Alumni Teresa Broadbent (nee Welby) and Martin met on their first day when registering for classes at the University of Exeter more than 60 years ago and this year returned to Streatham Campus to walk the halls of their memories. We caught up with Teresa to reminisce and find out more.
The year was September 1958 and Teresa (Geology, 1961 & Cert Ed, 1962) had been accepted at the University of Exeter to study Botany, Zoology and Geography. She turned up on Streatham Campus to register for her course at Hatherly but there had been a clash with her timetable. This twist of administrative fate meant that she went to visit the Geography department that was then housed in the Queenâs building to see if there was flexibility in the timings of their module.
Teresa remembers: âThere was a huge queue and I thought to myself âIâll finish university before I get to the end of this queueâ so I walked up to the chap who was at the front of the queue and asked if I could jump the queue. He took off his imaginary hat in a Walter Rayleigh impression and said âanything for youâ and he held to that ever since.â
Queenâs building proved to remain a constant in Teresaâs university memories as she was also present at its ceremonial opening by Princess Margaret â in lieu of Queen Elizabeth II â who she remarks had âthe most beautiful eyes Iâve ever seen in my life.â This opening was arranged by the combined work of the University administration, architects and builders, and the current gilded, stellated dodecahedron was lowered into place on the terrace outside the building as Princess Margaret declared the building open, although it had been in use for the best part of an academic year at that point. The dodecahedron is still there today.
Whilst that terrace is used today by students, visitors and staff alike to enjoy coffee, meet and study, Teresa mentioned that during her Exeter experience there werenât originally facilities on site and people would go into Gandy Street and the city for coffee. She says: âAfter a term the University bought or hired an old hen hut that was repurposed and stationed on the drive where Northcote House is today. That was where we got our coffee.â
Another building that has stuck with Teresa was Devonshire House as during her time at Exeter she was President of the Studentsâ Guild, and alongside her studies she spent much of her time there with operations based there similar to the present day. Teresa was also Chairman of the WUS (World University Service) branch at the University which took part in activities to help and raise awareness of students across the world who were struggling with natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. One particularly memorable activity that Teresa recalls involved building a mock volcano in Devonshire House to raise money to support relief efforts: âI wanted to have smoke come out of it â not noxious or dangerous â to really draw peopleâs attention and little chutes for them to put their money in and it would fall down into the centre. We found a chap in Mardon (Hall) who provided the chemicals and did the trick. It was really fun.â
Also enduring fondly was Teresaâs time in her halls of residence â Birks â which at the time housed 28 students with 24 in the main house and four in the stable annexe. It was a gentlemanâs house with a beautiful oak panelled dinning room and staircase and Teresaâs room was a âthree-bedderâ with a big bay window, three bed and three desks. This was next door to a room of two and the five girls close friendships meant they called this the âfive-roomâ as they got on so well. These friendships have endured through the years and Teresa comments: âwe lived like queens really and we were an extremely fortunate generation.â
Alongside blossoming relationships, raising money and making memories with her friends, Teresa was working hard at her course and speaks fondly of the benefits of her degree and how much time she spent outdoors learning on the go as part of field trips. These were organised by students and staff and she says it was âan educational experience of a different kind. Nowadays people say for your mental health get out into nature and we were doing it all the time. It was wonderful!â
Following her graduation Teresa went on to study a Certificate of Education and then went into teaching sharing her love of botany, zoology, geology with the next generation and taking up the post of Head of Biology due to the school needing extra help. This was also at the time that DNA was coming on the syllabus so around teaching Teresa was heading to the library to research all about it in order to explain to the students. The learning never stopped, and the connection to Exeter endured as their son Christopher graduated with a degree in Geography in 1990.
Flash forward to April 2023, Teresa, and Martin combined their holiday to Sidmouth with a day trip to Exeter and made a point to visit Streatham Campus to soak up all the memories and view the changes that have taken place. Teresa remarks: âWe were greeted everywhere we went in Queen’s and everyone was helpful and charming. It was a special occasion to walk the familiar halls and spend time in a place which had so many treasured memories for my husband and I.â
Editor’s note: Since the writing of this article we’re sad to share that alumnus Martin passed away on Monday 19 June 2023 following battles with both covid and prostate cancer. Teresa and other family members will gather at Bath Abbey on Thursday 27 July 2023 to celebrate and give thanks for Martin’s life, and the service will be followed by a family committal at the crematorium. This would have been their diamond wedding anniversary. Teresa was keen to still share this article with the alumni community and remember the many happy times both her, and her late husband, shared at Exeter.