GirtonDevelopment Newsletter of Girton College Cambridge Spring 2006

newsletter

In this issue...

Editor Francisca Malarée

Design cantellday

Print Cloister Press

Contact:

Development Office

Girton College

FREEPOST ANG6880

Cambridge CB3 0YE

+44 (0)1223 766672/338901

development@girton.cam.ac.uk

www.girton.cam.ac.uk

Copyright in editorial matter and this

collection as a whole: Girton College

Cambridge © 2006. Copyright in

indivdual articles: © February 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this pblication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,

in any forms or by any means, without prior permission

in writing of the publisher, nor be issued to the public

or circulated in any form of binding or cover other

than that in which it is published.

Cover photograph:

Facade of the Duke Archive Building by Stephen Bond

Development CampaignWhy your support matters: the 21st Century Campaign and

the College’s funding explained.

4

Duke Building OpeningThe Duke Building was opened on 23 April 2005, giving

College excellent new IT, Library and Archive facilities for

students, staff and visitors.

8

Trip to IndiaGirtonians make international links, thanks to a new travel

initiative by an alumna Barbara Isaac (Miller 1955).

12

Interview: Jocelyn MayneOne of the founding members of the London Girton

Association talks to Margaret Nicholson about her lifetime’s

work as a radio pioneer.

20

New boat for GCBCThe Dr Alistair Reid was unveiled in June 2005, funded thanks

to the generosity of alumni and friends of the boat club.

25

Please see back page for forthcoming events, including

details of Alison Duke’s Memorial Service.

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 3

We are immensely proud of the portfolio

of student bursary schemes we have in

place, which have benefited so many

Girton undergraduates, and delighted

that this last year has seen a magnificent

donation to research support for

graduate students. This is not the only

generous benefaction we have received

from Girtonians in the United States, but

is special because of the donor’s links

with the University Campaign. A gift to

the College is a gift to the University! No

doubt we shall also be hearing of

Girtonians who wish to help fund their

Department or Faculty schemes.

We also take pride in the prescience with

which seven years ago a Girtonian,

whose very substantial gift led the way in

endowing the Emily Davies Student

Bursaries, also helped endow a Teaching

Fellowship in Classics. This last year has

seen an innovative suggestion – from

one of the first Girton men – and his

generosity turned out to be more than

a suggestion – to fund a Teaching

Fellowship in Law on a rolling basis.

The Mathematics post is under way

(Newsletter, summer 2004). In other

words our aspirations to make sure that

we safeguard the calibre of our teaching

fellowships are aspirations that extend

out from what we have long held to be

of value and from what we have already

accomplished in following those values

through. In the background we are also

getting on with our plans to enhance

that other side of student education,

sports, and in particular the sports

pitches and pavilion, as we are with the

refurbishment of Tower Wing and the

Porters’ Lodge area. But of course, as you

know, the funds must be realised for

these projects without touching a drop

of the precious monies that contribute to

our Education account.

And this brings me to a third moment,

to pride in the efforts of all the many

Girtonians and other donors, individual

and corporate, who trebled the college’s

initial allocation (from a bequest) to

bring the Duke Building, encompassing

diverse facets of the Library and Archive

project, to its completion last year. 2.5

million we said, and 2.5 million we

raised. The library extension and IT suite,

up and running since October, is now

joined by the state of the art archive

store that has had a steady stream of

visitors ever since the archive itself was

re-assembled in April.

Anyone who has seen the building will

know what a welcome its long,

transparent entrance gives, with the

view through to the archive reading

room and its gifts of a hand woven rug

and magnificent reading table, or out

into the exterior space from which the

newly angled views of the Chapel, the

old Library and the high roofs of

Woodlands Court strike one afresh. The

new enhancing the old, and we like –

and keep – both. ‘Keep’ in the double

sense, for us, of looking after what we

have and ensuring that our resources

remain thoroughly up to date.

Some of the features of this new

complex incorporate the names of the

major instigators of the whole

enterprise, and many donors will find

their names engraved into the stone

flags that surround the inner courtyard.

We have followed University practice in

bestowing special titles on major

benefactors of the College. The Barbara

Bodichon Foundation Fellowships single

out those who have given us very

substantial help, not just for the library

and archive development but for all our

projects. Yet Girton would not be Girton

if it did not also single out each one who

had helped or might help. In our eyes

every contribution is a substantial one.

Our thanks to one and all!

Professor Marilyn Strathern DBE FBA

The Girton year 2005You will have received a letter from the Vice-Chancellor about the University’s 800th Anniversary

Campaign. Girton has been working closely with the University’s Development Office, and I am one

of the two Heads of Houses’ representatives on the Joint (College-University) Development

Committee. To turn around a phrase that the Director uses in her statement, the University’s

priorities are also the College’s. And have been for some time!

Girton Newsletter | Spring 20064

Development

The Development Campaign

Development team news

Caroline Venn is our

new Development

Officer responsible

for the Friends

Groups and donor

stewardship, who

also has an external

relations role in

promoting access to Cambridge. Caroline

studied Theology at Durham University

(College of St Hild and St Bede), and

graduated in 2003.

Kirsten Edbrooke

has gone on leave,

(and we are

pleased to report

she had twin baby

girls in November).

Her temporary

replacement is

Samuel Bowie, who graduated from

Girton in 2002 in English and

Philosophy. Sam is covering part-time

the role of research and database

officer in place of Margaret Nicholson,

who is also on maternity leave.

We were also sad

to say goodbye to

Helen Wright in

July 2005, when

she left to take up

the post of Alumni

Relations Manager

at the University of

Liverpool. She has been replaced by

Emma Cornwall, who completed her

PhD in Biochemistry at Girton in 2004

and graduated from the University of

Otago in New Zealand in 1999.

We are delighted to also have a

graduate student working part-time on

the College’s Register Volume III.

Hannah James is working on her PhD in

Biological Anthropology. She graduated

from Oxford University in 2002.

For enquiries

Regarding the Development

Campaign overall, major gifts and

planned giving:

Francisca Malarée, Development Director

f.malaree@girton.cam.ac.uk

About alumni reunions and events:

Emma Cornwall, Alumni Officer

alumni@girton.cam.ac.uk

Regarding the Friends’ Groups,

People’s Portraits, the Donors’

dinner and regular donations:

Caroline Venn

c.venn@girton.cam.ac.uk

For enquiries about the telephone

campaign, one-off donations, and

address changes or updates:

Sam Bowie

s.bowie@girton.cam.ac.uk

For Volume III of the Girton College

Register 1970-2000:

Hannah James

register@girton.cam.ac.uk

exclusion zone

The University’s 800th Anniversary Campaign

As the Mistress notes in her introduction, the University launched its 800th Anniversary

Campaign, ‘Transforming Tomorrow’ in September 2005. The campaign focuses on

Collegiate Cambridge, and alumni can support the campaign by making a donation

to their College, as the Colleges’ fundraising totals count towards the overall target

of £1 billion.

So far, £350 million has already been raised by both the University and Colleges.

Caroline Venn

Samuel Bowie

Emma Cornwall

As you may be aware, we have some new faces in the

Development Office.

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 5

Development

Development CampaignFunding PrioritiesThe College’s priorities are alsoCambridge’s at large. The University’s800th Campaign has at its heartsustaining the quality of research,teaching and learning and is throwingits weight behind the funding of postsand bursaries.

Funding of Teaching FellowshipsEndowment of £1 million or annualfunding of £40,000Particularly important for Girton is itssupport of Teaching Fellowships, and asyou know from the last Newsletter ourplans have already been laid.

Our long term aim: to fund at least half of our 12 full time TeachingFellowships independently of feeincome.

Already accomplished:In 1999 the Wrigley TeachingFellowship in Classics was endowed by the generous gift of Barbara andJohn Wrigley.

From 2004 onwards an anonymousdonation on an annual basis enables usto fund a fellowship in Law.

For the Future: MathematicsMedicineArts (generic)

The College’s income from the UKgovernment and fees is movingforwards £1.8 million per year, yet thecost of providing our students’education is around £2.6 million peryear. The College is dependent onfundraising and its endowment fundsto make up the shortfall.

In order to sustain teaching for thelong-term, it is essential that Girtonendows teaching posts. The cost offunding a mid-level College TeachingOfficer (Fellowship), including 22% on-costs of pension, room and commonsas well as salary, is approximately£40,000 per year. In order to generatethis in perpetuity, an endowment of £1million is needed for each post.

The experience of a Cambridgeeducation is the experience of beingtaught by the best minds in yourfield, and having access to theknowledge of renowned academicsas supervisors. Those who have really

had the greatest influence on ourformation, aside from our parents,are most often our teachers.

Supporting teaching at Girton willbenefit generations of future students,and ensure they have best opportunitythat the University can offer.

We are currently on the way toendowing 2 Fellowships, one in an artssubject and one in Mathematics, andour aim is to establish at least 2 morefrom fundraising in the next five years.

‘Teaching Fellow’ is a shorthand forcollege teaching officers who areFellows and lecturers in the college.

The Refurbishment of the TowerWing£2 millionThe Tower Wing, part of the College,which is immediately recognisable, is ingreat need of modernisation. Theproject focuses on bringing thestudents’ rooms up to 21st centurystandards, which includes adding ITnetworking and improving bathroomsand kitchens. The project will includeimprovements to the front entrance

Fundraising is well under way to

build a pavilion worthy of the sporting

triumphs of Girton’s recent years

Artist’s impression of the proposed new pavilion, Girton College

“”

Girton Newsletter | Spring 20066

Development

Funding from the UK governmentand fees:

Fee income and the EducationaccountThe College’s financial year runs from 1

July to 30 June. In the year ending June

2005, the College received £1.76

million from fees. The table below gives

a breakdown of these fees. Detailed

below are figures showing how much

we spend on providing educational

facilities and teaching at Girton. The

gap of £822,000 between the two is

funded from the College’s own

resources using investment and

endowment income and conference

income, bequests and donations.

Fee Income:

The College’s FundingFinancial Year ending 30 June 2005

and Porters’ Lodge, to make this aspectof the College more welcoming, and(hopefully) the restoration of thechequered brickwork in the tower itself.

Because of the Grade II listed status ofthe building, and the extent of thework required, the target to refurbishthe entire wing is £2 million. This canbe broken down into £10,000 torefurbish each student room.

Childcare bursaries£2 millionProviding childcare bursaries underlinesour commitment to equal opportunitiesand access. The College now has a newnursery at Wolfson Court but the costs

of childcare are still such that they determany from continuing their studiesafter becoming parents. As well asencouraging more mature students andgraduates with children to study inCambridge, childcare bursaries are anessential benefit for academic staff.

The Sports Pavilion and PitchesRedevelopment£1 millionFundraising is well under way to build a pavilion worthy of the sportingtriumphs of Girton’s recent years. Theseinclude the promotion of the men’srugby team to Division 1 and the men’sfootball team winning their division inthis academic year. The women’s

football team won the Plate in the2005/6 season. The new pavilion willbe a two-storey building with fourchanging rooms, and will incorporate anew gym. Currently the College’s gymis located in two separate areas, andthis will provide it with a unified andpermanent home.

The project also includes therealignment of the rugby and footballpitches so that both sports can beplayed concurrently.

College fee income 000s

From UK Government for students eligible for support £1,339

Other undergraduate fee income £172

Graduate fee income £249

Total fee Income £1,760

A mixture of public and private resources funds the University and its

Colleges. In recent years, like other educational institutions, Girton has

had to seek new private sources of funding simply to maintain current

levels of provision.

The operating deficit includes nominal expenditure of £973,000 for the year to factor

in depreciation of the College’s fixed assets; excluding this the College still ran an

operating deficit last financial year.

Other sources of Income:The College’s long-term financial future

can only be secured by increasing our

endowment income and by the careful

management of our assets, as we are

unfortunately unable to predict what the

public funding situation might provide.

Many of our teaching posts, bursaries

and scholarships are endowed in order

to preserve them in perpetuity. We

expect an income of around 4% per

annum – so that in order to endow

teaching Fellowships or bursaries in

perpetuity, we need 25 times whatever

we want to spend in a year.

The College’s investment committee

manages an investment portfolio that

includes all these endowed funds. In

the financial year ended 30 June 2004,

the income from our investments was

£1,415,000.

Funds that are raised from alumni and

friends of Girton for endowment are

put into the investment portfolio.

Donations for specific items where

expenditure is incurred immediately,

such as room refurbishment, are

retained as cash until they are spent.

Contributions from the endowment

fund to the College’s operating budget

total over £1 million per year.

The chart below shows that only 29%

of College’s annual income comes from

fee income, including fees from UK

government-supported students. Given

this fact, College is more and more

dependent on funding from its own

endowment and benefactions to

continue to offer a high standard of

educational provision for all its students,

and even more so if we are to fund

improvements to College’s infrastructure.

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 7

Development

Gift from the USA

We are delighted that one of our alumni

in the United States, Mrs Elizabeth

Stribling (1966), has recently made a

generous gift to the College through

Cambridge in America, which will endow

scholarships for postgraduate and

undergraduate students. These Stribling

Fund awards will be available for students

in any discipline who need help with

research expenses, and therefore will not

conflict with awards made from other

funding bodies. We hope that by offering

support of this type we will keep our best

undergraduate students at Girton to

continue postgraduate research, rather

than these students leaving College for

financial reasons. The fund will also help

existing postgraduate students who find

themselves in financial need.

We hope that by offering

support of this type we

will keep our best

undergraduate students

at Girton to continue

postgraduate research

Expenditure (figures 000sinclude depreciation)

Teaching £1,309

Tutorial £233

Admissions £175

Research £486

Scholarships and awards £257

Other educational facilities £122

Total expenditure 2,582

Education Expenditure in the 2004/5Financial Year

Income 2005 2004000s 000s

Academic fees and charges 1,760 1,769

Residences, catering and conferences 2,815 2,764

Endowment income 1,415 1,321

Total income 5,990 5,854

Expenditure

Education 2,290 2,434

Residences, catering and conferences 3,881 3,659

Depreciation of buildings and other fixed assets 973 933

Total expenditure 7,144 7,026

Operating Deficit 181 239

Operating Deficit including depreciation of assets 1,154 1,172

Total College income and expenditure, Financial Year ended 30 June 2005

“

”

Girton Newsletter | Spring 20068

Library Opening

Apart from a gusty wind which

threatened to toss speech notes

into the air, the weather looked

kindly on Girton when Professor Alison

Richard, Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Cambridge, opened The

Duke Building at Girton College on

Saturday 23 April. Some 400 guests

attended the event. In the new

Campbell Court, they heard speeches

from the Mistress the College Visitor, the

Vice-Chancellor and the Librarian, and

enjoyed music from the College choir,

including a new College song. Well-

organised tours of the new building

continued throughout the afternoon,

and guests were able to see exhibitions

of material from Girton’s collections.

The Duke Building was funded entirely

from the support of Girtonians and

friends of the college, including a major

gift from Alison Duke, then our Senior

Life Fellow. Designed by leading

architects Allies and Morrison, the £2.5

million Duke Building provides a

spacious IT resources area for members

of the college and a remodelled library

entrance with disabled access. Key to

the whole plan is the provision of a

climate-controlled repository and

conservation area. This acts as a

permanent home for the Library’s

special collections and for Girton’s

archive collection, recognised as the

most important resource in Britain on

women’s access to higher education. It

includes the institutional records of

Girton as a pioneering college and the

personal papers of many of its members

and supporters, who were connected

with the college and the early campaign

for female education. The 15 special

collections of books housed in the new

library building include the private

libraries of Mary Somerville and Barbara

Bodichon, while the internationally-

renowned Blackburn Collection covers

19th-century debates on women’s legal,

social and labour rights and their

struggle for the right to vote.

An extension to the existing library, the

building also provides a new reading

room for those working on both the

archival and the special collections. This

has been named the Littler Reading

Room, after Shirley and Geoffrey Littler,

who have been generous benefactors

to the project. The Reading Room table

has been presented by Oonah Elliott

(Butler, 1945) in memory of her

Grandmother, Agnata Ramsay (1884).

It was designed by the Project Architect,

Helena Thomas of Allies and Morrison

and was fabricated in European oak and

stainless steel by Drayton Joinery, with

lighting from Aktiva.

The Reading Room rug was presented

by Phaik Gan Lim (1934) in memory of

two Girton Historians: MG Jones (Fellow

1924–45) and Helen Cam (Fellow

1927–48). It was specially commissioned

by the College from designer, Kate Blee,

A home for the Girton College Collections

Guests at the opening of the Duke Building, at the marquee in Woodlands Court

The College Choir, conducted by Dr Martin Ennis performing theDuke Building Song

Eade

n Li

lley

Eade

n Li

lley

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 9

Library Opening

and woven in central Turkey. Kate Blee

is part of an established project to

revitalise carpet weaving in Turkey by

introducing contemporary design to

traditional production techniques, thus

bringing sustainable fair-trade

employment to rural villages.

The building is thoroughly modern in

conception, while also relating carefully

to the surrounding architecture in terms

of scale and the use of materials such

as brick, stone and terracotta. The

original Upper Library has not been

changed in any way; however, the

architects considered carefully the views

of the new building from the upper

windows, and so the roof of one wing

of the new building is planted with

sedum, while the other is made of lead.

The layout of the building has created

an addition to the College’s open

spaces in Campbell Court, named after

benefactors Juliet Campbell (Mistress

of Girton 1993 – 98) and her late

husband Alec.

“Libraries are pivotal to our work as a

university,” said Professor Richard in

her opening speech. “They allow the

transmission of knowledge between

generations, between disciplines and

between readers from all over the

world. In this Library at Girton

mathematicians and musicians,

physicists and philosophers at every

level will learn next to each other, and

from each other, and scholarship and

learning will be the better for it.”

Among the other speakers at the opening

was Baroness Hale, Britain’s first female

Law Lord and Girton’s recently appointed

College Visitor, who succeeded the

Queen Mother in the role.

Frances GandyLibrarian and Curator, Girton College

The Duke Building, viewed from the front

The new IT resources area by twilight

The Mistress, Professor DameMarilyn Strathern (left) and theVice-Chancellor of the University,Professor Alison Richard

One of our Admissions tutors, thePersonnel Officer and the Warden ofWolfson Court and her son, at theDuke Building opening

Eade

n Li

lley

Eade

n Li

lley

Step

hen

Bond

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200610

Travel Events

Swanning about

Mauritius was just the beginningof a trip that took us on toMadagascar, and then to the

mainland of South Africa, stopping off allaround the coast and ending at CapeTown. In fact the day spent in Mauritiuswas tantalising. Just time for an afternoonon a perfect beach and a trip to theBotanical Gardens, and we were rapidlyembarking and headed for the east coastof Madagascar. A party was held forCambridge alumni and their partners,who had booked through schemes run byeither the University or their College. OneGirtonian was re-united with a formercolleague whom she had not seen for 40years. Much networking followed.

On Madagascar it was the lycheeseason, and a trip to the market in

Toamasina had me bringing back a kiloor two, plus an inordinate quantity oflocal vanilla pods, which scented mycabin for the rest of the trip. But thehighlight of Madagascar was thefamous Reserve Privée de Berenty,home to a huge variety of the stunningwildlife for which Madagascar isfamous – 115 plant species, 83 birdspecies, 26 species of reptile. The three-hour journey on mud-rutted roads wasfascinating. It took us into manyvillages, through the lush coastalvegetation and up into the drylandscape of the mountains with itseerie spiny forests and plantations ofsisal. Of course, what everyone wantsto see most are the lemurs, and Berentyhas several species including ring-tails,red-fronted browns, sportives and the

grey mouse. The last two are nocturnal,but I saw the others, and was alsolucky to catch sight of several Verreauxsifakas, the graceful white lemurs. We made the mainland of South Africaat Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal. Thesand dunes that edge the St Lucia

The opportunity to enjoy summer sun in December, and the possibility of seeing both lemurs and

penguins in the same fortnight, saw me jetting off to Mauritius on the last day of the Michaelmas

Full Term to join Swan Hellenic’s ship Minerva II in Port Louis. In spite of tropical storms during our

night-long flight, which bounced giant sparks off the aircraft wings, the dawn came up like

thunder, and the sky was lit as though by the most intensely-coloured rainbow, as we made our

descent over the Indian Ocean.

Looking out to sea, Madagascar

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 11

Travel Events

Wetlands reserve could be seen fromseveral miles out to sea, as they are thesecond highest vegetated sand dunes inthe world. Later on I was able to see thewetlands at close quarters, and, out in asmall boat, encountered crocodiles,hippos, and African sea eagles, to namebut a few of the many species that livethere. Indeed, in the days that followed,the richness of the African wildlife wasalmost overwhelming; rhinos, giraffes,zebras, elephants, warthogs, wildebeest- all at close quarters from a 4x4, and -biggest thrill of all – a leopard at lessthan forty paces.

Meanwhile, back on the ship, games ofTrivial Pursuit and serious sun-bathingwere punctuated by lectures on thehistory of the areas we were visiting.Professor Christopher Andrew fromCambridge University was one of a teamof experts directing this programme.

From Richards Bay the ship went on toDurban and Port Elizabeth, accompaniedin the bow waves by flying fish. Afterthat we headed for Mossel Bay, with aGreat White shark in the water as wetook the small tenders to get to shore.

We slid into Cape Town as dawn rose,and many of us were up on deck towatch, our hands wrapped aroundwarming mugs of tea. We had come toSouth Africa on the tenth anniversaryof the first democratic elections, and itwas a moving moment as we slippedpast Robben Island and watched TableMountain draw closer through thefluttering of the ship’s South Africanflag. I spent the rest of the day down atCape Point and the Cape of Good Hope.Spectacular views and a brilliant varietyof flora allowed for legitimate pauses onthe stiff walk (nay, cliff-climb) betweenthe two Capes. And this is where the

penguins come in, because there is alarge colony of African penguins onBoulders’ Beach, where we stopped onthe return journey. Just amazing!

Frances GandyLibrarian and Curator, Girton College

Zebras and a rhinoceros encounteredin KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The march of the penguins, Cape of Good Hope

And this is where the penguins come in, because

there is a large colony of African penguins on

Boulders’ Beach, where we stopped on the return

journey. Just amazing!

“”

A rural scene in Madagascar

All

pict

ures

by

Fran

ces

Gan

dy

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200612

Travel Events

Girton trip to IndiaFebruary / March 2005

Almost two years ago, a proposalwas made to the Mistress andthe Development Office for a

new kind of travel programme to beoffered to the Girton alumni. Given thatthe College since its foundation hasenjoyed the presence of overseasstudents, many of whom have returnedand contributed in major ways to life intheir home countries, why not contactthese members to see if they would beinterested in welcoming a group fromBritain, introducing the visitors toprojects or places dear to their hearts?This would give the travellers aninformed and intimate view of a country,as well as strengthen ties between ourscattered alumni. India was suggested asthe first choice: it enjoys a goodlynumber of Girtonians, and a rich andancient culture. With the support of the

Mistress and Fran Malarée, Barbara Isaac(Miller 1955) developed an itinerary forus. Once circulated, the response wasimmediately overwhelming.

We were a group of 17: 11 ex-Girtonians and 6 assorted husbands,friends and an ex-Newnham twin sister.The trip, involving special visitsarranged by Old Girtonians, was builtaround a framework of sightseeingwhich ranged from the bustle ofmodern Delhi with its emphasis oncommerce and government, to theslow pace of camel carts and elephantrides in Rajasthan.

After Delhi we visited Lucknow where,in the former British Residency, thehistory of the Indian Mutiny, or morecorrectly, the history of the Freedom

Struggle, was vividly painted for us byNawab Jafar Mir Abdullah, one of thelast descendants of the Nawabs ofAwadh (Oudh). Thence to Agra, wherewe marvelled at the beauty of the TajMahal and the Fort. At Jaipur, the “Pink City”, named for the colour of its buildings, we saw the AmberFort, where a picturesque elephant ride saved our knees from the steepwalk down. We visited the Palace ofthe Winds, and the 18th centuryastronomical observatory with its giantsundial which tells the time to within 2 seconds of accuracy.

Throughout our journey we were ablyentertained and enlightened by accountsof the various monuments by Hemender,our Rajput tour guide. His explanationswere by no means confined to

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 13

Travel Events

architectural detail and included thehistory, sociology and mythology of India.

A very special feature of the trip wasthat it included a number of visits,arranged after much research andefficient planning by Barbara Isaac, ourtour leader, to places where Girtoniansare currently working. This gave us thechance to learn much more than theaverage tourist about Indian life,particularly that of Indian women. Ourfirst such visit was to Dr ChristelDevadawson (1989), a leading memberof the English Literature Faculty at DelhiUniversity. She had invited us to attend aseminar where members of her all-female student group were reading theirpapers on Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room ofOne’s Own’. This was part of oursuggested reading for the trip too! DrDevadawson is clearly continuing theGirton tradition: her students were livelyand articulate and delivered theirpersuasive and thoughtful papers withgreat confidence. This led on to aspirited discussion ranging over anumber of issues, including theproblems faced by Indian women today,in the course of which the students dealtwith our questions and comments veryconfidently, especially the provocativeones by some of the male members ofour group! Although their exams wereimminent, the students gave us a tour ofthe South Campus with very interestinginsights into its life. Dr Devadawson isclearly a source of great inspiration toher students and their respect andaffection for her was obvious.

At the Indian School in Delhi we werethe guests of Dr Nayana Goradia(Daftary 1962) and Mrs Brinda Shroff(Goradia 1988) who is the deputydirector of the school. The studentsperformed a delightful puppet versionof The Three Little Pigs for us and gaveus an enchanting display of IndianClassical Dance.

Dr Goradia also very kindly entertainedus to a party in her home later that day.She introduced us to a large number ofdistinguished friends, including theformer Indian Attorney-General, the UK

High Commissioner, a female formerstate Chief Justice, senior employees ofthe World Bank, civil servants andpoliticians including Dr Goradia’shusband, Mr Prafull Goradia. We greatlyenjoyed meeting them all.

Our third visit was to the NationalMuseum in Delhi where Dr Janet Rizvi(Clarke 1958) talked to us about herresearch on Kashmir Shawls andtogether with Anamika Pathak, theDeputy Curator of Decorative Arts andTextiles, took us behind the scenes tosee the Museum’s unequalled reservecollection. She explained theprovenance of the shawls, told us aboutthe animals whose hair/wool is used forthem and a little about the craft andskills involved in making the shawls.

As well as organising these fascinatingvisits, Barbara was an indefatigable andendlessly patient tour leader. Thanks toher and to Hemender, the trip ran verysmoothly and was a most relaxingexperience for the rest of us. As aformula for a successful holiday group,assembling a group of ex- Girtonians ishard to beat and I would jump at thechance of another similar trip.

As a practical memory, together withour photographs, the new Archivebuilding received a welcome andsatisfactory donation from ourcombined contributions.

Carol Darwin (Joll 1966) and LindsayMerriman (Megarry 1961)

At the Mehrangarh, Jodhpur

Students at Delhi University

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200614

Travel Events

Choir Tour to JapanGirton College Chapel Choir – Tour to Japan, August 2004

Girton College Chapel Choir

was able to enjoy a highly

successful tour to Japan during

the first half of August 2004. The

central element of the tour was an

appearance at the Kumamoto

International Youth Festival, to which

the choir had been invited. However,

there was a seemingly perfect balance

between the formal engagements that

the choir was asked to fulfil and

opportunities to explore Japanese life

and culture.

We spent our first four full days in

Japan on the east coast of Kyuushuu

island in the small town of Kadogawa.

Here the choir was split into groups of

two, and each pair went to live with

different families. We were all very well

looked after - Japanese hospitality

being second to none - and each group

had different stories to tell about the

experiences of living with its family. We

performed in their town concert hall,

and performed a local song called Ware

wa umi no ko (I am a child of the sea),

which went down particularly well with

the audience. Even our Japanese

pronunciation was much praised,

though whether this was thanks to

careful teaching or to politeness on the

part of hosts was not entirely clear.

After a free day (during which some of

us were taken all the way to Mount

Aso, while others stayed in Kadogawa

to sample local food or the delights of

local onsen), we bade a sad farewell

and took the coach to Kumamoto, the

largest city in the region. Here,

alongside groups from Germany and

Switzerland, we were to take part in

the Kumamoto International Youth

Festival. During our time in Kumamoto,

our main engagement was a concert in

the vast Prefectural Theatre. However,

we were also guests at a grand dinner

party, hosted by the Japan-British

Society Choral Club, and we also had a

memorable cultural exchange and

barbecue with Hitsuyukan High School,

who generously responded to our

performances with vivid accounts of

Japanese music on the koto and other

Japanese instruments.

The final leg of the tour was spent in

Tokyo, where our only official

engagement was a concert at the

British Embassy. The guest of honour,

however, was Crown Princess

Takamado (herself an old Girtonian),

and the British Ambassador to Japan

was also present.

All in all, it was an extremely successful

tour. The concerts were very well

received, and there were many

opportunities to experience Japanese

culture, particularly through the

experience of staying with host families.

We should like to use this opportunity

Members of the Choir with HIH thePrincess Takamado (Tottori 1972)

The Choir performing at the Kumamoto International Youth Festival

US EventsGirton Campaign dinner, New YorkNovember 2005The College co-hosted a highly

successful alumni dinner in New York

city, at the New York Racquet and

Tennis Club in November 2005, with

Selwyn, Downing, King’s and Darwin.

The event coincided with the launch

of the new Development Campaign

for the University, which was held at

the CUNY graduate school during

the day. Alumni were treated to a

talk by Girtonian NY Times journalist

Christopher Mason (1980) who spoke

about his recent book, The Art of the

Steal: Inside the Sotheby’s – Christie’s

Auction House Scandal. Members of

the King’s College Choir also sang at

the event.

Boston Girton and St John’s dinner, November 2005We were also pleased to see many Girtonians from the Boston and Cambridge

area attend a dinner hosted by the Master of St John’s College and our former

Professional Fellow, James Simpson at the British Consulate in Cambridge MA.

We are grateful to St John’s College Development Office and to Valerie Warrior

(1955) for helping us to organise this event.

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 15

Travel Events

to thank all those who supported the

tour: the trustees of the Daiwa

Foundation and the Great Britain

Sasakawa Foundation, as well as many

alumni and friends of the Choir who

donated in an individual capacity.

Without their generosity the tour would

not have been possible.

The Choir is currently planning its next

tour to Australia, in September 2006 –

if you would like to find out more,

please contact the Development Office

– development@girton.cam.ac.uk

Dr Martin EnnisFellow and Director of Music, Girton College,

Cambridge | Chairman, Faculty Board of

Music, University of Cambridge

Dr Ennis and HIH Princess Takamado

The Choir at the British Embassy,Tokyo

Mrs Anette Goelet (Hoegh 1982)and Dr Stephen O’Keefe at theRacquet and Tennis Club, New York

Left to right: Dr Pamela Talalay, (Samuels 1947), Dr Paul Talalay, Ms Francisca Malarée and Mr Christopher Mason (1980) at the Racquetand Tennis Club, New York

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200616

Alumni Events

Alumni Events

The very first event in a series of

Annual Reunions took place in

College on Saturday 26 June

2004, with a gathering of Girtonians

who matriculated 20 years ago.

Dr Roland Randall presided at the

dinner, extending a warm welcome to

Girtonians and guests, and explaining

some of the changes which had taken

place over the years. The presence of

Dr John Marks was particularly

appreciated by some of the past

students in medicine. The event was

a great success, a rare opportunity

for Girtonians to renew their

friendships in a setting which evoked

vivid recollections of life in College.

The second Girton Reunion event was

held in College on Saturday 4th

September 2004, for those who

matriculated in 1994. Guests took full

advantage of the surprisingly warm

evening, enjoying pre-dinner drinks

outside, before dinner was served in

the Fellows’ Dining Room. A total of 40

Girtonians attended this event,

representing a good cross-section of

the year group. The evening was a

chance for everyone to network and

catch up on life developments since

their last gathering in College for the

MA congregation. After a candle-lit

dinner Dr Trevor Rayment, Vice-

Mistress, welcomed everyone back to

College and went on to describe recent

developments in College with the

imminent opening of the new Library

Archive extension. He also talked about

the new Nursery building at Wolfson

Court. He was delighted to greet

familiar faces back to the College and

catch up on career developments.

The 1979 Reunion Dinner on Friday

1 October 2004 was enthusiastically

supported and proved to be a memorable

evening for all. Lively conversation

prevailed throughout the evening, as

nostalgic memories of College were

recounted and many life experiences

exchanged. We were delighted to see a

span across the generations, when Girton

couple Ward Crawford (1979) and Sarah

Crawford (Brown, 1979) brought their

daughters Jess and Alice Crawford as

guests. Jess Crawford was due to take up

a place to read History of Art at Girton.

We are delighted that she has now joined

the College. The Mistress extended a very

warm welcome to everyone, pointing out

that 1979 was a landmark year for the

College, when male students had been

admitted to the Girton community for the

first time. The Mistress explained that the

College had undergone a series of

structural improvements over the years. In

a highly competitive educational climate,

she stressed the importance of continuing

to upgrade College facilities in order to

meet the demands of the future.

A special Reunion Dinner for Girtonians

who matriculated in 1995 was held on

Friday 18 March 2005. Pre-dinner drinks

were served in the Fellows’ Rooms prior

to a formal three-course meal in Hall.

Dr Roland Randall, Fellow and Lecturer

in Geography, presided at the dinner.

He offered a very warm welcome back

to the College, and went on to talk

about the changes which had taken

place over recent years. He spoke of

the forthcoming official opening of the

new Library extension building, and of

the Nursery, built on the Wolfson Court

site. He also spoke about new College

projects, such as the Tower Wing

Refurbishment, the Sports Pavilion

and Pitch Redevelopment and the

Teaching Fellowships.

As a direct result of holding the Reunions

we have been able to trace 66 Girtonians

for whom we previously held no contact

information, through the circulation of

‘lost lists’ with our invitations.

Alumni Reunions

Guests at the 1995 Reunion dinner

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 17

Alumni Events

The last two occasions have been

blessed with good weather, enabling

everyone to enjoy the Pimms Reception

and after dinner drinks in Eliza Baker

Court as well as the Fellows’ Rooms.

The Catering Department excelled

themselves at this year’s dinner,

providing a quite delicious meal.

As ever the food was perfectly cooked

and we would like to sincerely express

our thanks to those involved.

The next Donors’ Dinner will be held

on Friday 23 June 2006, and all those

who have donated since May 2005 will

be invited. We look forward to seeing

you there.

Donors’ Dinner 2004 and 2005

The Annual Donors’ Dinner continues to be a very popular occasion and is always well attended. It is a

lively event designed to thank all of our current donors, and is also an opportunity for guests to catch up

with old friends and make new ones.

Guests enjoyed the reception in theFellows’ Rooms and Eliza Baker Court The Mistress with fellow diners

Left to right: Mr Tom Stone, Mrs Mary Hellon, Dr Valerie Warrior (1955) and Mrs Judith Anstice (Williams 1955)

All

pict

ures

by

And

rew

Hou

ston

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200618

Alumni Events

On 4 June 1954 the Cambridge

University Reporter duly printed

the dry class lists for those who

had taken the Geographical Tripos Part

II that summer. There were 56 names

on the list, 17 women and 39 men.

Those graduating that year had came

from 18 colleges across the University.

The last time most of the group had

seen each other was as be-gowned,

scribbling figures in the bare hall of the

Corn Exchange during final

examinations or, perhaps, in May Balls

and parties at the end of that hot

summer term. For most of us outside

our particular college circle there had

been little or no contact since.

Cambridge in the early 1950s had been

an incredibly lively place. Of course, we

still had to bring our ration books and

the presence of United States

servicemen reminded us that war had

not long ceased. But life was good.

Bicycle Thieves was showing at the Arts

Cinema and Zuleika Dobson at the Arts

Theatre. Peter May was batting at

Fenners and Jonathan Miller performing

at the Footlights. The structure of DNA

was being worked out by Crick and

Watson at the Cavendish while

F.R.Leavis was turning English criticism

on its head at Downing. And in the

Geography Department at Downing

Place, Vaughan Lewis was sorting out

the way glaciers really moved while

Clifford Smith was resolving the riddle

of the Norfolk Broads. It was a great

time to be in Cambridge.

A half-century later, on a beautiful early

autumn day in September 2004, over

half of the surviving cohort of 1951-54

geographers came back together to

Cambridge once again – this time to

Girton. Of the 48 who could be traced,

three quarters were eager to come if

they could. Two were prevented by

remoteness (they were now living in

Adelaide and Malaysia) and a further

four by illness so in the end 29

gathered in the Girton S.C.R. by kind

permission of the Mistress. Just to

ensure we could be mutually

recognized a number of members had

supplied old photographs.

If the early 1950s were our ‘Salad

Days’, the ensuing decades had

inevitably taken some of the crispness

out of the lettuce. But the passage of

fifty years was soon forgotten in

reminiscences and tales told. While

some of us had gone on into donnish

or school life others’ careers varied

tremendously: from the ministry to

MI5, from fighting to farming, from

the colonies to California. We seem to

have lived for a while in all continents

outside Antarctica and had experienced

the usual snakes and ladders which

make up all lives. But these years

slipped away and we found ourselves

arguing illogically in just the same

impossible way as ever we had over

Coe Fen and Gog Magog surveying,

or digging holes together in snow

patches and glaciers in Cairngorm

and Skautbreen, or on fieldweeks in

the Weald.

Three earnest professors who had once

been Cat’s undergraduates (and still

behaved as such) were persuaded

against their better judgment to speak.

They had been commanded to perform

a trialogue (much like the Three Tenors)

and to speak of changes in the

discipline over the last half-century. But

the company, the wine, and the Girton

cooking were much too good for such

seriousness and they wandered off into

mutual reminiscing, including a shared

bicycle ride through the Massif Central

of France in the Long Vacation of 1952.

(We note with sadness that while the

Cambridge Pocket Diary still endures,

the ‘Long Vacation’ is now labelled

mirthlessly as ‘Research Period’).

One especially welcome guest was Dick

Grove, bronzed and hale in his eighties,

who had taught us geomorphology in

the 1950s. Dick was, of course, the

husband of the much-loved Jean Grove.

As Jean Clark she had arrived at Girton

in October 1953, just in time to inspire

the graduates of our year, and then

successive cohorts of geographers up to

her death in January 2001. Another

special guest was Geoff Willett, the

omniscient librarian of the Geography

Department library in Downing Place.

Geoff will be known to other cohorts

of that period as the fount of all

knowledge on just the right way to

gain the maximum academic returns

from the minimum reading input.

Fifty Years OnCambridge Geographers Celebrate Golden Anniversary at Girton

The three professors: Peter Hagget(University of Bristol), GeraldManners (UCL), and MichaelChisholm (University of Cambridge)

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 19

Alumni Events

Our final thoughts were with three

groups. First, all those we know who

would love to have joined us but

infirmity or geography had kept

separate. Cards were signed and sent.

Second, the young graduates of 2004

who were carrying the baton forward.

We drank to their future and hoped the

Gods would be good to them; if they

have half as good a time as we have

had they will be greatly blessed. Finally,

we passed a great vote of thanks to the

College for its warm welcome, its

excellent kitchen (not forgetting its easy

parking), and to our Girtonian quintet in

general (and to Dorothy Darke in

particular) for bringing us all together.

Thank goodness that some things don’t

change over the decades and that

Girtonians continue to organize the rest

of us in the University so efficiently.

Peter HaggettSt Catharine’s College, 1954

Savoy Ball

On the 8 October the College hosted a fundraising Ball in the prestigious Lancaster Ball Room at

the Savoy Hotel, London. The event was to help raise the remaining £20,000 needed at that time

for the Library and Archive project.

The evening was the result of much

hard work from both the Development

Office and several Old Girtonians, being

the inspiration of Margaret Llewellyn

and Margaret Berringer who offered

their expertise in arranging the evening.

Tickets to the event included a

Champagne Reception where guests

were kindly entertained by Jane

Woolcock (Lister, 1972) on the Harp.

After the meal came the opportunity to

bid in a Charity Auction with lots

including a Swan Hellenic Cruise to the

Baltic; a weekend in the ultra-modern

Towers Hotel, Jersey Marine, Swansea;

a mixed case of Adnams of Southwold

French wine, and a return ticket for a

car and up to four passengers on P&O’s

Dover-Calais route. The auction was

brought to life by the enthusiastic

volunteer auctioneer, Will Buckley, a

sports writer for the Observer, to whom

we are very grateful.

The evening concluded with the

opportunity to dance to the sound of

the critically acclaimed band ‘The Dark

Blues’, the definitive party cover-band.

The lead singer, Nigel Tully, who formed

the band in Oxford in the 1960s, also

happens to be the husband of Deborah

Cunningham (Yeates, 1967), and

son-in-law to Jozy Yeates (Fairweather,

1937), who both attended the event.

The evening contributed hugely to

raising awareness of the Library and

Archive project and we would like to

thank everyone who was involved

with the event.

This event was kindly sponsored by

Swan Hellenic Cruises.

Guests enjoying dinner, including Margeret Llewellyn (1974), one of the ballorganisers (second from left)

The speaker at the Savoy Ball,William Buckley (1983)

Sim

ply

Phot

ogra

phy

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200620

Alumni Interviews

Girton InterviewsAll interviews by Margaret Nicholson

Academically, she encouraged them to

think for themselves by saying they could

take any point of view so long as they

could prove it. She also took it upon

herself to socially civilise her students by

holding parties to introduce, to them

people from all over Cambridge. It seems

she thought laughter a civilising and

indeed romantic influence by including a

big china bowl of smarties, over which

hands might accidentally touch or smiles

be exchanged.

At that time World War Two was still an

influence: Jocelyn made her own clothes,

and had only one bottle of sherry a term.

She welcomes the changes to the

College since then, especially central

heating! She was also very much in

favour of going co-residential: “it’s

civilised to have men about”. At Girton

Jocelyn had lots of fun, and made friends

for life. She threw herself into Scottish

and Jazz dancing, singing in the Pirates

of Penzance, and became involved in

theatre at the ADC, including being a

lewd woman in Volpone and making

costumes all in black and white for Peter

Brook’s production of Hamlet.

A friend of hers in the year above, Janet

Donald (Blood, 1951) became a Studio

Manager at the BBC and told her, “you

must come too, it’s such fun”. So, on

leaving Girton, Jocelyn spent three years

as a studio manager, working in radio

for the BBC World Service at Bush

House. This was a technical job, ‘on air’

24 hours a day, twiddling knobs,

spinning discs and making short

announcements. During the Suez

Campaign she saw Arabic and Israeli

news services fighting in the canteen.

After the Hungarian uprising, people

who had escaped to London broadcast

back to their country with tears in their

eyes: “they depend on us to tell them

what’s happening in the next village”.

Jocelyn saw at first hand what a force

for freedom radio could be.

The policy at the BBC was for people to

compete for different jobs internally.

Jocelyn became a producer on the

Today programme, which was then less

than a year old. As producer, she had

discretion over what was in the

programme, a mixture of short items,

some light and others rather solemn

current affairs, and producers

researched the subjects themselves

each morning. At that time the

journalists were overawed by cabinet

ministers, unlike today’s interviewers!

After eighteen months, Jocelyn moved

to start the In Touch programme for

blind listeners. This was set up in six

weeks, and was independent of the

Jocelyn MayneFerguson, 1952

Jocelyn Mayne (Ferguson 1952)

Jocelyn Mayne came from North London Collegiate School to read History

at Girton in 1952. Her Director of Studies was Mrs Lindsay. Jocelyn

remembers her as very upright, with black hair fixed in a knot. She had a

strong belief that her students should do something with their lives.

Royal National Institute for the Blind

(RNIB). Even among blind people she

met opposition to the idea of a

separate programme. Jocelyn believed

that the jobs open to blind people were

too restricted, and she set out to

interview those who had made it into

other jobs – not just the archetypal

piano tuner – and ask them how in a

practical way they had achieved it,

what equipment they used etc.

Nevertherless, work never completely

took over Jocelyn’s life. She spent time

caring for her mother, who was seriously

ill. Also she loved sailing, to which she

devoted as many weekends as possible.

Then, in her thirties, she met Richard

Mayne, one of her speakers on The

Critics. Richard, a writer and broadcaster

himself, had been involved in setting up

the EEC, including acting as assistant to

Jean Monnet, dubbed “the Father of the

European Community”. Jocelyn and

Richard married in 1971, and following

the birth of their two daughters, Jocelyn

decided to be a full-time mother for a

few years.

On returning to work, she took on a

different challenge, that of reviving

Overseas Radio Training. Since 1937 the

BBC had helped countries as they gained

Independence to develop their own

media by providing training. Jocelyn

spoke to Chris Patten, who was then

Minister for Overseas Development, who

agreed that Radio Training should be

part of Development. After qualifying at

Wolverhampton University, she set up a

three months training programme,

specialising in the third month on News,

Drama, or perhaps training as a trainer

to pass on the knowledge back home.

At Bush House overseas trainees met

their countrymen broadcasting home in

their vernacular languages. They may

not have had experience of free speech

in their own countries. By interviewing

leading politicians in Britain, they gained

confidence. Jocelyn’s advice from

working in current affairs was “speak

truth but without adjectives”, and she

feels that the BBC maintains a cool

independence from government which is

still important today.

After growing the job, possibly beyond

the BBC’s financial constraints, in 1990

Jocelyn was made redundant. She had

many contacts in the media, the

environment and government and set

up The Radio Guild with other people

who’d been in radio training. She

taught in Tanzania, Namibia, Lesotho,

Botswana, Indonesia and Romania. The

radio training had given her a very

serious purpose in promoting

democracy. In 1996 The Radio Guild

won the Cable and Wireless Award for

Effective Communication, for the effect

that the radio programmes had in

encouraging a high turnout for voting

in the 1995 elections in Tanzania.

Jocylyn retired in the last few years but

even then was the founding President

of the London Girton Association, a

flourishing alumni group. She retired

again in 2000, and now enjoys

spending as much time as she can with

Richard and the rest of her family.

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 21

Alumni Interviews

Pete

r A

shle

y

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200622

Alumni Interviews

Dan Germain 1991

Dan’s position at innocent indirectly

stems from following his headmaster’s

good advice that he would be suited to

Cambridge. As a teenager Dan had no

clear expectations of Oxbridge, and

decided on Girton because a previous

head boy of his school, Mark Bailey

(1989) was already there. When he

visited Girton for himself he fell in love

with the grounds and buildings, and

came here to study geography in 1991.

Dan’s happiest memories of his time at

Girton are the days when he was able

to hang out all day around the College

with friends. Although he learned

about geography in his department, in

long discussions with his friends he

learned about law and philosophy too.

Dan says Girton changed his life

through the many people he met there,

and who are still his best friends. It

doesn’t feel to Dan that it is ten years

since he graduated, and he says he is

the ‘same bloke’, just with shorter hair

and a mortgage, and perhaps a bit

slower on the football pitch.

Since leaving Girton, Dan has continued

to explore as much as he can. Upon

leaving Girton he took a TEFL course,

and spent three years teaching children

in Thailand, and adults at the British

Council in Indonesia. He was in Jakarta

in 1998 during the coup that overthrew

Suharto, during which he witnessed

tanks on the streets and experienced

house arrest.

Following his return to the UK, he

agreed to help three of his friends from

Cambridge, who had followed more

conventional paths into advertising and

management consultancy before

setting up innocent while still in their

mid twenties. While at Cambridge their

entrepreneurial activities had already

provided a path for Dan’s creativity, as

they ran club nights at which he used

to DJ. Now, Dan became the first

employee of innocent.

That first summer Dan made the

deliveries of the drinks, initially

intending to return to study, but as the

company quickly expanded so did his

role. Today Dan’s role as Head of

Creative covers very wide ground,

including design, packaging design,

copywriting, two books (Innocent –

Little Book of Drinks and Innocent –

Stay Healthy, Be Lazy) and the website.

innocent has nearly 70 employees at

the present time, and their winning

drinks have earned it a place on the

financial pages as well as supermarket

shelves. Dan feels the success of the

company is partly down to timing, as

people were ready for something as

natural and honest as juices and

smoothies made with 100% fruit. The

drinks themselves are made in the same

way they’ve always been made, but

now it is a big operation with over a

million bottles a month being produced.

Dan does not see a downside to the

fast company growth, which enables

people to do very specific things that

they are experts in, and feels confident

they can retain a shared understanding

the company’s ethos.

Dan says, “As innocent was started by

a group of friends, it was always going

to be more than a business”. As the

astroturf suggests, a sense of fun

appears to permeate the company, and

is reflected in the way the drinks are

presented to the public. The image of

innocent is not something that was

concocted using marketing theory, but

is a reflection of the way it developed

and the personalities of those involved.

Dan’s belief that we should enjoy life,

and the best way to do so is by being

natural, honest and funny, is embodied

in the way the drinks are presented to

the public.

The offices of innocent in west London where Dan Germain (1991) is based as Head of Creative for the

company present the visitor with a slightly surreal mix of corporate office and film-set. Outside stands a van

painted with the black splodges of a pedigree cow. Inside in the open-plan space people quietly focus on

their screens, yet the floor is carpeted with astroturf!

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 23

Sarah and Ward Crawford met twenty-

five years ago in the first year that male

undergraduates were admitted to

Girton. Neither of them realised when

they applied they would be part of an

historic year. Indeed Ward, who was

the first member of his family to go to

university outside Ireland, wondered if

there had been some shocking mistake

when he was offered a place at Girton!

Their daughter Jess this year became

part of another first for Girton, as she is

the first child of a Girton couple to

attend the College herself.

I was fortunate to visit the family in

their whitewashed cottage in the

Devon village of Thorverton shortly

before Christmas. The house doubles as

a small-holding – outside their front

door, I was greeted by hens, and as I

stepped in the door one of their

friendly dogs brought me a shoe in

hope of a walk. As well as their

daughters Jess and Alice, the two boys,

Patrick, who is fourteen, and Edward,

who is twelve, were also at home.

Sarah and Ward made a point of not

influencing their children to follow in

their footsteps to Girton, and initially

Jess had no intentions of doing so, but

it seems to be a decision that once

made, everyone was glad about.

Ward and Sarah met at College through

the Christian Union and through mutual

friends in the Engineering Department.

Sarah herself studied Modern &

Medieval Languages. But it was not until

a couple of years after university that

they got together. At that time Sarah

(née Brown) was in Durham studying

for a PGCE and Ward was in Hereford.

Sarah and Ward were among those

attending the 1979 reunion in October

2004. They chose to take Jess and Alice,

who is in the sixth-form, as their guests.

Sarah and Ward Crawford1979

Ward Crawford (1979) and Sarah Crawford (Brown 1979)

A fun aspect to working at the company

is concocting the drinks themselves. For

the recipe books Dan wrote they tried out

the drinks at the home of Lucy, the Head

of Product Development. In addition to

familiar fruit mixtures, many off-the-wall

vegetable combinations featured, which

did not make it beyond her kitchen. Dan

says the most disgusting one they tried

was onion juice, which is a foul cloudy

brew. Luckily for the rest of us, delicious

fruit combinations like mangoes and

passion fruits, or cranberries and

raspberries are the ones for which

innocent is best known, and with a

new recipe book mooted, Dan should

be able to continue, in his unassuming

way, to enjoy his life at innocent.

Dan’s happiest memories

of his time at Girton are the

days when he was able to

hang out all day around

the College with friends

“

”

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200624

Alumni Interviews

I asked both Sarah and Jess for their

experience of the occasion. For Sarah it

was “quite disconcerting” - much more

so than she had imagined in advance.

The smell of furniture polish was

reassuringly evocative of student days,

but seeing people she had last seen

twenty-five years ago was quite a

challenging experience and initially

brought out a feeling of shyness. Jess

remembered Girton quite well from

when they lived in Cambridge as

children, and had used the swimming

pool. She really enjoyed meeting people

she had heard her parents talk about

but had never met, while for her parents

it was really interesting to catch up with

friends they had not seen in a long time.

The family seem very settled in Devon,

having initially moved there because of

Ward’s job. Following his Engineering

degree, Cadbury Schweppes sent him

on a year’s course in Cambridge. He has

stayed with the company ever since. He

started out as a production engineer,

and was based in different locations

around the UK, including Bournville,

before being offered the post of

Managing Director of a small business in

Crediton called Ernest Jackson, which

mainly makes medicinal confectionery.

Ward’s next challenge was becoming

Managing Director of Cadbury

Malaysia, and the family moved to

Kuala Lumpur for two years. When they

came back to the UK, they spotted the

house with the land they dreamed of on

the Internet, in the same village they

had left two years before. At that point

Ward became Director, Insights and

Knowledge, a broad-based position

involving development of the company’s

intranet and based in London.

Then, eighteen months ago, Ward was

offered the job of President, Cadbury

Japan Ltd, based in Tokyo, which, as

Sarah says, “couldn’t be more of a

contrast” to Thorverton. This time the

rest of the family stayed in Devon,

though school holidays are generally

spent in Japan. Two years ago they

spent Christmas in Tokyo. Christmas

Eve out there is the Japanese version of

Valentine’s Day, and the city was filled

with kitsch decorations.

Sarah is very involved in village life.

Following a campaign to save the

local post office, they were given a

government grant to buy a portacabin,

and for three years Sarah was

postmistress. A teacher by training,

over the years Sarah has fitted her

jobs around her family commitments,

including acting as an advisor for the

Pre-school Learning Alliance (when she

was able to take Edward round with

her visiting pre-schools), and teaching

at the West of England School for the

Blind in Exeter.

I couldn’t leave before visiting the the

animals in the six-acre smallholding.

Sarah is a member of the Devon

Association of Smallholders, and after

attending a goat-keeping course with

the Association she came back with two

kids (of the goat variety). As they heard

us coming towards their shed, they lifted

up their front legs onto the partition in

the shed to stare at us curiously and

wag their wispy beards. They are Golden

Guernsey goats and are a beautiful

clotted cream and coffee colour.

Sarah explained that the smallholding

does not meet the strict DEFRA criteria to

produce milk and cheese commercially,

but that they are self-sufficient in eggs

and vegetables. We pass the vegetable

garden, and at the top is a large field,

currently holding two geese, but

previously the home of sheep, including

an orphaned lamb called Wally whom

they had initially looked after in a box in

the kitchen. Sarah mentioned that Ward

has planted a small wood of oak and

other broad-leafed trees, and dreams of

adding a vineyard on the south-facing

slopes; and in this landscape where it is

so easy to dream, I hope that the family’s

dreams for the future come true.

Nig

el S

tead

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 25

Sport

Sport

Girton College Boat Club

In the past three years the 2nd

Women’s boat, the 1st Women’s boat

and the 2nd Men’s boat have all been

awarded blades. This success is a result

of long hard work and hours of training

by the club members, but could not

have been achieved were it not for the

recent improvements to our training

facilities and equipment.

The most important improvements have

been to the Boat Club’s fleet of VIIIs,

used almost daily for training and

racing. In 2003 the club purchased the

Jane Marks the 1st women’s VIII, a boat

that has seen them go up 10 places in

the May Bumps in the last 3 years. In

June last year, the club purchased the

Dr. Alastair Reid, (named after the long-

standing senior Treasurer of the Boat

Club) and the new 1st men’s VIII, which

will make its Bumps debut during the

Lent Bumps. Neither boat could have

been bought without the continued

support of our sponsors Price

Waterhouse Coopers, the kind help

of the College, or the invaluable

generosity of our donors.

GCBC is not one of the larger boat

clubs on the Cam, and does not have

the financial resources to purchase new

boats on a regular basis. The two new

1st VIII’s are replacing boats fifteen and

seven years old respectively. Donations

to the Boat Club are essential if we are

to continue our recent success.

Currently, the Club recieves support

In recent years, the College’s Boat Club has made great progress, thanks to the support of current and

former members of Girton. Girton’s 1st Women’s VIII is currently 6th on the river. This is the highest

position they have held since women were ‘allowed’ to start racing in VIII’s back in 1990.

Emily Hall (2001) President of GCBC2004-2005

Dr Alastair Reid names the new boat, together with 2004/5 first VIII men’scaptain Edward Mottley (2002)

Pete

r H

emps

all

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200626

Sport

Old Boys Football Match 2004

The visitors, captained by Bob Reddy

(1995), lived up to their name and

straightaway felt the pressure as the

home side, captained by Jamie Knibbs,

passed and moved with fluency. The Old

Boys held their shape with centre-backs

Andy Hall (1995) and Michael Coulson

(1997) winning most of the headers. In

front of them, Mike Farrington (2000)

was putting in crucial strong challenges

while his opposite number Mike Dankis

was looking dangerous with frequent

direct forward runs. The visitors’ defence

was eventually breached after a deflected

cheeky Mike Dankis shot found its way

to the back of the net. One-nil to the

young boys at half-time.

The second half was more exciting, with

Girton finding avenues of attack down

the wings, when they realised that the

Old Boys had brought along a comedy

left-back. One memorable attack saw the

ball heading towards the Old Boys’ net,

only to be clawed off the line at the last

second by the legendary ‘Micky Villa’.

Fortunately, Girton right-back Apps took

the resulting penalty in his own inimitable

style, prompting an excellent save from

the Old Boys’ keeper John Bee (1999).

The visitors pushed forward from this

with Nick Howard (1995), the lone

centre forward, laying off some decent

balls and attempting a spectacular over-

head kick that went wide. Girton rallied,

almost certainly in shock that the over-

head kick had not come from their own

centre-forward Tom Baden, who over-

head kicks when others would control

with their chest.

The current team fought back with three

goals. The first was an unmarked Knibbs

header following a corner. The second

was a typical Alex Mugan goal from the

left and the third was a Donald Davidson

well-placed finish from the right.

The Old Boys had several more chances,

all spurned by Reddy, but they were

rewarded in the last minute as a high ball

from a corner hit Andy ‘Macca’ McNally

(1999) on the head and unexpectedly

went in. Final score, four-one. It was

expected from the Old Boys’ match

statistics that the goalie would have the

lowest player mileage, but after running

forward for a corner in the last minute

John Bee notched up 100m, knocking

Ian Deacon (2000) into last place, whilst

Farrington totalled twenty-five miles. It

was a friendly match and everyone said

hooray for each other at the end.

Ian Short (1997)

The next Old Boys football match willtake place on 25 November 2006

from the Boat Club Millennium Fund,

an endowment fund which stands at

£20,000 thanks to the generosity of

former Girton rowers. Ideally, we would

like to increase the fund to £100,000 in

the next two years, so that it generates

at least £4,000 per year towards new

equipment. Alumni also support the

Club by getting involved with the

alumni boat club, the Infidels. If you

would like to know more about the

Infidel Boat Club or support GCBC,

please contact the Development Director

(development@girton.cam.ac.uk),

who will put you in touch with

the Boat Club President, or go to

www.girton.cam.ac.uk/giving

Emily HallGCBC President 2004-2006

The first VIII, 2005 May Bumps, with the Dr Alastair Reid

A large crowd gathered for the rugby, as the elite of the past ten years of Girton football prepared to take on

the present Girton team.

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 27

Sport

Old Boys Rugby

The match is always played in

great spirit, between past

members of the Rugby club and

the current First XV. The Old Boys team

includes players from the first male

intake at the College, as well as players

who graduated as recently as this year.

A record of the scores over the last

twenty-two years has been compiled

from memory, although there are

unfortunately a few blanks. Current

estimates show the Old Boys having

won ten times, College four, with three

draws and six years where no one can

remember the outcome! If anyone can

help fill in the blanks (or would like to

join the ranks of the Old Boys) please

send an e-mail to the current organiser,

guylavarack@cantab.net

This year’s game was a keenly fought

contest, with the result in the balance

until the last couple of minutes. The

College side eventually took the honours

14-7; however, as always, this doesn’t

tell the whole story. Expecting a big

onslaught from a College side who are

now mid table in Division 1, the Old

Boys, led by skipper, Jon Lowe, made an

impressive start, going 7-0 up early on.

After a blistering first quarter, the Old

Boys’ fitness began to tell and they let

College back into the game, but strong

defending kept the score-line constant.

Spurred on by some fresh legs at half

time, the Old Boys made a strong start

to the second half and threatened the

College line on a couple of occasions.

However, in the final quarter, fitness and

some poor referee decisions came into

play and College were fortunate to score

two converted tries.

A good time was had by all, although

the Old Boys couldn’t help but come

away feeling that they deserved a draw

at the very least. Man of the Match

went to Robbie Pitcher, who scored the

Old Boys’ only try and led by example in

the forwards, stealing balls on the

ground, making the hard yards and

putting in some big hits. The Old Boys

were delighted to see that the College

are now fighting it out with the big guns

in Division One of University Rugby and

long may it continue. In particular, they

singled out the College lineout and

scrums which were very well organised

and helped College to retain much of

their possession. As always, the Old Boys

promise to come back next year even

fitter, stronger and eager for revenge!

Finally, the Old Boys wish to thank Fran

in the Development Office for laying on

tea and sandwiches after the game. It is

hoped that in future years, there may be

a dinner after the game, and perhaps the

commissioning of a trophy to officially

record the results and provide something,

other than pride, to play for!

Guy Lavarack (1996)

Year Result Score

1982 OB 12-10

1983 OB 6-0

1984 OB

1985 Draw 12-12

1986 OB 30-12

1987 OB

1988 OB 16-0

1989 Draw 9-9

1990 ?

1991 ?

1992 ?

1993 ?

1994 ?

1995 Girton

1996 OB

1997 OB

1998 ?

1999 OB 10-4

2000 Girton 28-26

2001 Draw 17-17

2002 Girton 34-7

2003 OB 10-7?

2004 Girton 14-7

This year’s game was played on its now traditional date of the last Saturday in November. It is believed

that the game has been played every year, uninterrupted, since 1982 and has become a great tradition of

modern Girton times.

The next Old Boys’ Rugby Fixture willtake place on 25 November 2006

Can you fill in the blanks?

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200628

News

News

As the ‘Girton Alumni Online’

membership grows (approaching 25%),

we are reaching an even wider circle.

More Girtonians are hearing about Girton

Association activities and College events,

and these are enjoying greater support.

Members of ‘Girton Alumni Online’ have

immediate access to College news and

events. Increased participation in our

Online website will allow us to circulate

some of our information at a fraction of

the cost of postal mailings, and enable us

to give you early notice about news and

events in College.

Our community website now provides a

vast networking resource for all the

membership, and there is no charge to

join. Individual registration details are

needed in order to activate an account.

These can be obtained upon application

at this location:

http://web.girton.cam.ac.uk

Benefits?

• News about Girton College

• Calendar of events

• Search for Alumni (by matriculation

year, subject, country, profession or

interests)

• Forward a message to a contemporary

(even if details are not displayed)

• Careers advice

• Girton Regional Associations news

pages

• Bulletin board

• Calendar of events

• News about Girton

Security?The website has been specifically

designed to ensure that at every stage,

the information you choose to submit is

either ‘Confidential’ (available to Girton

College only) or ‘Available to other

Alumni’. The majority of Girtonians

should now have every confidence in

sharing their contact information with

other Alumni.

We look forward to welcoming

new members online, and all

feedback on the new project is

most welcome.

This year we extended our telephone

campaign to 3 weeks of calling, which

enabled us to call our European alumni

for the first time. The campaign was a

great success and over £135,000 was

pledged. We would like to thank all of

our generous donors for their

contribution and hope that everyone that

we contacted enjoyed the experience.

Postgraduate student Afia Aslam, one

of our twelve callers, below shares her

experience of the campaign:

When I saw the poster for the telethon I

thought, “Piece of cake!” and promptly

applied. After two days of intensive

training, I’d realised that this telethon

was a serious, highly organised effort,

and that we were doing something far

more delicate than asking alumni for

money: we were expected to build

relationships while we were at it. It was

a tall order, but I still wound up having

the most incredible calls with many of

the alumni – friendly and warm

conversations full of hilarious

reminiscences, serious discussions and

inspirational stories. I was in fits to hear

of the streaker who roamed the College

grounds in the winter of 1963, whom

the Girton women appropriately

nicknamed Chilly Billy. I was touched

when one alumna said her husband

wanted to make a gift to the College

“because I was a gift from Girton to

him.” I was inspired when alumni told

me about their experiences teaching

underprivileged people in India, Iran and

Kenya. The latter category, in particular,

got me thinking hard and I’ve started

exploring opportunities for volunteering

with an international charity

organisation. Imagine, this time next

year I might be sitting somewhere in

Africa teaching in a community school,

and it’ll all be because some kind

strangers who went to the same

College that I did took the time to

speak to me on the telephone. That’s

the power of building relationships.

Telethon 2005

Girton Alumni Online

Spring 2006 | Girton Newsletter 29

News

Malcolm Guite has been the

Chaplain at Girton for three

years. However, he has a long

and happy association with the College,

having married a Girtonian in 1984.

Maggie Guite (Hutchison 1971) is also a

vicar, and has begun working at St Mark’s

Church in Newnham. He started working

at Girton four years ago to cover the then

Chaplain, Jo Crich-Smith’s leave. In 2004,

the College decided to ‘make an honest

man of him’ and officially appoint him

Chaplain as Jo had moved to a parish in

the north of England.

He was born in Nigeria and grew up

in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Canada.

Several of his earliest memories include

the family’s guest, a chimpanzee called

Zimba, who lived with them when he

was a young child as part of a research

project for Ibadan University, Nigeria.

Malcolm studied English at Pembroke,

Cambridge, and went on to Durham to

begin research for his PhD examining

The Art of Memory and the Art of

Salvation: A Study with reference to

the works of Lancelot Andrewes,

John Donne, and T.S. Eliot. He is still

extremely interested in the expression

of spirituality and faith through

literature, and when not being

Chaplain, his numerous teaching posts

reflect this. He has held a variety of

teaching and academic posts, and

teaches at the Federation of Theological

Colleges and Ridley Hall. He is also an

advisor on cults and new religious

movements for the Diocese of Ely.

He believes that the Chaplaincy in

College is important in assisting the

development of individuals within it,

and his role is to facilitate students

connecting with their spiritual side,

mainly within Christianity. However,

he has many contacts with other faith

communities, and often is the first port

of call for students asking for advice,

whether they are of any faith or of

none. He sees education in College in

its broadest sense as being about the

development of the individual not only

intellectually but also philosophically,

and hopes his post assists students and

other members of College in exploring

their beliefs.

The Chaplain also has a formal role of

course, in officiating in College events

held in Chapel as well as a pastoral

office, and one of the most frequent

requests is to officiate at weddings, of

which more below.

Dr Guite has also just published a book

entitled What do Christians Believe?,

part of a series published by Granta this

year, with Ed Kessler writing a

counterpart volume on Judaism and

Ziauddin Sardar a volume on what

Muslims believe. It is important that

this sort of dialogue between faiths

continues at a time when there is

so much misunderstanding and

misinterpretation between the

major religions.

When not writing and teaching,

Reverend Guite enjoys spending time

with Maggie and their two children. He

also cherishes his Harley Davidson – he

has owned one since he was a student,

and also likes to sail in Suffolk when he

has the time. Malcolm, aka ‘the rocking

Reverend’ is well-known for playing in a

band, Mystery Train, who ‘specialise in

good-time, rootsy, Blues and R'n'B-based

music, well known for rocking local

pubs, clubs and May Balls.’ Mystery train

played at Girton’s spring ball, and more

information about them can be found

on www.mysterytrain.org.uk

The Reverend Dr Malcolm Guite

Malcom in his other guise as Mystery Train’s frontman

Girton Newsletter | Spring 200630

News

Weddings in CollegeBoth the Development /Alumni office

and the Chaplain are often asked about

weddings in College. There are

currently three options for alumni who

wish to have a public ceremony in

College, listed below.

Civil CeremoniesThe College has now obtained a license

for civil ceremonies in public College

rooms. For details of this, please contact

the conference office and do bear in

mind that you may not use any religious

texts or icons in these ceremonies.

BlessingsThe Chaplain is very happy to conduct

blessing in Chapel after a civil

partnership or civil marriage has taken

place, either in College or elsewhere.

Church of England Wedding inChapelIf alumni or members of College wish

to be married in Chapel there are some

conditions. Alumni usually need to have

graduated from College in the last five

years. Permission also needs to be

obtained from College Council after the

Chaplain has agreed to the date. In

addition to this, because the Chapel is

not a parish church, alumni must

request an archbishop’s special license

to be married in it. This system may

change in the near future, but for more

information, please contact the

Chaplain on

chaplaincy@girton.cam.ac.uk

The College conference office also

offers a wedding package for

receptions, and there is en-suite

accommodation available in Pear Trees

outside of term for those wishing to

stay in College after a wedding party.

Please contact conferences on

conferences@girton.cam.ac.uk for more

information.

Malcom Guite at a chapel servicePe

ter

Ash

ley

4 May6.45pm for 7.15pm

Alumni Formal Hall

Contact: development@girton.cam.ac.uk for

more information

17 JuneFrom 11am onwards

Girton College Boat Club MayBumps

Marquee, Ditton Meadows, all

supporters welcome. Tickets will be

available from May.

23 June 7.30pm for 8pm

Annual Dinner for Donors

Hosted by the Mistress, in Hall (Black

tie). By invitation to all those who have

donated since April 2005.

Contact: development@girton.cam.ac.uk for

more information

24 June 7pm for 7.45pm

1981 and 1986 Alumni Reunions

In the Hall. Pre-dinner drinks will be

served in the Fellows’ Rooms.

Contact: alumni@girton.cam.ac.uk for more

information

8 JulyGarden Party and Roll AnnualGeneral Meeting

Contact: alumni@girton.cam.ac.uk for more

information

9 September 2006Australian alumni reunion, withthe College Choir performing aspart of their tour to Australia

Further details will be posted at

www.girton.cam.ac.uk/development, and

will be sent to Australian alumni

23 September People’s Portraits Reception

To celebrate addition of a new portrait.

3pm, to be added to the mailing list please

email: c.venn@girton.cam.ac.uk

23 SeptemberRoll Weekend/Roll Dinner &University Alumni Weekend

Roll dinner, 7pm for 7.30pm, in the

Hall. The guest Speaker is Anna

Carboni (Young 1981), Barrister at

Wilberforce Chambers.

Contact: development@girton.cam.ac.uk

24 SeptemberRoll Weekend/Sunday GardenEvent

11am in the Old Hall by Dr Susan

Oosthuizen, from the Institute of

Continuing Education, Madingley.

The subject of Dr Oosthuizen’s talk

is ‘Garden Archaeology; two late

medieval gardens in Bassingbourn’.

Contact: development@girton.cam.ac.uk

for more information

25 NovemberOld Boys’ Rugby and Footballmatches

Details TBC, if you are interested in joining in

please email development@girton.cam.ac.uk

Events Calendar 2006 Old GirtoniansHonours

Queen’s Birthday Honours 2004

Mrs Christine Tacon (1978), general

manager, Farmcare, was awarded a

CBE for services to agriculture.

Ms Susan Palmer (1970), formerly

trustee, National Heritage Memorial

Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund,

was awarded an OBE for services to

national heritage.

Professor Elizabeth Simpson(Browne, 1957), Professor and Deputy

Director, Medical Research Council

Clinical Services Centre, was awarded

an OBE for services to biomedical

research.

New Years Honours 2005

Professor Susan Iversen (Kibble,

1958), Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of

Oxford, was awarded a CBE for services

to higher education and science.

Professor Cheryll Tickle, FRSE (1964),

Foulerton Royal Society Professor,

University of Dundee, and Member,

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences

Research Council, was awarded a CBE

for services to biology.

Ms Caroline Thomas (Warne, 1960),

Chair, International Standards

Organisation’s Committee on Consumer

Policy, was awarded an OBE for services

to consumers.

Mrs Ling Thompson (Lim, 1971),

Head of International Affairs, Royal

Society, was awarded an OBE for

services to science.

Queen’s Birthday Honours 2005

Dr Meryl Foster (1971), formerly

Knowledge Development Manager,

National Archives, Kew, was awarded

an OBE.

Girton College Cambridge

Development Office

Girton College FREEPOST ANG6880 Cambridge CB3 0YE

+44 (0)1223 766672/338901 development@girton.cam.ac.uk

www.girton.cam.ac.uk

Memorial Service for Miss Duke

Alison Duke, M.A., Official Fellow

and Lecturer in Classics 1948-82,

Praelector 1950-68 and 1973-82,

and Registrar of the Roll 1978-85

Girton College Chapel

Saturday 6 May, 2006, 2.30pm