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Graham is a keen photographer and took this in 1975. This lady served tea in between lectures at Greenhill where a lot of the English department were based. |
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Acland Residents
In 1975 I was a resident of Acland Hall. This was a mixed hall, in more ways than one.
My immediate neighbours were John Wilson, main course PE; and Colin Ventress, main course drama . I was good mates with both as I was taking both outdoor education and drama along with Lit.
Colin was true eccentric, he made "arty" films on super 8 cine film. John & I were the"stars" of these mini 3 minute epics. John Wilson was a typical PE person, he felt that since the invention of writing in particular and language in general, the progress of mankind had been held back. All of us had a weakness for beer, but while some of us claimed to know when to be able to stop, to others this wasn't even open for consideration. |
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Laundry Danger |
I also recall a near fatal experience in the college laundry. Those with good memories may recall the college had drying cabinets operated by electricity. You placed your jeans and T shirts in the cabinet, turned it on and went away fro a few days, to return only to find your scorched and stiffened clothes ruined and unwearable.
One day I was doing the blue wash when in came a few ladies to empty the machines. One girl went up to a cabinet, touched the door and collapsed into the cabinet. Being of unusually sound mind and vision, I realised; electric cabinet + wet floor + human being = electric circuit. I spotted the fuses on high up out of reach on the wall and stabbed at them with a handy wooden pole that just happened to be lying around. Then I turned to the unconscious female in the cabinet. She was not looking good, I used the pole to remove her too. Did I do this on my own, or were there others there? I simply cannot remember. Was she badly injured? who was she? Why is this a mystery? |
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Another near Acland neighbour was John Carberry, the drama lecturer, in residence in the staff flat. We were all well aware of Johns' preferences and on more than one occasion while trolling back from the bar of an evening, he would ask, "do any of you chaps fancy a nightcap?"
A polite refusal was usually given, but I remember one occasion when about 40 of us agreed to join John for a "nightcap". I think we drank him dry in about 30 seconds and then, to a man we all promptly made our
excuses, and left!! Shortly after we could all be found having a nightcap with Jan in her room on the top floor. |
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| Graham (above left) was on the editorial staff of the Farrago college magazine. Ray Stirling, principal, is centre of photo. |
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| Another event that sticks in my mind was meeting Carl in the basement corridor one gloomy Sunday afternoon. Carl was a bit of a hippy chap and devoted much of his time to his hippy girlfriend. He hailed me from the other end of the basement and then uncharacteristically sprinted along to catch me up. "Hey man, " he drawled in the laid back tones of the era, " have you got a condom? " "Er, no I don t think so " I replied, adding swiftly " I think I used the last one, er...last night" So there then embarked a seriously massive college wide search for a condom. The search was fruitless, "(ha ha) and not even a trip the gents condom vending machine in the bar produced any result. No one enquired why Carl wanted the condom, it was just assumed it was because he and his girl wanted to liven up the afternoon with something a bit more exotic. But it struck me only recently, that was an assumption on everyones part, there are other non-sexual uses for condoms! |
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| Photos kindly donated from Graham's collection. Click here to see more. |
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