The Chadsian: Epiphany 2006

THE CHADSIAN EPIPHANY 2006

Refurbishment of the Chapel

College News Fenton Library Work is progressing well on the building of the College’s new Fenton Library. Located in part of the previously disused roof space above Main College, the library is named in honour of Revd Canon John Fenton, former Principal of St Chad’s and a distinguished Anglican theologian. The new facilities are expected to be ready ahead of the formal opening ceremony, currently scheduled for St Chad’s Day 2007 and will provide much-needed additional study space for our students, as well as extra shelving for the College’s constantly expanding library stock.

The existing staircase to the side of the Junior Common Room was extended into the roof space over the summer vacation and other building work, including the installing of dormer windows and partial re-roofing, has also been completed. The costs of this ambitious project are proving significant and the College has launched the Fenton Library Appeal in order to help us reach the final target of £300,000.

We are particularly delighted to have Dr Bill Bryson, the author and recently installed Chancellor of Durham University, as our Patron. Further details of the Appeal are enclosed with this issue of The Chadsian and all alumni are invited to contribute and share in the development of this vital academic resource for present and future generations of St Chad’s students.

For many generations of St Chad’s alumni, the Chapel will be regarded with fond memories. It continues to serve as focus for College worship and private prayer, as well as providing the setting for the College Matriculation of Freshers at the start of each Michaelmas Term.

A major programme of redecoration and refurbishment has recently been completed, with both the interior and exterior having been completely repainted. In addition, a beautiful and fitting new Altar has been installed in the sanctuary, along with a new processional cross and a fine pair of brass acolytes’ torches. A new organ has also been purchased.

The new Altar, supplied by Hayes & Finch, replaces a temporary structure and has been designed in a traditional style that complements the wood used in the Memorial Reredos. The brassware was manufactured by the well-known ecclesiastical suppliers, Watts & Co. New cassock-albs and altar linens have also been purchased from J & M Sewing Supplies of Newcastle. The newly refurbished sanctuary is now under the care of Revd Trey Garland, a College tutor and postgraduate, who has agreed to serve as Sacristan.

The cost of the redecoration and refurbishment has exceeded £7,500 and if any St Chad’s alumnus or supporter would like to make a contribution towards defraying this sum, donations (whether personal or else in the name of a friend or loved one) would be very welcome. Cheques for this purpose may be made payable to ‘St Chad’s College Number 2 Account’ and sent The Revd Fr Rob MacSwain, Chaplain c/o the College. We can also reclaim 28 pence in every pound from UK taxpayers and a form to enable us to do this is available from the College Development Office.

NON VESTRA SED VOS

The College Libraries Phil Meadows (Chair of the Library Committee) Since taking over as College Librarian at the start of this academic year, assisted by a dedicated team of student library assistants, I have continued our project of transferring Chad’s library holdings on to the University’s electronic catalogue (OPAC). It is hoped that this will increase the access our students have to the books by making our holdings more visible and easily accessible. As a part of this project we are re-labelling books with printed labels so that the books can be more easily located in the library, once they have been found on the catalogue.

We currently have around 8,000 books catalogued, including the whole of the Wetherall Library and around two thirds of the Lower Library.

We hope to have both libraries completely catalogued by the end of the current academic year, ready to transfer stock up to the new Fenton Library as soon as it becomes available.

We have also increased the number of rare and antiquarian books currently being conserved and cared for under the auspices of the University Library’s Special Collections. In addition, the College has added a unique leaf from a 13th century Bible to its collection of Medieval manuscripts. This vellum leaf, with illuminated chapter initials, originated in Paris in around 1275 and came as a private donation from a St Chad’s alumnus. It has now been placed on secure deposit at the University Library. Margaret McCollum from the Library’s Special Collections department has described it as “a splendid addition to the College’s holdings”.

Alumni Association Reunions – 2006 Northern Reunion – 2 March The Northern Reunion will take place at the College on St Chad’s Day, 2 March 2006. A meeting of the St Chad’s Foundation will be held in the SCR at 4.00 pm, with festival evensong in the Chapel at 5.30 pm.

Southern Reunion – 3 - 4 March The Southern Reunion will take place in London on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 March 2006. A meeting of the St Chad’s Foundation will be held in the downstairs conference room at the Royal

Commonwealth Society, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2 at 4.30 pm. Tea and coffee will be available beforehand from 3.30 pm. From 6.00 pm the Southern Reunion reception will take place in the first floor bar area.

On Saturday 4 March the Eucharist will be celebrated at St Matthew’s Church, Westminster at 11 am, followed by a sandwich lunch in the adjoining clergy house at 12.30 am. The church is located on Great Peter Street, SW1 (Tube: Westminster, St James's Park, Victoria; Buses: 3, 11, 24, 88, 148, 507). Please confirm your attendance at these events to the Development Office by e-mail chads.development@dur.ac.uk or by post (Development Office, St Chad’s College, 18 North Bailey, Durham DH1 3RH).

Staff Appointments Professor Richard Else

Director of the Durham Media Academy

Richard Else has been appointed as a Professorial Fellow and Director of the Durham Media Academy. A distinguished maker of award-winning documentary and factual programmes, Richard has made films for a wide range of broadcasters, including the BBC. He is a director of Triple Echo, a leading independent production company.

Ian Henderson Clerk of Works

Ian has years of experience as a private contractor in the building trade and is already well-known in the College, having been our preferred contractor for many years. He will have overall responsibility for the upkeep and improvement of all our buildings.

Ian replaces Norman Wilkie who retired in 2005 after many years of faithful service as Head Porter in the College.

Revd Robert MacSwain OGS Chaplain and Ramsey Fellow

An experienced High School and University chaplain from the USA, Rob previously studied at the University of Edinburgh (1995-1996) and served as research assistant to the Archbishop of Canterbury (2000-2001). As Ramsey Fellow, Rob is conducting research into the theology of Austin Farrer and is a doctoral candidate in the University’s Department of Theology and Religion.

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Dr Margaret Masson Senior Tutor

After having served as Acting Senior Tutor during the Michaelmas and Epiphany terms 2004-2005, Margaret has been appointed Senior Tutor. She was brought up in Zambia and in between looking after two young children, has been teaching Post-colonial Literature in the University. A former Senior Tutor at St John’s College, she is Vice-chair of the editorial board of Anvil, an Anglican theological journal. She has also been involved with Traidcraft since 1995, first as a Board Member (until 2002) and since 2002 as a Trustee. Margaret is responsible for admissions, student welfare and the College tutorial system.

Michelle Smith

Student Records and Support Secretary

Michelle was appointed during the Easter Term 2005 to assist Susan Mather in the Admissions Office. She has responsibility for maintaining the College’s student records and databases.

College Events Licensed and Commissioned On Tuesday 29th November, the Lord Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Dr Tom Wright, visited the College to both license the Revd Rob MacSwain as the College Chaplain and Commission Dr Margaret Masson as Senior Tutor.

During the service the Chaplain and Senior Tutor made declarations and took oaths to uphold the vision and work of the College and to work collaboratively with their colleagues and the students. It was lovely to see the newly refurbished Chapel so full for this special event, as we formally welcomed Margaret and Rob into their new roles.

The service was followed by a Special Formal

Dinner in the Moulsdale Hall where the SCR were able to enjoy the company of the visitors who had come to support Margaret and Rob.

The Advent Procession Revd Rob MacSwain OGS One of the most wonderful events of the academic year is the annual St Chad’s College Advent Procession in Durham Cathedral. As always, this occurs on the Second Sunday of Advent, which this year was the 4th of December. This creative, collaborative service (organised by St Chad’s and hosted by the Cathedral) draws together over fifty students and friends of the College as singers, servers, stewards, readers, soloists, torch-bearers, organist and cantor.

From the haunting opening strains of Palestrina to the resounding chords of ‘Lo, he comes with clouds descending,’ the procession is an amazing feast of light and darkness, word and music, movement and stillness, space and stone, exploring the meaning of Advent and anticipating the coming of Christmas.

This year, we were honoured to have the Right Reverend John Pritchard, Bishop of Jarrow, to process with us and pronounce the final blessing.

We were also pleased to have some younger-thanusual torch-bearers, namely the Principal’s two daughters Emmeline and Marianne, as well as the Senior Tutor’s daughter Iona. To see their faces illumined both by the light of their candles and the joy of the occasion was truly worth more than a thousand words.

The central nave was nearly full with hundreds of students, alumni, SCR members, friends of the college and members of the Durham community.

We were particularly pleased to welcome a good number of St Chad’s alumni for the occasion, including Nigel Gale, Mervyn Ellis and Canon Maurice Simmons, along with their families. Four other alumni, Mark and Liz Roberts, Anton Dittner and Peter Coulson sang in the choir. Afterwards, all were invited back to the College for a delicious buffet reception in the Quad.

While literally dozens of College members were involved this year, let me say a special thank you to James Randle, our Director of Music, for planning and directing the service, and to Tony Bell, our Catering Manager, for producing such an excellent reception. It was a night to remember.

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Award dinner for Professor Foulger The College was delighted to recognise the award of the Price Medal by the Royal Astronomical Society to Professor Gillian Foulger in recognition of her research in geophysics at a formal dinner held in her honour during the Michaelmas Term. Gillian is a Professor in the University’s Department of Earth Sciences, as well as Professorial Fellow and Tutor at St Chad’s. Her ground-breaking research on mantle plumes has challenged many of the accepted theories regarding volcanic activity. More information about Prof Foulger’s work can be found at www.mantleplumes.org

The Durham Media Academy Alex Standish (Director of Development) The Durham Media Academy, based at St Chad’s, was launched in 2005 under the directorship of Professor Richard Else. An award-winning documentary and programme producer, Richard is one of four directors of independent production company Triple Echo, which is based in Scotland and Cornwall. He is a professor at Teeside University and has also taught at Sheffield Hallam, although he is now focused primarily on his work at St Chad’s and is a Professional Fellow of the College and a tutor.

Richard’s productions have included The Edge and The Face, and he has also produced Great Railway Journeys and films for the Correspondent strand. Most of his work has been produced for BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and he observes that he “is proud never to have made a reality TV show!”

Recent projects include films on nuclear decommissioning and a programme focusing on the continuing impact of the Asian Tsunami disaster on people in India one year on – work he describes as “harrowing”. He notes that his introduction to St Chad’s came about as a result of work with Professor Fred Robinson – also a Fellow at the College – who he describes as “a radical young academic” when they met back in 1984.

They worked together on a series of programmes throughout the 1980s and 1990s that were linked to new, commissioned research. Richard describes this

work as “particularly controversial” in the context the Thatcher’s government. “We had a duty to report honesty on what was happening to the people of the North-East,” he observes.

His aim for the Durham Media Academy is twofold: Richard hopes that it will be of direct benefit to the College community. Although some students may opt for careers in the media after graduation, others are likely to find the basic skills learned through the Academy useful in their professional work whatever their job. Having established an impressive studio facility on the first floor of Main College, Richard is working with small groups of students, introducing them to the latest media technology, describing this as “broadening the extracurricular opportunities available” at the College.

He also aims to work with the local community on projects that will reflect the spiritual and ethical interests of St Chad’s. Richard is keen to develop a programme which will be socially beneficial.

“In particular, we will be working with the notfor-profit local sector and we are already involved in discussions with local partners.”

As someone who’s production company is already at the cutting edge of technology in the media, Richard points to the way in which the sector has evolved in the past decade.

“We no longer need large film crews. Now, with the appropriate skills, film producers can have the same opportunities to be creative in the same way that still photographers and writers have been in the past. We can follow evolving stories over, say, five years and high cost is no longer an obstacle in the way it was when you needed a film crew of four or five people.”

Opportunities for Chad’s students “This is the first generation of students that will have this opportunity. They will acquire new skills and develop others – such as digital photography – with which they are likely to be familiar already.

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They will then have the choice to add moving pictures and audio to other mediums, such as still photography and writing.”

Referring to his current students at St Chad’s, Richard believes that they have critical awareness and that with some basic training they will be able to shoot professional images and record good quality audio and then edit they own programmes using the latest desk-top technology. “Once they start to use this equipment, it’s like a revelation to them,” he adds.

Since the Academy was set up in mid-2005, he has had considerable interest from Chad’s students, despite their busy schedules. “The fact the Academy is here and students can walk through the door is a major advantage. We are hoping to attract students from other colleges as well. Although there is a student film-making society at Durham, most students just don’t get the opportunity to get involved.”

In the summer of 2006, Richard hopes to offer formal courses for Durham students, both from Chad’s and other colleges. The College is offering a certificate of attainment to those taking courses at the Academy, but he points out that the real attraction is the opportunity for students to work directly with practising professionals who are willing to share their wealth of experience. He also sees such courses as complementary to traditional degrees. He advises students not to do a first degree in media studies, but to acquire relevant skills in addition to their academic work. Richard describes this as “adding to students’ exit velocity” into their chosen careers.

“This is all very exciting. It will be interesting to see where it all goes over the next five years. The media will change out of all recognition during this period and it will be a very different world in which to work. The Media Academy offer us the time and facilities to develop these skills with present and future generations of students.”

Student News and Reports Junior Common Room Paddy Winter (Senior Man) As the Michaelmas Term ends, I am pleased to say that St Chad’s College has once again welcomed another wonderful intake of Freshers. An excellent Freshers’ Week programme was planned, with special thanks going to Laura Whitehead (JCR Vice

President) and Ellie Green (Social Secretary). This year we have a very international intake with over 25 countries being represented and this is having a very positive effect on the dynamic of the JCR as a whole.

We are also very pleased to welcome Dr. Margaret Masson as Senior Tutor and Revd Robert MacSwain as Chaplain. Both have already been with us for some time but are now ‘officially’ in post.

They are making a wonderful contribution to the life of the College.

St Chad’s continues to have a significant impact on the University. Last year saw the achievement of a high academic success rate, statistics we hope to see repeated this year by the current finalists. Our social events are also envied by other colleges, to the extent that some are being mistaken for DSU events! The JCR’s charity work continues with support for both international charities and local support groups, including Chester -Le-Street Mind, which recently received £1,000 for their local projects.

Sport continues to flourish. Special mention must go to the Women’s teams this year, who are excelling themselves in both Football and Rugby.

With the completion of the new College gym underneath the Dining Hall, the JCR is now offering increased facilities for all sports, which is highly appreciated and is being reflected in the performance of many teams. Special thanks must go to both the College and the Alumni for their generous financial contribution towards the purchase of equipment for the new gym.

Middle Common Room Joseph Rohe III (MCR President) Following a very successful year for the MCR during which we saw membership double from the previous year, the newlyelected Executive Committee has embarked upon the task of enhancing the experience of postgraduates during the 20052006 academic year with great enthusiasm. The MCR is actively encouraging its members to become as involved in College as their

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time allows, ensuring that they receive the full benefit that the collegiate system has to offer. Some members also serve as mentors and tutors to undergraduates.

Trinity Hall continues to offer the best accommodation for postgraduates in Durham. Due to the continuing growth of the St. Chad’s postgraduate community, Trinity Hall can no longer able to house all the College’s full-time postgraduates and many now opt to live in private accommodation in and around Durham. However, Trinity continues to provide a venue for postgraduate social events for both resident and non -resident students.

St. Chad’s MCR, along with several other middle common rooms, is working toward the formation of an Intercollegiate Middle Common Room which will provide the opportunity for postgraduates to meet their counterparts from other colleges and interact socially and academically. Opportunities for postgraduates include invitations to formal dinners at other colleges and increased social events.

St. Chad’s MCR has been instrumental in the formation of this new organisation and welcomes the benefits it will offer. Additionally, the MCR will soon launch a redesigned website which will provide members with information about our activities and social events.

London Marathon 2006 On 23rd April 2006 three College finalists – James Newton, Simon Weaver and Becky Casement – will be running the London Marathon. James and Becky will be running on behalf of Spinal Research, which funds research into spinal injuries and paralysis, while Simon is fundraising for The Anthony Nolan Trust, a leukaemia and bone marrow transplant charity. They need to raise approximately £4500 and would therefore greatly appreciate support from College alumni.

As part of their fundraising they have organised a 24 hour run for the Epiphany Term of 2006. Each will be running for a total of 8 hours, broken down into 16 slots of thirty minutes, between midnight on 19th January and midnight on 20th January 2006. To sponsor them for this event please visit their websites: http://www.justgiving.com/simonweaver http://www.justgiving.com/dieselandbecky

St Chad’s Choir at Worcester Joanna Murray On the afternoon of 15 July, an assortment of Chad’s (and non-Chad’s), undergraduates and alumni descended on University College, Worcester.

For some it would be the last time they would be singing for Chad’s and so it was with a mixture of joy and sadness that we met up.

Worcester Cathedral

We dumped our luggage in the halls and set off on a delightful walk along the river to the Cathedral, which towers above the river in much the same way as Durham does. There was just time for a quick rehearsal when we got there, which was listened to by a load of staring Italian kids, and then we sang evensong – a plainsong Magnificat and Nunc Dimitis and the beautiful When I survey by Gabe.

Afterwards we went for fish and chips – which some decided to eat in a churchyard – and we then hit the town, sampling the delights of the Worcester nightlife before going back to our accommodation.

Saturday found us in an epic rehearsal all morning, which we were more than happy to escape from, and we finished with a picnic lunch on the cathedral green, courtesy of Daniel Sandham and Sophia Anderton.

The afternoon was blissfully free, and some of us wandered around Worcester town, whilst others were more adventurous and set off on an adventure into the Malvern Hills and sat in a sunny pub garden all afternoon. We all reconvened in time for evensong, singing Richard Shephard’s Song of Mary and Thomas Morley Faux Bourdon Nunc Dimitis, and finally If ye love me by Tallis.

The evening was rounded off with games of poker and a bizarre invention of Daniel’s called ‘Daniel-ball’, a cross between netball and ultimate Frisbee, played with a cricket ball. Needless to say,

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injuries soon stopped play, but not before Dec beat Can pretty solidly.

Sunday began too early. We got up and made our way to the Cathedral once more to sing for the Sunday Eucharist. We sang Haydn’s Little Organ Mass and Bruckner’s Tantum Ergo. We ate lunch in a very classy pub before our noses were back to the grindstone and it was time for evensong and we sang Stanford in C and O Nata Lux by Tallis. After that it was a mad rush to catch trains and to beat traffic on the way home.

Vacation Placements A number of students have undertaken placements or internships during the vacations this year and the College aims to assist by putting students in contact with firms and organisations willing to offer work experience. At a time when university graduates find the employment market increasing competitive, it is widely appreciated that vacation work experience, gained through unpaid internships and placements, can often give applicants a significant advantage when starting out in their chosen career.

We have developed particularly good relations with the media, including the BBC (four placements in 2003-2004), Jane’s Information Group (five placements to date) and Triple Echo, an independent film production company. The summer term 2005 has seen the Placements service arrange vacation work experience with a wider range of organisations. These include the Historic Royal Palaces’ conservation division, the Centre for Research into Post-Communist Economies, the House of Commons, The Guardian newspaper, a London-based commercial solicitors’ firm and several consultancies and think tanks including the Centre for Policy Studies.

We are particularly fortunate that some of these placements have been made possible through the active support of St Chad’s alumni. We are always keen to identify additional opportunities and welcome suggestions and offers from individuals, organisations and firms willing to offer placements or internships.

If you feel that you may be able to assist in this area, please contact the College’s Placements Department (e-mail: chads.development@dur.ac.uk or telephone Alex Standish on 0191 334 3351).

Special Features Margaret Masson (Senior Tutor) Dr Margaret Masson was appointed as the College’s Senior Tutor earlier this year.

Shortly after she was commissioned in the College chapel in November, she shared some of her thoughts about St Chad’s, her previous career at St John’s and her impressions of daily life at the College.

I grew up in Zambia, spent my teenage years in Scotland and my first degree was a joint honours degree at Aberdeen University reading English and Religious Studies. My history at Durham began when I came to read for a PhD here (on D. H. Lawrence) and combined this with a resident tutorship at St John's College. After that, I lectured in the United States for about five years and was invited back to be Senior Tutor of St John's College in 1992.

I was there for the next eight years full time, but also did some teaching in the English Department (mainly a Special topic on Post colonial Literature, but also Shakespeare, Biblical background to Literature, D. H. Lawrence) and also helped to develop the M.A. module in the Theology Department on Theology and Literature. I have also enjoyed being involved with a number of other organisations, especially Traidcraft (which was of course started by Durham students) where I have served as Board member and trustee for the last ten years.

I have loved my time so far at St Chad’s. I started out in a very part-time, temporary capacity – at the start of the last academic year, my youngest child was only two – and was very aware of the limits of what I could offer. However, I realised how much I enjoyed working with students once again and found that the college work and family life did seem to be compatible. So, when the job was advertised as a half-time post, it seemed right to apply.

My present role is to be responsible for student welfare, the undergraduate admissions process and to be a part of the management team of the college.

In a more general sense, to be a college officer is to share responsibility for the general well-being and ethos of the place, to help maintain and build the college community.

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Next door at St John’s Having been Senior Tutor at St John’s, I am often asked how the two places differ. To me, the similarities are more striking than the differences.

The major difference is that St Chad’s has long since stopped being a Theological College and when I first started, that was what struck me most. In John’s, one is constantly having to negotiate – and this was one of the very creative (if time-consuming) aspects of John’s – the relationship between a hall of mainly undergraduate members reading for a whole range of degrees who were not, on the whole, interested in churchy things, and a hall of more mature students from a wide variety of backgrounds training as ordinands.

So Chad’s is less complex and the job of Senior Tutor here – at least for me – more focussed. But both are small, friendly communities inspired more or less implicitly by a Christian vision that tries to work itself out in a variety of ways (justice, community, hospitality, creativity…) in ways that I find inspire me.

Now that I am responsible for admissions, it has become clear that St Chad’s certainly attracts very able students! I am swamped by UCCAS forms just now (last year, Chad’s was the second most applied to college in the University) and the candidates are so impressive! I suppose what I think we are aiming at is to welcome into the College an inclusive community of talented, committed individuals who will find this a place in which they can flourish and from which they will emerge to change their little bit of the world for the better. This year, for a variety of reasons, we have more international students than we have ever had, and everyone is enjoying this greatly.

I think Durham has long had a reputation for good pastoral care and the college system has been a key to that. The introduction of Student Welfare Reps has been an excellent development over the last few years and certainly I have found it very helpful to work through some welfare issues with two elected student representatives. On the whole, Chad’s students are very well supported by a whole range of people – Carole Miles in the office can often be a first port of call – but also the cleaning staff, catering staff, fellow students. There is certainly an ethos of mutual care which also encourages responsibility.

We also have a very good team of college tutors who, according to the latest University survey,

topped the poll in terms of student satisfaction. I do think all this, both in St Chad’s and at other Durham colleges, does a great deal to contribute towards the excellent completion rates we have at Durham. But it is also, I hope, a support system that can help some individuals work through the realisation that Durham/student life/Chad’s is not for them.

My children love Chad’s!

I have a daughter of eight (Iona) and a son who is now four (Jamie). They both love coming into St Chad’s. Indeed, after her first visit, which included being treated like royalty by the then Welfare Officer (swivel chair, sweets, biscuits, drinks) my daughter was sure she wanted to come to this College when she grows up. They have been made to feel very welcome here by staff and students alike.

My son, complete with fireman’s hat, comes in for lunch once a week with my husband, Robert Song (who teaches in the Theology Dept and is also enjoying being associated with Chad’s). My daughter comes in for special formals and has occasionally set up a sweet and card shop outside my office which has proved hugely popular with stressed out students needing a sugar fix!

I would definitely advise a prospective student to consider St Chad’s. But not if he or she wanted to remain anonymous! I think St Chad’s appeals to those who really do want to be a part of a community, to know and be known and to have the chance to get involved, be it in the JCR, the sports teams, chapel, music or drama.

Chad’s is also wonderfully rooted in tradition without taking itself too seriously. And its location! I am still delighted on a daily basis when I look out of my office window onto the magnificent east end of the Cathedral.

I am also enjoying being a part of the SCR life in St Chad’s. Formals are often hugely enjoyable occasions: really good food and convivial company in a civilised but celebratory atmosphere. There have been a number of occasions at formals over this last term when one sees a delightful mix of people in the Common Room after formal, members of the SCR, the MCR, the JCR and guests, involved in warm and stimulating conversation (and occasionally song) and I have thought: yes, this is just what a college should

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be like, this kind of interchange is just what a college is all about. I feel very lucky to be a part of all this.

this place - it has a huge sense of history.

St Chad’s: the Artists’ impression

Z. We arrived after a long journey and within two hours we were sitting on a leather sofa with people in gowns drinking port! But beyond that initial shock, there are so many interesting people here – the students are incredibly privileged to have contact with so many different people other than tutors.

Zatorski and Zatorski are interviewed by Alex Standish Since 1983, Durham Cathedral – in partnership with a group of institutions that includes the Arts Council, St Chad’s College and Durham City Council – has offered a residency for artists with the brief ‘to provide time and space for an artist, free of other pressures, to respond to the Cathedral as a powerful creative statement in stone, a place for daily public worship, and the centre of a working community of stone masons, joiners, gardeners and office workers, as well as vergers, musicians and clergy’ as well as offering ‘public access to an artist at work’. St Chad’s provides accommodation for the artists, as well as welcoming them as Fellows and members of the wider College community.

This year there are two artists in residence – Zatorski & Zatorski. Usually based at their studio in Dalston, east London, they are both graduates of Scottish art colleges and have an impressive portfolio of works and awards. More information about their exhibitions and art works can be found on their website: www.zatorskiandzatorski.com.

In this interview for The Chadsian they share their impressions of the College and their views of living and working in Durham.

AS. How are you finding life at Chad’s?

Z. The Media Academy is one example of the huge amount of energy here. It’s a great idea to offer something extra to expand the minds of students beyond the purely academic. And there are plenty of other things on offer – for example there was recently a speech on prison reform and discussions about the North East, so efforts are really being made to help the students understanding something about the region.

Z. It’s about building a social conscience and that’s fantastic.

AS. You’ve been based at Chad’s for a term. What are your impressions of the College so far?

Z. It’s like a family – a large family community.

That was unexpected. It’s very united at different levels. It’s not surprising that the students call the Principal ‘Papa Joe’. The students are so well cared for. You don’t feel that if someone was having a bad time it wouldn’t be picked up.

AS. Our studio is at Dalston in the East End of London. Our first reaction was ‘where are the black people, the Asian people?’ London is such a diverse community, but that it a reflection on Durham City as a whole. The University represents a small group by both age and class.

Z. Being at Chad’s, walking in these buildings, you think – Wow, what a privilege. Being opposite the Cathedral with its beautiful architecture. We love

The Last 3600 seconds of Wasp AS. How are the students responding to having you around College?

Z. Visual education is missing throughout the education system. Most pupils drop Art very early on these days, so there’s a lack of contact with artists. In London there is the liberation of anonymity. There you can wear anything and no-one cares. Here, we do get noticed all the time. One Chad’s student stopped us in the supermarket and asked: “So you have to stay in costume all the time?”

I was wearing English brogues, a suit and tie!”

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Z. We’re teaching at Sunderland University, but Chad’s is very different. In Durham the college system is like coming home for students. That’s never been part of any university we’ve been involved with.

But it will help us see London in a different light.

AS. What is your schedule for the work in Durham?

AS. What are your impressions of the Chad’s students?

Z. If students can’t flourish here, they can’t anywhere. Although there is a structure to the College – the SCR, MCR and JCR – everyone eats together and mixes in the bar. There are no divisions between people. We’ve been impressed with the respect students treat all the staff - and vice versa.

Z. That’s a lot to do with Joe [Cassidy]. We couldn’t imagine a better Principal.

Z. The students here are very bright, but it is a failure of the education system in Britain that there is a lack of training in the visual arts. You can find people here who speak several languages, are talented musicians. But there are very few who could name a young contemporary artist. It’s very surprising.

Z. We’ve been in Chapel and you can just be there without having to partake. There’s room for everyone – religious or atheist. That’s surprising in some ways.

There’s a lack of anonymity in Durham.

AS. How would you describe your artistic inspirations?

Most of our work is pre-occupied with the idea of mortality.

Z. But you can also turn your back and take no notice of the Cathedral…that would be an equally valid response.

How is the residency going?

Z. It was the right time for us to have this residency. We have access to the Cathedral and it offers us a year when we don’t have to sell any work.

Z.

Z. That’s the privilege of being an artist. You can work in any medium that’s appropriate. You can make use of literally anything. We were trained as painters, but for our degree shows we made installations.

Z. It’s very relevant for us to be in and around an ecclesiastical space. There is a misconception among some people that artists in residence are here to do pretty pictures of the Cathedral in the snow! It’s really about having a year’s space to research and develop.

Z. It’s great being fed everyday, but more garlic and olive oil please!

AS.

Z. We consider the whole environment. We also make sculptural works and photography.

Z.

AS. So are there any negative observations?

Z.

Z. We will be here until October 2006 and will be preparing a large scale installation in and around the Cathedral, as well as a final show at the Reg Vardy Gallery in Sunderland. We plan to offer an ‘open studio’ around March and we’ll install a work so people can come and see what we are doing here.

Most people have no idea what an installation is – we work primarily in film video installations and text.

Music at St Chad’s Andy Ford interviews James Randle

It’s basically a research scholarship.

Z. It gives us time to step back and take stock. To see where we are going as artists. It’s a great privilege. The art world is down in London, so in a sense we have stepped out of the art community.

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Finding the right moment to catch the College’s Director of Music James Randle (who is also Commercial Director) is a difficult task at the best of times, so managing to meet him on the afternoon before the Advent Procession, arguably the high point of

the College’s musical and liturgical year, represents something of a minor miracle! However he appeared more relaxed than one might have expected:

AF: That must have been good experience now you’re back as Director of Music at the College.

What’s going on with music in St Chad’s now?

AF: How are the preparations for tonight going?

JR: St Chad’s has always attracted talented musicians and artists and it is a real privilege to work alongside them and watch their talents develop. The College Choir is one of the most active musical groups in College – and we are fortunate to have appointed four truly excellent choral scholars: Charlotte Colley, Jo Murray, Keira May Harvey and Graham Kemp, following the groundwork that Daniel Sandham did last year as Organ Scholar. I hope over the coming terms to help develop other music in College – we already have several student led bands and jazz groups - and I hope more people can be persuaded to share their talents with others.

So, in the future the College Choir as well as singing for services in the Chapel, will also undertake more secular concert work, both in College and further afield.

JR: They are going well, we have a good choir this year and they have put a lot of work in. It is always nice to welcome back lots of Alumni both to sing in the choir and participate in the congregation.

AF: What are the origins of the Advent Procession?

JR: Well it was born in 1956 as one of the first celebrations in words, music, movement and light of the message of hope that the Advent season stirs up within us.

AF: So this has long been a part of College tradition - as are you, I believe, James? How long have you been in college now?

JR: Well, this is my 7th year in a range of different roles. I arrived in 1999 as an undergrad reading music – and had a wonderful three years. I especially enjoyed working with the Chapel choir. I have many happy memories of making music with my fellow organ scholars. Firstly, Rob Hargrave and Matt Philips, then Martin Clarke, Serenhedd James and Rebecca Riding.

AF: But obviously that wasn’t the end of life at Chad’s?

AF: So what resources has the College made available to support music and the arts?

JR: The College has always been generous in its support of music and the arts – but this year has increased its contribution. The Choral Scholars, in order to reflect the ambassadorial role that we expect them to have for music throughout the College are now being paid an increased amount as is the new Organ Scholar, Peter Swift. The College has also invested in a new organ for the Chapel and there are plans for increased practice facilities in the future.

JR: No, after graduation in 2002 I remained in Durham to undertake research in the Music Department on the history of music at St Chad’s and to work in the College’s Development Office. When Dominic Barrington left for Kettering, I was asked to cover the conference and pilgrimage work he had been doing, I then applied for and was appointed to the post.

AF: So what were you doing musically at this time?

JR: Playing regularly at local churches; teaching piano, organ and voice, and working with the musicwing of the Diocesan liturgical committee. I also worked with different choirs, as well as giving recitals in various places in the UK.

AF: You obviously enjoy your work with the Choir, which at present is the only non-auditioning choir in Durham. Do you have any plans to change this?

JR: Absolutely not! It is one of the greatest

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strengths of music making in a small college that the College Choir is open to all, regardless of ability, provided that members will commit to sustained participation. It is a wonderful joy to make music with such a diverse group of people who share a passion for what we are doing. This was typified by the fact that the choir gave an amazing liturgical performance of Faure’s Requiem within three and a half weeks of first singing together. Auditions would not have improved that!

AF: So finally, what is your vision for the next years of music at St Chad’s

Novices, Pickard-Cambridge and Graduate’s Cups.

Canon York has contributed an article to this issue of The Chadsian.

We plan to make our presence at Henley an annual Rowing Association event and particular thanks go to Chrissie Richardson and Richard Slaymaker for organising this most enjoyable occasion. More photographs taken at this event, together with information about joining the Association, are available on the Alumni section of the College website: www.dur.ac.uk/StChads/ alumni.

Returners’ Weekend 2005

JR: For people of all abilities, backgrounds and tastes to come together and enjoy making music together. Whatever and whenever it may be.

Alumni may be interested to learn that the College is in the process of launching a Choir and Music Association for those who participated or supported music at St Chad’s during their time in Durham. Further details will appear in the next issue of The Chadsian. However, if anybody would like provisional information please contact the Director of Music.

In November, the College was pleased to welcome back 30 recent graduates at the annual Returners’ Weekend. A reception in the Quad was followed by a lively dinner in the dining hall and the returners were joined by 4th year students, some postgrads, members of the current JCR executive and College staff.

Alumni News Rowing Association Henley Royal Regatta 2005 The first St Chad’s College Rowing Association social event took place at Henley Royal Regatta on Saturday 2 July 2005. The Association had a small marquee on Remenham Meadow. Members, spouses and friends enjoyed a glass of wine and a picnic lunch.

The Principal, Dr Joe Cassidy, welcomed the returners and proposed a toast. Mark Wallace (Senior Man 2004-2005) replied on behalf of the graduates.

St Chad’s College Foundation

It was particularly gratifying to bring together two members of the 1953-54 College crews – Canon Humphrey York and Ian Johnstone (now one of New Zealand’s best known television broadcasters).

In those golden years Chad’s crews won the

Since it was launched at the beginning of 2003, the St Chad’s College Foundation has shown steady growth. As of December 2005 it has 139 members, 40 of whom joined during this financial year. Of these, 55 are Patrons (those contributing at least £100 annually), while a further 23 are Patrons whose contributions – a minimum of £240 per annum -

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entitle them to corporate membership of the Royal Commonwealth Society in London.

A College tutor, Michael Huxtable, who is also editor of one of the University English Department’s publications, has been recruited to edit the journal, an issue of which was distributed to Patrons and Members in August 2005. Nonmembers can order copies of the current issue of Foundation from the Development Office, price £6.99 (including postage). Please make cheques payable to ‘St Chad’s College’.

Alumni Features Rowing at St Chad’s 50 years ago Revd Canon Humphrey York (Captain of Boats 19521955) I was a student at Chad’s when the College celebrated its half century in 1954. Cyril Forster Garbett, Archbishop of York, preached at the Service in the Cathedral. He had succeeded William Temple in a great tradition. It was a great time. We all felt very proud to be there, photographed afterwards in our gowns with the Prinicipal, Theo Wetherall (nicknamed ‘the Screw’) and other members of the SCR. But, for me, the great celebrations of that year (and the next) were to lie on the river. I had learned my rowing with St Cuthbert’s before I migrated to Chad’s. For some reason (desperation, maybe) I was asked to be Captain of Boats in 1952. Before that, rowing at Chad’s was more a matter of survival on (or in) the water, rather than actually winning any races.

I had been coached by Tony Sainsbury, a former President of Oxford B.C. He believed that people like me could row – row better than other oarsmen and make a crew win. Under previous Captains of Boats there had been a training programme which consisted mainly of a diet – no potatoes!

As food was still rationed, and pretty dull, too, this was more suited to the rigours of some former communist regime than a college boat club. That changed. So did the practical and psychological

training. Believing you can do it works wonders. In the Academic Year 1953-54 Chad’s crews won the Novices, Pickard-Cambridge and Graduates’ Cups.

In those days, King’s College, Newcastle, was part of the University. Some of their crews were formidable, especially any containing two Norwegian medical students who had rowed for Norway in the 1948 Olympics, Georg Semb and Arne SerckHanssen.

We hoped (and prayed) that a race against them would not take place on the 30th day of the month, when the Psalms for the day (old Prayer Book) include a verse which runs: ‘Thou hast given victory unto Kings.’ It wasn’t always prophetic, however…

We came very near to winning the Senate Cup in late 1954. We’d critically lost our No.3 man (disagreement with the examiners, I recall). What it did do was to place Chad’s in the top class of college rowing. St Chad’s then was a college of fewer than 80 students, including graduates training for ordination, so there was not a wide choice of potential talent.

These achievements were greeted by the Principal with a momentous decision that when a Cup was won it should be sent round Hall as a loving cup, the beer in it provided (and replenished!) at the College’s expense. As you might have guessed, some drank deep. For Theo Wetherall, famous for his scrutiny over every item of expenditure, this was indeed quite a victory of pride in the college over parsimony.

Naturally for such a competitive sport we had our rivals, Hatfield in particular. Their captain and stroke of their 1st 4 was Richard Hicks. Ironically, our coach was one Denis Brown, a former Hatfield oarsman. Much of our success was undoubtedly due to him. Quiet of manner, he improved our technique by his encouraging approach.

A winning year for Chad’s In 1955 four members of the 1954 Senate crew were chosen to row in a University coxed 4. With the addition of a Castleman at 3, we went on to win the Londesborough Challenge Cup for senior fours at York Regatta, followed by the Durham City Plate at the Regatta, and the first Head of the River rowed on the Wear. Our last effort as members of that University boat was to compete in the University Athletics Union championships held at Durham that year. We were runners-up in a finely contested race.

In a previous heat we were well down at Elvet Bridge, but went on to win!

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Success also came in the pairs and single sculls.

Altogether a most successful year’s rowing for Chad’s and Durham University B C. We owed a lot to our coach Bill Burdus, who had rowed for King’s, and was in practice as a dentist in Durham. Visits to the dentist took on a decidedly more interesting nature, even if the discussion on rowing were of necessity somewhat one-sided!

Incidentally, all four of us who were in the University boat were later in life to be made Honorary Canons of our respective Cathedrals. All but one (David Marriott) are still alive. Mike Wright, our capable cox, also became a member of the College’s Governing Body. The others were Mike Welch and myself. The Castleman was Brian Welch (no relation to Mike).

During these years we had purchased a new shell 4, named the ‘Douglas Horsfall’ after our Founder.

The boat was named by the Principal’s wife, Mrs Wetherall. The bow section can be seen today (with the name still on it) mounted high on the wall of the Wetherall library. A most appropriate place for it to rest.

Thus, with ordination in the Cathedral, and my first parish, Beamish, in the Diocese, ended my career on the River Wear. I still returned to do some coaching of the Chad’s crews, hoping to sustain a tradition. I shall always remember those days, their excitement, their challenges (shooting Elvet Bridge) and the exhaustion at the end of a good race over the long course. Above all, there was the camaraderie and humour of the Club, and the privilege or representing the College, and then the University on the rivers Wear and Ouse at York.

I wish the present Boat Club members, men and women, every success in their rowing as well as their studies. I am proud of the men who rowed with me, supported me, and were such willing and loyal members of St Chad’s College Boat Club.

Photographs of some of the crews with their trophies I am presenting to the College, with some information to go with them.

Members of the Boat Club today, you may be one of the smaller colleges, as we were, but it is quality and determination that win races, not numbers.

Postscript The Boat Club needs a new boathouse. The present one is ancient and decaying. So why not join the Rowing Foundation and support Chad’s Boat Club today, and help continue a fine College tradition.

(Further details are available of the Alumni section of the College website: www.dur.ac.uk/StChads/ alumni).

St Chad’s College – Twenty Years On Alex Standish (St Chad’s Alumni Association) One of the most frequent questions I’m asked by Chad’s alumni from my own generation (1982-1986) is the extent to which the College has changed over those twenty or so years. A surprisingly high number have not yet made a return visit, although there is clear interest in the changes that have taken place over the past two decades.

At a superficial level, any Chadsman of my generation (and they are all Chadsmen as the College did not admit its first women undergraduates until 1988) will probably be pleasantly surprised by the much higher standards of repair and decoration around the College buildings. Although many of us may have amusing stories to tell of the late ‘Geordie Bob’ and his intrepid maintenance team, it is also clear that far better facilities are required these days, both for reasons of health and safety, as well as to satisfy the higher expectations of today’s student body. Even the old lino on the floors of Main College has given way to polished stone and, upstairs, wall to wall carpeting.

Much remains familiar, however. The JCR looks much the same as it did back in the early 80s, although the Candlemass murals have long since been painted over. New additions include vending machines and a widescreen television with satellite channels. There are also many more comfortable chairs!

The dining hall has been repainted with a different colour scheme, but the familiar portraits of past Principals - since augmented by the addition of paintings of Fr Ron Trounson (1978-1989); Prof David Jasper (1989-1991) and Eric Halliday (19911994) – remain in place. Formals now take place only twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays), compared to the six per week of the 1980s and early 1990s, but the rituals, wearing of gowns and the Latin graces would be instantly recognisable to anyone from that era.

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However, there have been major improvements in the quality of student accommodation. Most first years still share rooms, but nowadays many of these have en suite bath or shower facilities and the College is now fully wired for computer access. The rooms on the first floor of Main College are now used as offices for College staff and the old first floor communal bathroom has since served as a seminar room before becoming the Principal’s study earlier this term.

Of course, for Chadsmen of the early 1980s (and earlier) the presence of female students in College represents a significant difference. However, having been present during the often heated debates of that era (when the JCR voted in favour of going mixed) I am convinced that this was one of the best decisions made and it is often difficult to recall that St Chad’s once had an all-male student body.

Another major change is that all second year students (and some finalists) now live out in private rented accommodation. This has become inevitable since undergraduate numbers have risen from around 185 in the early 1980s to well over 300 today.

Twenty years ago, the College housed just two resident post-graduates, now Chad’s can offer one of the best equipped post-graduate centres at its Trinity Hall site across Prebends’ Bridge (in what used to be a Durham School boarding house before it was completely remodelled and renovated by the College in 2003).

Computers and a gymnasium There is now a well-equipped computer room on the floor above the JCR and in recent months the old boiler house under the dining hall has been converted into a well-patronised gymnasium (replacing a much smaller facility that had been on the ground floor of Grads for several years). Given that the JCR’s sports provision used not to stretch much beyond a few croquet mallets and the infamous College tandem, it is obvious that there has been a significant expansion in this area.

For those alumni who have visited in the last few years, one of the most noticeable improvements to the buildings has been the covering of the Quad with an impressive glass roof, complete with chandeliers, new paving and a bar facility for social functions. This has transformed what was a dismal, and effectively wasted, space into a well-used venue for College events, drama, music and academic seminars. During the summer term, it also provides

students with a bright, congenial place in which to revise for exams.

At first glance, the College libraries seem much the same as they did in the early 1980s with both the Upper and Lower Libraries in use as study space.

However, plans are well advanced with the building of the new Fenton Library which will provide state of the art library facilities in the hitherto used roof space above Main College. This project is scheduled for completion by St Chad’s Day 2007, although we hope to have it ready even earlier.

Another significant change has taken place in terms of pastoral care provision. In the early 1980s there were few College staff and a limited number of tutors (most of whom were recruited from the University). Most Chadsmen of my generation will remember the obligatory glass of sherry once a term, which was pretty much all the tutorial support most people received. In contrast, present tutors now meet members of their groups at least several times a term and the level of pastoral care is so good that Chad’s now has one of the lowest drop out rates (and highest number of students completing their degrees) of any college in the University.

Candlemas Ball 2005 Most College social events would be instantly familiar to any alumnus from the past quarter of a century. The Candlemas Ball (the final ‘s’ has now been judged redundant) is still the high point in the social calendar and the familiar marquee continues appears on the croquet law. The Easter Term garden party takes place annually (but now with the option of relocating into the covered Quad should the weather prove inclement), while many College sports teams also organise annual dinners.

The Advent Procession remains a major event in the College’s spiritual life and it is always pleasing to welcome a rising number of Chad’s alumni for this service in the Cathedral. Although the College

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Chapel has been redecorated and refurbished regularly over the past couple of decades, the outer structure – and the spirit of worship inside – remains largely unchanged and it is pleasing to report that some services this term have had standing room only and that the College choir is among the best in Durham.

From a distance – and I did not return for Durham for 17 years after I left College – it is often tempting to look back with some nostalgia at the Chad’s of 20 years past. I’m sure that any alumnus who does make a visit will experience much the same emotions on that first journey back. However, looking critically at the severely limited pastoral care of years past, the fact that much of the fabric was crumbling and the student facilities sparse, there is also no doubt that enormous progress has been made, particularly in recent years. Chadsmen of my generation may lament the departure of the College tandem, the absence of Bessie Billingham from the College office and even the infamous fire-hoses on ‘Skid Row’, but I’m sure that few of us would honestly prefer things to have stayed as they were when compared with St Chad’s as it is today.

AS: How did you find the MA course?

TB: The course very interesting, although not easy because of the language barrier, although as the year went on this disappeared. I found the course very useful because it concentrated on the practical side of management which I could compare with my experience as a manager of a transport company in Lithuania.

A Lithuanian at St Chad’s

AS: Favourite things about Durham?

TB: Obviously the beauty and charm of the old city, especially the Cathedral. Small, narrow streets and river banks create a very special atmosphere.

Although Vilnius has many ancient building protected by UNESCO, my own town Klaipeda, was destroyed during the Second World War so it’s now fairly modern. Durham is a very small city and everything is within walking distance and you meet people you know everyday.

Alex Standish interviews Tomas Bieliauskas This year, St Chad’s has welcomed its first postgraduate student from Lithuania and its first international rugby player.

Tomas, who plays regularly for one of Lithuania’s top rugby clubs has also been capped five times for his country. He plays both for the Chad’s College rugby squad and for Durham City RFC. In June 2005 he was named as Chad’s Rugby Club player of the year.

AS: So why Durham?

TB: I decided to make a move in my career and I needed to get a degree. After Lithuania joined the EU new opportunities opened for us to study abroad with lower costs. I knew that Durham was one of the top universities in England, so that made up my mind to apply to study for a Master’s Degree in Management.

AS: How have you enjoyed life at the College?

TB: I’m very happy that I joined the smallest and most friendly college in Durham. It has a great spirit.

I’ve been heavily involved in college sport, playing rugby and basketball for Chad’s teams.

AS: What do you think of Chad’s traditions?

TB: The traditions here are very different from ours. We don’t have anything like the traditions at Durham University. The collegiate system makes it very special and it’s incredible that it has managed to preserve as much as it has. Wearing gowns and attending formal dinners is a very different experience for me. I knew nothing about this and it was very confusing at the beginning, but it has been great to experience all this – and great fun!

AS: Least favourite things about Durham or the UK? TB: There are some tensions between students, particularly foreign students, and some members of the local community. In the University I felt welcome as a foreigner, but not always by the local people. The North East isn’t a very international region, although this may change now that the countries of eastern Europe have joined the European Union and more people are coming to the UK to work, so hopefully this may change. There are also some economic roots to these problems because maybe some local people aren’t happy about foreigners coming here and taking jobs. However, as

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more people from the North East get to travel abroad themselves, these attitudes many change.



Tom Dillon is in his third season at fly-half for the Durham University 1st XV Rugby Team.

AS: How did you find rugby in Durham?

TB: I’m heavy involved in rugby in Durham, both as a member of the College team and as a full member of Durham City Rugby Club – this is the strongest club in the County and one of the most successful in the North East. The team was promoted last year to the North 2 East division. I’m playing most for the 2nd XV, but I hope I’ll earn a permanent place in the 1st XV.



Fresher Guy House has won a place in the Durham University 2nd XI Hockey Team.



Matt Land has played for the University Colleges’ Rugby squad.



Matt Lund represents the University at Archery and is social secretary of DUAC.



Ben Noble has played for the University Colleges’ Rugby squad.



Jamie Waldegrave rows for Durham University Boat Club (2nd VIII). He won gold in the BUSA Regatta at Nottingham in May 2005, rowing in the Lightweight Men’s Quad (coxless four).



Adam Wallace is Commodore (President) of the Durham University Sailing Club.

AS: Have you enjoyed playing for the College?

TB: I’m a member of the College squad, normally playing inside centre, but unfortunately my work commitments prevent me training with Chad’s. As I also play for Durham City, I have to miss some of the weekend games. It’s also good to play with Chad’s and the team won the Division One trophy last season and is working hard to succeed in the university Premiership this year.

AS: What are your plans after you graduate in January 2006?

TB: My plan is to find work relevant to my degree, but this isn’t so easy. If I don’t find something suitable in the UK by about the middle of next year, I’ll have to return to Lithuania and perhaps work for my family’s firm or maybe start my own business.

However, I hope I can learn some good business practices here and then take that experience back home in the future. I really enjoy living here as I’ve made lots of friends and it does feel almost like home now.

Sports News University Sport 2005 

Fresher Ben Cooper has played for the University College’s Rugby squad and has been scouted for the Durham County Under 21s.



Fresher Tom Cox has won a place in the Durham Cricket Academy.



Matt Davis is Rear-Commodore of the Durham University Sailing Club.

Shooting for the University Matt Lund (University Archer) Aside from St Chad’s students representing the College at University level in more traditional sports, such as rugby, cricket and hockey, Chadsmen and Chadswomen take part in a far wider range of sporting activities than might be realised.

Matt Lund is a 4th year earth scientist who represents Chad’s as a member of the Durham University Archery Club (DUAC). He contributed this insight into shooting for the University.

The Durham University Archery Club is fairly large and we have lots of novices who started this year. There are around 20 regular members and up to 50 or more novices. We shoot four times a week – outdoor in the summer term – and also teach pupils at local schools. In order to compete as a serious archer, you do need lots of practice. You can use any type of bow (except the cross-bow, which is considered too dangerous), but I prefer to shoot with a long bow.

I’ve been shooting since last year and I’m now

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part of the University team. Archery is less elitist than some other sports because anyone can compete. At present there are around half a dozen Chad’s students involved and although I did some shooting before I came to Durham, this has been my first opportunity to shoot competitively. I’ve competed in the North East Universities Archery League (I won the indoor competition) and in the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) outdoor shoot in which I came 5th overall and 1st in the novice class.

We are lucky because the University Club has plenty of equipment and membership fees are very reasonable – around £20 per year. Buying your own bow doesn’t come cheap – a longbow can cost £200, while an Olympic standard bow can easily cost many hundreds of pounds more. I make my own arrows at around £1.30 each, but a flash carbon fibre version might cost £10.

We practice at Maiden Castle sports centre and given that we shoot lethal weapons at long distances, it is a very safe sport. When we are shooting outdoors in the summer, we occasionally have to take a break when joggers pass by the butts.

So why did I choose archery? It’s fun and it doesn’t hurt as much as rugby – I trained with the rugby squad last year and managed to get a perforated eardrum! It’s good to the upper body strength, but it’s not exactly a high fitness sport.

I’m on the University Archery Club executive as social secretary and my biggest achievement to date has been persuading 25 members to attend a social event in a Durham pub all dressed as Robin Hood…

You can find out more about the Club and its activities online at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/ archery.club

earnest with matches against Cuth’s and Stephenson.

Unfortunately, a medley of freak injuries hit the side just 48 hours before our first game. A broken collarbone for our left back (unlucky, Ali Gordon) was quickly followed by injuries to both centre backs. Nick remains the only player in Chad’s history to miss two games through a glowstickrelated malady. Despite the sterling work of the reserve players, our makeshift side was beaten by both Cuth’s and Stephenson. Not the best of starts.

However, in the next two games, the good old Chad’s spirit kicked in. Our first win came against Hild Bede, and what a win! The support surely exceeded several thousand, and they were glad they came, seeing a rejuvenated side emerging 4-1 winners. A lesser-known Scottish striker bagged three goals in that game, by the way.

The penultimate match of the term saw us pitted against another of Hild Bede’s XIs (I hear they have several hundred) and despite being 2-1 down at half time, the team came back to win 3-2. A special mention must go to the coolness of ‘Gorgeous’ George Dowse-Brenan, who stuck away the winner from the spot, as well as his midfield partner Tom Cox who equalised from 20. The whole team showed great resilience in this fixture, and it leaves us with a great chance of promotion.

Women’s Football

Men’s Football

Becky Casement (Captain)

Sam Baker and Chris Green (Captains) At this year’s Freshers’ Sports Fair, Sam and I (the two captains with wide grins and dodgy hairdos) were pleasantly surprised to see so many Freshers showing an interest in our humble team: here would be a season to savour, we thought. After a few training sessions and a friendly against Hatfield (organised after a chance meeting with their captain down the pub) we began our season in

In common with most of other field sports teams, Chad’s women’s football have had a season notable for the lack of matches played rather than consistently outstanding performances. Despite the frustration caused by the twin enemies of heavy frost and torrential rain, we have managed to cram in some great performances.

We began the year with many new recruits from the second and third year and as term has progressed we have also managed to recruit some great Freshers. The inexperience of the team showed in our first two matches, as did a lack of fitness, but

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with the help of two great coaches from the men’s team things have changed. A gutsy performance against Castle resulted in a 2-2 draw and a very strong team effort against Collingwood brought us our first win of the season, much to our delight and that of our committed supporters!

It was at this point that the weather took a turn for the worse, leaving us all hungry for more matches, particularly the new Freshers who have yet to play a competitive match. We look forward to the Epiphany Term 2006, with the most daunting (but exciting) prospect being our third round match in the Trophy. This is the furthest the women’s football team has progressed in recent history (although it must be said that we are there rather by default as we were granted a bye in the first round and the opposition were a no-show in the second).

Nevertheless, we relish the challenge and look forward to hopefully playing a few more matches next term – weather permitting!

Men’s Hockey Justin Leslie & Charlie Arber (Captains)

Men’s Rugby Jake Motion (Captain) Following last season’s spectacular run of wins (and no defeats) in DUAU Division One and our winning of the Unilever Plate, we always expected that there would be a significant difference in the standard of rugby played in the University Premiership.

However, having aimed at promotion for two years, it is proving a challenge to be relished.

We currently have one of the larger rugby squads – around 25 regular members – and we were particularly pleased to welcome ten enthusiastic Freshers in October. Training has increased in intensity and there is now a focus on taking tactical play well beyond the basics required for games in Division One.

St Chad’s Men’s Hockey Club has progressed from strength to strength in the last few years, largely due to a relaxed approach, which provides not only the ideal opportunity to newcomers interested in playing a new sport, but a team spirit which, this season in particular, has helped to build a strong platform for the future.

Men’s Hockey 2004-2005 Squad The men’s team currently plays in the First Division, with real possibilities of gaining promotion into the DUAU Premiership for the 2006-07 season, as we are currently top of the league table. Results of matches played to date were: a 1-0 win against St Mary’s (which now has a Men’s team); a 2-1 win against Trevs; a 1-1 draw against St John’s and a 2-1 victory over Cuths.

The season started with a tough game against Castle which despite Chad’s scoring the first points off a penalty ended with a string of injuries – including the captain – and a disappointing 21-3 defeat. However, despite carrying a mounting number of casualties, we still managed to win the second game of the Michaelmas Term with a pleasing 20-7 victory over Trev’s (the team that pipped us at the post for promotion in the last game of the 2003-2004 season). Having won three vital league points for this game has placed Chad’s 7th out of the ten teams in this year’s Premiership with four games played.

Taking on the mighty Hild Bede (A) squad – currently up at the top of the division – was always a daunting prospect, but with around six key players

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out with injury, the battle was even more uneven.

Although our opponents may have been hoping for a triple figure score, Chad’s defended heroically and managed to hold the Bede victory down to 57-0!

Sadly, the inclement weather has led to our first match of the Durham City Floodlit competition being postponed no less than three times. However, we hope to at least equal our 2004 achievement when we won a place in the final of the Plate competition. The Club’s annual tour to Prague will take place in March 2006 and a squad of 21 players are scheduled to play matches against two Czech sides.

Obituaries

Michael Vaughan George Prentice 1962 -2005 (Chad’s 1981-1984) It was with deep sadness that we learned of the unexpected death of Vaughan Prentice in Singapore in May 2005. A memorial reunion dinner is being organised at the College on 1 July 2006 (see details below).

Women’s Rugby Romaine Butler (Captain) Having spent a year learning the ropes in the University Women’s rugby premiership, St Chad’s College Women’s Rugby Club has enjoyed unprecedented (and somewhat unexpected!) success this season, with victories against Trevelyan, Hild Bede (B), Collingwood and Van Mildert colleges.

Would anyone have expected that a team that had festered at the bottom of the league, without a single victory last season, would reach the dizzy heights of being the most successful sporting team in Chad’s this year?

Such achievements would not have been possible without the support and dedication of our coaches: James ‘Diesel’ Newton, Matt ‘Bob’ Holdstock, Will Roger, George Hodge (and of course Ben and Jerry).

The boys’ support, combined with the enthusiasm of new players, the experience of the veterans and the raucous cheers of our many supporters (including team mascot Beccy Gale) have made the team a delight to captain.

The following appreciation has been contributed by Vaughan’s sister Julia Davies.

Vaughan’s family and friends have been deeply saddened by his loss for he was simply the best: the best of sons, the best of brothers, the best of uncles and, for so many, the best of friends.

Since being a small boy Vaughan had wanted to be a soldier and he spent many hours exploring the woods behind his house in Bathford and later running through them with a heavy backpack. He enjoyed his time at Wells Cathedral School and was honoured to become Head Boy. He spent the early 1980s as a student at St Chad’s, where he made many close friends. I visited him for a weekend in 1981 and was woken in the night. I looked out at the impressive façade of Durham Cathedral in the moonlight and was surprised to see a familiar figure. Yes - it was Vaughan abseiling down the Cathedral tower!

After leaving St Chad’s Vaughan went to Sandhurst and then to Hong Kong where he served with the 10th Gurkha Rifles. He loved the Far East and held many interesting posts including ADC to General Sir Garry Johnson. Vaughan had a great affection for the Gurkhas and for their country.

After a short spell in London and a foray into the world of banking Vaughan was glad to return to the Far East in 1995. He was delighted to be back with the Gurkhas in the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force. He worked in Operations, Training and Logistics, being responsible for security operations around Singapore and for the training

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and administration of 450 Gurkhas.

Sport and healthy living was always important to Vaughan and he took part in all sorts of activities from diving to triathlon. Whilst in Singapore Vaughan discovered his passion for the Japanese defensive martial art of Aikido. He practised this to a high level and devoted much time to it. He taught many classes and his students had the greatest regard for him.

Vaughan was brave and courageous, but he was also gentle and modest. He was charming and good company with his own inimitable sense of humour and he had that rare ability to be able to laugh at himself. Vaughan was truly kind and compassionate.

He led a thoughtful, simple life uncluttered by material things. Possessions meant little to him but people, his friends and his family meant so much.

Vaughan had a special gift for friendship and his wide circle of friends of many nationalities around the world is a testament to that.

When my sister Katie and I went to Singapore at the end of May we were overwhelmed by the number of people who were devastated by the loss of Vaughan. Eight hundred Gurkhas attended a moving ceremony during which they each showed their love and respect for him. We were invited to a special Aikido display in Vaughan’s honour and along with many friends we attended his funeral service where Vaughan was commended to God’s eternal loving care.

In June family and friends gathered from far and wide in Tetbury for a memorial service for Vaughan.

It has been a great comfort for my parents, Katie and I to know how much he was loved and that so many others share our grief and sadness. Vaughan certainly made an impression on everyone he met and those who met him never forgot him. He will live on in all our hearts and we will cherish his memory forever.

Vaughan Prentice Reunion Dinner – Saturday 1 July 2006 Andrew Duffield (St Chad’s 1981-84) If you were an undergraduate at St Chad’s in or around 1984 you will have been particularly upset to learn of the sad and untimely death of Vaughan Prentice (81-84), who tragically took his own life earlier this year while resident in Singapore.

In June, along with a number of former Chadsmen, I attended a memorial service for

Vaughan at St Mary's Church in Tetbury, near his parents’ home. Conversation among the alumni afterwards revealed a common desire to make an effort to meet more regularly, rather than wait for another tragic event to provide the occasion. It seemed appropriate that we should try to convene at St Chad’s, possibly even annually, and hence the reason for me writing to you now.

I would like to invite all former Chadsmen who may have known Vaughan, and indeed any graduates from the early 1980s, to the first Vaughan Prentice Reunion Dinner on the evening of Saturday 1 July 2006 at St Chad’s. The College has very kindly offered to provide overnight accommodation and breakfast for those who wish to avail themselves of this in addition to the Dinner, for just £60.

If you would like to meet up with some old acquaintances of a particular vintage, compare bald patches and drink a toast to the memory of Mr Prentice, then I'd be delighted to hear from you. I know Vaughan will be with us there in spirit and his parents have very kindly given this event their blessing too.

Please email me via chadsreunion@aol.com, to express interest only for now, so that numbers can be gauged and the wine merchants alerted. I look forward to hearing from you soon and to contacting you again in due course with further details.

Revd Fr Colin Ryland

By Revd Michael Brydon Colin Ryland, who died on 4 August 2005, aged 88, always joked that he was ordained late in life because the smell of incense on his beard had put off his first selection panel. Later selectors were more broadminded, and made it possible for him to exercise a devoted priestly ministry of just over 40 years.

After his school days, he worked in the City before joining the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He lined the processional route for George V's silver jubilee, and later did wartime service in North Africa. While overseas, he was captured and imprisoned until the end of hostilities. He always made light of his many medals, insisting he had won them in an egg and spoon race.

The painful memories of the suffering, and his clear awareness of the plight of those who had been handicapped during the war, subsequently led him to train as a physiotherapist in Glasgow. It was while there that he met Yvonne, his future wife.

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Married ordinands were still a great novelty at the start of the 1960s, but this did not prevent Fr Arthur Couratin's accepting him for training at St Stephen's House, Oxford. There was, however, a shortage of accommodation; so he found himself living behind the frosted-glass windows of the austere Cowley Fathers' monastery in east Oxford. Both of these experiences consolidated in him the rhythm of prayer, meditation and worship, which was the bedrock of his priesthood.

He began his ministry in the diocese of Exeter, at Plymstock, where he recalled how he was expected to wear his cassock even to go paddling with the Sunday school. Subsequently, he moved to Wellingborough, where, as well as running a thriving parish, he found time to be the visiting chaplain to a young offenders' institution. When he retired to Durham, he successfully continued his prison ministry.

During his Durham days, he also became a much loved tutor and assistant chaplain at St Chad's College. He was a universal father-figure to both students and staff, and offered wise counsel and support to any who needed it. In the chapel, he was wisely indulgent of the more precious foibles of some of the devotees, and, as student-loans officer, did his best to bring the scheme down by giving away as much money as possible. He and his wife Yvonne kept open house to students, and invitations to tea and scones were much sought after. Many priestly vocations from that university owe much to his gentle nurturing.

If all this was not enough, he continued to plug the gap during many a parish vacancy, attend book and lecture classes, maintain a vast correspondence, tour the local area, and see as much as possible of his family. He was a real family man, and thought the world of his three children and many grandchildren. They in turn reciprocated his affection, and the way they all wanted to take part musically in his requiem is testimony to that.

All of us who knew him give thanks for his life and his ministry.

(This obituary first appeared in The Church Times and has been used with permission of the author) It was lovely to see so many people associated with St Chad’s College at Fr Colin’s Requiem Mass at St Margaret’s Church, Durham. Fr Patrick Kent officiated and James Randle played the Organ. Other members of staff and alumni were in the congregation.

Alumni Merchandise The St Chad’s College Alumni tie is available from the College. The tie is 100% silk and is royal blue with the College coat of arms in silver.

It is the ideal accessory for any College or Alumni event.

The tie costs £14.99 (including postage & packing).

For College Alumni who prefer an alternative symbol, we offer a sterling silver St Chad’s Cross on a neck chain. The cross has been designed in the Isle of Man by Celtic Venture, is 15mm square and comes in its own presentation box.

The cross also costs £14.99 (including postage & packing).

The Saint Chad's College Foundation Journal for 2005 (Volume II, No 1) is currently available. The Journal is distributed free to Patrons and Members of The St Chad’s College Foundation, while non-members can order copies at £6.99 (including postage).

Orders for any of these items can be placed with the College’s Development Office and cheques should be made payable to ‘St Chad’s College’. We are currently in discussion with Grey and Son, the University Outfitters, to offer a wider range of College merchandise.

Please contact the College for further details.

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Educational Familiarisation Conference

CONFERENCES & PILGRIMAGES AT ST CHAD’S

A CELEBRATION OF CELTIC CHRISTIANITY Monday 17th – 24th July 2006 St Chad’s College will welcome clergy, teachers and lay leaders from all over the world for this week-long introduction to Celtic themes and Christian roots in the North East of England.

The subsidised Educational Familiarisation Tour is aimed at providing you with enough material to lead your own group in the future.

We will guide you to many famous sites across the North East of England, so that in future you might consider leading your own group to visit this historical region.

Tour Highlights

There is a fascinating history behind the North East of England, and the region and has a wealth of significant sites that we will explore.

During your time you will visit places such as Holy Island, York, Lastingham and Monkwearmouth, sites enriched with Celtic meaning and Christian history. You will also benefit from the knowledge of the staff of St.Chad’s College, who will bring what you see to life through lectures and workshops. You will hear about Aidan, Bede, Cuthbert and Hilda and their struggle to bring Christianity into the pagan world of Northumbria.

The Leader, the Revd Rob Marshall is an experienced pilgrimage leader having led groups to the Holy Land, Turkey and Rome.

He is an author of a number of books and regular presenter on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day. For further details please contact the College’s Commercial Director, James Randle (j.d.randle@durham.ac.uk or 0191 334 3344).

The days are gone when the College could survive on government funding alone.

Hence, during the vacations, we open our doors to conference trade. Through conferences the College is able to generate significant funds which are used to fund our building and renovation projects.

If you are a member of an organisation or an academic body that holds conferences and meetings, please consider using St Chad’s College as your venue. Our rates are very attractive and the College can cater for all conference needs. You would also be supporting your College financially by bringing your business to us!

Situated directly opposite Durham Cathedral, St Chad’s College is an ideal base for a pilgrimage to the many sites of Celtic North East England.

The College has considerable experience in organising pilgrimages on behalf of visiting groups, and can do so to suit any particular length of stay and budget. In addition to the Cathedral itself, which contains the tombs of St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede, Durham is ideally suited for visits to many of the other key sites in the region including Lindisfarne, Jarrow and Hexham.

If your parish, organisation, or school group is interested in visiting the North East for a retreat or pilgrimage, we would be delighted if you chose to make St Chad’s your base. We can either lead your pilgrimage for you and arrange visits to important sites or leave the design of your itinerary up to you. Our full board rates are very competitive, and we can cater for any group large or small.

To enquire about arranging a conference or pilgrimage at St Chad’s, please contact James Randle by email j.d.randle@durham.ac.uk or telephone 0191 334 3344, or take a look at the College’s website.

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The Chadsian aims to keeps our alumni in touch with the College and with each other. It is published twice a year by St Chad’s College, Durham.

News, articles and photographs to be considered for inclusion in The Chadsian should be sent to The Development Office, St Chad’s College, Durham, DH1 3RH. Fax: 0191 334 3371.

E-mail: chads.development@durham.ac.uk

DIARY DATES 2006 January Mon 16

February Wed 1 7.00 pm: Eve of Presentation Eucharist, College Chapel.

This edition of The Chadsian and all future issues will be made available on the Alumni section of the College’s website. If you would prefer to read The Chadsian online, please contact the Development Office with your e-mail address and, rather than send you a paper edition, we will notify you when the next edition is online for you to enjoy.

Fri 3 March Wed 1 Thu 2

Name: Fri 3

Sat 4

E-mail:

UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM 18 North Bailey • Durham • DH1 3RH Tel: 0191 334 3358 • Fax: 0191 334 3371

chads.development@durham.ac.uk

http://www.durham.ac.uk/StChads

St Chad’s Day and Northern Reunion:

Southern Reunion, Royal Commonwealth Society, 18 Northumberland Avenue, London SW1:

11.00 am: Eucharist at St Matthew’s Church, Westminster 12.30 pm: Buffet Lunch at St Matthew’s clergy house

Mon 6

5.15 pm: College Choir sings evensong, Durham Cathedral.

Fri 17

Epiphany Term ends.

April Mon 24

Easter Term begins

June Fri 23

Easter Term ends

Tue 27 Weds 28 Thurs 29 Fri 30

University Congregations University Congregations University Congregations University Congregations

Years attended St Chad’s College:

SAINT CHAD’S COLLEGE

7.00 pm: Ash Wednesday service, College Chapel.

4.30 pm: Meeting of the St Chad’s College Foundation 6.00 pm: Southern Reunion reception

Postcode: Telephone:

Candlemas Ball

12.00 pm :College Run around Palace Green.

4.00 pm: Meeting of the St Chad’s College Foundation in the SCR. 5.30 pm: Festival evensong, College Chapel.

7.15 pm: Principal’s Feast.

Please remember to inform us if your contact details change, either by returning to the form below or emailing the Development Office.

Address:

Epiphany Term begins

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