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Beth "Beffie" O'Connell
Black Widow
Datta and Beth met at Newnham, but it was their shared love of the unbelievable TV from Aus, which brought them together to the JCR at 20 to 2 every weekday. This was cemented by their shared love of equally amazing music (hey, I'm looking up for my Star Girl ...) and musicals (we're soaring, flying ...) and to this day they will inflict their incredible duets on everyone at karaoke. As an honorary mathmo, Beth also became good friends with Dave and it soon became clear that they had many things in common... mainly the things that Datta doesn’t! As the only female in the line-up, there was no option but for Beth to be our Black Widow, though her hair styles over the years may suggest a hidden identity, going from red at uni, to "blonde", and even growing her hair out for the wedding ...! Beth has literally been there every step of the way and Datta could not imagine standing up there with anyone else to support her on her special day!
Benjamin "Benji" Wilson
Iron Man
One of Dave's oldest friends having known each other for about 20 years - a fellow proud northerner. These two have seen many an adventure together while growing up; from trekking across the Lake District, to turning up in darkest Wales for a wedding; from glamping in Leeds to meeting Buzz Aldrin; too many to list! Through thick and thin, Ben has been there through it all - never missing a birthday, meaning he's now known Datta for over 12 years as well, and was there for the moment our relationship started. Our recent Devon recces just wouldn't have been the same or as successful without him. Ben has been around so long and so often, he's now an honorary Johns Boy (maybe even more so than Datta!), and his love of gadgets means he could only ever be our Iron Man.
Amar "Gams" Shah
Captain America
Dave and Datta both met Amar studying maths at Cambridge and he is one of the other infamous rolle-ing MerryBoys. Dave and Amar became the best of friends very soon after starting at St John's College and shared almost all their University life and adventures with each other, including being roommates for two of the four years. Always striving for a new experience, Amar got Dave embroiled in such escapades as casino equipment transportation, Homerton gate jumping and Marcel smuggling. Amar is still living in Cambridge, pursuing a dream of driverless cars, so we don't see him as often as we'd like, but he's never too far away (like Cap) and will always turn up for the important events, if a little late.
Philip "Pip" Coen
Dr Bruce Banner
Pip is renowned for being unable to make a decision and always bowing to the majority, but somehow has managed to prove himself worthy to be our Master of Ceremonies. He is a keen traveller, organising the infamous fudging Norma South Africa trip and multiple trips down to the south coast. During his peregrination to the States, his presence was forced upon us, as he regularly came to crash at ours, but out of this formed a strange, unlikely friendship with Datta, and Pip will even get his very own kennel in our new house! With Pip and Datta now combining forces planning winter adventures, we've together seen the sights of Berlin, Iceland and Norway. As long as there is a hot tub, he'll be happy and he's always keen for a few hands of dealer's choice. Oh and he's a doctor of neuroscience, perhaps even of gamma ray radiation.
Kan "DJ Klu" Lu
Hulk
Never had a dream come true, until the day I found Kan Lu. Kan has a fondness for karaoke which he shares with Datta (although he is significantly better at singing than everyone else who turns up), and he also entertains Dave's love of dim sum (again he has significantly better taste, appreciating more than just the turnip cake). Kan rarely takes a break from his job as an actuary (not to be confused with an auditor), but when he does, he enjoys jetting off to experience the wonders of East Asia. And he's even kept up the Asia experience over here with some K-Pop dance lessons and concerts. Although since Uni he's found his Aldgate crew, he is still a Johns Boy at heart, but be warned if you give him too many drinks, he may turn into Angry Kan!
Luke "Boogen" Lorimer
Thor
Two of Luke's favourite things are maths and lying down - things we all have in common. When he's not lying down, Luke enjoys looking after school football teams, being part of the Rabble exercise group, and badminton (even occasionally trying to get us both back onto the court). Luke even took up the mantle of St John's Badminton 3rd team captain to champion us through the inter-college leagues (a bond that lives on today) and he completes the trio of infamous rolle-ing MerryBoys. When you think of Luke, the following spring to mind: his Dorset accent, big jumpers, mugs of coffee, his love of board games and his amazingly luscious locks from first year. Whilst we miss his long hair, just like Thor, his powers have only got stronger since he chopped it off.
Steve "Schtiv" Legg
Hawkeye
Steve was one of the first people Datta met to allow her to escape from her own college to St Johns, which is where Steve also met Dave in their first week at Uni. Is he a mathmo or an engineer? Difficult to tell, but either way, he has been the glue that keeps the Johns Boys (& Datta) together (we've never asked about his archery skills!), always keen for a meetup, and always has a smile on his face. Steve is also a keen traveller, and has been on many an adventure with us, including to Iceland and LA - where a visit to an old-style American diner was a must-do. Steve was a regular Cindies-goer and always one of the last ones standing/swaying, so we're expecting him to keep Datta company on the dance floor way into the early hours!