Reunions can be virtual | 33
“ Academically , we were privileged too . The Foundation Year was a canter through every field of academic knowledge available at Keele . Lectures were always presented by the relevant Professor or a senior lecturer , and many of us changed our later specialist subjects on the basis of what we learned then .
“ Like most Keele students , we made firm friendships and – in many cases – lifelong partnerships . Friends kept in touch after graduation , and networks built up as careers and families matured . A few people showed particular talent for organising and communicating : Sue ( Devons ) Gil ( 1963 ), John Newby ( 1962 ), Sheilah ( Cresswell ) da Silva ( 1963 ) laid the groundwork for meetings over the years .
“ For decades now a small and variable group of around 20 people has been lunching together , usually a couple of times a year , often at the Vincent Rooms in Westminster . In early 2020 , however , this seemed less than sensible . Peter Davis ( 1963 ) suggested a virtual meeting instead , and we eventually settled on Sunday evenings at 5pm ; weekly in the first lockdown , then fortnightly and now settled at monthly .
“ Happily , people can attend virtual meetings whatever their location . We learn about the weather and the vaccine issues in North America . There ’ s a lot of reminiscence , of course , but also a lot of conversation about what ’ s happening now . Family histories and circumstances are all different : grandchildren certainly get the occasional mention , but so do films , TV , politics and books , including books written by participants – looking at you , Peter Clark ( 1962 ).
“ We demonstrate all the general tech and particular Zoom glitches on a regular basis : forgetting to unmute , losing sound , switching devices off and on again . But it ’ s just lovely still to see and talk to people we first met 60 years ago ! As some of our parents might have said to us : ‘ Make new friends , but keep the old ; one is silver , the other is gold .’”