Issue 2 | Spring 2015 Where are they now? Queens’ first female Blue (Page 2) Page 6 Page 10 Page 18 Page 19 Mairi Hurrell retires Getting into Queens’ Test your maths Global Queens’ 2 THE BRIDGE | SPRING 2015 Dr Amma Kyei- Mensah (1980) Then: First female Blue at Queens’ and first Queens’ female to captain a University team (Athletics, 1982). Welcome… Still holds the Queens’ 100m Hurdles We were delighted to hear that record she set in 1981. many of you feel better informed Now: Consultant Obstetrician & about Queens’ having read the Gynaecologist; Fellow of the Higher first edition of the Bridge and, as Education Academy; Member of the ever, we welcome your feedback. NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening Programme Advisory Our new College website launched Group. in October: you can find the latest news and events on our alumni Lead Developer of Royal College of section, plus details of cutting edge Obstetricians and Gynaecologists research by Fellows and students. national guideline on the management of thalassaemia in pregnancy. Has two children, aged 14 and 8. Where are they now? Why Queens’? I took part in a mixed touch rugby match as I particularly wanted to go to a College that an introduction to sporting life at Queens’. was newly recruiting women. I thought It was meant to be a friendly game with no Victoria Thompson (1995), I had something different to offer: I had hard tackles. Because I was a fast runner, above left, is our new Deputy good grades and was already very active the men had to stretch hard for the tackles Development Director. She manages in sport. I visited Cambridge and looked with less control and I remember hitting the the legacy programme (Arthur at Downing and Queens’ and was struck ground really hard. I decided then and there Armitage Society), the Business by the beauty and friendly atmosphere that rugby would be a spectator sport for Contacts Scheme and the Friends of of Queens’. In December 1979, I was me! I also took part in rowing at The Bumps Queens’ Music, among other things. visiting Nigeria when my Cambridge but I wasn’t too happy with the blisters on Marisa Sutherland-Brown, above results came through – my Mum had to my hands - we tried everything back then. right, who joined last summer, accept my place at Queens’ for me! manages The 1448 Society (regular giving), the Telephone Campaign Max Bull and the Bridge publication, as well First impressions Max Bull was my Director of Studies and he as our website and social media. I read Medical Sciences. I came up to was marvellous. He encouraged me in my Queens’ from Cheltenham Ladies’ College studies and my sport. The medical course The Bridge continues to be a with fellow pupils Sally Boyle and Heather was fairly rigorous - I certainly remember publication focused on alumni and Claridge. It was a boarding school, so being a more demanding timetable compared to is designed to be a transparent away from home wasn’t too much of a friends reading History! I still had a good account of the challenges facing shock to me. 29 women were admitted time - I definitely worked, but I played Queens’ as well as its successes. in that first year and I made some close even harder. Through sports and college Please send us any updates, friendships. I have very fond memories life I gained an eclectic group of friends including news of marriages, births, of my two “Academic Fathers”, Alistair containing many non-medics; I’ve really career progress and awards. Email Lammie (1979) and Mike Taylor (1979) – benefited from that. [email protected]. also medical students. They were very kind, showed us round and helped us settle in. Please remember you are welcome Cuppers glory at Queens’ at any time as members I still remember the Chaplain telling us that I captained the first Queens’ Ladies of the College. Do let us know in we’d been brought in to ‘attract a different Athletics Team in 1981. We didn’t have advance when you are visiting and sort of male undergraduate; one who might enough members to form a full team so we we can help with arrangements. prefer to drink orange juice in the bar, combined with Selwyn and won Cuppers at but would have been intimidated by the our first attempt! After the win, we clustered The Alumni & Development Office previous all-male atmosphere’. shyly at the far end of the bar, well away 3 from the men. The rugby captain, Steve Horrocks (1977), cheerfully congratulated us on our first trophy for Queens’ women and invited us down to the other end for celebratory drinks. As a novice drinker, when asked to choose a drink I simply repeated the preceding order placed by my friends. The trend continued all night with the inevitable disastrous mixing of many alcoholic beverages - I can only remember the last one - a martini. To this day I can’t face a martini! Blues I gained my first Cambridge Athletics Blue in 1981. This was fortunate timing: every four years, the Achilles Trust sponsors a Transatlantic Athletics Tour involving a combined Oxbridge team against several Ivy League Universities including Harvard and Yale. In 1981 it was Oxbridge’s turn to tour America – a chance to visit some of America’s most prestigious universities. It was my first- ever trip to America and I felt incredibly The CUAC Women’s team captained by Amma lucky to be able to compete against their elite athletes. In 1981 I was very much the at all, as we women had plans for a club I am now a Consultant Obstetrician and baby of the team but felt honoured to be of our own. We waited until women were Gynaecologist, specialising in high-risk involved. It was a fantastic experience. present throughout the College and then pregnancies complicated by maternal founded the Valkyries and the Scorpions medical disorders at a district general I won the Dennler Trophy in 1981 and 1982 in our third year. As the founders, we had hospital in North London. It’s rewarding for Best Female Athlete in the Varsity Match. membership of both clubs but our stated work and I am also heavily involved in In my second year, I had the honour of aim was for the ongoing membership to undergraduate medical teaching. It’s still captaining the Ladies’ Varsity Team (1982). be separate, with sportswomen (Blues pretty tough to get into medical school and Half-Blues) becoming Valkyries and these days but, personally, I think it’s a real I was very surprised to learn I still hold the for the Scorpions to be a dining club. advantage to study medicine at a university Queens’ College best time for 100m Hurdles: because of the increased opportunity to I won in 14.4 seconds on 16 May, 1981. The Back then, the Valkyries’ initiation involved make friends reading other subjects. I really Varsity record is now an impressive 13.86 running to Grantchester and drinking a value the variety and perspective this wider seconds, set in 2007. I also set a long jump mug of mead - not easy. We designed social circle has given me in my life. record in 1983 at 5.57m which stood until ourselves a white scarf with a green emblem 1990. but unfortunately it was made up in a crimplene-type fabric which was not a good In retrospect I unwittingly hurled the shot quite far in a look, so it didn’t last long. I came back in 2001 with several Cuppers match on 28th April 1982. I had contemporaries to celebrate the 21st only volunteered to gain points for the anniversary of women arriving at Queens’ team, so imagine my shock when I threw a After Queens’ and enjoyed a day of lunch and speeches. record distance of 11.34m – it’s still 4th on I had wanted the option to complete Others present were Emma Parkinson, the all-time CUAC list. I didn’t want to be Tripos in two years, as I was keen to study Georgia Kaufmann and Louise Dolman. known for shot putting (remember this was an unrelated subject like Anthropology I had three great years at Queens’ - I have the era of the masculinized East European before embarking on full-time clinical many happy memories and made some female field event athletes). Several old medicine studies. Unfortunately, Local important and lasting friendships. friends have never let me forget my shot Education Authority restraints prevented putt exploits and have teased me constantly that so I took an elective in Physiology over the years, culminating with them instead, studying human reproduction, Other Queens’ alumni awarding me the gift of a blue engraved mainly because the timetable allowed me shot at my 50th birthday party in Rome. to pursue my athletics! The course turned record-holders: out to be fascinating and well taught, Mike Turner (1959) fuelling my later interest in obstetrics and 3000m in 1963 Kangaroos, Valkyries & Scorpions gynaecology. When I gained my Athletics Blue, Douglas Gunstone (1971) the Kangaroos hastily convened an I didn’t stay on to join the brand new 10,000m in 1970 extraordinary general meeting and Addenbrooke’s clinical course, opting Andrew Lill (1989) voted to exclude women from their instead to go to St Bartholomew’s Hospital 800m in 1992 membership indefinitely. I wasn’t fazed Medical School and I qualified in 1986. 4 THE BRIDGE | SPRING 2015 me to apply. My school, Breckfield Community Comprehensive in Liverpool, wasn’t quite the academic hothouse.