GO celebrates 10 Years!
As the Homes celebrated its 124th. birthday on 24th. September, GO took the opportunity to celebrate 10 years of its founding by holding a meeting at the GO refurbished Crozier Club followed by a celebration at a restaurant in the town. Below are some images from the events. For more click here.
OGBs at the Crozier Club.
Outgoing Chairman Anirban Bhattacharyya (L), GO Secretary Dawn Van Steenseel and new Chairman Tenzing Norsang.
GO congratulates the Bike for DGH cyclists
..... who completed their gruelling and exciting 250 mile bike ride from Paro (Bhutan) to Kalimpong (India). The charity ride raised funds to support the Homes in two ways: 1. to donate to the UKDGH Committee to sponsor children at the Homes and 2: to donate to the Global OGB Association (GO) to allow funding of infrastructure improvements at the Homes Campus. The funds will be shared equally between the two organisations. To view a video of the riders being welcomed at the Homes click here.
GO is an independent voluntary body managed by former students of Dr. Graham’s Homes, Kalimpong, India. In June 2021, GO was registered with the Govt. of India as an NGO.
GO is about reconnecting alumni and facilitating a constructive working relationship with the School’s Board of Management, the School Administration and various Global Organizations to improve and safeguard the long term future of the Homes.
GO seeks to work closely with its Membership to raise funds, which would be used under GO’s supervision to help improve and preserve the heritage of the Homes.
Restoration and renovation projects have been conducted by GO members, with OGB’s from across the years coming forward to assist both financially and physically.
GO encourages the millennium generation of OGBs to actively support the Homes, and take over the baton from the Senior OGBs, to ensure the continuity of the legacy of its founder Dr. J.A. Graham.
GO promotes itself as a secure and robust organization. It can be entrusted to receive funds and legacies in support of the Homes, whilst maintaining complete transparency.
The Association is open to all former students, teachers and staff of Dr. Graham’s Homes.
GO Leadership Change.
Effective September 23rd. 2024, GO Chairman Anirban Bhattacharyya has stepped down from his leadership position. He will be succeeded by OGB Tenzing Norsang, who is based in the USA, and will serve in this role on a temporary basis. The permanent appointment of a Chairman is anticipated to be finalised in 2025/26. The outgoing Chairman shared a statement regarding his retirement from the position.
The Chairman of the DGH Board of Management (BOM) recognised Anirban's commitment and contribution to the Homes in the following letter.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To demonstrate transparency and a commitment to improving communications, members / users can access the FAQ section which provides quick answers / explanations to common questions. If response is not on the FAQ list or does not meet with your expectations, please contact GO via this email and we will respond at the earliest opportunity.
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GO Management Cttee. Meeting Minutes.
GO minutes of the meeting, on 20th. October, 2024, can be accessed here.
Year 2024 - 2025 GO Committee
Information on the current members of the GO Committee can be found here.
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The Jarvie Hall receives a face lift!
With the support of the DGH New Zealand Committee and the late George Borthwick, the work to refurbish the Jarvie Hall commenced in December 2023.
The external work on the Jarvie Hall is complete. The external walls have been repaired and fully repainted. The roof has been repaired, sealed and has received a fresh lick of paint!
The slightly delayed internal work is now being progressed and we expect to see morning assemblies being held again in the very near future. Discussions are ongoing with the BOM to replace the defunct clock.
Please click this link to see some images of the internal work currently in progress and of the finished external building.
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In addition to the Jarvie Hall, the School Gymnasium has also been refurbished and, GO also expect to refurbish one of the Boy's Cottages in 2024.
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GO would like to thank the New Zealand Committee for their very generous donation which has financed the refurbishment of the Jarvie Hall.
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Children in the early 1900's were carried in baskets to the Homes from the train terminus 4,500 ft. below on the Teesta river valley.
GO Town Hall Meeting
On 21st May, GO held a Town Hall meeting, via Zoom, at which 12 BOM members and 38 OGBs participated. GO provided an update of work in progress including the Jarvie Hall, the Gym and the Ahava Guest House. Esther Anne Pears, a UK Cttee. Trustee and a lead in the JIRC, provided an update of the progress and challenges in implementing the recommendations from the Deloitte report. The BOM also responded to questions raised by the OGBs.
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A brief summary of the meeting and the BOM response to Q&A's can be found here.
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Katherine Graham Memorial Chapel Re-opens!
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After some 13 years, following extensive restoration work by the West Bengal Heritage Commission, the chapel reopened its doors to worship and song on 11th. February 2024. The chapel, dedicated to the memory of Dr. Graham’s wife Katherine Graham and opened in 1924, was extensively damaged by an Earthquake in 2011 and considered unsafe after another quake in 2015. In 2018 the West Bengal Heritage Commission granted some Rs 5+ crores (ca £500k) towards its restoration. While minor refurbishment work continues, the school was able to hold its inaugural Sunday service on the 11th. welcoming the new academic year with a packed congregation - the sound of joyful song hitting the rafters could once again be heard at the Homes!​​​​
Psalm 23 sung in the Chapel for the first time in a decade!
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GO Management Committee.
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Who is on the Committee? A list of the current Management Team can be found on the About Us page.​​​​​
Appointment of new Member to the GO Management Committee
Following the call for nominations to join the GO Committee in September, GO appointed OGB Arijit Mallick, a current member of the Homes JIRC Committee. Arijit is from Sydney, Australia and we congratulate him on his appointment. See Chairman's Message and the 2023-24 Committee Membership.
GO School Leavers Loan Scheme
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The scheme has been in operation for a numbers of years but there has been a limited take up by students leaving school and in pursuit of employment. The scheme is targeted at school leavers and college graduates who have been successful in job interviews but need assistance meeting the costs of job training and travel. The interest free loan is repayable monthly when the individual begins his salaried employment and at a mutually agreed level.
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We would encourage DGH school leavers/college graduates to consider enrolling for a loan from the GO scheme which is interest free and cheaper than from any lending agencies. For details of the scheme, please click here.
A tribute to former Teachers & Headmaster!
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OGB Dr. Barbara Ross, from the US, is the daughter of Cynthia and Donald Ross who were teachers and a Headmaster at the Homes. She saw GO's 'Adopt a Classroom' appeal and, along with family and friends, adopted Class X and funded its refurbishment. Following its refurbishment, she wrote "Senior Classroom No. 10 was rebuilt in memory of my Mum Cynthia, and Dad Donald, as they were dedicated teachers at the school during the 40's and 50's. It was an important period in their lives...they met there and my older brother and I were born there".
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GO thanks Barbara, her family and friends for their support of the Homes and in particular for generously funding the refurbishment of Class X.
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GO Projects currently ongoing / planned for 2023.
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GO Secretary Dawn Van Steenseel has provided the following list of projects, currently agreed for 2023. The projects will be overseen by OGB, GO & BOM Committee Member, Pauline Singh (nee Brooks). The Homes, in its 123rd. year, has ageing infrastructure that needs refurbishment and continuous maintenance. We are grateful for your generous donations which allows GO to undertake these important projects and seek your continued financial support in 2023.
Visit the Gallery page for more images.
GO recommences refurbishment of Homes Cottages.
With the help of generous donors and support from the Homes Management, including the BOM, GO was able to refurbish 22 Classrooms in 2021/22. The School is now in full operation and all children are enjoying learning in a safe and modern classroom environment.
GO will now return to improving some of the cottages, many over a century old, that will require considerable funding to refurbish and modernise. Once again, we appeal to the OGBS and Friends of the Homes to support GO in this venture to improve the welfare of the Homes kids and donate generously. For more information and how to donate please click here.
Completion of the Phase 1 & 2 "Adopt a Classroom" Project.
Almost a year ago, GO launched an appeal to fund the "Adopt A Classroom" Project to refurbish classrooms in the junior and middle school (Queen Mary & Hornell Blocks). A total sum of ca 53 lacs (US $66k) was raised. A year later, GO is pleased to announce the completion of the refurbishment of 22 classrooms.
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GO would like to thank the many OGBs and Friends of Dr Graham's Homes for their very generous donations and support, which have allowed the Homes children to return to safer, brighter and healthier classrooms. Please click here for a statement from the GO Management following the completion of the project.
Dr Graham's Homes is open again!
The school re-opened on March 1st. after a ca 2 year COVID shutdown, to all students, including the boarders. State & Local COVID rules and guidelines continue to be strictly followed. Since September, GO has been refurbishing the classrooms in the Junior School Block. Most of the work on the block has been completed and students and teachers were delighted to find themselves in classrooms that had been modernised and refurbished in their absence!
Click here to read a report and an acknowledgement by GO's Sushil Marda, a key and active member of the Adopt A Classroom project. Below is a slide of images of the refurbished classrooms, under occupancy!
Juniors return to refurbished Classrooms!
