Peter Graham (1954-59)

Born the second of 4 children in a traditional Catholic family, I remember being an altar boy at Our Lady’s in Leicester whilst attending St Patrick’s RC Primary School. Daily morning mass, two masses on Sunday as well as afternoon Benediction in the early 1950s gave a visiting Christian Brother (Dennis Robert) the idea I might have a vocation. The thought had never entered my head even though the Parish had two of its own already at St Hugh's – Terry Everley and John Davis. However, next stop for me at the end of Primary School in 1955 was St Hugh's and Rudiments. Soccer three times a week and good friends to be made. Wonderful. However I recall even in my first term having some difficulty obeying all the rules and thus became the first boy in my year to receive the cane from the then Prefect of Discipline, Fr "Dan" Sweeney. When I sought his autograph at the end of my first year, he wrote: "To Peter Graham, the scourge of Rudiments".

The tragic death of Eugene Fox, the burning of the Sports Hut down on the playing fields, pantomimes and plays in the Rec Hut, the annual squash tournament and the cycles of soccer, cross country and cricket come strongly to mind as I recall St Hugh's. Firm friendships were made and a class mate, Patrick Mitchell, became my Best Man some years later. I was an average performer in the classroom which is perhaps why those scholastic memories are not to the fore. I sometimes wonder if that is why I subsequently became a University Professor. However, by the time I was in Rhets 1, I was caught once too often breaking College rules and told to return home. I soon returned, playing soccer for the Old Boys team and continued my association with the College until I emigrated to Australia with a wife and two children in 1974.