Incoming President Ross Thompson Letter: Archived from May 2023
Friday 19th May 2023
Dear Rockwellian,
I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits.
I am writing to you in my first week as President of the Rockwell College Union for the next
12 months. The tremendous honour is still settling in.
Firstly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the outgoing president Yvonne
Kennedy. Yvonne has done amazing work to get the union up and running again after the
Pandemic. I said to her at the AGM this week that she has put the Union’s shoes back on
and laced them up. This puts the new governing body in the perfect position to hit the ground
running. I’d like to wish Yvonne the very best and thank her again for her tireless devotion
and commitment to the Rockwell College Union not just during her presidency but from the
moment she first got involved 25 years ago. We all owe her a debt of gratitude for a legacy
that will live long into the future.
For the many of you who don’t know me – allow me to add a splash of colour.
I attended Rockwell between 1983 and 1988. I was following in the footsteps of my brother
John who left in 1983 and before him my father Brendan and my uncle Tom who both left in
the mid-1950s. I was heavily involved in the massively successful Canoe Team, that won the
Schools Liffey Decent, a head-scratching, 17 years in a row and every year while I was at
Rockwell. That’s like winning the Rugby SCT every year for 17 years. (let that sink in) It was
the sport and comradery of canoeing that ignited my passion for the great outdoors and all
things extreme sports. This has influenced my life to this present day.
I joined the Union Governing Body for the first time in 1989, just one year after leaving
Rockwell. Gay Mangan was the president at the time, and it was very poignant that Gay
attended the AGM this week in Rockwell as I took up my position as president almost 35
years later. Also in attendance at the AGM was Fr Pat Downes who has been a lifelong family
friend of the Thompson since I was a child.
The Rockwell College Union has been instrumental in fostering lasting friendships, creating
cherished memories, and providing valuable opportunities for personal and professional
growth for so many since 1925 when it first was established. Over the past 98 years, there
have been 75 presidents before me. That makes me number 76, wish me luck, I hope I do
the first 75 proud.
It is with great enthusiasm that I look forward to my year as President and working with the
great team on the governing body. We have plenty to do and communicate with you this
year- Events- Membership- Communication -Community, are the pillars for this governing
body to build on from the previous 98 years of the union.
Events
Our events this year will include the staple Business Gathering on November 10th and the
Annual Dinner (set for April 20th, Saturday Night) we will have several smaller events to fill
out the calendar this year-
Membership & Communication
We plan to improve the tools we use to include and encourage new and maybe, not so new,
members of the union to come and support where they can. This will be an upgrade to the
website – database and how we communicate with you.
Community
This last pillar will be of particular focus this year and involves reaching out and connecting in a
greater way with the younger Rockwellian, recent graduates and those in the first years of
their careers. We would like to build a stronger connection and tailor some of the new
events to them.
Expect regular updates on these areas in the coming months. Follow us on Facebook and on
LinkedIn, the links are on www.rockwellcollegeunion.com
Lastly, I welcome any suggestions, ideas, or feedback from each one of you. The Rockwell
College Union thrives on the active participation and collaboration of its members. Please
reach out to me or any other member of the union's governing body committee to share
your thoughts, interests, or suggestions for future activities or if you wish to play a more
active role in the Union.
Thank you for your time, support, and dedication to the Rockwell College Union.
Together, let us make this year a remarkable one.
Warmest regards,
Ross Thompson
Class of 88
President of the Rockwell College Union 23/24
president@rockwellcollegeunion.com