Oliver Fairchild

Oliver David Fairchild, born on January 1, 1971, is the first child of Jennifer and Robert Fairchild, twin brother to Beth, and elder brother to Lily, Wendy, Ben, Mel and Garen. Like his brothers, sisters, and cousins, he is heir to 1/9 of his family's fortune. Though his family's eldest child, he passed over the opportunity to become the next owner of the Fairchild Hotels Corporation, opting instead to become a barrister. He attended the University of Oxford from 1989 to 1992, earning a BA in Law. While at Oxford, he met fellow law student Sita Jani. The two dated for eleven years before marrying in an interfaith ceremony in 2000. In 2005, they had their only child Kaylee.

Early Years
Oliver was born on New Year's Day, seven minutes before his twin sister, Beth. Their parents balanced raising them with earning their degrees from the nearby University of Surrey, and so, as babies, Oliver, his twin, and his sister, Lily spent great deal of time with their paternal grandparents, who, for the better part of their childhood, were still residing in Thorn Hall. Despite this, Oliver and his sisters remained very close to their parents, who, in the following years, gave them two more little sisters and two little brothers. As the eldest, Oliver was always more than willing to help out with his younger siblings, making things easier for his mother and deeply irritating his brother Ben, who was of the opinion that he could button his own coat, thank you very much.

Like his parents, Oliver attended the prestigious Thorn Hill School, earning high GCSEs. He left school in 1989 with high A-Levels, enrolling in the University of Oxford.

Oxford
Oliver entered the law school at Oxford University in 1989 (at the age of 18), earning his BA in 1992. During his first year there, he began dating fellow law student Sita Jani. The two dated for eleven years before marrying in 2000.

Marriage and Later Life
Oliver and Sita were married on May 22, 2000 in an interfaith civil ceremony (Christian-Hindu), followed by a reception at Thorn, Hall. Their first and only child, Kaylee, was born in early 2005.

Oliver and Sita work as high level barristers, based out of London. They keep a townhouse in Chelsea.



Physical Description
"No one should have to stand next to Ollie. The contrast is always deeply unfair."

- Geoff Hewitt

Oliver is described as being very good-looking. Like the rest of his family, he has dark, curling hair and strong bone structure. He is 6'1" and has his father's green eyes.

Personality
Patient and cheerful, Oliver has an easy-going charm that makes him extremely popular at school and among his siblings. He is loving and respectful of his family, but can hold his own in a disagreement with any one of them.

Sita Jani
Sita was Oliver's first serious relationship (though he had many girlfriends as a teenager). The two dated for well over a decade, becoming parts of each other's families well before they were married. His relationship with Sita, whose family is Hindu, was possibly gave him the final push from Protestant to Agnostic, his beliefs becoming more spiritual than anything else. Unlike his sister Mel, Oliver doesn't let Ben's prejudices affect his romantic life in any way and cheerfully ignored his brother's grouchiness at his and Sita's wedding.

Kaylee
Oliver is a nurturing and adoring father, deeply proud of his daughter's intelligence. The two share a very close bond, comfortable with telling the other anything.

Kaylee attends her parents' alma mater, Oxford University.



Mel and The Swaciteers
As his youngest sister, Oliver frequently dotes on Mel, who, in turn, worshipped him as a child. He is protective of Mel but is respectful of her decisions. He is very fond of her friends, whom he, being 9 years older, more or less watched grow up. He is very brotherly with all of them and is greatly admired among the Swaciteers, especially with Geoff, who regards Oliver as being something of a hero for being the only one of the few people able to knock Ben down a peg.

Ben
Oliver smiled kindly. “Oh, go on, Ben, lighten up.” He gave Ben’s shoulder a brotherly squeeze and Ben jerked away, as if afraid of being infected by Oliver’s cheeriness. Of his siblings, Oliver is the one who is most patient with Ben. He regards a great deal of Ben's moodiness with amusement, but has no patience for his brother's cruelty and let's him know as much. He is unimpressed with his brother's blustering and so is one of the few people Ben can be intimidated by. Oliver does his best to make Ben feel included, but their relationship remains tense due to Ben's obvious resentment.

Parents and Other Siblings
Oliver has a very close relationship with both of his parents, as well as most of his brothers and sisters. Of all his siblings, he is closest to his twin sister Beth.

Etymology
Oliver is of Latin origin, meaning "olive tree". Symbolically, the olive tree represents peace, dignity, fruitfulness and beauty. Oliver is also possibly derived from the Germanic name "Alfihar", meaning "elf army".

The name David is derived from Hebrew, meaning "beloved".

Appearances

 * Somewhere A Clock is Ticking
 * Book 2
 * Paper Tigers
 * Book 4 (as a child)