A fond farewell to Sean Meade
After more than 40 years of service, Assistant Steward Sean Meade is hanging up his keys. Having started at the College in 1981 as a sixteen-year-old, Sean has seen the institution evolve from a world of paper tickets and 26p pints to the digital age, all while working as a literal “heavy lifter” of the community.
The First Day: 1981
When Sean first walked up the steps of Queen’s in the summer of 1981, he was greeted with a pile of furniture. Sean recalls:
My first day was spent shifting furniture. I was only sixteen. I remember the filing cabinets: they were full and incredibly heavy. It was a physical start, but it set the tone for a career where no two days have ever been the same.
From those early days, Sean moved into working behind the bar – a part of his job which he remembers with most fondness because of the opportunity it afforded to meet so many different people.
The unseen engine of College life
To many, the College seems to run by magic. But for Sean, that “magic” involves sweat and precision. A typical day involves everything from moving mattresses to setting up lecterns for conferences. He explains:
A lot of what we do in the Steward’s Office happens in the background. Moving paper to offices, setting up the meeting rooms, making sure everything is exactly where it needs to be. If we’ve done our job right, nobody even notices we were there.
Some of those behind-the-scenes jobs are more festive than others. Sean has been part of the team that manoeuvres the massive College Christmas tree through the front doors, a task that requires six to eight people and a lot of coordination, and he is part of the team responsible for the gold-leaf paint on the trimmings for the Boar’s Head Ceremony each Christmas.
Ducks, tunnels, and hidden spaces
Sean’s role often took him into the “hidden” College. Over 40 years, he has explored the parts that remain a mystery to most: the quiet of the crypt, the winding tunnels beneath the buildings, and the heights of the cupola when raising the College flag.
One of his most legendary recurring tasks, however, takes place at ground level. Every year, Sean and colleagues become temporary shepherds for the College’s resident ducks. “We round up the mother duck and her ducklings, and we walk them all the way down the High Street to the river,” Sean says.
The changing face of the College
When Sean first started at Queen’s, some of the tools of the job were unrecognisable by today’s standards. Before computers arrived, everything was done by hand. Sean remembers the days of “purchase tickets”: physical slips of paper students used to pay for their lunch or a beer. He says:
I remember counting out thousands of pounds in cash by hand to prepare the staff pay packets. Back then, a beer was only 26p. The automation has changed everything, except the importance of the people.
For Sean, the social heart of the College was always found during Summer Eights. He fondly remembers heading down to the river to cheer on the rowing teams, enjoying a drink by the water, and catching up with Old Members who would return for the annual cricket match held the same week. “I still meet up with some of those old friends twice a year in Oxford,” he says. “I really look forward to those catch-ups.”
The final flag
One of Sean’s most adventurous duties involved raising the College flag, requiring a walk across the roof.
As he prepares for retirement, Sean is looking forward to trading the College’s grand architecture for his own garden and a slower pace of life:
I’ve seen people wait until they are too old to enjoy retirement. I’m still healthy, and I want to enjoy it while I can. I’ll miss the staff, definitely. It’s been a huge part of my life.
Happy retirement, Sean!
Header photo: David Olds
