THA Secretary’s Report

This time last year, I asked if 2025 would be a year of geopolitical shift. The answer definitely seems to be ‘yes’, while current news suggests that 2026 will be no less turbulent.

I’m also reminded of the 2014 film, Her, which presented a vision of artificial intelligence that’s evolving into reality as I write, with the arrival of Moltbook, the social network for AI agents. By the time this issue of Front Court is published, the Master will have held the first of the annual Spotlights talks, themed this year around AI. These talks will no doubt reinforce the recognition that new generations of students and alumni live with norms that some of us are still getting to grips with.

Trinity Hall’s 675th Anniversary has been a powerful reminder that institutions can adapt and survive, combining the stability of long held traditions with the excitement of looking to the future. There are few English traditions as longstanding as the 800-year-old Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, and the THA promised to reprise last February’s popular visit. We are excited to have secured the date of 3 February 2027. Numbers will be limited so, if you were unable to attend the Ceremony last time, look out for the opportunity and do sign up promptly. Other approaching milestones include 50 years since the admission of women and 200 years of the Trinity Hall Boat Club, anniversaries which the College and the THA will invite alumni to celebrate.

Meanwhile, back to this year. The sold-out 2026 THA Annual Regional Dinner will be held on HMS Warrior in Portsmouth on Saturday 23 May, while the AGM and THA Dinner are scheduled for 19 September, in College. Do save the date!

We’re always delighted to hear of alumni activities overseas. Karsten Wenzlaff (2007) is on the committee of the Oxbridge Society in Hamburg, and he makes a point of drawing Trinity Hall alumni together whenever he can. January saw his committee involved in three different events, including the Berlin book launch of The Airlift/Sweet Victory by Trinity Hall alumnus Joseph Pearson (1997), which takes a fresh look at the Berlin Airlift three years after the end of the Second World War. Like other alumni groups, the Oxbridge Society in Hamburg staged an opportunity to watch the Boat Race together on 4 April. Why not let us know if you’re in a similar group somewhere in the world?

A cheerful start to February included the THA Committee gathering for our first meeting of the year, arranged to allow some of us to exercise Dining Privileges and dine at High Table. If you haven’t taken advantage of this opportunity, do consider booking in on a Thursday or Sunday during full term and see who you meet and what unexpected conversations arise.

Now, after recent weeks of apparently endless rain, let’s hope the floods will drain from the fields, the gardens will soon dry out and we can welcome spring as we look forward to another year of alumni connections.