The Ship 2019 – 2020 St Anne’s College Record 2019 – 2020 • Number 109 • Annual Publication of the St Anne’s Society www.st-annes.ox.ac.uk 1 Contents Editorial: Judith Vidal-Hall 2 Jill Rutter: Migration 49 From the SAS President: Stella Charman 3 Sister Frances Benedicta: Oxford Letter 52 From the Principal: Helen King 4 SAS Branch Reports 54 H Salisbury: Should Doctors Take Sides? 62 COVID 19: WHAT WE DID UNDER LOCKDOWN: Sarah James-Short: Estranged in Oxford 64 a range of pieces from students trapped in College From the JCR: Joseph B Murphy 67 to inventions and doctors on the frontline JCR Amy Langer, Women’s Rep: Appeal for Memoirs 69 Shivani Chauhan 7 E Longrigg: Memoir 70 Hannah Dafforn 9 E Morgan: Memoir 73 Jessica Still 11 From the MCR: Lise Cazzoli 75 Will van Noordt 13 Student News: Results 77 Diane Ackerley: ‘Exovent’ – a Breath of Life 14 College News 80 C Kiire: Doctor on the Front Line: 18 Fellows’ news 85 Robert Stagg: What do we Mean by ‘Normal’? 21 Bonnie Chau: 594 Ways of Reading Jane Eyre 88 Alumnae Publications 91 Hadley Freeman: Graduation Moments 22 No Going Back: A Holocaust Story - Anna Patrick 94 100 YEARS OF DEGREES FOR WOMEN Alumnae news 97 St Anne’s College Record 2019-2020 Bristol and West Branch – Eve Phillips Front and back covers: © St Anne’s From The Ship 1919/1920 24 Gilia Slocock: St Anne Teaching the Virgin 98 Number 109 Annual Publication of the Cambridge Branch – Sarah Beeson-Jones archive collection. October 1920: Clare White: ‘Degrees by Degrees’ 27 St Anne’s Society (formerly known as the London Branch – Clare Dryhurst first degree ceremonies for women Alumnae Weekend and Feedback Request 99 Midlands Branch – Michele Gawthorpe Senia Paseta: Why Did it all Take so Long? 32 Association of Senior Members) In Memoriam 100 North East Branch – David Royal Inside back cover: North West Branch – Lizzie Gent Obituaries 101 Committee 2019-2020 © St Anne’s archive collection. From the Development Office: Edwin Drummond 39 Oxford Branch – Hugh Sutherland President – Stella Charman 1906: Home students take to the water Donations 113 South of England Branch – Stella Charman Libby Purves: Whither the BBC 41 Vice President – Hugh Sutherland Honorary Treasurer – Mary Martin Sian Lawrence: Extinction Rebellion 45 Honorary Editor – Judith Vidal-Hall P Farmer: XR, The Grannies’ View 47 Ex Officio – Helen King 2 www.st-annes.ox.ac.uk From the Editor From the SAS President JUDITH VIDAL-HALL ‘Lord! How empty the streets are Despite everything, they came forward career there while speculating on its A year of challenges and how melancholy … Jealous of with ideas and contributions: from the future as a national public broadcaster; STELLA CHARMAN every door that one sees shut up, centre-piece of this issue – the granting an activist granny from Extinction It’s not been the easiest of years harder to put it into practice. Before the existing lest it should be the plague; and of degrees to women – to the memories Rebellion makes the case for the older about us two shops in three, if for our new SAS president, but she coronavirus entered our lives we had ones such as of some themselves approaching their generation alongside the challenges not more, generally shut up,’ says looks ahead undaunted with plans begun to make progress, with an initial participation own century, by way of some refreshing thrown down by a younger member; Samuel Pepys in his Diary for 1665. for a renewed SAS focus on The Ship itself. This has always in the careers news from contemporary students and Jill Rutter reminds us that immigration This past year, my first as President of been an important way in which the SAS network, CV Following Pepys’ lead, I had thought to graduates trapped in College during is not going away any time soon but the St Anne’s Society, has been nothing has linked alumnae with the College and clinics and begin my editorial for this issue of The lockdown, plus inspiring accounts is likely to increase as refugees from less than extraordinary – and not in a illustrated our collective contribution fundraising Ship with a gloomy appraisal of the hard of a doctor working on the front line poorer countries flee the impact of the good way. Like so many members of to knowledge about the world. With a initiatives. The College is facing a times our present plague has created for throughout the pandemic and another spreading plague. our worldwide community of alumnae, circulation of 9,000, The Ship is widely challenging time ahead and needs the University, our College in particular who spent her time working with And finally: an appeal from Amy Langer, the newly elected SAS Committee has praised and valued. This year we have our support to survive and thrive. It and the world generally. With regrets colleagues on the invention of a new- women’s representative for the JCR. had to place its plans and aspirations on confirmed our commitment to keeping would be greatly helped by a more for the absence of several ‘normal’ – but style ventilator. Our members have yet She is supervising the collection of hold for the time being. Nevertheless, it as a printed document, but also to active body of alumnae, working within check what we should understand by again delivered in infinite variety, from memoirs from former students to form some progress has been possible and developing an interactive online version local communities and alongside OUS this word in Robert Stagg’s illuminating the extraordinary travels of Jane Eyre to a long overdue College archive. See her the ‘new normal’ offers a number of we hope will encourage younger readers colleagues, to widen participation in piece – columns, in particular the the inspiring story of a current student. message and respond, please, before it to read it and all alumnae to keep in the top quality education offered by ever popular Russell Taylor with his opportunities to re-frame and re-boot 1920 was the year the University finally is too late! touch with comments, suggestions and Oxford and specifically to raise the inimitable Alex and the Careers column, the SAS! decided to grant degrees to women, ideas. Sadly we will now be unable to profile of St Anne’s among aspiring both victims of these turbulent times. My thanks to Jay Gilbert, who manages In last year’s Ship, Hugh Sutherland, who who, despite almost half-a-century of deliver on this aspiration until 2021. potential students. We want to generate communications in the Development was then President of the SAS, reflected But on second thoughts, and bearing in sitting finals and gaining firsts, had been a dialogue about this with as many Office. Though this is her first full on its role and purpose, and suggested A second aim for this year was to grow mind what Daniel Defoe implies in his denied the privilege of officially taking of you as possible and, paradoxically, experience of putting The Ship together, it was time to rethink its mission. So our an active Branch of the SAS in the Journal of the Plague Year (1722) – that their degrees. Our invaluable librarian coronavirus restrictions may assist us she rose above my demands and was first task following the 2019 AGM was North East of England in support of the plague was characterised more by Clare White and Professor of Modern in reaching out more widely via online invaluable in getting this to you while to reformulate our purpose in the light College’s outreach activity and the ‘Aim fortitude and resilience than by mob History, Senia Paseta, celebrate this, platforms. With the ‘Meeting Minds’ working from home. of the outcome of the St Anne’s ‘2025 for Oxford’ programme. However, our behaviour – it seemed more appropriate accompanied by excerpts from the Alumni weekend now going entirely Conversation’, and to align our activity plans for a launch event in April had to to begin with a heartfelt expression of 1920 issue of The Ship, then in its tenth Judith Vidal-Hall (Bunting 1957) digital and global in September, our more closely to that of the College as be cancelled, but we will return to this thanks to all those who have contributed year. The feelings of satisfaction and 2020 AGM will likewise be available to a whole: 'to engage St Anne’s alumnae in the coming year and would love to to the issue to make it so much jubilation at this long-awaited right are you in your own home and I hope will all over the world with the College in its hear from any alumnae in the area who more than my grim expectations had evident in its pages, excerpts from which mark a new beginning for the SAS with aspiration to understand the world and would be willing to join this enterprise. supposed. As Camus expressly says in La we include here. its updated role and purpose. Please change it for the better'. Peste (1947): ‘What's true of all the evils More broadly, we have also begun to make contact and join in! Among many outstanding pieces, Libby in the world is true of the plague as well. However, it is relatively easy to express explore ways in which alumnae can Purves, long-time reporter, presenter Stella Charman (Rees 1975) It helps men to rise above themselves.’ something in the abstract, rather actively support College, beyond the and host at the BBC, reflects on her own 4 www.st-annes.ox.ac.uk www.st-annes.ox.ac.uk 5 From the Principal From the Principal to review and develop our plans.