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OD visit to Cambridge University

ODs visit Cambridge, routinely the top-ranked university in the world, to take in the history, architecture - and a little bit of local beer

	29 Mar 2018
	ODs Around the World

Philip Hazel (F, 1961) outside Kings's College Chapel

On Saturday 24th March, ODs deviated from the well-trodden path to Oxford to visit the arguably more beautiful

Cambridge. The Bishops-Oxford relationship is cemented through the Bishops Rhodes Scholarships and because of this, there has been at least one Bishops boy there every year since 1902.

But Cambridge is almost an ODU Branch of its own. Whether it be law, engineering, medicine or any number of other disciplines, ODs have distinguished themselves at Cambridge for over a century.

Philip Hazel (F, 1961) is one of those. Having completed his degrees at UCT, he went up to Cambridge where he earned a PhD (in maths) and then joined the university's fledgling computer services department in which he remained until his retirement about ten years ago. Chris Molteno (G, 2010) who won one of the Gates Cambridge Scholarships last year and is now reading for an MPhil in Sustainable Engineering, is another. Both Chris (whose idea the visit was) and Philip were responsible for arranging the visit and for recruiting Doug Dennis to lead us around the historic and iconic landscape of Cambridge. Doug is a certified Cambridge guide and his encyclopaedic knowledge, enthusiasm and sympathy (in the true sense of the word) toward his subject were inspiring.

We were delighted also that Tessa Fairbairn, former Headmistress of St Cyprians, was able to be with us for the tour.

We - ODs, families and friends - gathered at The Eagle at lunchtime to consume an adequate energy intake to sustain us through the afternoon walking. And walk we did.

From there, we visited King's College including the world-famous chapel, Trinity College (where were to have dinner later) St John's (Philip's old college) and Magdalene - and many other sites inbetween.

Our enthusiasm to punt was dampened only by the inclement weather, but vicariously, we enjoyed the activities on a different river by curling up in front of a TV with a glass of wine in Magdalene's Middle Common Room to watch, satisfyingly, Cambridge thrash Oxford in the annual boat race.

Dinner in the Allhusen Room in Trinity was an elegant affair. OD ties abounded. Appropriately we drank South African wines (a lot) and the College Port (also a lot). Choppy Bands (K, 1990) made an amusing and well-crafted speech at the end of which he thanked and presented small gifts to Chris and Philip.

Below are photos from the tour. To see them with the ODs identified, click HERE.

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OD visit to Cambridge University

ODs visit Cambridge, routinely the top-ranked university in the world, to take in the history, architecture - and a little bit of local beer

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OD visit to Cambridge University

ODs visit Cambridge, routinely the top-ranked university in the world, to take in the history, architecture - and a little bit of local beer

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