4 10 85 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Anne Yardley Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Maria Rie Heymans Location The location of the interview Jolimont, WA Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) Interview 1: 1 hour, 11 minutes Interview 2: 58 minutes Total: 2 hours, 9 minutes Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Interview 1 0:00 Introduction by Anne Yardley 00:30 Rie was born in The Hague, Netherlands in 1932 and has one sister. She grew up during the difficult war years: despite being hungry all the time , the girls sometimes found excitment with no school and the freedom to wander the streets for days on end, playing and salvaging wood for fires. Often cooked potato peelings formed the evening meal, it was especially difficult for her mother. Rie believes the experience toughened her up for later life: “I can’t really explain it—it made me vehemently anti-war—always have been. I was marching against the Vietnam War…. I didn’t want other kids to go through that because it was terrifying.” 04:25 Rie has little recollection of returning to school post war but does remember it felt strange. At high school she loved languages and history and wanted to become a lawyer. Rie’s father didn’t believe in education for girls and she had to work very hard just to be allowed to finish school. As a child of divorced parents, she was discriminated against when applying for jobs, despite having excellent school results. She did eventually take an office job: “it wasn’t what I wanted to do, it was just a job.” 09:15 Rie met her future husband David through friendship with his sister in the Girl Guides, which she disliked: “I hated camping with a passion.” He lived in New Guinea for two years and on his return they decided to marry and migrate. Quotas were full for the United States and Canada: “because everyone wanted to leave. Europe was in ruins.” In 1953, they chose Queensland but Rie’s severe onboard sickness convinced them to leave the ship at Fremantle. In hindsight, Rie believes her sickness was due to stress. She was frightened of the move. Fortunately, the WA coastline from Gages Road looked inviting. 14:15 Through a Dutch clergyman on the wharf, they found unappealing accommodation in Beaconsfield: crowded and very basic. Rie describes their first days in Perth and job hunting. They found work in at the Walpole guest house. The landscape, recently burnt, was “ghastly”. The work was tough, long hours and hard work. David was clearing land and milking cows. 18:30 On early feelings about moving to Perth: “I wish I never had, I was lonely, people were unpleasant and rude. Australians didn’t welcome migrants in the 1950s.” David studied interior design at TAFE and met David Foulkes Taylor and was invited to work with him. With no galleries in Perth at that time, David Foulkes Taylor showed artists, such as Robert Juniper and Guy Grey Smith, in his showroom. Rie and David met local artists where they were welcomed. 21:40 Introduction to this community was very important for Rie’s future career: they developed an interest and knowledge in art. Rie visited New York at the invitation of friends. She visited galleries and went to the theatre: “my eyes were out on stalks.” She found work at the Australian Consulate and studied the history of art at the Pratt Institute of Fine Art in Brooklyn. She would like to have stayed but David didn’t want to move. 25:15 Rie was terrified about running an art gallery, but David pursued the idea and rented the Old Fire Station in McCourt, Leederville to start an art gallery [which ran from 1968 to 1976]. They borrowed money and did most of the work themselves: “It was very brazen but we had the support of many, many artists…it took off and went very well.” 29:15 Rose Skinner, at the Skinner Galleries , showed mostly well known, established artists like Sidney Nolan. Apart from Cremorne Gallery in Hay Street, no one else showed local artists. Rie and David chose to show young local artists most of whom had not previously exhibited and who stayed loyal to the gallery: “It was exciting ... no money in it, but that didn’t seem to matter as long as we could make ends meet.” 30:50 There were no other galleries in the late 1960s but much later there was a flourish of galleries. Most closed their doors with the GFC [Global Financial Crisis 2007-2008]. Rie learnt to run a gallery “by trail and error” and the use of common sense. 31: 55 “It’s the selection of artists that’s important … if the work appealed to me, even if I didn’t think it was saleable, but I felt it was good work, I would show it.” Some shows therefore barely made a profit, the more popular ones balanced things out. Miriam Stannage, for example was difficult to sell then. Now Chris Capper sells now for $3,500 - $4,000 Rie battled to sell his work for $250 or $300. The artists she has shown have all done well. [Rie believed it was important to support local artists and amongst those were many women like Miriam Stannage, Nola Farman. Carol Rudyard, Elise Blumann, Portia Bennett, Marie Hobbs, Helen Grey-Smith ,Helen Taylor, Mary Dudin and others]. 34:00 Prices were determined in consultation with the artist, Rie taking 25 per cent commission, all the costs were the gallery’s. Now galleries charge 40 to 50 per cent with artists paying costs. Rie did all the work herself: climbing ladders to hang paintings, writing media releases, developing and executing marketing ideas. [You have to unpack works, carry them and put them on the walls. When you are by yourself, as I was in the Old Fire Station it is hard work. You are up and down ladders, adjusting lights and hanging paintings. You need to be good with an electric drill and screwdriver etc. When you have a ceramics or a sculpture show you lug those around. It is not easy. Setting up a show is very physically demanding.] 37:50 Rie chose work based on her personal preferences, sale-ability came second. She found that people without art knowledge are often attracted to showy work of little merit: “Rubbish sells readily”. 40:00 Rie discusses the challenges of running an art gallery: “Keeping your head above water” is number one; the work is physically difficult; being tough enough to let people down gently when their work is not good enough. During the nickel boom people spent money on art. Rie didn’t sell art for investment, her advice to buyers was to buy work they wanted to live with and if it increased in value, all the better. 45:15 “To stick it in a vault because you bought it as an investment, that’s not buying art.” The relationship with her clients was important: offering them good pictures and her advice. Competition between galleries was very competitive. 48:45 Relationships with the artists was “fantastic and they’re still my friends, still.” On her retirement from UWA a breakfast was organised with artists presenting a piece of work to her for the occasion. She was given over 140 pieces of art. 50:40 Art training was good then as artists taught students. For example, Guy Grey Smith taught at Curtin, Robert Juniper taught at Guildford Grammar School and they passed on their knowledge. Most artists needed to teach to earn a living. 52:00 Rie gave up the Old Fire Station Gallery when the mining boom collapsed and her marriage ended. She made a late application for the position of curator at UWA and was offered the job after appearing before the University Art Collection Board of Management which included David Lawe Davies, Headmaster Guildford Grammar School as Chairman. Rie was successful she says because she was a hard worker and used her imagination to promote artists and the gallery. Importantly she was a board member of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council and had run a successful private art gallery over many years. With the Australia Council, Rie travelled around Australia meeting artists and gallery owners at public hearings to determine how best to run a successful arts program. The Whitlam years were exciting for the visual arts, theatre, dance. 55:50 Rie was introduced to interstate artists through this work and she exchanged artists with, for instance, Watters Gallery in Sydney. At UWA, Rie showed Fred Williams, Sidney Nolan, Charles Blackman, among others, at the Undercroft. Rie describes these and other shows at the Undercroft as very exciting. 57:00 Rie’s brief as Curator of Pictures was to look after the university’s collection; establish an exhibition program over 12 months and purchase new works of art. Purchases had to be within the modest annual budget which, while augmented by bequests from the John Collins bequest and others, was still small. Rie travelled interstate to view collections. She describes the collection she inherited: a strong core of Antipodean artists—Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, John Percival, Charles Blackman. Rie discusses works by Nolan in the collection. 59:00 Local artists included Guy Grey Smith, Robert Juniper, Geoffrey Allen plus graphics and silk screens from European artists that “didn’t make sense.” Others had been bought from the Skinner Galleries and Rie’s gallery. The collection lacked cohesion and Rie attempted to fill the gaps. For instance: “Women had been completely ignored.” Rie believes she did reasonably well on a small budget. Women artists were still cheap to acquire then. 1:02:36 Acquiring the works Rie wanted meant scouring catalogues and staying in contact with galleries Australia wide. One interesting group came from Europe in the 1930s escaping Nazism: “they were damn good painters and they hadn’t been collected,” because they weren’t painting traditional Australian scenes. Rie had to present works she wished to acquire to a monthly board meeting: “it’s not easy to convince academics as a non-academic and a woman.” 1:07:00 By the end of her tenure, Rie was able to make themed exhibitions with the works she had acquired. The criteria was for Australian artists: to acquire historical works to fill the gaps and strengthen the contemporary collection. 1:08:00 The collection was housed all over campus. Annually a stocktake was done to check the condition of works, for instance, some had been hanging in the sun, some had disappeared. Staff could chose works to put on their walls. The Australia Council had a system for registering works which Rie adopted to ensure a solid record, she then rented a suitable warehouse to store the works in preparation for the new gallery [to replace the Undercroft previously used for exhibitions]. 1:10:55 Interview 2 00:00 Introduction by Anne Yardley 00:35 Rie discusses the European artists [mentioned in interview 1] and the contribution they made to Australian art : Yosl Bergner, a Jewish artist form Warsaw. Rie discusses her reasons for buying The Pie Eaters; and German artist Elise Blumann “a strong gutsy painter” Rie describes Summer Nude and On the Swan at Nedlands; Evening on the Yarra Claris Beckett,was gifted to the collection, “a beautiful picture.”. 05:20 Some Australian artists understood the European newcomers, for instance Melbourne artist, Noel Counihan: The Pumpkin Seller – painting what life was like for many in Melbourne; Harold Vike, a Norwegian socialist who lived in Perth, his work The Reading Room and People on a Tram. Rie says they are “a slice of life” and works depicting urban life are as important as bush scenes. 10:05 At times it was difficult and stressful convincing the board to collect these painters. The board included a student guild member nominated by students. Rie recalls Digby Cullen and John Carruthers. 13:00 Rie explains how she attracted donations. It was very competitive and hard work. She gave talks to various groups and was often invited to view people’s private collections. Tax deductibility encouraged donations. 17:30 Acquisitions most commonly came through purchases which meant going to every exhibition for local, contemporary artists. The works would be shown to the Board. Rie would notify all galleries in Australia of work she sought. 18:50 Rie was keen to collect women artists as there were few apart from Elizabeth Durack in the collection. She describes Adelaide Perry’s Woman Pilot, 1931, as another strong image: “Those sorts of women should be in a university collection. They are just as important as the male artists.” Rie discusses other women artists. 21:15 It was difficult for women artists to make a living, Rie believes it is still somewhat true today. Portia Bennett painted Perth city, on site, as it was in the 1940a: Hotel Adelphi, 1948, on St George’s Terrace. Her husband didn’t approve of her painting. 26:42 Rie hoped to encourage students and anyone interested in Australian art. She tried to get a thread running from early Australian artists through to today’s artists. Rie mentions Ian Fairweather’s works that were gifted to the collection by Rose Skinner. A Melbourne dealer, Joseph Brown, also made donations. 31:25 The Visual Arts Board made many important works available and provided money for purchases. There was more money available in the 1970s. On her success, Rie says she transferred her methods from the Old Fire Station to the university. Rie used her own imagination to get publicity for the gallery. For instance the 9 x 5 and Love a Duck promotions. 33:50 Rie discusses the “9 x 5” promotion in 1989: 100 years after the original 9 x 5 exhibition in Melbourne where artists produced an exhibition of work painted on cigar box lids. Rie used 3 ply cut to size and asked artists to paint pictures which were then sold for fund raising. Bob Gregson acted as auctioneer and every picture was sold. Rie describes the function and how it operated. 37:30 “Love a Duck” was an earlier promotion in 1987. Ducks were made by an artist from palm fronds, Rie asked artists to paint the ducks which were auctioned in a similar event which raised over $30,000. Artists who contributed included Ken Done, Robert Juniper, Leon Pericles. Artists entered into the spirit of the event, they were prepared to assist to get a better gallery for the university’s collection. Their contribution went towards the furnishings. 42:10 On the challenges of the Undercroft as a gallery: the screens had to be dismountable as the Undercroft was needed for exams, Save the Children Fund book sale and other events. Despite the challenges: “we managed to have some good exhibitions that I’m still proud of.” There’d be about 12 exhibitions per year. There was a further gallery space at the back of the Undercroft near Rie’s office, literally a broom cupboard. 44:05 On what gave Rie the greatest pride: her acquisitions, especially the artists from Europe and the women artists. She didn’t plan to leave UWA [in 1989] before the new gallery was opened—it would have been a good place to work but her husband had retired and was keen for them to spend more time in their holiday house. She had a great send off—a large group of local artists took her, and husband Ian, to breakfast and presented her with over 100 small scale sculptures and works: “They spoiled me rotten.” 48:00 Post UWA, Rie was asked to be on the selection committee for three new court buildings. She helped the City of Joondalup for several years and became a board member at the Art Gallery of WA before her husband, Ian, died. In 1989 Rie received a letter from Canberra asking if she would accept an Order of Australia. She felt embarrassed as it didn’t seem right to have an honour for doing something she enjoyed doing. She received the award on Australia Day 1990. Rie has often felt an outsider as a migrant and says It can still be hurtful not to be considered Australian. With the OA, for the first time she felt accepted as an Australian. She has no idea who nominated her. 53:34 Reflecting on her life in the Arts community, Rie says she thought she was cheeky to take it on without a Fine Arts degree: “I was thrown in off the deep end and I think I did a reasonable job, which is pleasing, but I think it was a bit of cheek.” 54:30 On the arts community in Perth now: “It’s in a sad position now since the GFC.” Many important galleries have closed their doors which makes it harder now for artists to earn a living: “I don’t know how they’re surviving.” It’s a lot of work for artists to produce the artwork and promote their own work. [Rie makes the point that artists struggling in Western Australia is nothing new. They have always had it a lot harder because of our geographical isolation: “I recently bought a stunning linocut from an artist who has just finished a post-graduate degree at Curtin in Fine Arts and he has to do his work in the evenings as during the day he works as a bus driver. Artists have no easy job and I for one wanted to support them”.] “We’ve gone backwards since the global financial crisis.” The state Art Gallery “can do a lot in supporting young local artists….and dare I say it, they’re not doing that.” Rie says the recent Guy Grey Smith is fantastic and very well curated but notes that it’s taken more than 30 years after his death to mount the exhibition. 58:20 Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/a0005668de710c81c93f3229da8f58b9.mp3">Heymans, Interview 1, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/d64a8e455fa22829da555f2041576c3e.mp3">Heymans, Interview 1, Track 2</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rie Heymans interview, 7 July 2014 and 10 July 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Art Gallery Description An account of the resource Born in The Hague, Netherlands in 1932, Rie Heymans' early life was informed by wartime Europe, a time she recalls when she was always hungry. Post war, Rie and her husband David left Europe bound for Queensland and it was only Rie’s debilitating onboard sickness that led the couple to leave the ship in Fremantle and settle in Western Australia. Their early migrant years were difficult until David became involved in the local arts community which led, in 1968, to Rie and David, with little experience, opening the Old Fire Station Gallery in Leederville. In the interview, Rie discusses her approach to gallery ownership, the emerging artists she exhibited, and the Perth arts community in the 1960s and 70s. Despite the success of the Old Fire Station Gallery, Rie says of running an art gallery: “It isn’t an easy game.” And hence in 1976, Rie accepted the position of Curator of Pictures at UWA, a position she held until taking early retirement in 1989. Rie talks about the direction she chose to take with the university’s art collection: filling the gaps in the collection and placing an emphasis on collecting women artists. Rie was keen to acquire works by artists who, escaping pre-war Europe, made their homes in Australia and contributed to a more urban view of Australian art. Rie discusses her philosophy towards building the collection; her fund raising events for the new university art gallery. She speaks of the challenges faced by artists today with less money and fewer opportunities. In 1990, Rie was awarded the Order of Australia in recognition of her contribution to the visual arts. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Heymans, Rie Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Julia Wallis Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed T Alex Reid Location The location of the interview Yokine, W.A. Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) Interview 1: 58 minutes, 35 seconds Interview 2: 1 hour, 7 minutes, 43 seconds Total: 2 hours, 6 minutes, 18 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Interview 1 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 01:05 Track 2 00:00 Thomas Alexander Reid was born in Nottingham. The family migrated to Perth when he was 14 years old. He attended John Curtin High School. He did a degree in maths and applied maths at UWA. His student number was 600329. The Mathematics Departments was upstairs in what is now the Vice Chancery. The library was in the northern wing where the visitors centre is now. Physics and Chemistry were in the buildings that are Geology and Geography. The Reid Library was completed in 1964 and the new Physics Building was built after he had finished doing that subject. The expanding campus included the construction of the new Arts building. 05:49 Students from other faculties mixed as the campus was compact. Alex was a committee member of the Christian Union and met his wife Helen at a car rally put on by them. Their first date was at a play put on by the University Dramatic Society at the Dolphin Theatre. Alex joined the university rowing club and was a founding member of the soccer club. 11:03 There were girls studying maths and applied maths. Peter Winter lectured in Applied Mathematics and was a tutor. Having a mathematics degree gave students a range for options that used maths as a foundation unit. Alex went into computing. 14:33 During Alex’s second year at UWA he took a cadetship with the Department of Supply and went to work at the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE) in Adelaide in the vacations. When he arrived in November 1961 he was put in the maths services group which had a computer. There were no computers in WA at this time. The computer took up a whole room but was much slower than a smartphone! There were other students from UWA there as well as two lecturers Malcolm Hood and Peter Winter. WRE were tracking rockets and using complicated mathematics for computing their trajectory. The Centre was the base for the Woomera Rocket Range and one of the projects they were working on was the British Blue Streak Rocket. When Alex graduated he returned to work here permanently (1963-1965), married Helen in 1964 and settled in Adelaide. 22:09 Alex then took a job with the Bureau of Census and Statistics and did some training in Canberra before moving to take up a job in Perth in 1966. The freeway and the Narrows Bridge had been built. Alex worked on tools for manipulating census data. Then they built what was called a Table Generator which allowed you to pull out specific data quickly. This was a Control Data computer. It was one of the fastest computers in the country. The first computer in Perth was the IBM1620 which was installed at UWA in 1962. Undergraduate students were not allowed to use the computer. By the time Alex came back to Perth this computer had been superseded. 28:08 In March 1969, Alex came to work as a programmer at the Computing Centre at UWA. By now they had the first time-share computer - the PDP-6. All the other computers were batch operated. About 50 terminals could access the computer simultaneously. In addition, it ran an experiment for the Department of Psychology with a rat race in real time. There were also Physics experiments conducted on it. Alex started working on UNIWAFT which diagnosed problems with computer programmes. This was up and running at the end of 1970. Denis Moore was the Director of the Computer Centre which was located in the new Physics Department. The staff was housed in wooden demountable buildings in Irwin Street on campus. The centre devised a programme called MINWAFT to assist State Schools to introduce computing in schools. 37:13 Within about 18 months, Alex was promoted to Applications Manager and later Assistant Director (1974-1979). He was Acting Director from time to time and became Director in 1979 when Dennis Moore resigned. He remained in this position until 1991. Another big project was LOANLY – an automated loan system for the Reid Library. This was the first self service automation system installed in a library world-wide. David Knoll was the librarian involved in the project. The project had its teething problems but was running very well by 1977. Alex gave a lecture to the Computer Society in Perth about the project and was voted lecturer of the year in WA (and runner up in Australia). He gave lectures on LOANLY throughout Australia and in Britain. Sir Maurice Wilkes from Cambridge University came to Perth in July 1971 and gave a day seminar and Alex shared the platform talking about online computing and data bases. He also developed a course on data bases. UWA was quite advanced. 45:31 When Dennis Moore arrived he started a postgraduate diploma course called a Dip NAAC (Numerical Analysis and Automatic Computing). In 1969, the name was changed to Dip Com (a Diploma of Computation). Alex did this Diploma part-time in 1969. This was the only university course available in computing at this time. You had to already have a degree to be accepted on the course. By 1975, a separate department was needed and the Department of Computer Science was set up. Professor Jeff Roehl was the Foundation Professor . 48:32 Track 3 00:00 LOANLY was named after the character Lonely in the TV series Callan. A paper on the project was submitted to the Australian Computer Society for the Case Study Prize and won the prize in 1978. With the proceeds he bought his first micro-computer for $500. Alex’s eldest son programmed Space Invaders on it. He became a Professor of Computing at Oxford University and has recently moved to Adelaide. It was not until the IBM PC hit the market that computers became available for use by the students. Costs had come down at lot. The IBM 1620 cost $88,054 (£44,027). The PDP6 cost $469,000. IBM was known as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in the computer marketplace. 05:47 At about the same time that Maurice Wilkes gave the lecture on multi-access computer systems, Dennis and Alex ran a course for the UWA Extension Service called Computer Programming and Data Management for On-line Systems. It was a 25-week course of study that started in March 1971 on data bases and data management. People came from government departments and other companies outside UWA. Towards the end of the course the students had access to the PDP6 to enter data and search the data base with a programme called DAMP (Data Management Access Package) which taught students about Codasyl . It was an early example of online learning. 08:58 Interview 2 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:54 Track 2 00:00 WARCC (the Western Australian Regional Computing Centre) was formed in 1972. The IBM 1620 was the first programmable computer in WA. Main Roads also had one. Other people could use the computer but time-sharing really took off when the PDP6 arrived. Now several users (such as the SEC, WAIT, and PMG) could use the computer simultaneously and remotely by telephone line. Every 3 years the universities were offered grants towards buying computers from the AUC . In 1970-1972, the government only gave grants to universities that would agree to co-operate with other nearby universities or other entities. None of the other big universities did get grants but UWA was prepared to share resources. UWA and several key stakeholders put in funds, which together with the government grant, enabled them to buy a larger computer. 05:05 The computer was a Cyber 72 (derived from the CDC7600) purchased from Control Data Corporation in the USA and was installed in August 1972. It was designed by Seymour Cray. These computers were among the first to contain multiple processors. It was upgraded from time to time and disk drives were added. A lot of effort was made to make sure that everyone’s information was kept private. This introduced the use of passwords. Hackers were not so common then. IBM was probably the first company to develop compatible computers. 11:41 The WARCC was housed and run by UWA but was self-supporting and independent of UWA. Gradually the range of services provided increased. WARCC started to write computer programmes and software for other organisations. Some of the programmers were placed in different government departments on secondments. They had a large training unit. The purpose built basement in the Physics Department had to be extended to expand with the needs of the WARCC. They even housed and managed computers for other organisations such as the Health Department. WARCC operated a little bit like an incubation unit until people had the skills and know-how to operate and run their own computers. People gradually became independent of WARCC and mini-computers accelerated this process. Micro-computers were even more affordable. 16:50 UWA was the leader in computing in WA. Alex’s boss, the Director, Dennis Moore, set up the Central Government computing facility and worked with the Health Department. Alex was Assistant Director of WARCC from 1974-1979 and was appointed Director when Dennis Moore resigned. Networking also lessened the need for time sharing. WARCC was working on networking computers and the idea of using the internet, similar to ARPANET which was developed by the US Department of Defence. WARCC developed a packet-switching network which connected a number of computers and terminals around WA. Unfortunately by this time, the need and will for sharing information was waning. Alex talks about two types of computer sharing: 1 computer connected to remote terminal 2 computer connected to remote batch station The third type of networking which he didn’t discuss on audio was computer-computer network connections: very common now (eg the whole Internet/Web is built on this), but back then very rare. In 1977 WARCC built the first multi-host packet-switched network in Australia - it interconnected various computers in WA; ultimately, you could just buy this "off the shelf", as indeed was done to establish AARNet connecting all universities in 1989. Although the work they did didn’t lead directly to AARNet, it give confidence to the university/computing community that this was feasible. 20:47 The computing centre was evolving. It moved into networking and micro computing. WARCC allowed people to rent micro-computers. It was financially quite challenging to change the role of the WARCC and move with the times. They borrowed money from UWA to invest in new computers and paid the money back over the years. When Alex left WARCC at the end of 1991, they had finally paid off their debt. WARCC was turned into a much more commercial enterprise separate from UWA. Alex resigned as Director and became the IT Policy Officer at UWA and did this from 1991-1993. WARCC changed its name to Winthrop Technology and it was left to the University Computing Services to run the network within the university. 23:29 With the rise of mini and micro-computers, UWA began to embrace computers in the workplace. They were used for scientific and engineering experimentation. UWA staff became top users of computers in Australian universities. In 1993, the Chancellor decided that there was no requirement for a central computing facility or any need for guidance and policy. Alex was made redundant and became Director of Oxford University Computing Services (1993-2000). In 2000, he was head-hunted back to UWA to head up the IT Policy Unit and retired from this role in 2005. The Humanities also used the computers. E/Prof John Jory’s Latin Inscriptions Database was uploaded onto the PDP6. The library put their catalogue online and added a circulation system which eventually replaced LOANLY. The library is now the information hub of the university. 30:05 UWA administration began to use computers early on to handle student information and finances. A project in the UK (Project MAC) tried to develop a shared university system but it did not work. A similar project in Australia CASMAC also ended in disaster. The Queensland Government advocated a shared service through their governmental agencies about 10 years ago but it also collapsed. 35:14 At the end of 1989, Alex was asked to speak about WARCC to the Parliamentary Public Accounts and Expenditure Review Committee. The model was commended but it wasn’t taken up. Alex later contributed a chapter in a book on Computer Excellence on this topic. 36:21 UWA is no longer the leading light in the computer field in WA. Now everybody uses computers. There were a few staff at UWA who refused to use computers but most took to them. Students today must be computer savvy. A lot of resources are online and computers are part of the teaching process. MOOC (Massive Online Open Courses) is a case in point. 41:30 In 1976, the Australian National Computer Conference was held in Perth. Don Bitzer spoke at the conference and demonstrated a system called PLATO. The system had touch sensitive terminals and graphic displays and was designed to be a teaching tool and compliment a particular course. The US Army used the program for their training. Alex visited the USA in 1982 and advocated the purchase of PLATO. They ran PLATO at UWA from 1985-1989 on a cyber- computer and it was very popular but by1989 it was not cost effective. Today e-learning programs such as Blackboard and Moodle are used which are more or less the same as PLATO. 46:02 The WRE moved to Control Data computers after Alex left. He is not sure if they ever used computers for teaching. When the PLATO service closed at UWA a new company Computer Aided Learning Service (CALS) was set up by Richard Twiss. The Defence Force was a client. 48:42 Students in the Computer Science and Software Engineering at UWA learn to program a computer. Prof Jeff Roehl advocated the Pascal computer language. Fortran was the predominant language in the early days and is still used for scientific computing but it was easy to make mistakes in the programming. Yianni Attikiouzel in Electrical Engineering also taught the Pascal program to his students. Engineering students build their own computers. Alex’s son developed a program when he was 12 years old and later re wrote it in BASIC. There are many different types of computer languages. COBOL is used for business processing. Other languages are C+ and C++ . Different languages are developed to assist with different needs. HTML (Hyper Text Mark Up Language) is used for websites. 54:04 Alex retired from UWA in 2004. He is Honorary Professional Fellow and lectures on ethics in computing. He does consulting work primarily for AARNet (Australia’s Academic and Research Network) and helped set up the Australian Access Federation which helps researchers to use resources in other facilities. He also works on how to support researchers in e-research such as SKA - the Square Kilometre Array, a global next-generation radio telescope project involving institutions from over 20 countries. 59:42 Computer ethics is taught using case studies. CLOUD computing poses very particular ethics. What happens when robots malfunction? In the future, there is a feeling that computers will be able to far surpass the abilities of the human brain. We may be too dependent on them even now as they are used in surgery and 3-D printing for burns victims. Alex hopes that in the future computers will be used for good and not evil! 66:49 Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/d394522df20e3f44b36ef1429f32afe3.mp3">Reid, Interview 1, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/0cd1f6d48a638a1076d3f86d3774ac5b.mp3">Reid, Interview 1, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/34c140535b2d31e418ec471b73b7e4a6.mp3">Reid, Interview 1, Track 3</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/999ee7498eb683a260de6ea9b5c520ae.mp3">Reid, Interview 2, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/3d354ae229740f2e93705eada504a79e.mp3">Reid, Interview 2, Track 2</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource T Alex Reid interview, 22 July 2014 and 29 July 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Computer Science and Software Engineering Description An account of the resource Thomas Alexander Reid was born in Nottingham. The family migrated to Perth when he was 14 years old. He attended John Curtin High School. He did a degree in maths and applied maths at UWA. During Alex’s second year at UWA he took a cadetship with the Department of Supply and went to work at the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE) in Adelaide in the vacations. WRE were tracking rockets and using complicated mathematics for computing their trajectory. In March 1969, Alex came to work as a programmer at the Computing Centre at UWA. Within about 18 months, Alex was promoted to Applications Manager, Assistant Director and later he became Director. He remained in this position until 1991. One of Reid’s big projects was LOANLY – an automated loan system for the Reid Library. This was the first self service automation system installed in a library world-wide. He gave lectures on LOANLY throughout Australia and in Britain. A paper on the project was submitted to the Australian Computer Society for the Case Study Prize and won the prize in 1978. Alex retired from UWA in 2004. He is Honorary Professional Fellow and lectures on ethics in computing. He does consulting work primarily for AARNet (Australia’s Academic and Research Network) and helped set up the Australian Access Federation which helps researchers to use resources in other facilities. He also works on how to support researchers in e-research such as SKA - the Square Kilometre Array, a global next-generation radio telescope project involving institutions from over 20 countries. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Reid, T Alex Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Julia Wallis Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Sue Boyd Location The location of the interview Claremont, W.A. Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) Interview 1: 58 minutes, 53 seconds Interview 2: 55 minutes, 3 seconds Interview 3: 1 hour, 21 minutes, 29 seconds Total: 3 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Interview 1 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:52 Track 2 00:00 Sue was born in Calcutta, India in 1946. Her father was in the British Army. After WW2 he was posted to Germany. They left Germany when Sue was six years old and were posted to Northern Ireland and later Egypt, Cyprus and then Germany again. She attended 13 different schools in 5 different countries and was used to learning different languages. 11:16 The family returned to live in England in 1959. Sue attended Sudbury Girls High School in Suffolk where she did her ‘O’ levels. Then she attended Colston Girls School in Bristol and passed ‘A’ levels in English, French and German. She gained a place at Bedford College, London University to study education but took a gap year and taught in N Rhodesia (now Zambia) with the British Voluntary Service. 17:40 Meanwhile her parents had decided to migrate to Western Australia. Sue was not happy about this and wondered what a degree from UWA would be worth. They came out on the Canberra as £10 Poms. They found it was not England overseas. There were lots of things that were different such as names for things and meal times and subtleties of language. 26:41 The family arrived in February 1966 and Sue went straight into St Catherine’s College. Everyone was new so she didn’t stand out. They had been introduced to a family in Guildford and through them they met other people. Nonetheless, it took a bit of adjusting for her parents to feel at home in Perth. They were taken to City Beach by a man from the Good Neighbour Council the first evening they arrived and got dumped in the surf! 35:57 Pat Church was the Warden of St Catherine’s College. They were cliques from girls who had been friends at private schools so Sue chummed up with Shona Robinson who had just arrived from Canberra. They both joined the Judo Club which gave them some male friends. The Club sponsored Sue for the Miss University Quest. They were judged in a day outfit and an evening outfit. It was a way for people to get to know each other. They socialised with St George’s College and had dinners at other colleges. 41:14 Sue co-organised the Miss University Quest the following year and it brought her into contact with the Guild and the Vice Chancellery. She was invited to join Guild Council as Education Officer and organised Vietnam Information Week and Sex and the Single Student Week. She also campaigned to improve the standard of education in State schools. She was elected as President in 2009. She represented the university at Sydney and Melbourne for National Union of Australian University Students’ meetings. 49:43 Kim Akerman the Aboriginal Affairs Officer on the Guild supported the Aboriginal people in Leonora when a sacred site was being desecrated. The Guild made a point of pretending to have a mining claim on the War Memorial at Kings Park before Anzac Day to make a point! 53:40 Sue led a protest in Stirling Highway as the tunnel to give students safe access to cross the road was taking too long. St George’s students did a protest and then a sit-in was organised. Pelican dubbed it “Boyd’s Passage”. 57:52 Interview 2 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:36 Track 2 00:00 Impressions of campus. New Arts building and theatre spaces. Hackett Building. Nedlands and Park Road. Very good teaching staff. Her degree came second to her role as Guild President. Enjoyed English and Drama. Politics introduced in 2nd year set up by Professor Gordon Reid. Studied the unit with Kim Beazley. Bob Hetherington was their initial lecturer. Majored in English and Politics. Did Geology to do a science subject but Professor Rex Prider did not encourage female students. Sue found Psychology useful. Ali Landauer invented the system of landing lights at airports. He also taught about the transmission of DNA. Judith Laszio from Psychology was very encouraging and provided a study space for Sue in her house. 14:40 Social life was on campus but also outside with family and friends. There were always balls and dinners through different university faculties and colleges and also through the Guild. They used the Embassy Ballroom in William Street and the Pagoda in South Perth. There was a big focus on drinking which she found a little uncouth. Steve’s was a great meeting place. 20:03 PROSH was not as big thing then. Sue was very involved with Camp for Kids. Sport was a big part of student life both as a player and a supporter. 26:02 Relationship between Guild President the Vice-Chancellor, Stanley Prescott who used his intermediary Mr Angeloni to avoid confrontation. It had been proposed that the Guild President should be part of the Senate and Sue was the first Guild President to do this. At this time the demands of being Guild President were onerous and it was proposed that the Guild President should be given a year off from their studies and that they should receive a payment. Kim Beazley was the first Guild President who was salaried in 1970. The size of the university was growing but also students were becoming very politically active around the world. The Guild President was a public figure. There was a sense of change in the air. The network of student politics throughout Australia proved to be helpful in Sue’s later career. University broadened her horizons. 35:45 The student power was used to get rid of a bad teacher in the Economics and Commerce Department. It was decided that a student representative should be on each Academic Faculty Committee. The university now rewards teaching excellence. It is now core to the university’s focus. 38:48 By now, Sue was beginning to realise that teaching might not be the career for her. She did teaching practice at Tuart Hill and Hollywood Hill and enjoyed the teaching but was dismayed by staff politics and many of the children did not want to be at school. Sue had done vacation work for WA Newspapers and at the ABC and she could have worked for both of them. Tim (Kendrew) had been accepted into DFAT subject to his examination results and Sue decided to apply and was accepted. It was serendipity. David Irvine and Peter Cross from UWA were also accepted. There was a 3 day interview process in Canberra. What DFAT were looking for 54:27 Interview 3 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:36 Track 2 00:00 How did the degree from UWA help with Sue’s future career? All the subjects she studied have had their uses as did being Guild President. 04:12 Women in the Foreign Service were pioneers. DFAT were still resisting women being in Foreign Affairs as they thought they just got married and if they did – they were required to leave the service. The women in the service had to prove that women could do the job. There are some good women in the service like Frances Adamson who is ambassador to China. In Sue’s day women only went to places that were safe but were not in Australia’s policy focus so it was hard to gain promotion. A great deal of work was done to change institutional discrimination. Sue was on the first EEO committee making policy changes regarding married couples, children and aged parents and expectations on wives to be social organisers. It was a time of great change and Sue was an agent for that change. 12:30 Sometimes being a woman was an advantage. Sue was able to access the wives in Islamic countries for example. There were difficulties sometimes when it was expected that the High Commissioner would be male! You had to prepare them beforehand that they would be meeting a woman. 15:29 A degree from UWA is now worth a lot and people have heard of the university. UWA is in the top 100. Sue is now involved in the Senate. 16:30 DFAT influence government and look after the welfare of their citizens’ overseas particular in times of crisis such as the recent MH17 crash in the Ukraine. There was an air crash in Fiji on the first weekend of Sue’s arrival there. On another occasion she had to assist 3 young men who had been caught smuggling gold into Bangladesh. Working in the field the diplomats get to know people informally and can make ‘deals’ on issues. 26:14 Being ‘on the ground’ gives the High Commissioner a great deal of power. Sue was asked to assist on the Pacific Solution. She knew that Fiji did not really want to host asylum seekers due to many issues they had and managed to persuade Canberra to let them off the hook. Canberra consults with people on the ground quite frequently. The best ambassadors are people who can think for themselves and read the situation. 32:00 Sue had developed many of her cross cultural skills through her upbringing but also through her UWA degree and meeting international students. Between postings Sue would visit different universities to recruit staff. She maintained her networks in Perth and at UWA. The university changed over time and each Vice Chancellor put a different stamp on UWA. Deryck Schreuder pushed for UWA to be international. He asked Sue to talk to the Deans and invited her to be part of a working group to participate in this initiative. From that, the Dean of Engineering invited her to do a final year lecture on internationalism and cross cultural situations especially in situations. She was able to discuss failures and successes such as the Mỹ Thuận Bridge in Vietnam. 39:08 Deryck Schreuder arranged for her to receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters in 2002 and introduced her as being one whose conversation contained a mix of high policy and low humour. In 2003, Sue retired and came back to Perth. She was offered a board appointment on Gold Corporation. She was on the board for 3 years. Meanwhile in 2004, she was invited to join the UWA Senate. 4/23 of the Senate are independent of the university. Members are only allowed a 4 year term so Sue is in her last term. 43:05 Sue is now an Executive Business Coach which is very rewarding. She also mentors students. There are more women now in the upper echelons of business in Perth. The coach works confidentially with the client. 49:45 Track 3 00:00 In 2004, the Senate prepared for the Centenary which straddled 2011-2011. They put aside $10,000 from the Senate reserve every year from 2004 to celebrate the centenary. They appointed a Centenary Planning Committee chaired by June Jones who appointed Virginia Rowland as Executive. When’s June’s term on Senate expired in 2006, Sue Boyd took over the job. Three sub committees were established to work on the target audiences: (1) the internal audience of UWA; (2) the external audience and (3) the alumni. The purpose of the celebration was to celebrate the university which was created to serve the interests of the people of Western Australia. 05:25 They had originally thought about celebrating over the three years and sent out a request for ideas. It was important to get everyone in the university involved and excited about the Centenary. They decided that they needed an iconic event which became Ted Snell’s idea of “Luminous Night” festival which was to be a gift to the people of Perth. 10:08 They decided to celebrate landmarks over the three years rather than run the celebrations over 3 years – 2011: founding, 2012 arrival of staff and the main celebration in 2013. The Luminous Night kicked off the Perth Arts Festival and was the night the alumni were invited to campus. The public were invited to campus and it was hoped there would be flow on from the opening of the Festival on Matilda Bay. About 15,000 were expected but about 40,000 people came. People are still talking about it. 16:33 The University gives back campaign involved the different faculties doing a project in regional WA. There were some marvellous projects put on by the Business School (Pilbara); Arts Faculty music project in the Kimberley; Medical Faculty in Kalgoorlie and the Education Faculty Astrofest in the wheat belt. 22:00 There were other projects – the founding families, the Guild dinner and publication; the Centenary History book; a film; a phone app; the 100 Treasures of the University. It was a huge success. The university won a CASE award – a Grand Gold Award for the Centenary. It worked because the whole university were engaged with it and they gave it their all. 26:22 Ms Madeleine King was a UWA person who was appointed to pull the Centenary together and a job that Sue could not do as a volunteer. She established a Facebook and Twitter account and was invaluable to the success of the campaign. 28:48 There is a policy document for the next time. It was suggested it should be within the next 25 years (2025) and that a dedicated staff be appointed. 30:54 Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/66992f6450ecd577130b78644e37e57c.mp3">Boyd, Interview 1, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/b172b23e8a22d0edfb2157ad2c5672c7.mp3">Boyd, Interview 1, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/208cb05044d63a2b8fe8911f17b67394.mp3">Boyd, Interview 2, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/15ca411fcfdfc4d1d15390f14c89357d.mp3">Boyd, Interview 2, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/cb695afe8360b43305cd5c365b4dc93b.mp3">Boyd, Interview 3, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/deeefae0eacb62a823f4eff2640c1dbc.mp3">Boyd, Interview 3, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/441820d5df93951309d0b243383c03b7.mp3">Boyd, Interview 3, Track 3</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sue Boyd interview, 10 July 2014, 16 July 2014 and 30 July 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Guild of Undergraduates Description An account of the resource Sue Boyd was born in Calcutta, India. She lived and was educated in Germany, Ireland, Egypt, Cyprus and Britain before migrating to Australia in 1966. Before joining the Foreign Service, she worked for three years as a journalist on the Perth Daily News and was a volunteer teacher in Zambia. She speaks a number of languages. She was Australian High Commissioner in Fiji, and was concurrently High Commissioner to Tuvalu, Nauru and Tuvalu, and Australia’s Permanent Representative to the South Pacific Forum Secretariat. Previous postings as Head of Australian diplomatic missions were Australian Consul General in Hong Kong Australian Ambassador to Vietnam and Australian High Commissioner in Bangladesh. Other diplomatic postings were in Australian diplomatic missions in Portugal, East Germany and the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York. Before returning to Perth in 2003, Sue Boyd spent 35 years pursuing Australia’s international interests as a senior Australian diplomatic representative in Europe, North America, Asia and the Pacific. Following a career in international diplomacy, Sue Boyd is now an Executive Business Coach, international adviser and company director. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boyd, Sue Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview John Bannister Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Robin Warren Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) Interview 1: 53 minutes, 39 minutes Interview 2: 54 minutes, 54 seconds Total: 1 hour, 48 minutes, 33 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Interview 1 00:00:00 John Robin Warren 1937. Early information background. Father 1840 mother 1836 to Adelaide. Robins early recollections. Inspiration and history of medical involvement. Engrossed in reading. Background, inspiration 00:05:02 Oxford junior encyclopaedia. Interest in astronomy. Hobby of photography. Box brownie developing own films. Enjoying looking through microscopes. Health as a teenager. Reading, health 00:09:35 Parents encourage study. Coming to be interested in an academic career. Education encouraged with commonwealth scholarships. Thoughts of studying medicine. Fascinated in medical history. Study, medicine 00:13:17 Original medical discoveries made. Loving going to university. Serious student enjoying reading. Difficult to do the things that you have to do. First year at university was an extension of high school. Matriculation. University, matriculation 00:17:16 Western Australians come to Adelaide to study. Memories of university. University has expanded and more discoveries. Expensive medical study and expensive technology. Technologies help advancements in career. Career, technologies, university 00:20:25 Interested in working PNG. Robin Cooke was the pathologist at the time. Department of Foreign Affairs takes a long time to make things happen. Memories of ten Seldam and Doug Hicks talking at Royal Melbourne hospital. Plans of coming to Perth. Nobody argues with Rolf [ten Seldam]. Rolf ten Seldam, Perth 00:23:57 The reputation of UWA and Royal Perth hospital. Melbourne location and connections to the world. Isolation. People in Perth had their own little thing. Royal Perth Hospital and QE2 Hospital were not connected. Talking to people at the university. UWA, Pathology, Royal Perth Hospital 00:27:15 Memories of the medical school. University of Melbourne compared to UWA. Research pathology. A clinical pathology. Interest in Histopathology. Interest in haematology. Haematology, pathology, UWA 00:31:35 Peth and general pathology. Areas of histopathology. Interest in Gastro pathology. Difficult to study. Endoscopy and surgical specimens. The flexible endoscope. Whitehead describes the histology of the stomach. Histopathology, gastro pathology, flexible endoscope 00:36:45 Discovery of the helicobacter. Fact that bacteria didn’t grow in the stomach. Description of bacteria growth in a layer of stomach mucus. Looking at connection to gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcers. Duodenal ulcers, helicobacter 00:40:50 Looking at the blue line. Other colleagues could not see bacteria. Microbiology an seeing bacteria in the tissue. Staining bacteria to observe them. Organisms stained with silver and acid fast stains. Bacilli otherwise invisible. Bacilli, microbiology, bacteria 00:45:07 No one believes that bacteria exists. Just something different. Looking for bacteria finding them easily. Spiral shapes bacteria. Growing in palisades. 30% - 40% of biopsies have bacteria. Stumbling across the bacteria. Interest in photography helps. Bacteria 00:51:44 Taking a picture and discovery. Interest in photography and Microbiology - Everything comes together at that time. discovery 00:53:39 Interview 2 00:00:00 meeting Barry Marshall. First professional who was interested in work. Barry wasn’t particularly interested. Looking at normal gastric mucosa. Biopsies from the gastric antrum. Showing the changes in information. Barry Mashall 00:04:30 Barry becomes very interested in discoveries. Cause of ulcer. No one believes robin warren. Studies undertaken in 1982. 100 Patients are biopsied. Symptoms of gastric problems. Symptoms related to ulcers. Symptoms, ulcer, studies 00:0:7:30 Patients have biopsies. Clinical findings for duodenal ulcers. Bacteria closely related to Duodenal Ulcers. Gastric infection and d ulcers. The result and response to ulcers. Front page of the New York Times and spread of the theory. Bacteria, gastric infection, New York Times 00:11:23 Barry Marshall come up with idea for treatment. General public and acid inhibiters. Treatment for ulcers. Specialist protect their theories. Specialist in the royal hospital oppose ideas. GPs are interest. Recognition. Treatment of the ulcer and infection. Barry Marshall, recognition, treatment 00:15:16 Opposition and disbelief. The rest of the world and ultimate ratification of Robin Warren and Barry Marshall findings. Research work in America. People don’t believe findings from WA. Disbelief, research work 00:18:28 Barry Marshall drinks bacteria. 90% of people are infected by HP. Organisms and out of balance. Comparison to the bubonic plague. Polio virus and spectrum of changes with any virus. A chronic infection and ulcers. Barry Marshall, virus, chronic infection 00:23:18 Being infected and treatment with antibiotics. Barry Marshall drinks a huge does of bacteria. Nasty active virus results. The response to the experiment. Barry Marshall 00:26:27 Recognition result slowly from the beginning. A hit at Brussels conference in 1983. Trouble with publishing papers in The Lancet. Getting peer reviews. Not having any peers at the time. Campylo *and Vibrio* bacteria. Getting letters and papers published. Two paradigm shifts in the paper. Bacteria are causing ulcers. Campylo Bacteria, ulcers, publications 00:31:40 The most published paper in the world. Trying to prove findings wrong. Correct cure for ulcers is to cure helicobacter. Goodwin, Surveyor and Morris*. Memories of Goodwin and the new type of bacteria. Ivor Surveyor, Barry Mashall and radio isotopes. Goodwin, Surveyor, Morris*, Barry Mashall , radio isotopes 00:35:14 Beginning of the breath test. Memories of Morris and a mild gastritis. Koch postulate and findings of a brilliant microbiologist. Koch Postulates. Isolated bacteria and cause of disease. Koch Postulates, breath test 00:39:10 Successful treatment of ulcer. Speaking invitations and world travel. Nobel Prize winners are in demand. 1994 Foundation prize for Harvard medical school* and other awards received. Best gifts. Awards, Foundation prize Harvard Medical School 00:44:00 Memories of the build up to Nobel Prize. Guest speaker in the late 90s. Taking time off and retirement. Barry has kept on going. Nobel Prize, Barry Marshall 00:45:45 Memories of the Nobel Prize in 2005. Having dinner on the night of the nomination. Having an idea that the Nobel Prize was on the cards. Success of treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers. Occasional surgical experiments. Duodenal ulcers, treatment, experiments 00:49:43 A telephone call while having dinner at the old swan brewery. Thing go crazy and not possible to have dinner. Leaning on a fence that isn’t a fence. Memories of the award ceremony. 00:54:54 Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/5fccce2b7de92280fed444024fd955ba.mp3">Warren, Interview 1, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/9cbf63b892b054fc4baa06b1e7368fd1.mp3">Warren, Interview 2, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/d25c62ad825b9da6d3daef9261444db5.mp3">Warren, Interview 2, Track 2</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robin Warren interview, 2 July 2014 and 8 July 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Medicine Description An account of the resource Robin Warren was born in 1937, Adelaide, South Australia. He matriculated in 1954, gaining a Common-wealth scholarship and obtaining entry to the Medical School of the Adelaide University in 1955. Following university he became Registrar in Pathology for training in morbid anatomy and histopathology. He hoped to obtain a position as pathologist at Port Moresby before being posted to Perth WA in 1968 by Professor Rolf ten Seldam, the Professor of Pathology at the University of Western Australia and the Royal Perth Hospital. During the 1970’s he developed an interest in the new gastric biopsies that were becoming frequent. In 1979, on his 42nd birthday, he noticed bacteria growing on the surface of a gastric biopsy. From then on, Robin spent much of his spare time centred on the study of these bacteria. Over the next two years, he collected numerous examples and showed that they were usually related to chronic gastritis. With Barry Marshall he would develop a theory and prove that the bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, caused stomach ulcers. He also helped developed a breath test for detecting H. pylori in ulcer patients Their findings were met largely with disbelief. But after initial publications in 1983–1984, a wealth of further studies appeared, most of them apparently just repeating their work, with similar results. Still most support for their work came from patients and GPs dealing with gastric and duodenal ulcers. Gradually their work gained world wide acceptance and resulted in both Robin Warren and Barry Marshall being awarded a Nobel Prize in 2005. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Warren, Robin Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Julia Wallis Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed John Wager Location The location of the interview Room G48, Arts Building, UWA Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) Interview 1: 48 minutes, 43 seconds Interview 2: 1 hour, 45 seconds Interview 3: 25 minutes, 18 seconds Total: 2 hours, 14 minutes, 46 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Interview 1 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:38 Track 2 00:00 Born 20 June 1932 in Subiaco. Father had been born in Singapore. Grandfather worked as company secretary for Wearne Brothers, Singapore. His mother’s father was from the Isle of Man. Attended Subiaco school until 1942. Then moved to the farm at Koorda in the wheat belt. Schooled in a one room school in Koorda. He moved to live with his maternal grandmothers in South Cottesloe in 1943. He caught the steam train from Mosman Park to Subiaco. Subiaco centre was industrial with warehouses and shunting sheds. He spent time as a child watching the locomotives shunting. The loco drivers used to let him ride on the footplate. 06:41 He won a scholarship to Perth Modern School as did his brother and sister. It was a co-ed school but the girls and boys were segregated. Most of the other children were from local schools as there were no boarding facilities. He matriculated in 1949 and always wanted to be an engineer. By 1948, they were back in the family home in West Subiaco. He rode his bicycle on weekends to Perth airport in Maylands. He was very interested in aircraft engines and design. He was awarded an exhibition for entry to UWA. 11:25 UWA was centred at Winthrop Hall. There was no Reid Library. The engineering faculty was located at Shenton House which made them independent of the rest of the campus. George Munns was the gardener and he used a horse and cart. The Engineering School had a handful of retired war veterans as students. Their experience encouraged John to travel. Two of them commuted by dingy from Como across the river. 15:17 The engineering degree was 5 years. The fourth year contained practical experience in industry. From September 1952 to March 1953 John worked with Commonwealth Aircraft at Fisherman’s Bend in Melbourne. CAC was building jet engines. The bulk of students were in Civil Engineering and they worked at the Public Works Department or the Water Board. In John’s final year there were only 5 studying mechanical engineering. 20:03 At that time there was no Professorial Head of School. Ray Minchin and Gordon Lutz were the teachers. They had practical experience in industry. The first year was a general year when students studies civil, electrical and mechanical engineering. Civil engineering was more popular perhaps because it seemed more relevant. There were a lot of State cadetships. The engineering students were quite separate from the rest of the campus. There was great rivalry between the engineering students and the law students. They used to have a tug of war. John recalled the 1950 graduation ceremony where Sir James Mitchell was asked to be the speaker. A student dressed up as him and came on and did a ‘speech’ before the official speaker arrived. 29:09 There were sporting competitions such as the Goyder Cup. There was an Engineers Ball every year. One year the ball was open to the public. There was a mock bull fight in St George’s Terrace put on by 3 engineering students. They also took part in PROSH. 31:41 The lectures took place in Shenton House. The laboratories were buildings over from the Second World War. They contained boilers and steam engines. John was very happy with the course. He particularly enjoyed the practical experience in industry. In 1953 to 1954 he did a second stint in industry where he was a machine shop inspector at Chamberlain Industries. A superintendent there called Bert Webster really took John under his wing and increased his interest in gears and gear levers. This led to his topic for his Honours dissertation where he obtained First Class Honours. He chose to study the stress between one gear tooth and the other gear tooth using photoelasticity . 39:27 Although John’s Hon ours dissertation had very slight practical application he stayed interested in measurement and gauging. This had application later on when he did his Masters. By the 1960s, pneumatic gauging was quite widely used. Today air gauging is a thing of the past and measurement is done electronically. 43:17 The Second World War had an impact on Perth and industry. Chamberlain’s in Welshpool used to be the munitions factory. There were the State Implement Works and Midland Junction Railway Workshops were building marine engines. There was plenty of opportunity to work in industry in WA but John wanted to go overseas and applied for a graduate apprenticeship at the English Electric Company in Preston, Lancashire. Due to the difference in university terms between Australia and England he spent some time working at the Ford Motor Factory in North Fremantle which later became a brewery at the beginning of 1955. While working here an engine crushed the big toe on his right foot. As a result of this, he came very passionate about industrial safety and introduced this subject when he was lecturing. 48:05 Interview 2 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:46 Track 2 00:00 In 1955, John was a graduate apprentice at the English Electric Company in Preston which designed diesel electric locomotives that were exported all over the world. Most of the manufacturing in WA was on a very small scale. English Electric’s Deltic engine was very efficient and very effective. The railway locomotive plant was in one building and the aircraft building was across a cobbled street. EEC paid for John to travel there by ship. They had factories all over the UK. In the 1950s EEC was the place to be to experience design and construction. 05:48 Towards the tail end of his apprenticeship there John saw the UWA lecturer position advertised on the notice board. He felt that he could use his experience in industry to assist UWA students to learn and understand about the practical use of mechanical engineering. The Ford factory experience led to him incorporating industrial safety into the final year of the course. English Electric had a good safety record. 09:56 Back in Perth John was offered a University house for rent south of the campus for 6 months until they bought a house in Daglish. The Engineering Faculty was still small although student numbers had increased enough to warrant another lecturer position. John taught the methods of conventional manufacture with lectures and hands on experience in the labs. John enjoyed the freedom of being a university lecturer. He took the students out to visit factories and plants. Civil engineering students were still going into the State cadetship schemes. Mechanical engineering graduates tended to go to the eastern states. John experience at English Electric enabled him to teach elements of engineering design and the difference between function and manufacture. 15:43 In academia there were specific topics and lectures but the choice of research was quite free. In 1959, John acquired a Master of Engineering Science at UWA by studying air gauging. To stay in academia and retain freedom of choice in research topics it became obvious he needed a PhD. He was granted study leave and applied was awarded a US Fulbright Scholarship which enabled him to study for his PhD (1964-1967) at Purdue University, Indiana, USA. His topic was the useful life of the machine cutting tool. This proved to be a useful component in the harnessing of computers and machine tools. 21:08 In last ten years of his time at UWA he was able to establish a Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing Laboratory. Students now designed on a computer rather than a drawing board. John’s Honour thesis of stressing in gears, his Masters in pneumatic gauging and then his PhD topic studying the life of machine tools all had practical application in industry at the time. 23:22 In 1977, in view of his industry interest and research, John was invited to join CIRP (College International pour la Recherche en Productique), the International Institution for Production Engineering Research, based in Paris. You had to be invited by at least one international member of that group. At the time there were only two other members in Australia – both in the eastern states. To remain an active member you or your research group had to contribute a paper every second or third year, accepted by an international jury of CIRP. John’s projects were not earth shattering but fitted quite neatly into the programmes of the other members of CIRP. For example, John’s team looked at precision grinding. A legacy of the munitions factory being located at Welshpool in WW2 meant that there was a Metrology Laboratory in the School of Engineering. John feels that these research projects were of benefit to UWA. 29:00 Later on Professor Ben Downes came out from England to be the Professor of the School of Engineering. A PhD was necessary to graduate through the ranks. John went from Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor however he was more concerned about undertaking research and forging overseas contacts in order to acquire and share knowledge that would benefit the students. A key one was the Cambridge ACDMM (Advanced Course in Design, Manufacturing and Management). CIRP involved research papers and attending international conferences. They had discipline specific groups at these conferences where wide ranging discussions took place. Quite often these conferences took place during university vacations. The Cambridge ACDMM was a full year programme which meant that he needed study leave to take part. UWA generously granted him study leave of 6-12 months on six occasions in order to take part in this programme. John found out about this on an earlier sabbatical where he was working for an aircraft orientated company in Bedford, England. 34:05 John’s first stint with ACDMM was in 1985/1986. Graduate students with a strong interest in manufacturing could apply to take part in these industry projects. There were lectures but the main part of the project was a practical component in industry solving a problem and writing a report. There would be 9 projects during that year in a specific geographic area. ACDMM had been in existence since c 1963 and ran projects each year. It was a win-win situation for all concerned. 39:40 In 1993, Cambridge accepted John for another 12 month period but told him they wanted him to find the 9 projects in the Darvel Valley in Scotland. One of these projects was with Vesuvius (UK) Ltd at Newmilns who sourced their raw materials from Capel, WA. The original lace making industry originated here also. John‘s project involved using computer generated machining. John had discovered his family origins in the Isle of Man and suggested an industrial project there. Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd provided 2 projects. 52:46 John was learning a lot. Back home, it made the UWA course more relevant. John devised a ‘Humans in Industry’ course in the final year with IFAP. 59:49 Interview 3 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:30 Track 2 00:00 On a study leave in 1974, John taught at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg. Apartheid was at its peak. As an adjunct to this course he taught a 1 week graduate course in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), Mozambique during the War of Independence as the guerrilla forces of the Mozambique Liberation Front or FRELIMO (Frente de Libertação de Moçambique) made their way to the capital. During a term vacation in 1977, he taught in Seoul, South Korea. In 1988, he lectured at Hunan University, Changsha in China. The tensions in China eventually led to the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989. In 1990, John attended a CIRP conference in Berlin when the wall came down. John retired from UWA in 1997. In 1998 he was engaged for a 12 month education project in Indonesia. He witnessed protests against President Suharto who resigned on 21 May 1998. 03:13 When John joined UWA in 1957 only the automobile industry was left operating in Australia. Korea was becoming a major power in manufacturing and also Japan and China. One of John’s PhD students was from Hunan and the invitation to teach in China came through him. John’s elder daughter was the second female student in Engineering, the first female recipient of a Clough postgraduate scholarship and is now CEO of the Water Corporation. 07:23 UWA was very generous in granting study leave every 7 years. John is also grateful for the Fulbright Scholarship that enabled him to study for his PhD in the USA (1964-1967). John’s experiences were shared with his students on his return. He was able to create new units or part units. First Years were presented with a series of lectures on Conventional Manufacturing Metallic Materials (casting, forging and machining). Senior students were given lectures and practical sessions on Unconventional Machining Methods. The senior students were assisted to design and build an EDM machine. 13:27 John established the CAD (computer aided designed) laboratory. Computer-aided design took over from drafting. It was now possible to design in 3D. Later John obtained finance to covert the CAD laboratory to a CAD CAM laboratory and obtained a computer operated lathe and a milling machine. John introduced a subject in overall manufacturing and method study. He also ran units on design for manufacture. He taught work measurement for quantity production and introduced a lecture series on Operations Research and Linear programming He developed and delivered courses on Statistical Quality Control. The final year included a unit on Humans in Industry. He also introduced lectures on verbal communication, report writing and body language. 21:47 John is grateful for the opportunities he received over his 40 years with UWA. He believes the School of Engineering at UWA stood up well in comparison with other universities in Australia and overseas. UWA is quite different today. When he turned 80, the Dean of Engineering invited John and his family back for a lunch at University House. 24:48 Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/ac41052706aecb7ed60c537e1e1020a5.mp3">Wager, Interview 1, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/d531f8c548f7c97d5c8149e7884789af.mp3">Wager, Interview 1, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/a9ba9d44901ccbc0b50a74b1ce58a42e.mp3">Wager, Interview 2, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/87422a2e9cd279acf829b577a8dce4c0.mp3">Wager, Interview 2, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/b87f967f7fbf013494c6ceab81f32ad0.mp3">Wager, Interview 3, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/947044551447b82d78da80f1316f250e.mp3">Wager, Interview 3, Track 2</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource John Wager interview, 24 June 2014, 1 July 2014 and 8 July 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Engineering Description An account of the resource Fifty years ago, the UWA engineering degree was a five-year programme. It included the equivalent of a full year of practical experience in industry, which enabled John to gain valuable experience in aircraft engine assembly with the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Melbourne, and precision measurement as a machine-shop inspector with the Chamberlain tractor factory in WA. After graduation with honours in Mechanical Engineering, he undertook a two-year graduate apprenticeship with the English Electric company, in Lancashire, England. He was then appointed lecturer with the UWA Department of Mechanical Engineering, Later becoming an associate professor. At UWA he followed his interests in precision measurement in manufacturing, gaining a Master of Engineering Science degree which led to his being invited to serve, during a university vocation, as a UN consultant in the development of metrology and fine instruments in Seoul, South Korea. John was later awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, enabling him to complete a PhD at Purdue University in the US. His PhD topic related both to precision measurement and the computer controlled machine tools then becoming wildly used in world industry. This resulted in his being elected one of the few Australian members of CIRP, a world-wide manufacturing research body, based in Paris. John retired from UWA in 1997, but was then invited to serve as a consultant on a major engineering education project in Indonesia. He has been a member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia for over fifty years, and has held a number of posts, including Chairman of the WA Division, Chairman of the National College of Mechanical Engineers and National Vice-President, responsible for Education and Assessment. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wager, John Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Anne Yardley Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed John Inverarity Location The location of the interview Claremont, W.A. Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 1 hour, 53 minutes, 15 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview 00:00 Introduction by Anne Yardley. 00:37 Robert John Inverarity born 31 January 1944, Claremont. Mother Helen born 1908, Father Mervyn, born 1907 was a chartered accountant and talented cricketer. John enjoyed a happy childhood with many friends exploring the neighbourhood and playing sport, especially football and cricket . Schools: North Cottesloe Primary School followed by Scotch College. John loved the sport, the team spirit and the sense of community at Scotch. 5:55 He captained the school cricket and football [Australian Rules] teams. On a visit to WACA [Western Australian Cricket Association] aged six John envisaged he would one day play for Western Australia; he was selected to play for WA before starting university. 07:20 John’s ambition on leaving school was to teach. His father encouraged university studies and so he became the first in his family to go to university. He has always considered himself a teacher who played cricket, rather than a cricketer who taught. He had an idealistic streak and wanted to make a difference through teaching. Being part of a school community appealed to him. 09:50 Although very keen on cricket, teaching was John’s prime interest. As Chairman of Selectors for Cricket Australia, he has urged young cricketers to have a life—career and friendships— away from cricket to develop as people and sportsmen. When John retired after playing first class cricket he had a career to sustain him through the transition, unlike many other sportspeople. 13.20 Teaching fitted well with a cricket career. John chose UWA to avoid becoming a bonded teacher. Rod Marsh, Tony Mann and John ran cricket camps to help support their university studies. He completed an Arts degree majoring in maths and a Diploma of Education. He easily found a job teaching maths at Guildford Grammar and loved his two years there. 16:10 He loved his years at UWA; his major engagement with university was through cricket and football where he formed friendships. All day, from 8am, was spent on campus—at lectures, tutorials, in the library and with friends. 17:25 Cricket at UWA was pivotal: he was given responsibilities, opportunities and there were expectations made of him. Within two years, he was captain of the first grade side and won premierships. The combination of responsibility, opportunity, expectation and carefree times matured him. 18:25 He recalls Alan Robson, former Vice-Chancellor of UWA, telling students: “if you leave this university only with a degree, then we will have failed you.” 19:30 John found university academic life impersonal and remote, with some exceptions. He didn’t engage with learning as he had at school. He believes the university is better at engaging students now. Teaching styles have changed since the 1960s. 21:00 John enjoyed playing A grade football at university with Tony McCartney and Tim Kiernan, now well respected doctors, winning two premierships. University football was amateur whereas the cricket fed into the State team. 23:00 He was very disciplined at juggling the different demands on his time at university. In 1963 John sat his first three university exams in Sydney on the mornings of Sheffield Shield matches. While teaching and during home games, he would teach the first two lessons before hurrying to the WACA, play cricket, collect the school work, mark and get it back to students the next day. It was important to him that his students were supported, they were his priority. 25: 35 Arthur Williams was UWA’s registrar and patron of the cricket club during John’s student days and was very supportive. It “nearly broke my heart” to miss a Sheffield Shield tour because of exams. The then Chairman of Selectors was also a teacher and sympathetic. 27:15 John taught at Guildford Grammar for two years, 1967-8, and was away for nearly six months of 1968. He then moved to the government sector and taught at Applecross Senior High School, believing it would be easier to get teaching cover than in the independent sector. 28:25 He met his future wife, Jane McPherson, through his local church, St Aiden’s. They married in 1969 on a Monday night as it was his only night away from cricket commitments. Rod and Ros Marsh married six days earlier on a Tuesday night. Daughter Alison was born in 1970 and Kate in 1972. 30.45 John played six Test matches: two in the England tour 1968, one test 1968-9 and again in 1972 where he played three tests. Wives and families didn’t usually travel with teams then, but Jane and others did that year. 32:00 Playing Test cricket is, he says, a roller coaster ride; it builds resilience. Jane would provide the balance between high and lows. He remembers walking out to bat for Australia for the first time and was very excited but he was also excited walking out to bat for his school team at age 13– gradual incremental steps. Both the praise and criticism is excessive: “if you can’t survive that, you won’t last very long”. 34:25 Friendships have been important throughout his career. As Headmaster at Hale School, he believed in holistic education. Pastoral care was at the forefront and was best done through activities—working and playing together. In cricket the same: “I think friendships form best when you do things together. That’s the medium through which you get to know each other.” 36:40 When John became Headmaster at Hale in 1989, he was given the advice that he should stay aloof, but that style didn’t suit him. Whether captain, coach or headmaster, it is the position that sets people apart, he says, but he personally operates better on a more egalitarian, less formal, basis. 38:10 When coaching Warwickshire (from 2003), a South African player who found it difficult to address him informally, as John insisted, settled on “Opa” meaning grandfather. Now John is Opa to his grandchildren. 40:30 At Hale School John tried to teach students to have different forms of behaviour according to what was appropriate for different situations. At St George’s College he encouraged students to have respect for the position as well as the person and mentions occasions when visited by former Prime Ministers and the Vice Chancellor. As a teacher and headmaster he ensured he knew each student’s name. He considered it a mark of respect to the student. 43:35 As a teacher at Scotch College in 1969, during David Priest’s tenure as Head, he learnt the importance of appointing the right staff; the importance of creating an environment where staff flourish. 45:20 John has enjoyed all his teaching positions: “I love it, love it”. In 1976-7 he taught at Tunbridge School, Kent and became friends with England captain, Colin Cowdrey whose sons were at the school. He has maintained friendships with people there. 47:00 John became deputy head at Pembroke School, Adelaide while still playing cricket. Daughters, Alison and Kate went to Pembroke—a co-educational school and a different teaching experience: “a slightly chaotic but wonderful school.” During this time, he took a year’s exchange to King’s College School, Wimbledon. 48:10 He has debated whether co-ed or same sex schools are better. What matters more, he believes, is the whole tone of the school: the learning and teaching environment and the quality of the relationships. He liked the co-ed experience at Pembroke and at Hale the aims and objectives were changed to allow co-ed as a possibility. The idea was met favourably by some but with fierce opposition from others. It created an interesting debate. 50:00 John came to headmastership at Hale with clear ideas on education: “I have always been of the view that there is nothing more important in our society than the raising of our young.” His vision was for educated, competent, decent people to contribute to society. He abolished caning at the school and insisted students were called by their first names. He wanted all subjects to flourish and fostered music and drama. He encouraged kindness and respect. 53:30 Caning was still in use in many schools—less at Scotch in the 1970s than at Hale in the late 1980s and common at Guildford Grammar. At Hale, John made the rule that only the Headmaster could use the cane, and he didn’t use it. John was expected to cane at Guildford and did so: “never again, ever, ever.” He found it abhorrent. By the time he abolished caning at Hale it was becoming less common. 55:34 While Headmaster, John continued to teach at Hale considering it important to be in the classroom and involved in all activities. Leadership is about service, about being involved, he believes. There are different approaches to the role of the principal. John’s style was to know each student, many good principals operate differently. 59:00 John’s mentors: Bill Dickinson, Headmaster at Scotch during John’s teaching years. There were colleagues at Hale who were confidants and very wise men with a sense of expectation and of trust. 1:00:20 Accountability and trust: while there needs to be a level of accountability in recent years there’s been an increase in an emphasis on accountability. Checking up on people comes at the erosion of trust. He believes people respond better when trusted. He describes how he responded positively to his colleagues at Hale who gave him their trust. It brought out the best in him. 1:02:00 When John came to St George’s College he was told that he needed to stay on top of the students. For John, the relationship is a partnership with him as a moderating force who shows trust. Alan Robson, UWA, was a wonderful leader with astute judgment who showed respect. He empowered others. John tried to empower staff at Hale. 1:04:55 At the end of 2002, John finished 14 years at Hale. He felt he’d given what he could and that the school would benefit from fresh input. After a coaching and teaching stint in England and at Notre Dame University, Fremantle, he wanted to get back into education and was offered the position of Warden of St George’s College. 1:07:00 When at Hale, John told students it was expected that they would do their best and the school community depended on their contribution. The way to contribute was through each person’s personal qualities: kindness, consideration, helpfulness. Students at good schools find it easier to be engaged than students at university who are only on campus for tutorials and some lectures as these are now online. 1:09:40 University offers a fantastic life for students who involve themselves in the university community: “I think it’s a great pity that so many students go to university without getting engaged.” A residential college offers full immersion and John is a huge supporter of college life. John was Warden of St George’s College for six years and on recent visits sees the college continue to develop. He recalls a visit by John Howard, former Prime Minister, and believes the students lives were enhanced by the experience of dinner and a question and answer session with Mr Howard. The college offers scholarships and prizes, doing well is valued. Third and fourth year students take tutorials for younger students. 1:11:50 A key to college life is communal dining and St George’s has a rule that students can’t save seats but must sit where there are places, thereby getting to know each other: “Everybody was expected to know everybody else”. Dinner conversations were lively, well informed discussions. A music program was developed that included tuition, a Winthrop Singers Choir sang Evensong at the Chapel. Very interesting visitors were invited to speak at fireside chats . There was a scholarly atmosphere. John recalls Alex Wood, a medical student, and others, giving carefully prepared tutorials. 1:14:40 “The learning and teaching environment was just of the highest quality.” Dynamic, purposeful, focused but relaxed. That builds a learning community with wide ranging interests and cross fertilisation amongst students. Sport was played on Sunday, again, to build community. Strong relationships were developed. John has maintained contact and former students visit his home for networking and mentoring evenings. 1:17:10 John explains the difference between halls of residence where “a bit went on, but not much more”. What should set colleges apart is the quality of offerings outside the mere dining and living experience. He places Oxford and Cambridge at the top, mentions Trinity College, University of Melbourne next, and ranks St George’s College as being several rungs lower but striving. With new accommodation the numbers of students in residence is increasing; John is very supportive. The difficulty will be offering the full college experience with many more students. Proximity to campus means students are more likely to become involved with university life. 1:20:00 Students in the UK tend to leave home to go away for university which has not been the experience in Australia. This is a pity. There is a “brain drain” from Perth with students going to Sydney, Melbourne, and the ANU. Colleges are especially useful for country students to immerse themselves in the college environment. The Warden’s role is to create the leadership, the enthusiasm and environment in which students “take the bit by the teeth”. 1:22:50 In a college, as in a school, teachers could start to cruise when peer group pressure reached the point teachers wanted it to be when: “it was cool to work hard; it was cool to acknowledge excellence; it was cool to be kind and considerate; it was cool to be respectful and tolerant; it was cool to appreciate the music and drama if you were a sportsman; it was cool to watch the footy team if your thing was music and drama.” Teachers lead by the signals, subtle reminders they give. For instance, at Hale sports reports were traditionally mentioned first, John put arts first, it needed the encouragement. 1:25:15 David Newby, who had been at school with John, became a Rhodes Scholar and was at St George’s. That was an important time for David which he acknowledged by giving the college $50,000 a year for five years which allowed for art classes, music classes and others. 1:26:40 Student base at St George’s: about 70% from rural Western Australia; 20% from overseas; 10% interstate and metropolitan students. John ensured there was a needs based approach to accepting students, for instance, the “mythical student from Kalbarri High School” and wanted to give these students an opportunity. Most settled in well with the welcoming environment. John would interview 150 applicants for the 70 or 80 places. He was conscious to allow the less confident students the chance to attend the college and to flourish. 1:30:20 For Young Australian of the Year [2013], Akram Azimi attending St George’s College was a life changing experience. John recounts his first meeting with Akram suggesting he apply to the College but he lacked the funds. John managed to obtain a scholarship for Akram who went on to spend four or five years at the College. He studied science, law and arts. He conducted tutorials in anthropology, anatomy, biology: “He was extraordinary.” 1:35:00 John doesn’t believe it is possible to solve the problem of inequity in offering places to worthy students. “Each one is a gold nugget and his [Akram’s] was a very shiny gold nugget.” More scholarships are needed. Andrew Forrest is putting 15 million [dollars] into a post graduate college to be affiliated with St George’s College which will include scholarships. “Scholarships are very, very important.” Present Warden, Ian Harding, taught at Christ Church, has a background in banking and is a good financier. John mentions the American model where enrolments are made on merit and those who can pay contribute extra to a coffer, those who can’t receive help from that coffer, plus endowments. A way can be found for students without the means: “we’re babes in the wood in that regard in Australia but St George’s collect has gone a bit in that direction and is getting better.” 1:37:20 John would like to see all UWA students spend one or two years in a College, meaning more places must be made available. Costs would be considerable. St George’s College has been going since 1931 and has received significant endowments, initially from Hackett who built the college with support. Providing college life for all is a long way off. 1:39:20 John would like to see more money coming from the public purse but doesn’t see this as a priority for public money. Primary and secondary education, support for the disadvantage are higher priorities. He believes it would be rewarding for people with financial means to support students at college and enjoy that relationship. 1:41:30 After six years John felt he had given what he could to St George’s College. He was approached by Cricket Australia and believed he would enjoy that experience [as Chairman of Selectors] but that in time he would like to be involved with a college again. He’s now spent two and a half years with the cricket selectors. He and wife, Jane, have travelled and became involved with that community. It has been a demanding job which he has enjoyed but not as satisfying or demanding as running a school such as Hale. 1:43:45 There have been two very strong strands in John’s life: education and cricket. In cricket he most enjoyed captaincy, having responsibility for the team, being in charge and attempting to create an environment where the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. The most important element in coaching is creating an environment in which players do their best—where they thrive and are a cohesive unit. That comes from trust, confidence, mentoring. Having that role fascinated John and is common to cricket captaincy, coaching, headmastership, teaching in the classroom and St George’s College, and with the family: “That’s who I think I am”. Someone who likes challenges. 1:46:50 John is now going to England [June 2014] to contribute to a leadership and mentoring workshop: “I’m not ready to stop looking for challenges.” While still not ready for retirement, he is ready to work less hard. John maintains a connection with St George’s College, recently giving a successful fireside chat and enjoying Evensong and concerts. He is a member of the UWA Senate: the Board of Governors of the University. He loves the involvement and the environment of young people gaining confidence and qualifications to make a difference in the world. 1:49:30 Family is a very important part of John’s life. He and Jane have been married 45 years. Daughters Alison and Kate are both married, in Melbourne, and each has two children. The Cricket Australia position has allowed John and Jane to spend time in Melbourne and to take their grandchildren to the MCG. He would like to see his grandchildren benefit from spending time in a university college in the future. Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/604a662715fc471b95ae5d4afce57748.mp3">Inverarity, Interview 1, Track 1</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource John Inverarity interview, 9 June 2014 Subject The topic of the resource St George's College Description An account of the resource Robert John Inverarity was born in Claremont in 1944. His father, Mervyn, was a talented cricketer and instilled a love of the game in his son who played both cricket and football throughout his school years at North Cottesloe Primary School and Scotch College and later at the University of Western Australia where he completed an Arts degree majoring in mathematics followed by a teaching diploma. During his university and early teaching years John juggled exams, teaching and the demands of playing Sheffield Shield and Test cricket. He continued to combine teaching and cricket in a career that saw him play in six Test matches beginning in 1968 as the opening batsman for Australia. He captained both the WA and South Australian Sheffield Shield teams and later coached county cricket in England. His teaching career took him to the Headmastership of Hale School, a position he held between 1989 and 2003. After 14 years at the helm of Hale School, John accepted the position of Warden of St George’s College at UWA, a role he held for six years. Always ready for the next challenge, in 2012, John left St George’s College to become Chairman of Selectors for Cricket Australia. This interview takes place in June 2014 as he steps down from this position and contemplates his next challenge. Retirement is not yet on the horizon for John Inverarity. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Inverarity, John Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australian Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Julia Wallis Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carmen Lawrence Location The location of the interview UWA, School of Psychology, Room 3.07 Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) Interview 1: 48 minutes, 53 seconds Interview 2: 48 minutes, 16 seconds Total : 1 hour, 37 minutes, 9 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Interview 1 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 01:01 Track 2 00:00 Family background. Family on both sides have been in WA since 1853 and settled in Toodyay and York. Carmen’s parents, Ernest and Mary, both lived in this area. They married just before the end of the Second World War and moved to a soldier settlement called Gutha in 1947 and had seven children. Carmen was educated at a Catholic boarding school in Dongara. The Lawrence’s were very keen for their children to get the education that was denied them. From the age of 7 to 10, Carmen attended school at Marian Convent, Morawa then went back to boarding school at Dongara. At age 14 or 15, she attended Santa Maria College in Attadale where her older sister had been. The standard of Catholic teaching was not very high at this time. There was no careers advice. 08:53 Carmen attended UWA in 1965 when she had just turned 17 (on 2 March). She enrolled in subjects she liked and was good at and did a general arts degree. She gained her Leaving Certificate and passed 7 subjects with 6 distinctions (equal with Robert French, the current Chief Justice of the High Court). St Catherine’s where she boarded provided some advice and support. St Catherine’s was the only women’s college and there would have been about 80-100 female students boarding there. In Arts there were more women so the ratio would have been about 70/30 but the campus was full of male students studying medicine, science, law and engineering. 12:10 Lectures were held in the new Arts Building from her second year. She studied Psychology, Economics, English and Italian. Psychology was very interesting. There was an old Psychology Building located where the new Child Studies Centre is behind Maths and the Computing Centre. The Department was interesting and lively. It was more or less part of the Arts Faculty but uneasily straddling Arts and the Sciences. English literature was interesting but she felt there was no point continuing with it if she was not going to become a teacher. Dorothy Hewett, and Fay Zwicky were tutors. The tutorials were more memorable than the lectures! Italian was very good for teaching pronunciation as she had never spoken the language before. Economics was enjoyable in 1st year but not so much in 2nd year. She was awarded a prize in economics and in psychology so was encouraged to continue with these subjects into 2nd year. She dropped English and Italian in 2nd year and did a first year unit in Biology. Alan Richardson tutored Psychology at Saint Catherine’s. John Ross and Vince Di Lollo were young academics. The student body in the Psychology Department were friendly so Psychology won out over Economics. 16:53 The school was anti-Freudian and very behaviourist. Human behaviour had always interested her. The degree became an end in itself. She did not think about future use. She picked up more prizes in 2nd year and was chosen to do Honours at the end of 2nd year (a Bachelor of Psychology). She was thinking about being an academic but then took a year off and re-thought her path. She was offered jobs due to her good results and had no trouble getting jobs that she applied for. 19:49 The early 60s on campus was still fairly quiet and conservative. Carmen took part in various organisations at St Catherine’s but the emphasis was on study. There were social events between the colleges. There were sporting events. It was like a small country community. She was involved with the undergraduate dramatic society and the Newman Society (the Catholic Society). The psychology community had their own club. The social life was restricted more or less to weekends. Most of the students were supported by their parents or had Commonwealth Scholarships. She did not take a job in term time but worked over the summer holidays in the Psychology Lab. Both Carmen and her younger sister were supported by their parents at St Catherine’s College. Her three younger sisters also attended UWA and her parents bought a house in Shenton Park where they moved on retiring. 22:54 St Catherine’s was a bit like a boarding school. Pat Church, the Warden was very strict. In 1967, as a senior student (elected by the student body) Carmen tried to intervene when a boarder was expelled for having a man in her room. There was a common room for tutors and senior students. There were formal dinners where residents wore gowns. No drinking was allowed. If you were over 21 and invited to the senior common room then you could have a glass of wine with the Warden. When you had enough of these rules and regulations you found alternative accommodation. Carmen left during Honours. The rooms contained a bed and some storage and a study desk. Students were encouraged to use the common rooms to make tea and coffee and socialise. The food was institutional but better than boarding school. There was not much provided by way of lunch on campus so many students returned to the halls or took a packed lunch. The campus finished at the Reid Library so it was quite easy to return for lunch. 26:52 All the colleges interacted. There were balls, sporting events and dinners. All of the colleges had balls and these were a highlight. Carmen and her sister made their ball gowns. The dresses were made of satin or silk and elbow length gloves were worn. She also made her everyday clothes. Sometimes there was a band. Many people had their own radios and listened to popular music. Spare time was spent mixing on the campus or at the beach in the summer or playing sport. Student clothing was fairly formal. Female students wore skirts and jumper – trousers were rarely worn. It grew more informal in the 1970s. 31:25 Discussion of topical issues took place in tutorials. St Catherine’s had a series of tutorials that were run by campus academics. It was a sheltered world. Television was rare and discouraged. Radio and reading were the ways students found out what was happening in the wider world. The student movement gathered momentum in the early 70s. When Carmen returned as a PhD student in 1970 she tutored at St Catherine’s and became involved in the anti-Vietnam movement. Having travelled around the world for a year in 1969 she had been exposed to more ideas. Carmen recommended at one of the anti-Vietnam marches and meetings that young people should burn their draft cards. This was totally illegal. [Phone rings] The campus was very lively in the early 70s. Carmen then decided that she didn’t want to complete her PhD and left in 1971. St Catherine’s students set up the Libertarian Socialists. They campaigned against the Miss University Quest. Women’s issues, Vietnam and social issues generally were being discussed in the lead up to the 1972 Federal Election which saw Gough Whitlam and the ALP take power. 36:06 St Catherine’s College had a float in PROSH complaining about the absence of women in politics in about 1967. The protest over the beauty contest (Miss University) was in about 1971. It was the last year that it was held. There were very few women academics and those in the university were only at junior levels. 40:30 Carmen had not been a member of any political societies on campus and considered these people to be to-ing the line and just playing at politics. The Guild appeared to be a training ground for politicians. In 1970-71, the PhD students went on strike as they were being underpaid. They were successful and PhD payment rates are now linked to whatever is paid to an externally contracted person. University teaching was also under scrutiny in the 1970s. UWA had not kept pace with shifts in student opinion and global opinion. It was conservative and a little bit complacent. Murdoch University began operating in 1973 and WAIT became Curtin so there was more competition. 46:00 As part of their lab work, Psychology students used the computer centre. There was a big mainframe computer to analyse the data. They had to write the programmes and handed them over to the computer staff who hand punched the cards which were inserted into the computer. It took days to get the results back. 48:53 Interview 2 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:30 Track 2 00:00 When Carmen decided not to continue with her PhD studies, she took a 6 month research contact with the Department of Corrections Unit in West Perth. She also visited prisons. The psychology element in prisons today is almost non-existent. Then she worked as a research assistant in both Sydney and Melbourne. She enjoyed the creative side of both cities. The UWA degree was highly regarded as it was the only university in WA at that time. In Melbourne, Carmen and her friends were the founding thirteen of the Women’s Electoral Lobby. The status of women and women’s issues were not really on the radar in the lead up to the 1972 Federal Election. 05:44 When her son David was born, she returned to Perth so that she could continue to work with the support of family and friends. Child-care was virtually non-existent. Back in Perth she lectured and tutored part-time at UWA and WAIT (now Curtin) from 1973-1978. In 1979, she enrolled for a PhD part-time at UWA and a little later got a job as lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Science in the Faculty of Medicine based at QEII Hospital for four years. Her PhD topic was Infant Crying and Material Responsiveness using statistical modelling in co operation with UWA mathematician Terry Speed. 11:15 She was invited to go and work in the Research and Evaluation Unit of the Psychiatric Services Branch of the Department of Health and researched the effects of alcohol in pregnancy and anesthetic on the cognitive functions of the elderly. She was here for three years (1983-1986). 13:30 She had been involved in the Labor Party and in 1983 stood for election in an unwinnable seat. In 1986, she was asked to represent the seat of Subiaco. This was a way to influence policy from the inside. There were many issues in the seat of Subiaco such as saving Bold Park bushland and traffic calming in Wembley. She sat on the Child Sexual Abuse Taskforce and was also on a committee that examined anti-discrimination legislation. The psychology degree was useful in knowing where and how to do research. There were more women in politics since the 1983 election especially on the Labor side. 19:28 In 1990, she took over from Peter Dowding when he resigned as Premier. She had been Education Minister for 2 years. It was a challenging time for education. She was Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in 1989. She was treated quite well as a female Premier. There was media stereotyping but it was not as trivial as today with social media being so rife. As Education Minister she attended several graduation ceremonies at UWA. As Premier she recalled visiting UWA and being photographed with the Duke of Edinburgh outside Winthrop Hall. There were several ex UWA people involved in the political sphere at that stage. 24:40 Issues in the 1990s included traffic and public transport. Labor expanded the railway network. There was some city planning and moves to stop the urban sprawl. Mining was in the doldrums. As Education Minister she chaired a review of the Dawkins Report and recommended a single graduate school. In 1993 she was leader of the opposition and then became the Federal member for Fremantle (1994-2007) and offered a position in Cabinet. 29:36 As Health Minister she had a strong interest in indigenous health. Advisers were generally bureaucrats. Policy advice generally came from the public sector. Terry Moran in today’s Financial Review comments that “Parliament House has been populated by “teenage political advisors” who know very little, if anything, about governing and policy making”. 32:27 In 2008, she contacted UWA. Alan Robson was receptive to the idea for a Centre for the Study of Social Change. Initially it was located in the Institute of Advanced Studies and then as part of the School of Psychology. UWA has changed since the 1960s and 70s. The focus is on academic performance through producing research papers. The students don’t seem as independent. Some of them are very politically aware but there is more emphasis on the end result of the degree leading to employment rather than for intellectual curiosity. 41:56 The big change in teaching is the recording of lectures. Many students no longer attend the lectures. Senior staff engages in less hands-on teaching. The teaching and learning environment is not emphasised enough. The social side of life as a staff member is not as inclusive as it was. Postgraduate students do a practical element but there are too many undergraduate students to be given supervised practical work. In 3rd year she teaches how Psychology can be applied to contemporary problems. 48:16 Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/e7396f96f0db816a2bccfc7c4a0283b3.mp3">Lawrence, Interview 1, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/c77e041fe8908c4a5b967e278439e894.mp3">Lawrence, Interview 1, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/13a4d1ed9226c99f166563e988ce912d.mp3">Lawrence, Interview 2, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/2d41a65da7d644b51afea786644cd250.mp3">Lawrence, Interview 2, Track 2</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Carmen Lawrence interview, 4 June 2014 and 2 July 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Psychology Description An account of the resource After training as a research psychologist at the University of Western Australia and lecturing in a number of Australian universities, Dr Lawrence entered politics in 1986, serving at both State and Federal levels for 21 years. She was at various times W.A Minister for Education and Aboriginal affairs and was the first woman Premier and Treasurer of a State government. She shifted to Federal politics in 1994 when she was elected as the Member for Fremantle and was appointed Minister for Health and Human Services and Minister assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women. She has held various portfolios in Opposition, including Indigenous Affairs, Environment, Industry and Innovation and was elected national President of the Labor Party in 2004. She retired from politics in 2007. She is now a Professorial Fellow at the University of Western Australia to establish a centre to research the forces driving significant social change in key areas of contemporary challenge as well as exploring our reactions to that change. The centre will also seek to expose for public discussion the processes most likely to achieve social change where that is a desired objective. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lawrence, Carmen Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Julia Wallis Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Geoffrey Shellam Location The location of the interview Nedlands, W.A. Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) Interview 1: 52 minutes, 30 seconds Interview 2: 59 minutes, 18 seconds Interview 3: 1 hour, 6 minutes, 58 seconds Total: 2 hours, 58 minutes, 46 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Interview 1: Tuesday 18 March 2014 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00: Track 2 00:00 Geoffrey Randolph Shellam born in Kalgoorlie in 1943. Father bank manager. Family moved to Warrnambool in Victoria in 1950. Moved to Morwell in 1953 and to Bendigo in 1955 where Geoff did his schooling at Camp Hill primary school and then Bendigo High School. By this stage, Geoff was thinking about being a scientist. He did a scholarship examination at Trinity College, Melbourne University where he studied from 1962 to 1964 gaining a Bachelor of Science. 04:16 At the same time Geoff obtained a cadetship from the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories. He did not know what microbiology was when he applied. He was a cadet here from 1962 to 1972. This funded his university studies and he worked full-time for them after he gained his PhD in 1968. Geoff resident at Trinity College, Melbourne University which was similar in style to Oxford. He enjoyed the social life and the intellectual stimulus. He studied the biological sciences majoring in biochemistry and microbiology. He worked at CSL in the university vacation and learned a lot about infectious diseases and microbiology. He did a year of research at CSL in 1965 which equated to a year of a Bachelor of Science with Honours which gave him entry to PhD study. 07:03 Geoff did his PhD study at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Parkville, Melbourne from 1966 to 1968. Macfarlane Burnet was the Director in 1965 but that year he retired and the role was taken over by Gustav (“Gus”) Nossal . Geoff was Gus’ first PhD student and thoroughly enjoyed being under his tutorship. Burnet turned the focus of the Institute from virology to immunology so it was an exciting time. It was a world-class institution. Gus Nossal was interested in how we become tolerant of foreign tissues. Other important research at the Institute was being done by Geoff’s friend Graham Mitchell with Professor Jacques Miller. 11:41 Geoff finished his PhD in 1968 and went back to CSL for 3 years to finish his bond. It was very practical work but he missed the intellectual stimulus of research. He was keen to do post-doctoral studies and it was common then to do this overseas. He was lucky enough to be awarded the Horace Le Marquand and Dudley Bigg Fellowship by the Royal Society, London where he spent 1972 to 1976. On the way to London, Geoff travelled through Central Asia with Fiona Stanley the daughter of Neville Stanley who was the Professor of Microbiology at UWA. He met Fiona through her brother, Richard, who he met at the Hall Institute. At this stage, Fiona wanted to become a neurologist. 16:42 Track 3 00:00 Melbourne remains the centre of laboratory based sciences. At this time Perth was not well regarded. This stood Geoff in good stead when he arrived in London. Geoff was working out of the Tumour Immunology Unit of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories in the Department of Zoology at University College, London. Geoff met Peter Medawar who shared the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet. His boss was Professor Avrion Mitchison. He was an experimental scientist who had an interesting family who introduced Geoff to Socialist principles. 06:28 Geoff married Fiona in 1973 and they lived in a flat in Mitchison’s house for a rent of about £10 until 1976. Fiona was now studying epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. They had a weekend place in Dulverton, West Somerset. 10:31 Geoff became interested in tumour immunology and tumour viruses. An important discovery was made during this time of killer cells. Colleagues Peter Doherty and Rolf Zinkernagel were co-recipients of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work with T cells and the immune system. 13:48 Geoff was awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt International Cancer Fellowship in 1976 and worked at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, USA. The American researchers were very competitive and hard working. The funding was excellent as were the equipment and facilities. 18:24 The couple decided to return to Australia in 1977. Fiona’s parents were now living in Perth as were Geoff’s and he has a long family connection with Perth. His first forebear arrived in Cockburn Sound in February 1830. His maternal genes go back to 1840s Pinjarra. Geoff applied for an early UWA Post-doctoral Fellowship to UWA encouraged by his father in law, Neville Stanley. They had really enjoyed the Bicentennial Celebrations in the UWA in 1976. Coming back to Australia reinforced a lot of interest in family history and that Perth was a good place to study epidemiology. Fiona set up the new Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and became the first Director in 1990. She has only recently retired. 22:55 Track 4 00:00 Fiona’s father, Neville Stanley was Foundation Professor of Microbiology at UWA in 1956. He came from Adelaide. His father Evan Richard Stanley had died young from infection and his mother died from TB a few years later. He worked at the University of Adelaide and then moved to Prince Henry Hospital in Sydney and worked on a vaccine for polio. Geoff thinks that Neville Stanley was keen to make his mark in the field of microbiology consequently when the job at UWA came up he applied for it and came over at the end of 1956. The Department was then situated at Royal Perth Hospital. He also set up a diagnostic service for WA. He worked on influenza viruses and Rio viruses such as Ross River virus. He headed an energetic and robust department of Microbiology which moved to the QEII Medical Centre in 1973 along with the whole medical school. 06:29 By 1977 the UWA Medical School was quite well regarded but not highly visible. They were graduating only about 70 students and it was very male dominated. It was outward looking, enthusiastic and energetic. Neville Stanley led a university team for the Chablis Cup against the wine makers in Middle Swan. The medical school included people from Hong Kong, Uganda and other universities in order to help develop a new medical school. They soon became the biggest earner of research funds in the university. 09:05 As the QEII Medical Centre was off the main campus it made it difficult to feel part of the rest of the UWA Campus. Geoff had done Fine Arts units at Melbourne University and enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts focusing on English Literature and Classics. He did not have time to finish this as by the time he reached the final year in 1985 he had been made Professor of Microbiology. He loved this time of his life. He made lots of friends in the Arts Faculty. By this stage Fiona and Geoff had a young family and had a busy life socially and professionally. 12:16 Interview 2: Tuesday 8 April 2014 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:38 Track 2 00:00 Decision to return to Perth due to family as well as a need for Geoff to pioneer his own field. It was also very good for Fiona’s career in epidemiology and they had a very collegial approach. She wanted to set up a study centred on patient’s databases. For Geoff, coming back to a smaller university was a risk, but he wanted to work with Neville Stanley and was interested in the innate immune response and natural killer cells. He was also interested in the new field of genetics. He was awarded a UWA post-doctoral fellowship. 07:00 They returned to Perth via South America and Tahiti. Geoff started his Fellowship in January 1977. The facilities were good and the department although smaller was very enthusiastic. Jane Chalmer had just finished her PhD researching the herpes virus in mice. This led to the discovery in the 1980s of the gene Cmv1. They worked with other researchers in the USA. Studies burgeoned in this field throughout the world and the laboratory at UWA was at the forefront of the research. 13:32 It was an exciting department as its head, Professor Neville Stanley, was charismatic and enthusiastic and a great leader in the department. He was used to working in developing fields of research. He worked on a vaccine for polio in Sydney in the 1950s. For him, Perth was a new beginning. Stanley began to study a new virus called the Rio virus in the late 50s early 60s. He realised that animals as well as humans were infected by this virus. He realised that using nature as well as laboratory work would enhance scientific research. It led him to study mosquito borne infections funded by the Health Department. One of Neville Stanley’s post-doctoral students was Michael Alpas who worked with Nobel Laureate Carleton Gajdusek in isolating the kuru virus from tribal practices in PNG. It was similar to mad cow’s disease. 18:39 Funding was fairly easy then compared to now. Geoff got local and national grants. He has been funded every year since 1977. It is possible that research that helps humans rather than animals or the environment is looked on more favourably by people granting research money. 20:46 Neville Stanley retired in 1983 and Geoff was made the second Professor of Microbiology in 1985. This was quite a stressful time as he felt that he had to know everything! He put his energies into building up the research. The AH&MRC was expanding its grant giving. At one time he had 45 PhD students and 25 post-doctoral scientists. Geoff was involved in the Australian Society of Immunology and became National President. He encouraged them to merge with New Zealand to become the Australasian Society of Immunology. He reformed the society and encouraged them to establish proper branches in each State with a budget. 24:38 Track 3 00:00 The Department of Microbiology moved from Royal Perth Hospital to the newly created Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in 1973. Pathology and Pharmacology were also based here. This medical faculty was separate from the Crawley campus. The Department of Microbiology was closely associated with the diagnostic laboratories. Pathology and Microbiology were side by side but determined to be independent of each other. 04:14 In 2002, the university changed to a system of departments being merged into School structures and what was the Department being renamed as Disciplines. This was not well-liked. Heads of School are not necessarily the leading academics as was the case with the Professors. The Department merged with Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physiology – all non-human sciences. This became the School of Biological Biomedical and Chemical Sciences (BBCS) and the home base was set around the Department of Chemistry. It was the biggest school in the university. Soon afterwards the old Department of Chemistry buildings were demolished and a new building constructed, the Bayliss Building. 06:38 On the plus side, schools brought more resources than individual departments especially in relation to other skills such as IT. Microbiology was part of this school from 2002 to 2011 then it was changed as it was realised that the structure was not working. The Vice Chancellor, Alan Robson, organised for them to join the existing School of Pathology (next door in the QEII Medical Centre). Microbiology is a large field and very diverse and did not fit that well with Pathology. They are still fighting the have their name retained and be independent of Pathology. However, there are more benefits of being teamed with Pathology than was the case before. 10:28 UWA is now among the top universities in Australia and the world. It has been a long process of building research and the support of research, providing support for career structures and training, animal and human ethics approval, innovation and the development of patents. What hasn’t changed is the role of personal initiative and endeavour in research. It is important to have the best staff to teach the best students. Training the best students to go out into the world adds to the contacts and collaborations that are possible. International students were not that numerous until about 2004. The Master of Infectious Diseases Programme now attracts students from all over the world. 14:10 Geoff is proud of his contributions to the department especially teaching initiatives. The first was the development of a course in molecular biology in 1987. The course was taught with the Department of Biochemistry but is now no longer running. Molecular biology was a new and emerging field. Geoff also supported the development of environmental microbiology. This field did not ‘fly’ and it was abandoned after 20 years. 18:07 Geoff’s crowning glory was the development of the new Masters course in infectious diseases. He researched how tropical medicine was taught in London, Liverpool and Harvard and set the course up in 2006 with an intake of about 7 students in 2007. Today, the course attracts 70-80 students from all over the world. Thus, when the new course structure began, they already had a Masters course in place which contained vocational training. It is exciting as UWA is training scientists for the world. Geoff enjoys the role he plays in pastoral care of the students helping them adjust to a new learning programme and a different culture. 23:08 Track 4 00:00 Another exiting development was the Nobel Prize awarded to Barry Marshall Professor of Clinical Microbiology at UWA (and Robin Warren) in 2005 for his work that showed that the cause of peptic ulcers was the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). It was the first Nobel Prize awarded in Western Australia and was a huge coup for WA and UWA in particular. His laboratory was now located in Geoff’s department and they had supported him from the mid-1990s until 2005. The State Government and the university funded ongoing support. The Federal Government awarded them a grant to refurbish the building and the Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases, Research and Training, centred at UWA. Barry Marshall and Geoff Shellam are the two co-directors. The Centre also studies other infectious diseases – viral, mosquito borne, bacterial, etc. The Training encompasses the Master of Infectious Diseases Program. It has given the department a focus and new prominence. 06:01 Track 5 00:00 Life at UWA has been extremely important for Geoff’s academic career, research career and his cultural interests. He was able to follow up studies on English Literature and History. The university also offered cultural education to the wider public by way of lectures at lunchtime or in the evening. He made and remains good friends with academics in the Arts Department and found it personally enriching. 02:55 UWA was unique due to the fact that so many academics had come from all over the world and were keen to get the university off the ground. They all knew each other and interacted socially as it was still quite small. They all understood each other and it broke down barriers. 04:53 Interview 3: Tuesday 15 April 2014 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:45 Track 2 00:00 Melbourne University Press began in 1922; University of Queensland in 1948 and University of New South Wales in 1962. UWA Press began in 1935. Presses also existed at the Australian National University, Adelaide University and Sydney University. These three Presses are no longer operating. UWA Press started publishing textbooks overseen by the Publications Committee. The Textbooks Board probably met in the main Vice Chancellor’s Building and the Press would have had its first home in the tower of Winthrop Hall, staff being spread over several levels in Winthrop Hall. Early publishers were Mr Fells (1935), Alex McDonald (1939), Frank Beaumont (1946-1960), John O’Brien, Cherrell Guilfoyle, Mr Binder, Vic Greaves. The modern era started with Meredith Chesterton in 1990; Ian Drakeford in 1992; Jenny Gregory in 1997 and Terri-ann White from 2005. Mr Beaumont was around in the 1940s and was instrumental in development the University Co-Op Bookshop. 06:05 Physical arrangements were difficult. Amusing incidents at the Press in the early days included the story that a rival chased a competitor for his lady’s affections around the Winthrop Tower with a loaded pistol. The Press grew in fits and starts up until the 1960s. The University Press took its name in 1953. Geoff was aware of UWA Press when he was studying Arts in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Geoff was elected to the Advisory Committee in about 1988. Professor Don Bradshaw was the chair of the Press Board in that time. After Geoff returned from a year’s study leave, he became Chair in 1991 and remained in that role until 2006. There were about 6 people on the Committee who met 6-8 times a year for 2-3 hours. When Geoff first joined they met in a Tower Room in Winthrop Hall and later in Tuart House where the Press shared the building with the Festival of Perth. The Committee was not responsible for the appointment of staff (except for the publisher). 14:25 At this time there was about 14 staff. The books were published in-house in Tuart House. There was a typesetting machine and as there were only about 10 books published a year, it was soon felt that this equipment was unnecessary and that many things such as typesetting, editing and book design could be contracted out. Things became digital towards the end of Geoff’s time. It was very hard to downsize the staff as some had been there for 20-30 years. They had specialist skills and UWA Press was the only academic publisher. Meredith Chesterton was appointed as an interim publisher in about 1990 with only 1 or 2 staff. Vic Greaves was there from 1972 to 1989. He had a printing background. 18:55 The University gave a Senate grant to UWA publishing. It was originally about $180,000 pa. Some academics felt that the money could be better used. The Australian National University Press closed in 1983; Adelaide University in 1985 and Sydney University in 1987. 20:28 In 1990-91, UWA Press was almost starting from scratch with new staff and a new philosophy. It was a new era. Meredith Chesterton was a very can-do person which was very lucky but even so, the remaining staff felt under pressure. The Press had to find a way to survive but the Advisory Board was very keen that they do this. They had great community support. Many of them wrote to the Vice Chancellor pleading for the Press to remain in operation. There were 3 closure attempts during Geoff’s time as Chair. 23:07 Most University Presses depended on the support of other university Presses. UWA got advice from Frank Thompson from the University of Queensland who wrote a report in 1973 and a 5 year plan was adopted. The idea was that the Press did not operate at a profit but was to operate efficiently and at a minimum necessary loss. The publication of journals was to be phased out and would be published by the relevant departments. 25:10 In the early 1990s, Professor Fay Gale was the new Vice Chancellor and had had a career in publishing. There began to be a case building for the closing of the UWA Press. The finances of the Press were fluctuating and the deficit was larger than the annual budget. The problem was how to keep it publishing within the limits of the Senate Grant and reduce the deficit. The deficit had be accepted and had to be written off by the university. 27:48 The output of the Press was not just academic. They published natural history and children’s books. Their first children’s book in 1985 used the Cygnet imprint. Some highly specialised and intensely academic books were also published. Professor Vincent Moleta worked on some of these publications with the prestigious Olshki publishing house in Florence, Italy. Books published included one on the doctrine of poverty in Medieval Latin and another on the Medici family. 30:03 Track 3 00:00 The Press attracted a variety of writers and some artistic books such as one by the performing artist Mike Parr. Some of his work could be quite confronting. In the early 1990s publishers from Melbourne, Ian Drakeford and his wife Janine, were appointed. They attempted to publish a mix of books – some of which would be more popular in order to make the Press more money. One such was published in Meredith Chesterton’s time and entitled Tin Dog, Damper and Dust: A Shearer’s Life by Don Munday (1991). The Walliston Journals were edited and published. They were launched in St George’s Cathedral. Janine Drakeford was interested in children’s books and The Deliverance of Dancing Bears by Elizabeth Stanley (1994) was very highly regarded and so popular that they had 2-3 print runs. It was sold nationally and also sold in the USA. Other children’s books were also published in the mid to late 1990s and provided an income stream. The Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre was a big supporter of UWA Press and many books were launched here. In about 2006, there was a change in direction and children’s books were no longer published. 07:48 The 1990s saw a reduction of staff and then the appointment of the Drakefords who were very professional and successful in saving UWA Press for a while. However, in mid-1996 the Senate subsidy was not going to cover the costs and the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Alan Robson, advised that the Press would have to be closed down. All contracts were to be approved by the Vice Chancellor, Derek Schroeder, and no new manuscripts were to be accepted. This made for a very uncertain year. It was suggested that UWA Press co-publish with Fremantle Arts Centre Press. This was not popular with the academics or their friends in the wider community. An Academic Board meeting took place and Geoff took a large trolley full of UWA Press books to hand out at the meeting. Seeing the quality of the books meant that the Press survived to live another day. It was a lot of time and energy on Geoff’s behalf to continue to fight for the Press. 13:27 This instability did not suit the Drakefords who made the decision to return to Melbourne at the end of 1996. An increase in funding was agreed in 1997 which was championed by Dennis Haskell while Geoff was away on sabbatical leave. So now the Press had an increased budget. Jenny Gregory an academic historian who was on the advisory board was invited to become a director of the Press in October 1997. There was some overlap with Ian Drakeford and continued to assist when he returned to Melbourne. 15:36 Later, in the 1990s there were further difficulties with the size of the deficit. An Eastern States publisher, Hilary McPhee, was invited to come to review the UWA Press in the late 1990s. Although supportive, she suggested some changes to the Vice Chancellor and the Senate and the ship was righted and procedures tightened. Jenny Gregory continued for 8 years until 2005 and then returned to academia and Terri-ann White took over. During Jenny’s time the quality, quantity and range for titles was increased. Commissioned books on history by corporations and Shire Councils were produced by UWA Press. The also published trade titles. It was also essential to continue to publish academic books which although not profitable were essential to the charter of the Press. Authors were asked to find subsidiaries to assist with the publishing of these books. They were able to get about $3,000 to $5,000 from the Arts Faculty or other bodies such as Kings Park, at different times. This mixed approach put them in a better financial position. They were now publishing between 25-40 titles a year as opposed to 10-15. (The largest amount of books was published during the sesquicentennial celebrations in 1979 because they were underwritten by the State Government). 19:38 The Press continued to publish a range of titles to balance the books. The Press were also selling about 30% of their books in the Eastern States. They also sold through distributors in the USA and Europe. They needed to lift their profile in the Eastern States and make the books less Westralian centric. The Press had published about 1/6th of all the books published in WA since the beginning of the colony which is a significant achievement. 21:17 When Alan Robson became Vice Chancellor in about 2006, he said that he would not attempt to close the University Press as the Press had become much more professional and the university were very proud of it. Terri-ann White who took over as publisher in 2006 was very adept at dealing with the Vice Chancellor and the university accountant. She had been an author and book shop owner so she was experienced in managing books and their sale and was particularly interested in creative writing. 22:34 Track 4 00:00 Professor Ted Snell is now Chairman of the Advisory Board. Sometimes economic rationalisation overlooks the value of the books and the fact that people outside UWA might have books published by UWA on display in their homes. People also turn to UWA Press for reference purposes. Many people support publishing in general and rate UWA Press highly. Supporters of UWA Press include the Chair of the Literature Board of the Australia Council, the head of the Alexander Library, politicians and other publishers, historians and senior figures in the community, judges and many other people. Many of these people lent their support when the Press was having difficulties by speaking out or writing letters. 02:50 Book launches are interesting and enjoyable affairs. Geoff was often the MC and they were held in a variety of different places. The Scarlet Mile: A Social History of Prostitution in Kalgoorlie, 1894-2004 by Elaine McKewon (2005) was launched at both Langtrees brothels in Kalgoorlie and Burswood (Perth). A children’s book about the Barking Owl was launched in Floreat. The show was stolen by an actual barking owl that began ‘barking’ at the end of Geoff’s speech. A book on the Duyfken was launched on that boat in Fishing Boat Harbour, Fremantle. Books were launched in many places. Venues at UWA included a lecture theatre or the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery or at UWA Press itself. Many of the launches are now held at the new location of UWA Press at Claremont campus where they moved in about 2002. Books were also launched at Kings Park and at an old mill in Manjimup. This adds to the excitement of the launch. 08:51 UWA Press conveys the name and the image of the university on every book it publishes. When the book is reviewed this is free advertising for the university. The Press celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2005 with the publication of A Press in Isolation. University of Western Australia Press 1935-2004 by Criena Fitzgerald. 10:48 Geoff retired as Chair of the Advisory Board so he is not sure of the current direction of the Press, but it is concerning that the popularity of physical books are declining due to the popularity of e-books. The Press has taken to publishing on demand so they have a smaller print run of about 50 books and will publish more if there is demand which is more cost effective. Creative writing and novels are proving popular which has helped with the funding of the Press. Geoff is hopeful for the future of UWA Press. 13:36 Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/024023544c47f41b9584bca6bb346523.mp3">Shellam, Interview 1, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/ef62ff3d78d688543f7be6c4b320dbdb.mp3">Shellam, Interview 1, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/15d52730f6a665fdf3e44de669fbbca0.mp3">Shellam, Interview 1, Track 3</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/f8531ee1e0b55837cfe1a6233448839d.mp3">Shellam, Interview 1, Track 4</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/069d8fed1b6a270f5d4092665c3e0999.mp3">Shellam, Interview 2, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/26414f4bd7a5a2c6681bd1c45598a0f9.mp3">Shellam, Interview 2, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/8f7f2c8b3c93dc08febf256ccdbb21b7.mp3">Shellam, Interview 2, Track 3</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/1b2e1f2b3dd85821c82df264a9655d9b.mp3">Shellam, Interview 2, Track 4</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/b10a1cd354cac3dcd2521e448917d8f1.mp3">Shellam, Interview 2, Track 5</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/6da0a1904a12a1860d184503f5a3bc38.mp3">Shellam, Interview 3, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/0d7edba08782e1846de3924263be86d9.mp3">Shellam, Interview 3, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/f83898d776456200999a9e3fabeff499.mp3">Shellam, Interview 3, Track 3</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/cbd915d8ef4049e6b7677ba951cfaa63.mp3">Shellam, Interview 3, Track 4</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Geoff Shellam interview, 18 March 2014, 8 April 2014 and 15 April 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Medicine, microbiology, immunology Description An account of the resource Professor Geoff Shellam completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in microbiology and biotechnology at the University of Melbourne, where he also undertook a PhD in immunology with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medicine. Professor Shellam then worked at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories before obtaining a Royal Science Fellowship which allowed him to study tumour immunology as a post-doctorate student at the College of London. He then won the prestigious Eleanor Roosevelt International Cancer Fellowship to research at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, USA. Professor Shellam originally came to The University of Western Australia as a Post-doctoral Fellow in 1977 and became a Professor of Microbiology in 1985. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists in the United Kingdom, Co-director of the Marshall Centre for Infectious Disease and Director of the Masters of Infectious Disease Program. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Shellam, Geoffrey Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Julia Wallis Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed David Robinson Location The location of the interview Claremont, W.A. Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) Interview 1: 1 hour, 3 minutes, 52 seconds Interview 2: 1 hour, 34 seconds Interview 3: 52 minutes, 14 seconds Total: 2 hours, 56 minutes, 40 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Interview 1: Wednesday 7 May 2014 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:53 Track 2 00:00 David Andrew Robinson was born in Mildura, Victoria in 1926. In between going to school in Mildura, he had lived for 10 years in Yallourn, Gippsland. Dave’s father was a builder and his mother was a tailoress in Scotland. She migrated to Victoria in 1922. Dave’s father had fought in WW1. At aged 74 he enlisted to fight in WW2 and was injured. He died of blood poisoning as a result of injuries he received. Dave’s mother was a staunch Presbyterian and he attended church with her. Dave’s father was a Methodist but became disillusioned with the church. Dave left school at the end of Year 10 and worked. During the Second World War he joined the RAAF having been in the Air Cadets. When the war in Europe ended he transferred to the army and worked as a navigator on an army boat. He left the army in 1946 and was eligible for a government grant for education. He returned to Mildura High School and got his adult matriculation. He then attended Melbourne University and did an arts degree. By this time he had been accepted as a possible candidate for the Presbyterian Ministry and lived at Ormond College as a student for the Ministry. He finished the arts degree and left to work for a while. Later he returned to Melbourne University and did another degree. He married Lucie and in 1956 was appointed to Pinnaroo situated in Murrayville Parish (on the Mallee in Victoria). They stayed here for 4 years and then returned to Melbourne. In Melbourne, Dave became Secretary of the Victorian Council of Churches. 05:08 In 1962, he decided to look for something different and was appointed to the Parish of Elizabeth, north of Adelaide where they stayed for 8 years. Elizabeth was a hard place to live and was full of migrants from the UK attracted to the Holden factory. Dave and a couple of other ministers started the Elizabeth Counselling Centre dispensing advice including financial advice. As a result of the counselling services Dave applied for a scholarship and was accepted to Princeton University in New Jersey where he did a Masters’ degree in pastoral counselling. By this time, they had 4 children and so although he could have stayed on in the USA, the family wanted to return to Australia and in any case Dave was still officially attached to the Parish in Elizabeth. It was non directive counselling and involved going to lectures and working in a mental hospital and visiting a place that rehabilitated drug addicts and the like. When Dave returned to Elizabeth he ran courses for people in the Counselling Centre. Not long after his return the Government decided that they would pay for a full-time director who had to be a qualified social worker. This set him free to consider other possibilities. He saw an advertisement in the Adelaide Advertiser for a Principal for a college in Western Australia that was not yet built. He wrote and expressed his interest in the position. 09:36 To his surprise he was telephoned and asked to come to Perth with his wife flying first class. About 80 people had applied from all over Australia and overseas. Stanley Prescott, the Vice Chancellor at UWA at the time was on the Committee and Dave had had a run-in with him when he was Master of Ormond College. He was offered the position but couldn’t decide. He returned to Elizabeth and was dithering for a couple of months before deciding to accept. The children were not happy about this decision as they did not want to leave their friends. They drove over with their dog and four children. It was a big adventure. Sir Ronald Wilson was on the committee who Dave had had contact with before and he thinks that Ron tipped the balance. The Committee wanted to know his experience and educational background but did not ask much more than that. Dave was introduced to the Committee individually rather than collectively and does not remember a panel interview with a high powered selection committee. 14:47 The family arrived in September 1970. It seemed a long way from Adelaide. The house that should have been built for the Master was not ready but they were accommodated in a house in Tyrell Street, Nedlands. The older boy attended Hollywood High School and the younger ones Nedlands Primary School. Dave’s duties were to ‘manage’ the college. This included managing the completion of the project in time to admit their first residential students in February 1971. He had to supervise the building project and purchase bedding, furniture and furnishing and develop the grounds. Marion Blackwell was the landscape architect. They built a squash court in conjunction with St Catherine’s College but Dave was unwilling to replicate sporting facilities that were already on the UWA campus such as tennis courts. There was a question of cost overrun with the architects but Dave was fortunate that there were people on the committee who had expertise in this area, such as John Rawlinson who was a quantity surveyor. Other people on the Council were lawyers. There were 12 people on the Provisional Council who are now all deceased. Dave had to meet with them regularly before the opening of the college. After the college was opened, he met monthly with them. The Council determined policy but they would not interfere with the management. For example, they determined the percentage of overseas students to be accommodated. 23:47 In the sixties, when the college was planned, it had been thought that it would be male only. This decision was reversed very quickly. At that time, St Catherine’s was women only. This has recently changed. Kingswood, St Thomas Moore and St George’s were all men. Currie Hall (now University Hall) was mixed. These are all co-ed now but it was a new thing in the 1970s. The Principal of Kingswood was very against co-ed and felt that the students were more interested in co-habitation. Many students moved from Kingswood to St Columba in the early years. Kingswood was a Methodist college and did not tolerate alcohol. St Columba encouraged their residents to drink responsibly and not get drunk. Dave met the other college principals from UWA colleges. He also attended the national conference in Queensland in the first year he was Master to get ideas. In 1977, the Council paid for Dave and Lucie to go and look at colleges all around the world. He was awarded 3 months leave every 7 years but the job demands were 24/7 during term time. 27:47 The college was named Saint Columba after an Irish priest scholar who brought Christianity to Scotland. Dave had no part in the naming of the college but he did have input into the naming of the wings which were named after places that St Columba had been – Iona, Durrow and Derry. In the foyer was a piece of rock from Iona Abbey that had been acquired by one of their members and brought back from Scotland. The college was a joint foundation of the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches. Trinity Church in Perth was a major benefactor. The colleges were not funded by UWA – they merely made the land available as a gift. When St Columba built a library to house theological books for their theology students some people objected to it. Dave and Ron Wilson went to see the then Vice Chancellor and Ron Wilson said that if St Columba could not have their library then Sir Thomas Moore College should not have a parish church on their grounds. The objection miraculously disappeared! Founding of colleges separate from the universities is a tradition going back to Oxford and Cambridge. Nowadays the Federal Government is giving money to the university colleges to enable them to increase their accommodation. Trinity did not accept the offer but University Hall has almost doubled in size. UWA is quite concerned about student accommodation in the area. 3-4,000 students are resident in UWA university colleges. St Catherine’s college is rebuilding at the back to house extra students (including males). The university had a member of the Council of St Columba but that was the only connection. They had no power over the Council or over the Principal of the College. People from the university were invited to speak to the students and/or come for a meal. Many of the tutoring staff was involved at UWA. 34:07 If there was any shortfall in funding, it fell to the college to deal with it. At one stage that had to install fire alarms throughout the college. Luckily, St Columba was never short of money. By the end of the third year, Dave was investing their free money in funds at 17% interest in order to build up their reserves. When he left in 1985, the college would have had about $2 million in the bank. One of the members of the Council was Sir Cyril Bird from Bird & Son accountants. He told Dave he had to take into account future earnings and expenditure in his budgeting. Dave bought a computer so that he could do this work. They had a Bursar who kept the books and kept track on fee payments. The administration staff comprised 3 people – Dave, the Bursar and an office worker. There was also domestic staff, catering staff and a groundsman. Dave used to save money by doing DIY on electrical work and plumbing. He enjoyed the practical work. The students paid $25 a week for their accommodation and three meals in 1971. The college was used in vacation time which also provided them with extra revenue. College fees are now about $16,000 a year. The facilities in colleges now are akin to a 5 star hotel! Every room has its own telephone and refrigerator. In Dave’s time, they merely had tea rooms on each floor. Argyle Wing was opened in 1974, there were self-catering facilities included. Students did not have to pay as much if they cooked their own meals. However, there was no system in place to stop them using the dining room. It was an honour system. Another block was built at the back of the college for visitors. It contained four flats and was another revenue raising exercise. 41:06 Each wing had a place where people could put their own food. The students had an input into how the college was run via the college forum. They would make recommendations to the Council. There were also student reps on the Council. The Council set the policy but the everyday rules were left to the Principal. In those days it was quite easy to get into the college. Today the property is fenced off and you require a code to access the security door. The students had keys to their rooms but not to the front door. There were thefts in Dave’s day as well. Bicycles in particular were always being stolen. The college had a general insurance policy to cover fire, theft and storm damage. In the 1970s, people didn’t worry about having their doors locked. 44:46 There was an initiation incident at St George’s College where a student died from pneumonia from being pushed into the pool. Another time, the girls from St Catherine’s blew up the pool at St George’s College. Dave decided that these would be banned at St Columba College. St Columba had a welcoming night which was an information evening with a BBQ and the new students were matched up with a ‘buddy’ from among the resident students. He did not tolerate bullying or racism. Generally residents who had come from single sex private schools had the most difficulty in fitting into college life and were also more likely to form cliques. Some Australian students were unpleasant towards Asian students but this was by and large quite rare. The first college President, Mr Melville George, was African. 50:14 As well as the socialisation, the students had to learn the practicalities of living away from home. There was a laundry with a bank of washing machines they used 20 cent pieces. All the rooms had balconies. The bedrooms were quite large and contained built in wardrobes, a desk, a chair and book cases. The builders designed the bedrooms to be cell like and encourage study in contrast to the public areas like the dining room which were very open. Dave had no input into the design because two of the blocks were completed when he arrived. The dining room had a gallery upstairs like a medieval banqueting hall. They often had entertainment during the meal. This was apart from when they had dances. 54:14 It was decided quite early on by the students that gowns need not be worn to meals. The people on the Council used the Oxbridge model for how the college functioned. Dave considers St Columba to be better than this especially as they used round tables in the dining room and not long refectory tables. There was a formal meal 4 nights a week. This was gradually reduced to 3 times a week and later to once a week. A formal meal required that all the students attend at the one time, grace would be said and a group would be invited to have a sherry before the meal. There would usually be a speaker. One time an American psychologist addressed the students and said she thought the food was terrible. Dave realised afterwards that this was one of the medical students dressed up as a woman! It was good hearted fun. Dave did not have to eat with the students every night and he had a deputy who could stand in for him in any event. 58:26 There were very few expectations placed on Dave. Some of the staff expected him to intervene and chastise the students especially in cases where students were sleeping with each other. One time a farmer caused a fuss because his daughter’s bedroom was next to the tutor’s room which was joined by a balcony. There were letters in the newspaper about standards when it was realised that the college was going to be co-ed. The students were told to be careful of forming exclusive relationships when college should be a time to make many friends. Dave officiated at lots of college weddings which took place after they had left college apart from cases where the girl got pregnant. The college did not provide sex education but they did have speakers who talked about relationships. 1:02:59 Interview 2: Wednesday 14 May 2014 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:34 Track 2 00:00 The Lodge was late being completed as the foundations had to be raised. The family did not move in until Christmas Day but there was no power and they had to run a power cord into the college. They remained in the lodge until the appointment of a Deputy in 1974. The Deputy Principal, Reverend Ken Melville, moved into the old lodge and Dave and his family moved into the new lodge that was built alongside. There was plenty of room. Students sometimes stayed there. It had 5 bedrooms as each of their four children (John, Annette, Margaret and Andrew) had their own rooms. There was a bathroom upstairs and a bathroom downstairs and a study so it was a substantial house. The dog, Sandy, came too and would beg for scraps from the college kitchen and attend lectures with Dave’s wife, Lucie, on campus at UWA! The Deputy Principal brought their dog across from Melbourne with his family. He was an Irish setter and one day came straight through Dave’s fly wire door. 03:25 The Deputy Principal was part-time and taught at Scotch College. He provided back up if Dave had to leave the premises. Running the college was a 24 hour day, 7 day a week job. A member of staff was rostered on at night in case something happened. Nowadays all of the colleges employ security officers to protect the students and the property. Sometimes things were stolen, such as arm chairs. Bicycles were always being stolen, sometimes en masse, necessitating the erection of a bike shed. 06:20 Initially the site consisted of an admin block leading the dining room and 3 wings, Iona, Durrow and Derry, which were L-shaped residential wings catering for 120-130 students and staff. In 1974, Argyle Wing was built as well as a tutorial room and library. Initially the site was fairly bare. It was close to Kings Park but not adjacent to it. 08:29 Tutors were employed to give the students extra tuition. There were senior tutors female and male plus others who were studying for PhDs. One was a registrar at St Charles Gairdner Hospital. This was quite an incentive and was based on the Oxbridge system. They also exercised a disciplinary role being resident. A tutor was on duty every night on a roster system in case of any other problems. They assisted to integrate students in the transition stage from school to university. The university drop-out rate for students in first year was about 30%. Anybody could apply to do medicine. It wasn’t as competitive to get into courses. Some students from Curtin were also accommodated – perhaps 6 over the time Dave was there. The college was there to meet students’ needs. They did not discriminate between ECU and UWA. Most of the tutors were connected to UWA. Some of the tutors were mature aged. There would be staff meetings every week of the tutors with Dave. Sometimes they shared tutors with Kingswood College and St Catherine’s. There was a Heads of College Association. 19:08 Parents would be more inclined to pay the fees if they thought the college employed good tutors. Parents also got some comfort from the fact that the students were “looked after” in college. The Principal would assist if the students had a car accident or a medical condition. Some of the residents were younger than 18 and they had to ensure that they weren’t drinking alcohol. Dave’s wife, Lucie, did not intrude into the working life of the college as she was teaching full-time but she did help out where necessary. For some time they had a Japanese girl staying with them while she waiting for a place in college but didn’t want to move out. They also took care of a boy who was sick rather than have him isolated in his room in college. Every week, batches of 6 students would come over for coffee with the family. Dave wanted to create a community atmosphere. This was obviously successful as students from other colleges wanted to jump ship and change over into St Columba. It had a reputation as being a friendly and egalitarian. 27:52 It was important that the students knuckle down and pass their exams when they got into college. They had to apply in writing and an interview. The whole of January was spent interviewing people. Dave wanted to know the needs basis – i.e. why they were applying to come into college. They decided to take a proportion of overseas students. They then wanted to refer their friends. It was often a case of first in, best dressed. Dave did all the interviewing himself. This is now a full-time job at colleges. Dave felt that it was important to know all the students. Very few people had to be asked to leave but there was one occasion when a girl was asked to leave college as she was causing problems amongst the other residents. If they failed their exams they were not normally allowed back into college. Dave often intervened to help the students rather like a father figure and tried to accommodate difficult situations. 37:10 Students could get a Commonwealth scholarship if they were doing some work. Some of the students found work in the college helping in the kitchen or the garden but they weren’t being paid the full wage as they were only working part-time. In some colleges it was compulsory to do a couple of hours work around the college. On returning to college, you got points for passing exams. You also got points for seniority. This enabled some second and third year students to get priority and request their own rooms. Some students helped the college community by working for the College Club. The students paid money into the club and the club arranged dances and sporting events. Some of them represented the students on the College Council. Some of them got together and went on vacation together. Many of them formed alliances and relationships. 44:14 The cleaners cleaned the rooms but did not make the beds. One cleaning person worked on each wing and they were supervised. They related very well to the students. The staff stayed a long time. One lady employed in the dining room was employed in 1971 and only left in 2013! There was only one gardener/handyman so Dave helped out and cut the grass on weekends. One supervisor was asked to leave the college. Luckily this took place while Dave was on holiday overseas as it caused some bad feeling in the college. She played favourites, bribed students and went around telling tales about students. The college was a family or a tight knit community but this meant that relationships were very intense and problems could be caused when things went wrong. One father thought his daughter was having too good a time and blamed the college for the fact that she was not studying very hard. 49:12 Some of the students were mature aged. One was aged 30 and had been a nurse. Another one lived there for 8 years while she completed her Masters. She was in a wheel chair. She was 40 years old and was a good role model. She danced in her wheel chair. They built a ramp up to one of the two roomed flats. Others were semi-handicapped. One had brittle bone condition. He can’t remember any who were vision impaired. At this stage a doctor was appointed to the university and he had an office at the university. He would make house calls very promptly. There was a Counselling Centre at the University and they could refer people here. Some students were referred here when they were concerned about exams. The college had a very good relationship with the university. People came to the college to give talks and vice versa. Dave gave a talk to some engineering students about homosexuality. One of the St Columba tutors was homosexual but never caused any problems at the college. Sexual matters were not the main topic at Dave’s Human Relations discussion groups but poor self-image would come up time and time again. A speaker came in to talk about sexuality so Dave did not have to deal with that. One girl brought a double bed into the room because she thought the college wouldn’t mind! Another wanted a water bed! Dave considered these to be try-ons. The only issues tackled at the College Council tended to be food, heating, facilities and computers rather than relationships. 60:00 Interview 3: Wednesday 21 May 2014 Track 1 00:00 Introduction by Julia Wallis 00:32 Track 2 00:00 The college motto and the college crest. It was finally decided that the college crest would be a dove rising from the foot of a Celtic cross. This design was submitted by Mr Ray Montgomery. A motto was never eventually decided upon despite a competition. 02:00 In April 1972, Dave visited Melbourne in order to investigate new developments in student housing. There was a move to make Argyle Wing a little bit different and allow students to self-cater. However, there were no disabled facilities built into Argyle. In 1977, Dave took some long service leave. He was entitled to this every 7 years. He told the College Council that he would like to look at what was happening around the world with colleges. They approved a round the world air fare for himself and Lucie for them to do this. They were away for about 5 months and started off in New Zealand, then the USA and Europe. Dave thought that the colleges in Perth were much more advanced. Some of the colleges were very austere. In one college in Sydney the behaviour was very bad and students had food fights in the dining room and dumped Freshers 150 km from Sydney to find their own way back. 06:40 Students were encouraged to do activities particularly sport. There was an inter college sporting competition, the Nicholson Cup that St Columba joined in 1972 provided that the female students were allowed to participate. The girls did very well and beat the men in some sports, particularly athletics. They took part in PROSH but not as a college activity. There were discussion groups. There was a college forum. They organised dances. There was a Valedictory and a college club dinner. At the end of the year dinner Dave introduced a system of prizes for those who had taken some major role in college life. The students also had their own prize competition. In 1976, Dave was given a surprise birthday lunch and awarded with a suitcase in the form of an aeroplane for his 50th birthday. St. Columba won the cricket a few times. Dave played his last game of Aussie Rules football the day he had a heart attack. The students also played soccer, tennis, volleyball, squash, hockey, athletics and basketball. They didn’t take part in rowing. The mix of males and females in college didn’t cause any issues apart from when relationships broke down. A girl was attacked and raped in St Catherine’s College but there were no incidents of which Dave was aware at St Columba. 12:56 The Vietnam War caused a fair bit of angst. One male student protested against conscription by planning a bomb in the National Services office in the city. He was later arrested. Another male student streaked down the Hay Street Mall one evening. He was kicked out of his university course because he had done a number of silly things. The students took part in protests. The Vietnam War ended in 1975. Dave was a chaplain in the RAAF and did not take part in any protest marches. 16:49 The students did do some charity work but Dave cannot recall what they were. Church services were held in the college. People were married and baptised in the college chapel. There was no compulsion to attend church and you did not have to be Anglican to attend St. Columba. Michael and John Chaney came from a very strong Catholic family but they attended St Columba. They were also very few dietary issues although people sometimes objected to the dining habits of others. 23:00 St Columba has carried on a family tradition in many cases with parents sending their children there. People with a family connection probably have a greater priority in attending Trinity (as St Columba is now called). Some stayed for 6 years while doing a medical degree. Kingswood, St Columba and Catherine’s were on one side of the road and then Currie Hall (now known as University Hall), St Thomas Moore and St George’s were on the other side of the road. There was competition between the colleges but it did not get serious. Many of the students had friends in different colleges and some would come for events. Other times they would gate crash events such as the welcome bbq! One night a group of students from Kingswood streaked through St Columba dining room. Another time a mini car had been parked in the dining room. 27:58 Many of the students had motor cars. There was a car park built at the back of the college. Some from farming areas had cars from an early age. Many of the private school students also had cars – it was prestigious to have a car. 70% of the students had cars. 29:35 In July 1976, Dave had a surprise birthday lunch and the students made him a suitcase in the shape of an aeroplane. It was for his 50th birthday and he had just got his flying lunch. 30:16 In 1978, St Columba accepted responsibility for the running of International Students House in Nedlands as an annexe to the college. These students participated in tutorials and came for meals at the college and the people who had been running the college came in as tutors. St Columba also had a number of non-resident students who paid a fee to attend meals and tutorials. Sometimes there would be up to 20 students who were non-residents. People could come across to college and buy a meal. 33:26 As well as running the college and working in the office, Dave had to be available for pastoral care. Students would call into the office in the mornings before lectures or in the late afternoon after lectures. It was all pretty informal and they did not have to make an appointment. Sometimes it would be advice. Other times it was physical sickness or accidents. Dave had a heart attack on 9 June 1980 (according to Dove Rising at page 82). Dave left St. Columba in early 1985. One student killed a girl from MLC when he had an accident in his mother’s car in Kings Park. Another student committed suicide in Bali. Drug taking apart from smoking Marijuana, there weren’t any particular drug problems. 42:35 The highlights of Dave’s time at St. Columba were the family feel of college – getting to know people and becoming involved in their lives. It was stimulating being surrounded by young people. The downside was the demands of supervising that family and in particular, the grief Dave experienced when the residents left the college. He enjoyed his 14 years at the college. The College Council were very supportive. Trinity has doubled in size. It has about 10 staff responsible for admissions, pastoral care, the buildings, finance, etc. It is much more upmarket now. The student body chose the name. The college motto is Friendship Learning Growth. Their academic results are very good. There is even a Robinson Scholarship. It was a privilege for Dave to become involved in getting something off the ground. He put his stamp on the place by establishing a community. It is not just a boarding house. Trinity has no Alumni as far as he knows. 51:42 Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/d2bf9f26b7e961a7cf4bde22df697153.mp3">Robinson_David, Interview 1, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/5f06c328ca9b789fe6c7ebeff2474de6.mp3">Robinson_David, Interview 1, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/cfaea827d2275f37a46e393d8ad8e2b1.mp3">Robinson_David, Interview 2, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/e4435e5f35f178977f0c4a2c522b29ed.mp3">Robinson_David, Interview 2, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/4a400d384ae1a0b507fce50898708d4a.mp3">Robinson_David, Interview 3, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/c520f41fd21b82733ffa09f9cf33251d.mp3">Robinson_David, Interview 3, Track 2</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource David Robinson interview, 7 May 2014, 14 May 2014 and 21 May 2014 Subject The topic of the resource St. Columba College Description An account of the resource David Robinson was born in Mildura, Victoria in 1926. After moving to Perth in 1970, he was Principal of St. Columba College from September 1970 until February 1985. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Robinson, David Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource UWA ORAL HISTORIES Description An account of the resource A collection of interviews with former UWA staff, recorded by the <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society" target="_blank">UWA Historical Society</a> to mark the Centenary of the University in 2013. <br />The UWA Historical Society’s <a href="http://www.alumni.uwa.edu.au/community/historical-society/oral-histories" target="_blank">Oral History Program</a> started as a project with four oral histories funded from Society resources. It was then expanded with support from every Faculty on campus, the Guild, Convocation and through private donations. Additional funding was received through a Heritage Grant. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Western Australia Historical Society Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview John Bannister Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Barbara Main Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) Interview 1: 45 minutes, 27 seconds Interview 2: 51 minutes, 37 seconds Interview 3: 44 minutes, 51 seconds Total: 2 hours, 21 minutes, 55 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 128 kbs Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Interview 1 00:00:00 Introduction background information. Barbara York and the Wheat belt in the depression. Affinity with the landscape. Interest in entomology. Women’s options for a career. Desire to work in a museum. 00:05:05 Ludwig Glauert and the Perth Museum. Farming life and brothers. Solitary person. Escaping life and farming community by gaining education. The path of coming to University of Western Australia. Schooling and families on farms. Matriculation and institutional life at The Women’s College, Catherine College, in the box buildings from WWII. Memories of life and the university. 00:10:28 Impressions of UWA and actual experiences of the campus. Reputation of the department of Zoology. Memories of Ernest Hodgkin. Inspiration and the study of entomology and Jenkins. Professor Waring and Professor Nichols. Presence of women at the university. Classical biology and new ideas with Professor Waring. 00:16:40 Waring broadens the scope of the course. Bob Kirk. Direction. Thoughts of the liberal arts course. Interest in writing of general natural history. Decisions to do a science degree. Dropping out of mathematics and opting for the soft sciences. 00:20:39 Early years and the course structure. Memories of Nichols and Clarke*, Rex Prider*, Rhodes Fairbridge. Inspiring world of the university and learning. Getting into entomology with Ernest Hodgkin. Interest in spiders and arachnology. Economic entomology and Western Australia. 00:25:30 Studies on spiders, trapdoor spiders. 00:31:30 Studying crustaceans and spiders. Orb weavers and teaching at Otago* New Zealand. Life as a student as an undergraduate and PhD student in the 1940-50s. Western Australia a diverse place to study Mygalomorph spiders. 00:35:10 UWA and the rest of the world. Visits to Australia Museum and Tasmania. Professor Hickman* was an inspiration. Memories of the museum in WA and curator Ludwig Glauert. 00:38:11 Isolated university and students ambitions. Medical school and higher degree. Bert Main goes to Chicago and Oxford. Among the first PhD students at UWA. Direction of personal career. The second woman to obtain a PhD. Encouragement of women by Professor Waring in the course. Obtaining a formal position was impossible for women. Catherine Berndt* anthropology. Importance of research grants. 00:43:20 Formal positions for women at UWA not encouraged. Mother was sympathetic for Barbara to further her studies. Interview 2 00:00:00 Memories of Chris Jessop. Stimulated by a person considered a bush naturalist. Inaccessible to the public. Direction and focus for publications. 00:05:10 Distinguishing the primitive Mygalomorph and modern spiders. Evolution of spiders. Origins of the Palaeozoic era. Attracted by the webs of the true spiders. Door types and taxonomic characters. 00:10:45 Finding new species the genus idiosoma*spiders. Discoveries put Barbara Main on the map. Having grants at UWA as a PhD and further career. 00:15:30 Becoming a lecturer. Order of Obiata* spiders. Spider studies. Wolf spiders. Australian Museum. Motivations to study Mygalomporph*spiders. 00:20:20 Scholarship to the British museum. Encouragement to go overseas. Observations in Britain and other museum. Difference of spiders in isolation. Early findings and formal taxonomy. Conothele* Malayana. As distinct from a genus called Amidia* from the Americas and Spain. Findings of the commonness of the species. Species found only in WA. 00:25:40 Isolation of colony. WA a South-Western peninsular and the relic from the Gondwana phase. Description of the habitat of trapdoor spiders. Downgrading of zoology and the emphasis on procedure. Subjects that attract students. 00:29:47 Sharing of knowledge at the University, departments. Publications. Blind Mygalomorphs* live in the caves of the Nullarbor. People don’t read papers. Comparisons to the connection of botanical papers to other organisms. People attracted to other areas of study. 00:35:00 Importance of spiders as sign post to other ecology and the changing environment. Reserves, endangered and restricted species of trapdoor spiders. People taking on board indicators. SRE Short Range Endemics. Impacts of mining. Assessing short range of Trapdoors. 00:37:07 Working with Harry Butler. Spiders eat small reptiles. Studies of Redback spiders. Comparing New Zealand and African species. Development of career. Affinity of spiders with other locations and countries. Recognising female and male spiders. Morphology of spiders. Sperm transfer via pedipalps*. Male trapdoor spiders are capture and studies. Collecting the penultimate male. Identifying a species. 00:44:01 Focusing future work. Diversity of climate ranges. Western Australia has a wider range of species. Technology associated with study of spiders not so reliable. Study of crustaceans. Sticking to spiders. Discussing invertebrates. The importance of publishing. Taxonomy of spiders. Being approached to write books. Spiders of Australia... A guide to their identification with brief notes on the natural history and common form. Jacaranda 1964 00:49:00 Writing of the book with encouragement by Professor Waring. Drawings of spiders. Memories of influential people. Professor Waring and the pursuit of research interest. Proving self. Interview 3 00:00:00 Career and teaching. Going through CV Adjunct Professor. Changes in the quality of academic learning, teaching and formal procedures. Changes student and staff research techniques altering at the broad scale taxonomic affinities. Species level and survey short range endemics. Protecting flora and fauna. Students and specialists, the attitudes of biologists. 00:04:24 Rating and rankings are well deserved by UWA. Memories of Albert Russel Main. Lecturing and field courses, his grounding in geology and biology. Conservation implications. Bert and his wider scope for zoology. Research and ecological teaching. National and international recognition. 00:09:52 Main’s early work with frogs. Research in artificial mating of frogs, interest in frog desert adaptation. Main’s early students. Murray Littlejohn* and his technological interest. Distinguishing frogs call. Bert’s interest in adaptation in organisms. Involvement with government bodies. Bert’s involvement in development of reserves. 00:14:45 Bert and his achievements personal chair in 1967. Waring and the god professor system. BR Main was very busy and was a great talker. Not a didactic teacher. Expansive public lectures. Waring and Main are awarded for their work Britannica Award*. Broadening his work on marsupials. Bert and his interest in Marsupial physiology. 00:18:30 Fellow of the AAS, Honorary foreign member of the ASIH, commander of the civil division of the Order of the British Empire. The importance of being recognised for work done. Collaboration in field work. Rough camping and the community at UWA. 00:22:25 Problems at UWA and the parking situation. Discouragement to go to university. Getting information online. The visual aspect of UWA and the Landscape for Learning. Designer buildings. 00:25:10 BR Main’s further achievements. Honorary member of the Royal Society, Honorary DSC, ecological society of Australia medal and Von Beulah medal*. Memories of the B York Main AO. 00:20:11 UWA and other universities. Murdoch and Notre Dame*. Larger number of students and the competition and interaction. Interactions with Curtin and Edith Cowan. International field of landscape and language. 00:30:20 Informal connections. Guest lecturer and conference and study. Zoology and UWA and the world-level interactions. BR Main’s direct interests in zoological affinities with fauna on a world scale. Persistence of Organisms in Australian ecology and changing landscape. 00:34:27 Involvements in corporate endeavours. Spiders and people’s phobias. Most spiders are harmless. Involvements with writing fiction and prose writings. King Wave* and A Visit From Home. Between Wodjil and Tor. Twice-trodden Ground. 00:40:50 Further involvements in lecturing and course involvements. Personal concerns and future interests. Working more solidly with half-finished manuscripts. Final words about UWA 00:44:45 Audio Files Links to audio files <a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/c68ca678c5dce88d401ee9e4306a9c63.mp3">Main, Interview 1, Track 1</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/1ed47ea79546b4c9f7e3928d08bdb9fb.mp3">Main, Interview 1, Track 2</a> <br /><a href="http://oralhistories.arts.uwa.edu.au/files/original/2c5b761ecaec74b3da44523c0a9cfd21.mp3">Main, Interview 1, Track 3</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Barbara Main interview, 22 August 2012, 29 August 2012 and 5 September 2012 Subject The topic of the resource Science; Zoology Description An account of the resource Born in Kellerberrin in 1929, Adjunct Professor Barbara York Main grew up with an interest in insects. After completing her schooling at Northam High School she entered the University of Western Australia to study Zoology, finishing her PhD in 1956. Professor Main has worked at the University of Western Australia as an Honorary Associate, Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow since 1958. Professor Main is a leading expert on arachnology with a particular focus on the genus Mygalomorph (Trap Door Spider). She has written four books and has published 90 research papers. Professor Main has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her extensive work in Zoology. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Main, Barbara Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Western Australia Historical Society Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright holder University of Western Australia Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 files Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History