Legators ‘Go Virtual’
The cancellation of the 1850 Society Annual gathering planned for the Summer on account of Coronavirus was a great shame, but the Society would not however let a small thing such as this totally dish their social schedule. So, in defiance of any technophobic predisposition, members agreed to give a virtual gathering ‘a go’.
On Thursday 22 October the 1850 Society met on Microsoft Teams, hosted as would normally be the case by President of the 1850 Society, Simon Dixon (C 58-61), this time from the comfort of his living room and Katie Green-Armytage, Legacy Manager, from hers. Sam Smith, the Database Manager, was also on hand to provide technical guidance to members when required.
Simon welcomed the online assembly, commending their willingness to adopt the technology, and a very friendly, light-hearted meeting ensued.
A ‘roving reporter’, also know as Headmaster, Dr Chris Stevens, took the gathering on a quick online tour of the College to allow them to see how the College is currently operating under Covid-19 restrictions.
Al MacEwen, Director of Development then shared his experience of online teaching – the challenges and the new opportunities it revealed – prior to returning to Dr Chris Stevens who gave a privileged insight into the College’s future plans.
The meeting attracted new participants and we were delighted to be joined by Mike Akers (F48-52), William Gurney (H51-56), James Wyatt (G58-63) and Jeremy Cornish (A67-72) in addition to seasoned attendees Robin Salmon (B44-49), Richard Butler (G52-56), Tim Rhodes (C64-68), David Wright (E48-53) and John Muir (G70-75).
It was very much a conversational gathering with a free-flow of questions throughout and those members who didn’t have to rush off chose to remain online after the presentations to have a social chat.
William Gurney and Richard Butler worked out that they had both been part of the 1955 Oedipus at Colonus, including the famed tour to a Festival at Saarbrucken… and then William tried to work out where they were on an old College photo, something that even technology did not have an answer for!
Mike Akers said that inspite of his tech know-how ‘under par’ he enjoyed the gathering, learnt a lot and felt that he was able to interact pretty well, courtesy of having mastered the ‘chat’ function… it is certainly never too late to learn!
Many thanks to all those members who were able to join us, we look forward to seeing you and all other members again soon!
Events Schedule
The Society normally has a dedicated annual gathering in the Spring/ Summer as well as hosting of members at other Bradfield Society events. In light of current experiences we shall be adding virtual gatherings to our repetoire going forward as it enabled those who would not normally be able to make the journey to the College the opportunity to participate.
Membership
There are currently 28 members of the 1850 Society, who have chosen to share with us that they have decided to recognise the College in their Will. If you too are interested in learning about making a gift in your Will, do visit our Leaving a Legacy webpage for information and Katie Green-Armytage would be happy to answer any questions that you may have on 0118 964 4840 or development@bradfieldcollege.org.uk.
