Aberystwyth Old Students' Association.

Corporate body

Aberystwyth Old Students' Association.

The Association was founded on 2 March 1892 at a gathering of former students in Aberystwyth to mark St David's Day. The first President was T. E. Ellis MP, who had played a leading part some twelve years earlier in forming what was called the Aberystwyth College Club at Oxford, an organisation which has some claim to be the precursor of Cymdeithas Dafydd ap Gwilym at that university. Throughout its history the Association has provided for its members the means of maintaining friendships established during their student days and of supporting the College to which they feel a strong attachment. These twin aims are reflected in the OSA's activities, be they social gatherings, fund raising efforts or, when necessary, joining in robust defence of the College. An account of the Association's history appeared in the centenary edition of the Annual in 1992, entitled 'Fair may your future be: the story of the Aberystwyth Old Students' Association, 1892-1992'. Off-prints of this article are held in the Archive, and copies may be obtained from the Secretary. Membership of the Association has risen sharply in recent years. In 1922 there were 329 life members; in 1939 there were 570; by 1960 the figure had grown to 898, and now there are over 7,000. There are nine branches in various parts of Wales and England, one in Northern Ireland and four overseas. A Reunion is held every Easter in Aberystwyth, the hundredth of which took place in 1999. A travel club organises holidays for members in many parts of the world. Public Lectures are organised on a regular basis - the Llandaff Lectures at Howell's School in Cardiff and the Llandovery Lectures at Llandovery College. Substantial sums have been raised to support the work of the College, the most recent effort being the Association's Centenary Appeal, which raised a total of £87,800 to finance the purchase of a state-of-the-art language laboratory.