A weekend of Orielenses spanning generations

Over the weekend Orielenses spanning generations returned to College for a series of alumni events.

Events began on Friday night with the annual Alumni Weekend Dinner, which was a great success. Over 116 were in attendance and merriment was had late into the evening.

The occasion, moreover, was made particularly special by the introduction of the many new members of Oriel Alumni Advisory Committee (OAAC).

The retiring chair of OAAC, Geoffrey Austin (1983, Chemistry), handed over the reins to Claire Toogood KC (1991, Jurisprudence).

In a speech Claire thanked Geoff for his over 30 years of service to College and OAAC and encouraged Orielenses to continue attending events and engaging with alumni groups.

On Saturday evening over 80 Orielenses who matriculated between 2012 and 2013 attended their first ever Gaudy.

A Gaudy is a dinner at College which is had as a reunion for former students. Alumni have their first Gaudy roughly ten years after their graduation. Gaudies are then held every seven years.

The alumni cohort enjoyed a meal in Hall and heard speeches from the Provost, Lord Mendoza CBE, and Ianthe Greenwood (2012, Modern Languages). Ianthe spoke passionately about how her time at Oriel College has shaped her life.

At the end of the evening diners made their way to the Oriel College Bar. For many this was a familiar setting for catching up with those present.

Photos from the Gaudy are available here.