Annabel Jenkinson had the opportunity to interview some John’s alumni who have kept in contact since their time at the College in the 1990s.
Towards the end of April this year, we had the privilege of welcoming a group of John’s alumni back to St John’s for a visit. Charlotte Barnes (née Buckley), Janine Broome, Lara Robinson (née McMahon), Anna Fisher, Sally Woods (née Armiger) and Helena Green were all at John’s together 1993-96, where they became lifelong friends. Our SJCR president, Thomas Jackson, showed them around college before I joined them for a college brunch. They were keen to share memories of their time at John’s and how the college has changed since they were undergraduates.
Many of John’s buildings and traditions have remained the same. The group was delighted to hear that John’s Day has remained a special date in the calendar for all Johnians and that the homemade raft race up the river has continued, despite the ever-increasing health and safety regulations introduced over time. Equally unchanged is the friendly rivalry with Chad’s, which is now channelled in John’s-Chad’s Day (a day of friendly sport competitions) and the opposition to Hatfield.
Something else that has remained the same are the various songs heard down the Bailey on nights out. The ladies remember a favourite of theirs being “Creep” by Radiohead. While the singing (if it can be called that) down the Bailey has continued, this has moved towards picking a random college sports team and making it into a song; popular choices include ‘Mary’s ping pong’ to the common bell chime “Westminster Quarters” or ‘Van Mildert Badminton’ to Verdi’s “La donna è mobile.”
However, other traditions from their time at Durham have not withstood the test of time, such as the Mr. University competition — a collegiate take on the Miss Universe pageant. The DUCK week tradition of paying to custard pie someone in the face when they woke up has unfortunately not lasted, though the DUCK charity organization and week continues to this day.
On the tour, the group noticed the brass sign with the inscription Dominique on the post room door. This sign has long been a mystery for current John’s students, one that has finally been cleared up by the alumni on their tour. Apparently, the services secretary (during their time at John’s) was a man called Dominic Butler. Dominic was obsessed with the laundry, which is now in the basement of Cruddas, and named the then-laundry room after himself in 1995/96 or so. They think he would be very happy to see it!
The group did find some significant differences between the current John’s and the John’s they remember: from the disappearance of the old shop to the building of the new LRC in place of the Old Library. Most significantly, though, is the impact of technology. This alumni group have kept printed photos, even letters that they wrote to each other either while on holiday or years abroad. Now, with our phones and digital messaging services, most of our photos and memories are stored online. And while we have many more photos and messages, this arguably makes each one less special. The group also remembered having to go to the TV room in John’s to watch anything, and they had to queue for the payphone to call home!
Another notable difference is the size of college, which has more than doubled since their time there. Alongside the increase in the number of students, there is also now closer to 50/50 balance of women and men. There is also a difference in students that live in college; while everyone still lives in their first year, fewer people return to college for their final year. In the 90s, most finalists returned to live in John’s for their last year.
Despite these differences, the group’s testimony shows that the strength of the John’s community has continued throughout the decades.
‘Coming back 30 years on, it feels like we have never been away. The fact that we are all still friends 30 years on goes to show it was a very key moment in our lives and a formative experience, despite degrees only being a short amount of time.’
John's Chronicle 