The evening began with drinks in the lounge and quick introductions. A few of the older BNC members knew each other, having had the opportunity to at other occasions.
Dinner commenced with grace, recited first in Latin and then in English. Alex Stuart (1968) said a toast to BNC's next 500 years. The men rose for a toast, given by Philip Boddington (1975), to the BNC women. Jennifer Boddington (1978), Philip's wife, did the same for the BNC men. Richard Whiley (1954) told the hilarious story of the famous hoax, where BNC freshers fooled the next year's prospective scholars into fake interviews. Lucas Kiely (1994) regaled everyone with a crazy story of using all sorts of subterfuges to gate-crash many of the balls held by other colleges.
After dessert, Alex Stuart (1968) gave a speech about Brasenose Ale, quoting extracts from 170 years of ale verses. The evening continued with more merriment and an impromptu choir signing a ragged rendition of the 1876 ale verses "Men of Brasenose", to the air of "Men of Harlech".
Much appreciation was bestowed on Alex Stuart for organising such a splendid evening.