friday 23rd january 2015
NEWS
NO CONSEQUENCES?
spark volume 70, Issue 1
LIFESTYLE
Then a third of male university students would rape a woman
WANT THIGH HIGH BOOTS?
ENTERTAINMENT
SPORT
Peter Jackson signs off the franchise in LotR style, but does it work?
The president of the University Golf team predicts big things for the year ahead
THE LAST OF THE HOBBITS
This old flame has come back burning hotter than ever this season!
GOLF
An Interview with Ian Hills: A True Gentleman
HANNAH NATHANSON & JAMIE GOSTLOW
2nd Year Zoology & 3rd Year History and International Relations
You’ve seen him out, you’ve probably even got a selfie with him, but what is his story? We sat down with UoR’s favourite local to hear his life’s adventures; from growing up in India to partying till dawn in Ibiza. We give you, Ian Hills. A voicemail was left on my phone: “Hi Jamie, this is Ian Hills here. Thanks for your call, I must say I’m very flattered you’d like to interview me.” We agree to meet at the Global Café at RISC on a Wednesday afternoon. Ian comes across as a calm and personable character, he shakes our hands and takes a seat at the table before revealing a piece of paper with some notes he has made. “People actually find that retirement is completely different to what they expect”, he says. “There’s so much going on, with granddaughters, clubbing, politics, things to do in Spain, a bit of Jazz as well thrown in. So there’s enough to keep me out of mischief and out of the house.” “I was born in India, and my parents were Missionaries out there.” This is where he spent his early years, but “I had polio when I was about nine years of age, and I had to come back over here”. It affected his left arm and he began boarding school in England. It was here that his interest in music began. “I was the first person in school to actually buy a rock and roll record; Rock around the Clock byBill Haley & the Comets on an old wind-up gramophone. And then
the second one was an Elvis Presley one called ‘Hound Dog’.” This was the beginning of a great passion for music, but it wasn’t until university that the party really started. Ian studied Spanish at the University of Birmingham, and spent a year travelling the country as part of his degree course. “It is crazy. I mean, absolutely amazing!” he tells us with an infectious smile. “The Spanish people are really great. What I like about them is that they, you know, their way of life, their attitude to life, they’re here to have a good time – this idea of carpe diem, seize the day.” He has had a love affair with Spain ever since and visits whenever he gets the chance. “It’s fantastic there. I’ve been to Ibiza twice now, as well as a festival in Valencia with a group of friends from the old Mango club in Reading, now called Zeus”. You can see Ian’s eyes light up as he reminisces. Back here he keeps the love alive by getting involved with the Reading Spanish Language Meetup Group “I used to be the organiser for about three and a half years. I’m now an Asst Organiser under the nom de plume of Juanito (the equivalent of Ian in Spanish!)”. They work with the Latin American and Spanish Society (LASS) which “have a boat party as well which gets absolutely bookedup months in advance, and they dance the salsa.” He tells us about Spanishrelated events he’s organised in the past in London, as well as helping to organise Spanish weekly Meetups in Reading. Having worked for British Airways for 20 odd years, we figured he’s have some good advice for students jumping into the job market for the first time. (We were right of course.) Continued on page 3
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