2013-2016 Gaudy

On 21 March, Univ’s Old Members who matriculated between 2013 and 2016 were invited back to College for their Gaudy.

Mati Warner (2016, English) has written a report of the reunion.

The sun shone over Main Quad and the wisteria was just waking up from its Winter doze as we stepped over the familiar stones to register for our first Gaudy. It was all too reminiscent of those early days of freshers’ week (for my year, this was 2016), when we stepped off the High and through the gate with our worldly possessions, a deep respect for IKEA, and a generous helping of anxious hopefulness in tow. Except, this time, our only luggage was a change of clothes for the dinner later (and, in my case, a copy of Gaudy Night — more to be on brand English student than, I certainly hoped, to recreate its events…)

The first year memories were brought back even more forcibly for our being the youngest of the three years present, but the spell of intimidation was only brief! Generations of College families, sports teams, subject groups, and clubs and societies all reunited. There were faces still seen often and some not for years. To know some of us had rooms in College to stay in made it feel like home all over again; my husband and I had a room in Goodhart overlooking the spires and the rooftops. It was as though nothing had changed, and yet, as we all caught up on our happenings, lots had.

The afternoon was spent in the sunshine in the beautiful Master’s Garden, where Baroness Amos warmly welcomed us with tea and cake, the garden painted with spring bulbs and crowned with a glorious magnolia. A highlight was meeting — I believe — the first baby of two Univites from our era, who was a rightful star of the day. We were all so pleased to be able to catch up both with tutors and with Andrew Gregory, who still retains the ability to remember everyone’s names and interests, which was so impressive and reassuring on our very first day at Univ.

The ‘scratch choir’ then retreated to join Giles Underwood in the Chapel for a rehearsal of some beautiful pieces for the candlelit service that shortly followed. Whether we were familiar with the music or not, Giles conducted us with aplomb and the former choir members settled right back onto the pews. Even the hurried getting ready period between rehearsal and performance was oddly familiar, several faces crowding round one mirror and swapping frenzied nuggets of fashion advice (surely only grown in wisdom with our advancing years?!)

A scrumptious formal dinner ensued with drinks in the SCR and Alington Room beforehand. It was a personal joy to sit next to Laura Varnam, and our year’s ‘Team English’ thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing with her about the highlights and challenges of our degree. Conrad Will (also 2016, History and Politics) gave a speech in honour of the occasion, and captured our collective cheerfulness in being back together under the vaulted Hall ceiling, whatever we’ve been doing and wherever we have been in the interim years. So many exciting developments have been happening at College, too, as evinced in the Master’s speech. But much too was familiar, from the twist of the library stairs to the blue of the breakfast trays the following morning, laden with pastries and sausages.

Retreating to the College bar and the area outside the library for the rest of the evening, a fair few College cocktails were sampled and so many happy reunions and conversations were begun that we started to think we’ll have to attend another Gaudy just to finish them.

This October will mark ten years exactly since those first tentative, whirlwind, world-widening days of the 2016 group’s Univ degrees. Speaking with friends during and after the Gaudy, we were struck by how fortunate we were to have begun this next stage of our lives tucked behind the sandstone walls on the High. Our years at Univ have given us so much, lifelong friends best of all, and the Gaudy evoked fond memories while adding a few more.

Huge thanks to the Master, the Alumni team, the Hall and Scout staff, the Porters, and everyone else at College who organised and ran this happy occasion.