Issue 15. 6 October 2008 - UWA Staff - The University of Western ...

Dreams come to light
Like a grand old lady, Winthrop Hall seems to enjoy
wearing a new outfit occasionally. As you can see
from the cover of this issue, it has been bathed in
pink light to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness
Month. It has also been decorated with colourful
banners, most recently for UWA Expo – but however
it is ‘dressed’ it is still the same building which
means so much to many Western Australians.
However, if another architect’s plans for the building had been
adopted, it would have looked completely different – and a
surprise find by two staff from Building Services prove by how
much.
When plumbing foreman Tom Ardagh and plumber Bob
Wilson were hunting for some plans in their workshop for an
everyday job they opened a plan-drawer which probably
hadn’t seen sunlight for decades.
Inside was a pile of architects’ drawings representing not only
their dreams for Winthrop Hall but also their ambitions to
make a splash on the landscape of Perth.
The drawings, in fine condition, are mainly by James Hine and
the father-and-son team of Reginald and Edwin
Summerhayes. Most were submissions for the 1926
competition for the design of Winthrop Hall, although some of
the Hine works are for a Canberra ‘administrative building’ and
show early layouts of the city of Canberra itself.
The competition attracted more than 20 entries, most of which
were returned to the entrants. The Canberra plans were of
great interest to Christopher Vernon, senior lecturer at ALVA,
who has made a study of Walter Burley Griffin and the
formative period of Australia’s capital city.
When UWA consulting architect Gus Ferguson wrote his book
Crawley Campus in 1993, the only entries for the competition
to which he had access were from A.B. Rieusset and
Melbourne architects Rodney Alsop and Conrad Sayce. It was
Sayce who created the winning design for Winthrop Hall as
we know it.
The drawings have been scanned, sent away for protective
treatment and are now on display in Winthrop Hall on the
stairwell leading from the first to the second level.
“We’ve found lots of old things around the place over the
years, but nothing like this,” Mr Wilson said.
Bob Wilson with one of the drawings for administration
buildings in Canberra by James Hine and below, plans
for versions of Winthrop Hall that were never built
Celebrate our campus history
A new group on campus – the UWA Historical Society (UWAHS) – is looking to
recruit members interested in encouraging an appreciation of UWA history among
staff, students, graduates and the wider community.
President of the UWAHS, Emeritus Professor Reg Appleyard, said members would be
encouraged to join a project group involved in research, exhibition, photography, website,
archives, publicity or events programming. Professor Appleyard said the benefits for members
would include the sharing of information and memories of staff and student life on campus. “There
will be the opportunity to engage in research and archival projects in association with the Centre
for WA History and UWA Archives and to participate in academic and social events,” he said.
The society wants to create a fellowship of people interested in the history of the campus; to
promote University projects of an historical nature; to contribute to the development of the
University’s historical record; to collect and catalogue historical University artefacts; to encourage
historical displays of University material; and to improve access to University historical resources.
If you would like to join in the activities of the UWAHS, please contact the Convocation Officer on
6488 1336 or email convocation@uwa.edu.au
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UWA NEWS 6 October 2008
the University of Western Australia