Fleur de Lys flashback
1973: A vintage year

To celebrate the 150^th anniversary of Trinity College, each month this year we are going to dive into the time machine and share stories and deliberations of our past students, as recorded in our annual student publication, the Fleur de Lys.

It’s interesting to look back on student reports to see what the issues of the day were and what the student sentiment was at various points in time. This excerpt from the 1973 TCAC report published in the Fleur de Lys points to a ‘quiet’ college, but one readying for a new era as plans to admit women the following year come into play; the end of Robin Sharwood’s wardenship; and a push for increased student input into decision making.

(Note, headings added for readability – it’s a long one!)

It is a salutary exercise to read the TCAC reports of the last few years. Besides the realisation that every committee tackles much the same problems as its predecessor, with varying success, one comes to the firm conclusion that the value of a TCAC report is in the historical record it provides of trends, developments and changes in the life of Trinity, more than in the detailed record of a particular committee’s activities.

Within the framework of this report, I shall try to describe something of the atmosphere and lifestyle of Trinity in 1973, and to point out elements of continuity and change therein.

What outward and visible signs does the college present? It has become increasingly evident that Trinity is going through a quiet period, inasmuch as the question of discipline has become a non-issue, and, superficially at least, the extremes of college ‘character’ have been much less marked than in the past.

Gone, for the moment, are the rowdiest ‘jockers’; gone, too, are the orators whose wit and intellect enlivened both TCAC meetings and the pages of the suggestion book. One mourns their passing, for with them has passed some of the colour of college life; but one does not mourn for long. While some of the overt corporate activity has disappeared, there is an even balance of cultural, social and sporting opportunity in the college, which enables individuals and groups to pursue a wide variety of particular interests without being expected to conform to any kind of college form.

It is significant that the second term dinner, noticeably lacking in the noisy elements of previous years, was felt by many residents to have been the best for many years in a community of diverse interest, the enjoyment of communal activities still occupies a strong place.

Supporting individuality – and lamenting a decline in spectator support

Trinity continues to lead the colleges in the artistic field. Consistently high standards have been maintained by the Music Society, the Dialectic Society and the Dramatic Club, whose activities are detailed elsewhere in the magazine – itself the best of its kind.

This ‘cultural tradition’, like bowls fever in third term, is in large part what distinguishes the Trinity way of life: whatever else may change, every effort must be made to ensure that this element of individuality continues to prosper.

On the sporting arena, Trinity teams showed a marked improvement this year. One is aware that sporting success is largely a function of the number sportsmen who happen to come into residence, but its effect on college morale and confidence is undeniable.

Under the enthusiastic leadership of the Outdoor Rep and the various team captains, we finished well clear in second place in the Cowan Cup – well clear of Ormond in first place but equally well clear of Newman in third. The committee felt that the best way to celebrate a major sporting victory was to supply refreshments at the dinner tables, and this was warmly received.

Spectator support was up on last year, but it is difficult to envisage a return to the state of affairs reported in 1969 when three-quarters of the college stood behind the goals to urge on the footballers. The college has changed too much.

New dinner initiatives – port, coffee and intercollegiate mingling

Under the management of the General Rep, the social year has been one of variety and experimentation. The Club Dinners proved a popular innovation: port and coffee were served at dinner, and the college was addressed on separate occasions by Lord Gardiner, former Lord Chancellor of England; Professor Emeritus R.O. ‘Pansy’ Wright, ‘noted controversialist’; and Professor R.L. Downing, the new chairman of the ABC.

Swap dinners with the women’s colleges were revitalised by the introduction of numerous small sherry parties in place of awkwardly large common-room gatherings: St Hilda’s and Women’s enjoyed the benefits. An ecumenical highlight was the barbecue in St Mary’s courtyard, when the nuns and their charges entertained most of Trinity in lavish style and made one or two conversations.

The inaugural PFE (Pleasant Friday Evening) – a barrel in front of Behan followed by a film in the common room – was held in first term and was reasonably well attended.

On a larger scale, the Ball was a traditional success. Held at Camberwell Civic Centre, it benefited greatly from a vigorous advertising campaign and a return to fixed table bookings. In Orientation Week, Trinity freshers were treated to an exciting and instructive tour of places of interest in the surrounding district, accompanied on the buses by freshers from JCH and Women’s.

That same evening saw the General Rep’s triumph – Trinity was host to the Intercollegiate Barbecue, for all college freshers. About 700 people were entertained on the Bulpadock with food, drink and music until the early hours – it was a memorable sight!

A word must be said about Juttoddie: after the unfortunate accident in 1972, the Warden laid down certain conditions for future Juttoddies, one of which was that it must return to a date late in second term, as it was before the ‘new-look’ Juttoddie was held in March 1970. Suffice it to say that, as the end of the second term approached, the committee decided that Juttoddie should lapse for 12 months, for review.

Intercollegiate activities are restricted to regrettably few: this year those who wanted to go enjoyed a highly successful Intercollegiate Dinner Dance at Hunter’s Lodge, with table seating arranged to ensure intermingling of colleges. It is to be hoped that this function can expand in size and that more Trinity people will be able to enjoy the experience of intercollegiate communication.

College politics – the students stand for more representation

College politics has evidenced continuing development in certain directions. The movement towards student representation at decision-making levels has progressed considerably since the early stirring in 1970. In 1973, the Senior Student and the Secretary have represented the students on both College Council and the Executive and Finance Committee: every opportunity is given for student opinion to be voiced, so that the lack of voting rights makes little difference.

Two notable developments this year have been in the area of student participation in the selection of college officers; first, at the beginning of the year, the Warden agreed to consult and indeed did so, with members of the committee before making the appointment of a new tutor.

Second and most significant was the unprecedented decision of the College Council to have the Senior Student on the selection committee for the Wardenship: this spontaneous move by the Council reflects a growing appreciation of the value of student views on matters of vital importance to the college’s future.

At all times, communication between the committee and the Warden, Dean and Bursar has been open and frank, facilitated as it is by the presence of the Dean at committee meetings. The committee also had valuable discussions with college officers and the Senior Common Room on the questions of discipline, and the role of resident tutors in the college.

At a student level, the tendency has been away from active participation in TCAC affairs. General meetings this year were, with the exception of the first, attended by about a third of the college, and debate was generally lacking in imagination.

….

Looking to the future – from the perspective of 1973

What of the future? 1973 marks the end of an era as it is the last year of the wardenship of Dr Robin L. Sharwood – anyone with experience of residential college will realise that the appointment of a new Warden necessarily determines to a large extent the course followed by the college in the next five or 10 years. It is inevitable that changes will occur: it is to be hoped that some of Trinity’s distinctive traditions will persist.

One change that is sure to be of great significance is the coming of women to Trinity: the principle of co-residence was approved by the College Council in 1972, and appropriate provision has been made in the planning for the Bishops’ renovations at the end of this year. It is too early to see major changes in those colleges which have already become co-residential: it will be for Trinity residents of the future, and of the past, to observe and assess the effects on the atmosphere and lifestyle of Trinity.

A factor which may well bear strongly on the college is that of finance. At the moment, the demand for residential places is steadily growing and shows every cause for optimism; with fees rising even more rapidly, nevertheless, one wonders whether residential life as at present can continue to be a financial proposition.