The Triggle

A tradition which spanned from 1937 to 1973, the ‘triggle’ was an after-dinner walk taken by students of Ormond and University Women’s College in the days when both colleges were still single-sex.

After dinner, still dressed in the tie and gown required for the evening meal, Ormond students would stroll around the Women’s College campus clockwise, whilst the University Women’s College ladies strolled in the opposite direction. This offered the chance to meet one another and indeed many friendships were formed; some enduring marriages even began with a chance meeting during a ‘triggle’.

Having begun some time after Women’s College was established in 1937, the ‘triggle’ endured until Ormond became fully co-educational in 1973. However a reenactment took place in 2012, as part of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of Women’s College – now named University College. Men and women who attended each college in the final years walked the University College block recalling fondly the fun and friendship of the ‘triggle’.