The class of St Mary’s 1954 (with a couple of 1955 infiltrators) gathered via zoom this week for a compelling talk with two old classmates.

Steve Gomez talked about his life as a chauffeur while Tom Ryall discussed his career as a lecturer in Film Studies.

This was the second in a series of transatlantic zoom calls which are the brainchild of US-based St Mary’s old boy, Bert Moniz.

Steve talked about how he started his chauffeuring business – called The Minster Carriage Company – in the 1970s after graduating from minicabbing. Over time he expanded his business and, at one point, had 13 vehicles including a Rolls Royce and two limousines, and nine drivers.

In an entertaining discussion Steve said the most important elements of chauffering were presentation and an interest in people.

He had a number of interesting anecdotes including the time he chauffered Frank Bruno and ordered the popular boxer to ‘belt up!’ when he forgot to wear his seatbelt.

The spotlight then fell on Tom Ryall who was an outstanding goalkeeper while at St Mary’s who trained for a while with Crystal Palace.

After training to be a teacher in the late 60s, Tom became one of the country’s first lecturers in Film Studies at Sheffield Polytechnic.

During a fascinating discussion, Tom explained how he and a few colleagues had to fight hard to establish the credibility of a subject in its infancy which was often derided as being trivial.

Tom became a leading expert on Alfred Hitchcock and had members of the zoom call spellbound as he explained why he considered the legendary film director to be one of the most important figures in cinema of all time.

This was the second zoom call held by this group of friends which includes two members – Bert Moniz and Rudy Stocking – who now live in Delaware and Ontario, Canada respectively.

On the first call Bert, who became a metallurgist after leaving St Mary’s, managed to make the esoteric subject of corrosion and rust both interesting and accessible while Tony Crotaz spoke candidly and passionately about why he was a Jehovah’s Witness, explaining some of the finer points of the doctrine.

The disparate, eclectic nature of these sessions merely adds to their attraction.

The group will hold its next talk in the New Year.