Membership

School 1st XI Hockey, 1956–57
Scanned from Spooner History

The OTA exists simply to help members keep in touch with school and college friends.

A membership database, which includes email addresses, is maintained to help members contact old friends when they have lost touch.

Until the start of the COVID pandemic, we published a bi-annual printed publication (News & Views) that went all over the world. This has now been replaced by a News Letter, to be sent out twice a year by email in March and October. While this will be smaller than News & Views, it will hopefully still contain items of interest to OT's.

An Annual Reunion Dinner has been held every year since 1899, latterly on the Saturday nearest to Armistice Day. Sadly, due to dwindling attendance numbers this came to an end in 2021. However, other events continue to be organised. Principal among them is the recent relaunch of the Summer Lunch - now called the Summer Reunion Lunch after the loss of the Reunion Dinner. Some 40 attended the 2023 event. This is open to OT's, their partners and friends. It is intended that this lunch will continue to be held in July each year at Ampfield Golf Club - check the Events Page for more details as necessary.

The Association no longer runs any sport sections. The Southampton Hockey Club, whose players wear a badge with elements of the Tauntonian badge, was formed from the OTA Hockey Club. Similarly, for those interested in cricket, there is the Old Tauntonians and Romsey Cricket Club; details of this club are here on a separate web site. Both clubs are always very pleased to hear from anyone who wishes to play the sport in question. If hockey is your thing, you will find information about joining on the Southampton Hockey Club web site. As far as we are aware, the OTA Football Team, that played in the Southampton Veteran's League, is no longer in existence.

For those interested in golf, there are two societies:

One is largely concerned with running an annual Triangular Match with Old Tauntonians versus Old Symondians and Old Edwardians. This tends to attract the better golfers among us, with handicaps of 8 or less.
The other group, or 'The Rest' as some call them, is made up of people who just enjoy playing golf. The group's main event each year until recently has been the Old Tauntonian & Old Bournemouthian Golf Day. The OTs play for The John Rush Trophy, while the OBs play for their Seniors Trophy. To add extra spice to the day, there is a Stableford Competition for players from both Associations.

If you are interested in the Triangular Match, then please email David Defty at ot-trianglegolf@ota-southampton.org.uk. For the other group, or "The Rest", we have recently lost our organiser of this event and urgently need another volunteer to take this on. Please let us know if you are interested in running this event by contacting us at hon.secretary@ota-southampton.org.uk

To register as a member of the OTA, send an email to the Membership Secretary at membership.secretary@ota-southampton.org.uk. Membership costs only £5.00 per annum and ensures that you keep in touch with friends through our biannual newsletter.

We welcome ALL eras of Tauntonians, no matter how long ago you left school or college. The majority of members, it has to be said, are mature in age. To create a balance, it would be good to have many more younger Old Tauntonians (i.e. ex-Richard Taunton's Sixth Form College students) join the Association.

We hope you will join and encourage others to do so. And, if it is news of contemporaries you are seeking, you may well have come to the right place.