FOCUSFormer and current Deans of New College and NCV. L-R: Perry Wiles, Susan Bazzana, Adjunct Prof Bill Peirson, Dr Ian Walker, Dr James Pietsch, and Ben GooleyAdjunct Prof Bill Peirson (centre) with Rev Canon Bruce Morrison (Chair of the New College Board, far left) and former Masters Rev Dr Bruce Kaye AM,Dr Allan Beavis OAM, and Prof Trevor Cairney OAMNCSA Honorary Life Members. L-R: Perry Wiles, Ben Gooley, Katherine Theodor, George Davis, and Dr James Pietsch8New’n’Old 2019
MEET THE ANNIVERSARYHISTORIANXXXX FOCUSAdela Davis (centre) with her parents, Debbie Jamieson and Prof Tom DavisAdela DavisAdela Davis is the College’s anniversaryhistorian and has helped to organise theanniversary celebrations that took place in2019. Her last two years of work recently culminatedin the release of the New College and NCV historybook, Something Borrowed, Something Blue.Adela graduated from UNSW in 2017 with aBachelor of Arts (with Distinction), majoring inhistory and psychology. She lived at New Collegefor the majority of her studies, arriving in 2014 andleaving at the end of 2016. While a resident, she wasa member of the New College Christian FellowshipCommittee (2015) and an Academic Tutor (2016).It’s certainly not your typical job, so we askedAdela a few questions to get some insight into thelife of an anniversary historian.How did you become the College’s anniversaryhistorian?It was all quite unexpected! I had finished my degree,moved out of College, and was unsure what my nextmove would be. In the middle of 2017 I visited aCollege Service and began chatting to Bill Peirson atsupper. When he discovered that I was at a bit of aloose end, he let on about some mysterious projecthe had in the works and assured me that he wouldbe in touch. A few weeks later, I received a phone callasking me if I’d be willing to consider documentingthe history of New College and NCV. I knew I couldn’tturn down such an amazing opportunity, so I acceptedthe offer and started work in August that year.Can you take us through the process of thebook’s production?I started by reading everything. We pulled all of thearchive boxes out from the college cupboards, and Iwent through, box by box, reading all of the materialI could find: decades of board papers, weekly notices,student magazines, Masters’ correspondence, NCSAExecutive minutes and more. I began to interviewpeople at this stage as well.After about six months, I was in a positionto start drafting chapters. That took a numberof months. I sent each finished draft to variousreviewers, while still researching and makingpreliminary decisions on the design of the book.When this was finished, it was time to refine allthe drafts into their final form. That was definitelythe most difficult part of the project. I completelyreworked the structure and content of each chapter.They then went to my supervisors for further editingand discussion, and I kept tweaking them until wewere satisfied.There was so much more to do even once thewriting was on its way. Digitising, selecting andcaptioning photos; obtaining permission to printimages; collaborating with our designer; collatingthe appendices; choosing chapter titles; liaising withthe printer; indexing; referencing; proofreading… Itwas demanding, but it was a privilege to be involvedin such a stimulating project.Which chapter did you find most interestingand which did you find most challenging?The first two chapters, which discuss the foundationof New College, actually fit into both categories.It’s a fascinating story, and I loved learning aboutall the different personalities and societal factorsinvolved. However, because it’s the oldest part ofthe College’s history, it was also the most difficult toNew’n’Old 20199
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