In October Beaufort Society members and their guests enjoyed a memorable day in College for their annual meeting. Hosted jointly by the Master, Heather Hancock (1984), and the President of the Beaufort Society, The Lord Browne of Madingley (1966), this event celebrates the enormous contribution of those who have promised a gift to St John’s in their will.
Heather Hancock welcomed the Society with an update on life and learning in College over a glass of bubbly in the Old Divinity School, before the festivities continued with a lunchtime feast in Hall. Lord Browne expressed his gratitude for the continued generosity of the Beaufort community during coffee, and Christopher Gray, Director of Music, gave an informative speech about the College Choir’s current activities as well as his vision for its future.
After lunch biologist, filmmaker and Johnian Tom Mustill (2002) gave a fascinating lecture on his book How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication. Tom captivated the audience with an insight into his thrilling scientific investigation into the pioneering world of animal communication, where remote robots and artificial intelligence are changing our relationship with marine animals forever. With sound recordings fresh from the sea, he presented new discoveries from expeditions underway now and explained what these mean for our relationship with whales and other species. An interview with Tom features in the online Johnian magazine issue 51 and you can read the full article on the website here: https://johnian.joh.cam.ac.uk/articles/communicating-with-cetaceans/
To round off a beautiful day in College, the group gathered once more in the Master’s Lodge for afternoon tea, before heading to Chapel for Evensong.
For more information about leaving a legacy and joining the Beaufort Society, email beaufortsociety@joh.cam.ac.uk or visit johnian.joh.cam.ac.uk/beaufort-society/
All images taken by Ben Minnaar
Written by
Emma is the Development Manager (Major Gifts and Legacies) for St John’s.