Corpus student were distressed by news of beloved tortoise Oldham’s death, which was announced by the Corpus President, Professor Richard
Carwardine, during Freshers’ Formal last week.
In a speech to the incoming first years, Professor Carwardine announced that Oldham, who summered in the garden of the Presidential Lodgings, died in late August.
The JCR President, Patricia Stephenson, broke the news to the rest of the JCR in an email at the beginning of term. She wrote, “Oldham, one of our favourite tortoises died over the summer… I don’t really know how to handle the news. This will be discussed at the first JCR meeting of term and if anyone needs to talk to someone please look towards the peer supporters, who are there for these moment.”
According to Professor Carwardine, Oldham was afflicted with ‘fly-strike’, whereby a wound in his carapace became infested with fly eggs and maggots, weakening him severely. The wound was exposed to insects due to a pre-existing split in Oldham’s shell.
The infection is thought to have set in whilst the President and his wife, Dr Kirk, were away from Oxford. Upon their return they took him to his registered vet.
A thorough examination discovered that the infection was too advanced for treatment, and due to the painful nature of his injuries it was decided that the most humane course of action was to put Oldham to sleep.
Oldham, formerly known as Toddles but renamed in honour of Corpus’s first benefactor, is survived by his civil partner Foxe. Both competed regularly in races at the Corpus Tortoise Fair, held annually in Trinityv. Foxe is the reigning champion following a storming victory in June 2013.
Former Tortoise Keeper Jan Willem Scholten spoke of these happier times. He said, “All Corpuscles, both near and afar, will remember with fondness Oldham’s achievements on and off the race track as well as his remarkable modesty, of the sort that only the greatest athletes can show. I am proud to have known him.”
This sentiment is echoed around Corpus, with second year Aled Jones calling Oldham “…the People’s Tortoise, and that is how he will remain in our hearts and our memories for ever.”
Current Tortoise Keeper Lily Aaronovitch commented on how Foxe, Oldham’s partner since April 2011, is coping with his death. She said, “He was Foxe’s Moneypenny, the Alice B. Toklas to his Gertrude Stein. Oldham was Foxe’s Patroclus… Much like Achilles he has become somewhat aggressive following his companion’s death and so will not be joined by a new tortoise in the foreseeable future.”
