100 Years of Accounts at Catz

As of this year, the St Catherine’s College Accounts team have been working here collectively for 100 years. To celebrate their centenary, CatzEye caught up with the team – Carey Forster (College Accountant), Jane Holmes (Assistant Accountant), Alison Hopcraft (Accounts Clerk) and Cathy Steiner (Investment and Fees Secretary).

Over the years the role of the Accounts Office has changed significantly, as more and more has gone digital. The team reminisced about how, up until a few years ago, there were students lining up outside the office door every day – but now face-to-face interaction is much less frequent. However, seeing the students around is still a highlight for Jane, who said: ‘We may not be the most popular with the students since we’re the ones that send them the bills, but we love interacting with them and do our utmost to support them throughout their time here.’

‘My favourite thing about Catz is the people,’ Carey commented, and it’s a sentiment that is echoed by the rest of the team. Jane added: ‘The people make the place – it’s a really nice environment to work in, with the same people coming in and out every day. We still remember, think of fondly and keep in touch with many of the characters we’ve worked with over the years.’

Cathy added: ‘It’s a pleasant place to work, being right next to the river and the University Parks. We see a lot more wildlife than we probably would working elsewhere. Even just outside our office, where we overlook the moat, we’ve seen kingfishers, jays, a fox, and eight years or so ago we had a cat visiting us every day!’

On behalf of all of us at St Catz, we’d like to thank the Accounts team for their service over the years – and here’s to many more!

Pictured: L-R Jane Holmes, Cathy Steiner, Carey Forster, Alison Hopcraft.