As a home-away-from-home, the College remains open during the current lockdown, with Members all being part of one bubble.
Although some Members chose to return home for the lockdown, 85% decided to stay put. Of all the 14 residential colleges at the University, St Margaret's had the highest proportion of students continue to stay on at the College.
While the lockdown, which started at midnight on Tuesday, 17 August, meant that the College's long-anticipated Ball scheduled for 21 August had to be postponed (not cancelled, hopefully!) and disrupted travel plans of many for the mid-semester break, the College's Members' Executive Committee (the Exec) have risen to the occasion and organised heaps of activities for Members to keep them busy during the break and lockdown.
The Lockdown @ Margs programme includes daily workouts, a table tennis competition, karaoke night, jump jam, a horror movie, movie marathon (movies all day!), quiz night, a Mario Kart tournament, a FIFA tournament and Online Mafia.
Last Saturday's table tennis competition was a big hit with Antonia Martin winning, Hank Link coming second, Sam Wong third and Pokuan Tu fourth. The participants were cheered on by a large crowd of enthusiastic Members.
The College is incredibly grateful to the Exec for their initiative, goodwill and hard work in arranging a wonderful programme of activities at such short notice. Thank you Exec.
In a bid to encourage Members to take a walk outside during the lockdown, the Master posted a photo he took of a magnificent purple magnolia in full bloom in the Botanic Garden and offered a chocolate bar to everyone who found and took a photo of the tree. Thirty-three (33) Members were subsequently rewarded with Whittaker's chocolate bars!
Another group of amazing young people are our 12 College Leaders who have all had to remain at the College during the lockdown and provide our usual level of pastoral care and support to Members. Thank you College Leaders.
(Story by the Master, Dr Charles Tustin)
