As part of the University of Kent’s 60th anniversary celebrations, we revisited our archives and gave one of the scenes a 2026 remix.
An original photograph, an early meeting of the Senate Executive Committee in 1965 inspired us to recreate the image, returning to the Senior Common Room of Keynes College, the same setting as the original. This time at the table however, were seated colleagues representing the many roles, services and communities that keep the University running today. Featuring clockwise:
Lucy Green (Security Officer), Dr Iain Mackenzie (Reader, School of Politics and International Relations), Olatunde Oseni (Housekeeping), Amanda Bates (Public Engagement Officer and Disability Network Co-Chair), Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura (Interim Vice-Chancellor and President), Melissa Browne (Acting Director of Campus Services), Gurprit Lall (Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor – EDI), Lee Ballard (Grounds, Landscape and Biodiversity Manager), Alex Moores (Senior Lecturer, Biosciences), Aimee England (Sports Development Officer), and Jo Addison (IT Service Improvement Lead).
Together, the assembled staff reflect the diversity, expertise and collaboration of Kent’s modern workforce, colleagues from across the University who keep the campus heart beating all year round.
For Dr Iain Mackenzie from the School of Politics and International Relations (POLIR), the recreation carried a particularly personal meaning. He had known one of the original participants in the archive photograph.
“It was an honour to be part of this photo, not least because I did have the pleasure of meeting Professor Colin Seymour Ure, who is pictured in the original (far right),” said Dr Mackenzie.
“He was a founding member of POLIR and became a long-standing Professor in political science. What’s more, we now have some of his books in our student common room for students and staff to read, forging an unbroken legacy all the way back to the first days of our department and the University.”
Melissa Browne from Campus Services reflected on the significance of the moment and the sense of shared pride among those involved.
“It was a real honour to be part of recreating the 60th anniversary photo. Being able to stand alongside colleagues from Campus Services and the wider University, with such visible diversity and representation, truly reflects the heart of Kent today. I felt incredibly proud to be part of this moment and of our university community.
As the picture was being taken a thought crossed my mind -where will we be in 60 years from now?”
The recreation also highlighted deep family connections to the University. Lee Ballard from Estates followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was part of the Estates team in the University’s early years. Lee spent much of his childhood on campus and later returned as a member of staff.
“It was a real pleasure to be asked to take part in one of the pictures for Kent’s 60th commemorative photos. The University of Kent means a great deal to me and my family. My grandad, David Ballard, worked here from the University’s opening in the sixties until his retirement in 1996. I joined in 2003 and am now heading into my 23rd year.”
This recreated photograph stands as a tribute not only to our past, but to the people who shape Kent today, honouring continuity, community and the generations of staff who have made, and continue to make, the University what it is.
The Senate Executive Committee in the original photograph, from the left, David Millyard (Academic Secretary); the Vice-Chancellor; Eric Fox (Registrar); Graham Martin (Dean of Natural Sciences); Walter Hagenbuch (Dean of Social Sciences); Bill Bell (Lecturer in French); John Todd (Lecturer in Chemistry); James Cameron (Master of Rutherford); Colin Seymour-Ure (Lecturer in Politics); Patrick Fitzgerald (Professor of Law); and Guy Chilver (Dean of Humanities).