'It was the Stu what saved it'
The infamous St Peter's plaque - saved from the wreckage of the OUBC blaze by a rooftop Romeo - was this week handed back to its rightful owners by the Oxford Student. Captain of Boats at the college, Alexander Allen, received the plaque in an historic hand-over ceremony. He thanked Editor, Barney Jones, saying it was "wonderful to have it back".
Despite excitement amongst the crowd and tabloid speculation, the relic's Romeo savior still kept to the shadows.
The inch-thick wooden plaque has quickly become an Oxford myth, and captured the imagination of the national press.
After the Oxford Student published exclusive details of the plaque's recovery, the national press soon started their own investigations. The Sun screamed about the "student stud's romps".
Deputy Editor, John Bingham, broke the story.
He was unsurprised by the press response: "It's only the bizarre and quirky stories about Oxford that the rest of the country find endlessly fascinating."
Shortly before the hand-over, true ownership of the plaque still remained uncertain. Like OUBC, St Peter's shared the Univ-owned boathouse. But at the last minute, Univ's estates bursar, Gordon Screaton, admitted that they had no claim.
While the plaque still goes down a media storm, Alexander Allen hopes that it will eventually find a home in a new boathouse, where it will be "something old coming through to the new". For now, it may hang in the college bar.
Boaties at St Peter's were overjoyed at the plaque's return. "It's brilliant. Whoever it was that saved it deserves a big thank you," beamed Allen.
Any concerns about the anonymous saviour's behaviour soon disappeared, replaced by relief at the relic's return.
President of the OUBC, Nick Robinson, said "It's quite lucky, but it's just a funny story really. Couldn't they have nicked some of our stuff?"
Nevertheless, St Peter's have refused to let the blaze wreck their season.
Rowers at the hand-over had high hopes for their novice crews in Torpids, and the First Eight have been training for this week's Nephthys regatta.
One top rower thinks the return of the plaque is a good omen: "it bodes well for this week's races". One spectator was unimpressed by the whole affair, though. She said "It's prettier than the other bits of wood that are left".
4th Nov 1999