Liverymen were entertained to a jolly evening of rugby and business anecdotes by new Liveryman Olly Kohn during the first virtual fellowship event of the second Lockdown.
One of many new Liverymen due to be clothed as soon as Butchers' Hall reopens, Olly kept the virtual audience on the edge of their seats with his inspiring tale of life as a top professional athlete and successful entrepreneur.
From the infamous “Bloodgate” Harlequins fiasco in 2009 to winning the English Premiership at Twickenham in 2012 and being called up into the Welsh rugby team that won the 6 Nations in 2013, Olly, 6ft 7ins and 21st 10lbs, provided a remarkable insight into his sporting career and the valuable lessons he learned from a variety of leaders on the way.
Modest and self-deprecating in his presentation, Olly told us of the remarkable sequence of events and the role of social media in his getting a Welsh Cap as a substitute in the Wales v Ireland opening game of the 2013 season. Injury prevented him from adding to his tally but, highly regarded for his knowledge of the game, Olly told us of his role as a part of the disciplinary judging panel at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Tokyo.
On retiring from the game Olly turned to his other great passion, producing quality sausages and bacon. Setting up The Jolly Hog, an independent family run business with his two brothers, Olly has applied the standards, pride and dedication of an international sportsman to his business career with the sausages winning a Gold and Silver in the 2017 UK Sausage Week awards.
An enthusiastic, enthralled audience revelled in Olly’s tales and insights and in thanking him for his entertaining presentation Deputy Master Graham Baker said he, and other members of Court, looked forward to welcoming him and all Liverymen to Butchers’ Hall as soon as conditions allow.
The traditional Champagne Draw, sponsored by Immediate Past Master Tim Dumenil, was won to much acclaim by Liveryman Dr Jason Aldiss, BEM.
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Details of any other upcoming fellowship opportunities are posted on our Events page.