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Welcome to the home of the Hurstpierpoint College Old Johnian's Club
Know to all as The OJs, the club is the oldest continuously functioning school alumnus association in the UK, The Hurst Johnian Club was founded in 1877 and can trace its history back to the founding of Hurstpierpoint College in 1849. Every Hurst College alumnus now automatically becomes a member of The OJ Club.
The Club is governed by a volunteer committee which meets quarterly. Its aim is to encourage and support a broad church of interests from professional to social, sporting to historical and the arts appealing to OJ’s near and far from our youngest members to those well into mid-life and beyond.
The OJ Club is the largest and most active element of the Hurst Foundation, created in 2018 to connect, collaborate and celebrate with alumnae, past staff and parents.
Ben Searls
President 2022-2025
I hope you like our website- it's come a long way in the last three years! It's a live document, a work in progress, so please do engage with me if you have any suggestions that would further improve it!
Likewise, if you want to get involved in the OJ Club Committee, have suggestions for events, get-togethers or activities do please give me a shout
bensearls@hotmail.com
Ben Searls
President 2022-2025
I hope you like our website- it's come a long way in the last three years! It's a live document, a work in progress, so please do engage with me if you have any suggestions that would further improve it!
Likewise, if you want to get involved in the OJ Club Committee, have suggestions for events, get-togethers or activities do please give me a shout
bensearls@hotmail.com
Are you looking to travel overseas or undertake further education? Would you appreciate some financial assistance?
The OJ Club Travel Fund may be able to assist you.
Purpose:
This fund was set up by the Hurst Johnian Club some years ago in order to give financial assistance to OJs travelling overseas, especially for those undertaking specific projects in a Gap Year. The fund, however, does not exist just to benefit school leavers, but also OJs in further education and beyond qualify to receive grants.
It must be emphasised that the aim of the travel should be for educational or charitable purposes. The fund does not exist to underwrite holidays undertaken purely for pleasure.
How to apply:
To apply for a Travel Scholarship applicants are asked to provide full details about themselves and their proposed visit, how long they plan to be away, the costs involved and explain why the travel will be of benefit to them. Applicants should also explain how else they are trying to raise funds to cover their venture. There must be supporting documentation from any organization involved with the purpose of the visit / travel.
Candidates will be interviewed by members of the Hurst Johnian Club Committee. Once the panel’s recommendations have been discussed and ratified by the Committee, all candidates will be informed whether or not their application has been successful.
A condition of the award is that the successful candidates will be required to write a 500 word report for the Committee to be submitted using Microsoft Word along with 5-10 photographs (as attachments of a reasonable resolution), showing both the OJ in action and the destination, which will be published in the Hurst Johnian Club Newsletter.
Applications:
Applications should be submitted to Sebastian Broster, who is responsible for the Fund, by the 30th April 2025. Interviews will take place in the College in early May. Applicants will be informed of the Committee’s decisions as soon as possible after its Summer meeting, certainly by half term.
The OJ Club Committee
Ellen Franks; Stuart Ruff; Robert Ebdon; Mary-Lou Rowland; John Bettridge; Rob Kift; Ed Fairfax
The OJ Officers
President - Ben Searls
Vice President - Oli Rodbourne
Honorary Treasurer - Nick Paddenburg
Honorary Secretary - Sebastian Probert-Broster
Past President - Ian Buckeridge
Non-elected roles can be found here.
Useful links
To download the AGM Documents, please click here.
To download the OJ Club Constitution, please click here.
To view the Obituaries for 2014-2021, please click the button below.
Look out for some of their stories in this year's Hurst Johnian Club Newsletter Magazine, brought to you by the Hurst Foundation this December. More...
2022 Summer Meeting at the RAC Epsom More...
Ben and Oli champion the OJ Club and Hurst Foundation More...
I aspire to one day open a business here in Mexico and continue enhancing my development as both a member of the community and an individual. More...
Oscar's gap year at the cricket academy in Sydney. More...