Sheila with stash, taken by Emma Graham
Harriet Kerridge, Lynn Davies, Lisa Masters and Emma Graham visited Sheila in her garden to make an important delivery the Saturday after she officially retired.
This was a large sack of gifts purchased with the many donations received from staff members past and present, accompanied by a retirement card filled with six A4 pages of messages, and personal notes from many retired academics.
Many of the gifts related to Sheila and her husband’s plans to build a wildlife garden, including a Japanese statue, fountain, birdbath, pond (yes, that’s right), a hedgehog house, birdhouse, acer tree, Camellia bush, garden pots, and two camping/garden chairs that Sheila and her husband can relax in to view their handiwork.
Yes, a pond!
This followed a tearful but joyful Zoom held on Sheila's last day in the Department on the 30th of July.
Our computer screens were much too small to display the faces of all the staff, past and present, who popped in over the course of two hours to express their appreciation for all Sheila has done.
Head of Department James Keeler kicked off by thanking Sheila for her hard work and support over the years, with former Heads John Pyle, Daan Frenkel, Bill Jones and Jeremy Sanders adding their own memories and messages of thanks. Noting the restrictions of meeting remotely, James added: “Many, many thanks for everything Sheila, and let’s hope that we can do all of this in person before too long.”
One unexpected benefit of Zoom was that former staff members were able to join in from far afield: for example, former Research Lab Technician Tim Layt and Admissions Secretary Kirsten Scholefield connected from New Zealand to say their goodbyes. Closer to home, past Reception team members Helen Johnson, Harriet Kerridge and Clare Rutterford (joining by video later) spoke of their affection for working with Sheila, and former Safety Technician Stephen Sear also joined in.
One of the many highlights of the morning included the “tearoom group” of custodial staff supervised by Sheila, who sent their ‘masked greetings’ (all suitably attired in PPE) from the Cybercafé. “Thank you so much for being a wonderful boss,” said Cleaner Josh Jones. Another staff member (hidden behind her mask) said: “We think of you as a parent – sorry for being naughty sometimes.” To which Sheila shot back: “That’s okay, every mother has naughty children sometimes.”
Marita Walsh recalled amusing incidents they had shared, concluding: “We had a few adventures, didn’t we Sheila?” at which point Sheila admitted: “I do have a rottweiler side, but not very often.”
Many people noted how Sheila had been an important part of their lives. As Secretary Jacqui Worster pointed out: You’ve always been there for the past 18 years. You’ve seen my children grow up and I’ve seen your children and now grandchildren—I can’t imagine the Department without you.”
Researcher Lekan Popoola recalled how he arrived as a newcomer to the UK ten years ago and immediately felt welcomed by Sheila, who helped him learn the ropes. “I consider you more a friend than a colleague,” he said. Many current and retired academics also gave tributes to Sheila, including Ruth Lynden-Bell, Chris Abell, Pete Wothers, Sophie Jackson, Jane Clarke, Chris Abell, Oren Scherman, Anthony Stone, Melinda Duer and Alex Forse.
Other gifts included an amber and silver bracelet, a jade and silver bracelet, a gift voucher for two tickets for the Northern Belle (a luxury train which offers fine dining and scenic trips across the UK in vintage 30s carriages), a Radley handbag and purse, and £100 in Scotsdales vouchers.
Time to feed the birds!
Which is the cake and which is the real thing?
To top off the weekend, Emma Graham created an amazing Radley handbag cake, which was shared in an appropriately socially distanced manner with a glass of bubbly.
Sheila has written to all the members of the Department to thank them for her gifts, cards and messages, saying: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my 23 years in the Department, there has never been a dull moment and I have enjoyed the challenge that each day brought to the office. I will miss you all – it has been an honour and a privilege to work with you.”
The many words people used to describe Sheila included helpful, kind, competent, resilient and strong guidance. But perhaps Lab Technician Simon Chapman summed it up best when he called her “irreplaceable."