In October 1971 we had left school and a sizeable number of us from Milford Haven went to University College London - most to do medicine and other bloodsports but I went to read Geography and Geology. So this was Fresher's Week. I joined the Rugby Club, Fencing and Geogsoc. We all eyed and sized each other up. The narrow minded English took the piss out of my Welshness - remember England had only beaten Wales at Rugby - NOT Rugger - twice in the previous 25 years. It was the Wales of Barry John and JPR Williams.
The Fresher's Ball was headlined by Mott the Hoople but I wasn't into them so didn't go.
It was the beginning of an extremely un-illustrious academic career - my own performance was a steady slide over the three years I was at UCL but the farm boy in the city certainly had fun. I took in fifty bands in my first term. That was eleven weeks of academic study.
On reflection UCL was probably the wrong place for me and the Geography department the wrong department. I did not know what I wanted to do at 18 and at 58 still don't, though I have succeeded in achieving my life's goals - except one. Those achieved were; sailing across the Atlantic, going to the Azores and landing on St Kilda. Academically, had I studied Psychology, Architecture (I loved the Bartlett), or Oceanography - all lifelong passions - then my life would have been so different but not unrecognisable as I would have probably made all the same mistakes but in a different setting. Anyway this weekend my fellow freshers - the Herne Hill Six (or 8) are hopefully enjoying themselves in Charlotte St without getting too maudlin. Mr Kwai's Chinese restaurant at the Warren St end of Tottenham Court Rd. may be no more but its memory lingers on....
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