Pioneer female member of the RSCBE and former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Okeford Fitzpaine, Audrey Badminton-Court is 80 today. A distinguished culinary bio-ethicist on the Thrupiece wing of the discipline (like the late Professor she has always maintained that the existence of artificially flavoured humus posited a moral/ethical turpitude equal only to that of the unflavoured variety) she has spent her life in the service of her profession. Heavily involved with Professor Thrupiece in developing thethrupiecediet from its first principles (it was she who proposed the pork scratching extension in 1972, solving the inherent stability issues which had so dogged progress up until that point) she went on to develop the holistic meditation and chanting techniques integral to the full elaboration of fitnessthethreadboneway in the early 2000s. In belated recognition of this singular contribution to the war on obesity, she received the Threadbone Congressional Medal in 2010.
An inveterate conference attendee, she shocked delegates at the RSCBE's Nairobi Convention in the mid 1960s when she removed her brassiere without taking off her blouse in a vivid attempt to demonstrate non-linear topology.
Described as both "a phenomenal mind" and "a game old bird", she did much during the active phases of her career to promote younger talent, in particular amongst the younger Threadbone and Whisky-McNightly generations many of whom found a place in her laboratories and as case studies in her published research. Several benefitted from her therapy methods.
Speaking from her Dorset home, the still robust Ms Badminton-Court declared that she would spend her 80th birthday as she spent all other days - snoozing, watching TV, smoking up to 60 Capstan Full Strength and "knocking back" the odd snifter. Asked what kept her in such good spirits, Ms Badminton-Court replied "Pardon?" The question having been put to her again, she offered "Quarter past two and be quick about it."
Ms Badminton-Court (right) with her lifelong companion Celia Notso-Pointy (left) in the garden of the RSCBE in about 1960