One of the unique aspects of St Margaret’s College is our Formal Dinners which occur monthly throughout the year. The Norris Dining Hall is set elegantly with table cloths and adorned with flowers. It is a beautiful occasion.
Members are required to dress formally for and enjoy a meal that makes even Mum’s cooking look below par (former Members who leave to go flatting remember Sunday dinners with particular fondness and envy). The meal ends with a full cheeseboard, and post-dinner drinks with the guest/s.
The Head of College invites a special guest or guests to each Formal Dinner. These may include academic and professional staff from the University, the Mayor of Dunedin, the Chief Executive of the Dunedin City Council, visiting academics, College Fellows, business people and community members.
A group of Members meet the guests at a pre-dinner gathering, and then a general invitation is extended to the post-dinner gathering where the guests are asked to talk briefly about “How did you get to where you are today?”. This is followed by a question and answer session.
Formal Dinner provides a fantastic opportunity for Members to meet interesting people in a more social environment, develop their communication and networking skills, gain valuable insights into what it takes to succeed in a vast range of careers and learn new things from guests with different backgrounds.
