This year the Combined Tempus Fugit and Junior Tempus Fugit Lunch was held on Thursday 2 November 2023 in the College Dining Hall. Since combining the biennial lunch events in 2021 to now include everyone over the age of 60 years attending together, the event has been extremely popular with our guests.

With Storm Ciaran passing through the evening before we sadly lost a few guests on the south-coast of England, but many brave souls travelled on the morning of the event and found the roads quiet and very much enjoyed the lunch.

Guests who came early at 10:15pm had a tour of the College campus and for some including Christopher Garrod (A 64-68) and David Munn (B 62-67) it was their first visit for many years since leaving the College.

The oldest guests at Tempus Fugit this year were Colin Shaw Stewart (A 46-51), Stephen Skurray (E 46-50), Chris Lee (G 45-50), Geoffrey Beccle (G 47-50), Stephen Farr (G 48-52), John Micklethwait (E 49-53) and David Wright (E 48-53) many of whom attend our London and Tempus Fugit lunches regularly. Peter Short, Stephen Skurray and Colin Shaw Stewart pictured below.

The youngest guests at their first Junior Tempus Fugit included Mark Taylor (F 77-82), Keven Bentley (F 72-76), William Fawcett (C 75-80), Matt Van Grutten (F 72-75), twins Richard (H 74-79) and Mark Chapman (H 74-79), Simon Lee (G 74-79), Simon Rigby (G 71-75), Russell Fowler (C 75-80), Martin Bowes (A 66-70), Tony Elgood (G 66-71) and the first Bradfield girl Belinda Boyd (nee Somerset H 1976) who joined to take her school examinations alongside her brother in 1976.

We looked forward to a few bands of brothers attending the lunch, one important trio the Bellan brothers who were Hillsiders – David (F 51-56), Peter (F 52-56) and Leslie (F 56-60) – planned to attend together at College this year, but sadly we were still missing Peter on the day due to illness.

Everyone enjoyed pre-lunch drinks in Big School before the lunch in dining hall and were shown a video run through of the St Andrew’s Project which is in its final weeks before the building will be handed back to the College by the builders to be fitted out for the school.

Before the lunch Andrew Lenox-Conyngham (A 57-62) kindly read the College Latin Grace as a memorable throwback for the assembled guests. The meal was prepared and served by the college catering team Head Chef Darren Roberts and the catering staff led by Paul Farley on the day. The food looked as good as it tasted and was Pan- seared locally sourced Venison loin with a Venison ‘faggot’ followed by Citrus Cheesecake. Peter Workman (C 54-57) commented that “It was a very special occasion and very rare that I take photos of my plates of food! “

Other comments about the day were very complimentary including “another memorable occasion”, “a delicious lunch” and James Lazarus (C 69-74) said “As ever it was great to catch up with old contemporaries and reminisce amongst ourselves as how much has changed, for the better I should add, at Bradfield since “our day!”

We hope that everyone will consider coming back to Bradfield again before the next Tempus Fugit Lunch which will fall in the 175th anniversary year of the founding of the College which will be in 2025.

A gallery of photographs from the day can be seen here and a list of guests who registered to attend this year is attached below.