“It’s an unusual job and a traditional role but I love it as every day is different”

John O’Sullivan is just as at home behind a keyboard as he is behind a serving platter in a career at St John’s spanning 25 years.

When not supervising Fellows’ lunches in the historic St John’s Combination Room or polishing the College silver, the Irish-born Fellows’ Butler – who marks his silver anniversary at St John’s on 27 July – is keyboard player in local rock band Common Ground.

The band’s name says much about John’s philosophy for meeting people from all walks of life at St John’s – whether it be waiting staff, Fellows, Masters or members of the Royal Family.

The Fellows’ Butler is essentially a restaurant manager but with a butler role incorporated, according to John. Working with the Catering Department and assisted by a wider team, he oversees meal service for Fellows in the Combination Room at lunch, at dinner at Formal Hall, at College Feasts, and at special events in the Master’s Lodge.

“The team I work with are brilliant, we are very much a family. It’s an unusual job and a traditional role but I love it as every day is different,” said John, who has worked for four Masters in a quarter of a century’s service at St John’s.

The 56-year-old has met royalty several times with the highlight being the visit made by the late HM Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during the College’s quincentenary celebrations in 2011. “That is probably the most special day in my 25 years here,” said John. “There was a lot of preparation down to the finest detail, how and what to say, when to bow or curtsy – nothing was left to chance – and it was a fantastic day.”

He and his team also served Prince William, an Honorary Fellow of St John’s, when he attended a 10-week agricultural course at Cambridge in 2014. John said: “I met him many times because we served lunch for him at the Master’s Lodge, he was very nice. In the first few days we laid on coffee on for his arrival but he then asked us not to because he wanted to relax and not have the formality every morning.

“One day I was at the Lodge and he walked in to drop off his belongings and then go across to the Old Divinity School for his lessons, but he had his cocker spaniel Lupo with him. He asked if we would mind him having the dog because there was nobody at home to look after him. We didn’t mind at all, and he kept him by his side all day.”

Another time, the Prince’s grandfather Prince Philip, who was Chancellor of the University, was at St John’s for a dinner with the then Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, a College alumnus and Honorary Fellow. The Duke of Edinburgh stayed overnight in the Lodge and John’s team served him breakfast. “That was brilliant,” said John. “It was a lovely morning, he was so relaxed and just wanted to sit and chat and have a tour of the gardens.”

“If we look after the Fellows, they can look after the students”

The key to the team’s success, said John, is not only preparation but flexibility. “The amount of preparation we do is crucial, it means a lunch, dinner or special event just flows. Things need to be flexible because our Fellows and guests have individual needs.”

Born in Cork, John was a waiter at the Holiday Inn in Impington, just outside Cambridge, when he first moved to England. It was there he met his wife Julie, who still works at the hotel, and the couple have been married for nearly 31 years, with two adult children, Olivia and Matthew.

John learned the ropes as Fellows’ Butler at St Catharine’s College for just over two years before joining St John’s. Catering runs in the family – daughter Olivia was a part-time waitress at St John’s for nine years and now works in ski resort hospitality at Whistler in Canada, where her parents have visited her – a far cry from the Fens.

The odd working hours suit John, whose father was a milkman. “I’ve never had a regular sleep pattern because I worked early mornings with my dad for five years before I came to England. The hotel was unusual hours too, late nights, early mornings for breakfast. So I’ve never had a set routine. I don’t mind the late nights, I thrive on them.”

The lifestyle seems to work as John, who lives in Bar Hill, has never had a day off sick at St John’s. A donor through the NHS Blood Donation Service, he recently clocked up his 381st donation of blood and platelet products.

Playing keyboard is another string to his bow. The band plays gigs locally and has the occasional weekend away to write songs. “We’re called Common Ground because we’re four dads that met because our sons all played football together, and that was a common ground that brought us together,” said John. “We practise in the band room beneath Cripps car park if it’s available and not being used by students, so we don’t annoy our families! We played the College Bar twice in 2019 to say thank you to the College. It’s good fun.”

Although he hasn’t entertained the Fellowship on his keyboard in the Combination Room – where there is no electricity – John is happy to light up the room with stories of its history. At meal times, the Fellows do the talking.

“If we look after the Fellows, they can look after the students,” said John. “At lunch a lot of important and interesting conversations take place, but we focus on the job.

“It’s a wonderful job because you just don’t know who you’re going to meet from one day to the next. The role is a huge privilege.”

Published 21/7/2023

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