As the GOC Archivist, the 50th Anniversary AOG provided the ideal opportunity to show off the club’s physical archive to its members.  Accordingly, I arrived in Northampton university armed with boxes of items that I hope would provide interest.

Using the display boards that had been erected in the university foyer, we illustrated the history of the club by means of a timeline from 1974 to 2024, noting important events in our history and how GOC has changed over that period. To help illustrate the context, I included an LGBT+ history of each year along with a selection of British and World events, with a mix of trivial and weightier topics. I also gave a background to the development of the club’s logo, and a history of the Annual Outdoor Gatherings from 1977 to the present, an updated version of the article that was posted on the website during the first five months of this year, with an opportunity for others to add missing information to the accompanying images. Plus, the addition of a memory board for people to record their thoughts and memories of the club.  Jim Cornwell, courtesy of Graeme Brown, brought a batch of over 100 newsletters dating from the 1990s and early 2000s to give away. These were put under the displays so people could help themselves (I took the leftovers as duplicates always useful for future displays).

On the Saturday evening, I set up an Archives’ table in front of the display boards consisting of items including photo albums and samples of newsletters from over the years so that people could browse through. Having only done one of these displays previously, I was nervous as to how it would be received. In the event, after finishing their dinner or taking a break from dancing at the disco, many members came to the desk, both to look at the displays and to have a chat. This became the highlight of the evening for me, speaking to those who has been in the club over for forty years sharing memories or those just genuinely curious about some of the archive materials. Among those I chatted to was Rob Foster who was instrumental in putting the archives together, and gathering a lot of the materials linked to the club, especially in its formative years. On the night, Rob brought other members to the desk who were able to provide information such as identifying people or dates of events in photographs. I also learnt some facts about the club That I had not known previously, such as the true origin of the word Goslings and that club apparel including GOC swimming trunks! Rob also had a large haul of photos some of which have now been added to the Archives’ physical collection.

Ultimately, the evening went very well, and I’m grateful for support, whether big or small. Thanks go to Jim Cornwell and the 50th Anniversary board for their suggestions; to Ari Speed, for providing me with boards, pins, and other provisions, and to my partner Robert Poniatowski, who patiently put up with my procrastination of the last few months while creating material for the website or the display at the AOG. He was also on hand to help me get ready the displays over the weekend and supplying me with meringue and alcoholic beverages as the evening wore on.     

Thanks also to those who came and spoke to me about their memories of the club, or gave me feedback about the display, or anyone who just took the time to look at the displays.

Simon Ball, GOC Archivist 

If you have any GOC material you would like to contribute to the archives, please contact me via the contact page by selecting ‘Archivist’.