Colleges mark colourful history

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Tags: anniversaries, colleges, reunions, winter-2011

When The University of Queensland opened its doors more than a century ago, a proud residential college tradition had already begun.

In fact, UQ’s oldest college is also its largest, with the Gatton campus housing students since 1897 when it was known as the Queensland Agricultural College. Today, the University has 11 colleges, each with a unique mission and history.

King’s and St Leo’s provide accommodation for men; Grace, Duchesne and Women’s are all-female colleges; with Cromwell, Emmanuel, the Gatton Halls of Residence, International House, St John’s and Union supporting students in a co-educational environment.

In 2011, St John’s and Emmanuel will mark their centenaries, with others set to follow in the coming years.

On the eve of his college’s 100th anniversary, Emmanuel Principal Adjunct Professor Stewart Gill cites the words of founding Chairman Ernest Northcroft Merrington, whose vision was to create an environment which provided a holistic education to its residents.

“Merrington talked about an education for life, not for livelihood – and that model has continued down throughout our history,” Adjunct Professor Gill says.

“It’s really about developing a community of well-rounded scholars living together, who are involved in the things that add to the quality of their experience of their university education – exposure to music, the opportunity to play sport together, learn and have fun together.”

King’s College Master Greg Eddy says the academic support offered to residents is another important part of the experience, with older students and graduates often occupying the role of mentors.

Giving back

Director of International House Dr Carla Tromans says rather than the “bastions of privilege” depicted in popular culture, residential colleges embrace diversity, are supported by philanthropy, and help provide a university education to students from all walks of life.

Dr Tromans cites her students’ involvement in community work – a program working with refugee children in Indooroopilly and a building project in the Solomon Islands being two recent examples.

Many college scholarships and bursaries are funded largely by donations from former students, including the Fulcher Yalari Indigenous Scholarship established at King’s this year.

St John’s is believed to have supported one of Australia’s first Indigenous university students, with records showing Joseph Crofts from Charters Towers studied engineering on a scholarship in the 1940s.

Before they were established at the St Lucia campus in the 1950s, several colleges were based on River Terrace at Kangaroo Point near the CBD. Others were located at Wickham Terrace, Toowong and New Farm.

With UQ colleges now providing a home for thousands of students each year, the roll call of former residents is impressive. Prominent alumni include Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and Queensland Governor Dr Penelope Wensley (Women’s), Queensland Chief Justice Paul de Jersey and MIM Chair Bruce Watson (King’s), former Premier Peter Beattie (St John’s), and Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan (Emmanuel).

Mr Eddy says old collegians continue to make invaluable contributions to their communities long after graduation as mentors, tutors and also financial donors.

Alumni funded the Centenary Building and McCulloch Watson Terrace at King’s, which were officially opened in March and provide additional residential space and facilities including a gymnasium.

While college operating expenses are generally covered through fees, most rely on the generosity of alumni to support scholarships and bursaries, and to cover building and development costs.

At times, this support is a lifeline.

The January floods were particularly devastating for International House, which was among the worst hit areas on the St Lucia campus. Eighty rooms and the Director’s residence were extensively damaged and an appeal for assistance was launched in January.

Generous donations have helped with the recovery effort and around 100 students are expected to return in July to revamped rooms and a refurbished kitchen and dining hall. With 140 places unable to be filled however, the college is facing a tough year, and will draw on the support of the local community and the global International House network.

Dr Tromans says International House’s proud multicultural community will remain strong despite the setback, with the college’s popular Soirée festival due to take place on September 23.

Friendly rivalry

Sporting contests have played an important part of college life from the very beginning – as it happens, the first Warden of St John’s, Edward Morgan Baker, was an Oxford Blue in rugby union and represented his country no less than nine times.

Reverend Baker didn’t take long to encourage healthy competition among the college community, and staged the first cricket match between St John’s and King’s students in 1913.

Intercollegiate sporting contests today include swimming, tennis, cricket, several football codes, netball, basketball and hockey. Longstanding rowing rivalries also play out each year on stretches of the Brisbane River fringing the St Lucia campus.

One of UQ’s best-known sporting events is the Great Court Race, which was first staged to celebrate the University’s 75th anniversary in 1985 in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Based on a tradition established at Cambridge where students race around a courtyard as the clock strikes twelve, the annual event involves sprint races and inter-college relays which are hotly contested each year. Also attracting large crowds is the Francis & Kassulke Cup, which has seen King’s and St Leo’s battle for bragging rights on the rugby field since 1920.

Australia’s elite sporting community comprises many college alumni including former coach of the Australian cricket team John Buchanan (King’s) and Australian rugby union player Nathan Sharpe (Emmanuel). At least eight Wallabies are known to have lived at a UQ college on their way to wearing the green and gold.

Cultural traditions also play a central role in college life, with Choralfest, Bandfest and Dancefest seeing hundreds of residents take to the stage each year to showcase their talents. Some colleges, such as St John’s, even have their own musician-in-residence.

Emmanuel, meanwhile, is one of only two Australian university colleges with a pipe band – much to the delight of Adjunct Professor Gill, a proud Scot. The band represents UQ at events across the country, with students also able to study on exchange at the University of Glasgow.

Centenary celebrations and beyond

Emmanuel’s pipe band will be kept busy during the college’s anniversary festivities, which culminate with their Centenary Weekend in September. The program includes a gala ball on September 10, with the Founder’s Day Centenary Service taking place the following day. The events mark the college’s founding in 2011, with the first students admitted in 2012.

St John’s will mark 100 years of history on November 8, and hold its Centenary Ball in March 2012, a week after Easter. Long-serving Warden Reverend Professor John Morgan hopes by this time the college’s renovated chapel will sport a new pipe organ, which is currently under construction in England thanks to a generous donation from a friend of the college.

With several other colleges set to observe their own milestones in coming years, there hasn’t been a better time for former residents to reconnect and help build on the proud traditions they have helped to create.

By Fran Molloy

A proud history

Gatton Halls of Residence Founded 1897  Motto: Una adolescamus (Together we grow)
Emmanuel Founded 1911  Motto: Fiat lux (Let there be light)
St John’s Founded 1911  Motto: Esolutus iterum vinctus (Freed and rebound)
King’s Founded 1912  Motto: Veritas vos liberabit (The truth shall set you free)
Women’s Founded 1913  Motto: Capimus ut dividamus (We take so that we may share)
St Leo’s Founded 1917  Motto: Dominus illuminatio mea (The Lord is my light)
Duchesne Founded 1937  Motto: Robur in luce veritatis (Strength in the light of truth)
Union Founded 1947  Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (No one wounds me with impunity)
Cromwell Founded 1950  Motto: Ubi spiritus, ibi libertas (Where the spirit is, there is liberty)
International House Founded 1965  Motto: That brotherhood may prevail
Grace Founded 1970 Motto: My grace is sufficient

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