Millward House: Thank you, Mr McMillan!

Mr John McMillan is retiring at the end of the year after an impressive 25-year career at Girton.  He is well-known as the ‘Minister of Bright Lights and Loud Noises’ but not many students know that he was the founding Head of Millward House.  We had the opportunity to thank and farewell Mr McMillan at the House Assembly last week.  It was moving to hear from Mr McMillan how the Millward House was founded and the early days of operations.  We felt even prouder of being a member of this Purple House after hearing what Mr John McMillan had to say.  We introduced the ‘McMillan Award’ at the start of the year and it was our honour to present this award to Mr John McMillan.  

I would like to share a speech delivered by Dhruv Gupta (11M).

Good afternoon, Mrs Watanabe, Millward house, and, of course, Mr McMillan, about whom I would like to share a few words.

This year, I was quite fortunate to be in his specialist maths class, among a handful of others, and it was my absolute pleasure to be able to experience his legendary teaching.  His love for mathematics and teaching was quite unmistakable – second to none – and every class was fascinating and exciting beyond compare.

I would also like to state that Mr McMillan experienced a difficult and saddening loss at the very start of the year.  Despite this, he involved himself in many Girton events and activities, and poured a lot of effort and time into teaching and supporting his students.  As such, Mr McMillan displayed a high degree of resilience and courage, and his dedication is something I find to be incredibly inspiring.  So, thank you, Mr McMillan, for being an unfaltering symbol of hope and courage.

I will remember your many stories about your many past lives for a long time yet, and I hope that you will continue to inspire others, like me, in your many future lives too.

Purple & Proud

Ms Motoko Watanabe

Head of Millward