition with the emphasis on providing Past Pupils with an opportunity to meet up, play some golf and enjoy the BBQ afterwards. This event continues to be well supported at all age levels providing past pupils with an opportunity to socialise. •
FAMILY DAY: We are including the Tag Rugby Tournament and the Annual Tennis tournament in a Family Day. We hope to see past pupils with partners, children, extended family and friends at this event. The Annual Tennis Tournament is a doubles event with playing partners assigned on the day. All levels of tennis players are encouraged to participate. The family day activities will be hosted in the school with prize-giving and refreshments taking place in the Rugby club. It is a free event with an emphasis on the social rather than competitive side.
Membership subscriptions play a very important part in the running of the Union, as a healthy flow of revenue allows us to develop the quality of our events as well as organising the day-to-day activities of the Union. Membership is currently €50 per annum (less than €1 per week), and you can sign up today at www.nure.ie/subscriptions/.
On behalf of the Past Pupils Union, I would like to wish all our alumni the best of health and we look forward to meeting you all again soon at a PPU event.
Robbie Dillon – Class of 2002