Most of us do silly things as students, and I was no exception. I joined with like-minded mischief-makers to found the Three Bears Club at St Andrews. We met in each other's rooms about once a fortnight, taking it in turn to host drinks, and we would plot mischief. Indeed, the whole purpose of the club was to stir up the university with elaborate and very public pranks. We all took absurdly pretentious titles such as "Head Polemicist" and "Grand Inquisitor," but our hallmark was technical accuracy. The plot had to look real if anyone took the trouble to check it out.
It was rather silly fun. We produced spoofs of the student newspaper and the student literary magazine, and we made a silent 1920s-style movie. One of our events was a huge sherry party with hundreds present including the Lord Provost of St Andrews. Of the hosts, the infamous Three Bears, however, there was no sign. We mingled with the guests as if we were guests ourselves, and listened as the Lord Provost praised the Three Bears for helping to cement town-gown relationships.
There was an epilogue when we called the members together 25 years later for a reunion dinner at Rufflets Hotel in St Andrews, and laughed ourselves silly recollecting the humour of our student days.