My experiences whilst undertaking my engineering degree at Melbourne Uni included an education on numerous levels – I recall:
on the Course, Lectures and Lecturers
– taking notes from overhead projectors can be challenging , especially if the lecturer’s hand keeps blocking the view or if the notes on the page were so small…….
– enjoying the generosity of one lecturer who invited the entire class to make a paper plane to throw……then watching a wave of paper planes descend from the heavens to create a sea of white at the lecturer’s feet
– that concrete labs (in the dungeons) were actually fun (thanks to an enthusiastic Dutchman)
– everyone getting excited about the construction and destruction of spaghetti bridges
– the rumours about Design Week were true…….the long hours were painful
– the cutting edge technology being very different compared with today (were we the last group of civils ever to have to labour over grey pencil lead drawings and there was no such thing as email)
– what started as a course in Agricultural Engineering ended up as Environmental Engineering
– translating all what we learned into everyday engineering applications
– learning that wombles really did wear long knitted vests (think maths 101)
– thinking the Civils were much better off not having as many exams as the poor Mechs (not sure who sold this sob story)
– drinking copious amounts of coffee during swot vac in an effort to cram as much stuff into the brain as humanly possible
– thinking faculty passes were a tremendous gift from a powerful force and that swotting over the summer holidays was not fun and should never be repeated
– the library was an austere place where some text books could never be found, no matter how hard one searched
– being very conscientious and studying at the café at lunch time…. or simply enjoying the sun on Union Lawn
– the admin staff in the faculty office were experts in sorting out everything – from scheduling complex timetables to calculating points for a degree (ta K!)
– learning that lecturers can actually dance (and yes, there is video evidence) and half of Prof McMahon’s tie representing a half engineering blue (Civil Social Event in North Melbourne)
– being so enthralled about the content of lectures, it provided the inspiration to put pen to paper
on the Students
– participating in class photo of 1993 which was taken on top of the Civil Eng Building….with fantastic views
– ones wardrobe wasn’t complete without a flannie, boots……(of course)
– labelling your clothes is wise and very funny when it includes ones thongs marked “Cheeseman”
– how the engineering faculty had their very own real life Ken and Barbie and numerous social engineers (generally Arts students)
– the only way to communicate with Mechs was to grunt
– engineers can be very fine musicians or at least sound ok when one is in an intoxicated state (sorry lads)
– marvelling at the colour of a fellow student’s Datsun 120Y – it was coloured Kalahari Tan
– one can acquire legend status when you rock up to a lecture late, hung over and in the fake tux t-shirt and bare footed….and still get chucked out (ie first year chem lecture)
– being able to determine beauty can be simple (when one lad was asked how he could tell if someone was handsome…the response was – to look into the mirror and compare them to himself (sorry D but it was funny))
– first year eng girls rock!
on Social aspects
– the Engineering Ball was the social event of the year
1990 Eng Ball
– everyone singing Happy Birthday to a birthday girl
The 1991 Eng Ball
The 1992 Eng Ball
The 1993 Eng Ball
Beer & Chips
– Beer & Chips was more than just another excuse for a drink……
– VB wasn’t so bad after you acquired the taste at Beer & Chips because there wasn’t much else to drink
– the Common Room floor was very sticky during and after Beer & Chips
– the chips always running out quickly during Beer & Chips, but rarely did the beer – at least until a bit later
– never finding out who decorated the Common Room with beer labels
– participating in crazy (and most likely boozed) snaps
Other Such Events
– the necessity of parties
– the necessity of Twins on Lygon Street being open very late at night (….and merely existing in those days)
– continuing on the well worn path to PAs, Naughtons and the Clyde (everywhere else was just too far away) and the Dan O’Connell on special occasions, then moving up in the world to discover Jimmy Watsons and the outdoor garden
– walking to Lygon Street in between lectures for a distraction
– holidays together
Note: special thanks to Stefanie Givoye, BE (Mech)(Hons), 1993 for the photos and the inspiration.
1861-2011: Stories from the Melbourne School of Engineering 