SWINOPSIS a review of technology and sociology

published by the students' representative council swinburne senior technical college

melbourne

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SWINOPSIS66 Swinopsis is produced on behalf of 1,000 men and

women, aged in the late teens and early twenties, w h o

arc studying full-time at Swinburne for

professional diplomas.

Swinburne is a big place — virtually a city in its o w n

right. In addition to the 1,000 full-time diploma students, there are several thousand other men and w o m e n studying the same subjects in Swinburne's evening classes and part-time day classes. (And, in

blocks adjoining the diploma school, w e have Swinburne's trade school and its secondary school).

Swinburne's growth is accelerating with the growth of metropolitan Melbourne. Multi-storey buildings

are n o w being designed for Swinburne to cope with Melbourne's population explosion and to cope with

the Affluent Society's increasing demand for

professional practitioners — i.e., technologists, applied chemists, graphic designers, and business administrators.

What sort of Melbourne will Swinburne undergraduates see from the tenth floor in A.D. 2000?Will it still

be like the photograph of our cover? Will the rest

of Melbourne look like the photograph on pages 2 & 3 ?

The theme of Swinopsis '66 is "Our Urban Environment." The first eight articles open up some of

the most important urban problems. The solutions

are up to you — between n o w and A.D. 2000.

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SWINOPSIS

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6

8

1 1

1 4

16

1 8

20

The Metropolitan Monster

Suburbia in Australia

Does Breathing Cause Lung Cancer?

Help! Police

The Hum of the Affluence Machine

The Multi-storeyed Chookhouse

Your Stomach—the Inside Story

All the Same

Author

Laurie Waddington

Ron McGrath

John Scott

Ric Harding

Peter Monsbourgh

David Husband

Abe Chalef

Richard Lowe

Graphics

John Boucher

Ken Senior

Charles Benjafield

Roger Cayzer

Ken Senior

Robin Wilks

Charles Benjafield

Loraine Johns

21

24

26

27

30

32

33

34

36

Its Your Funeral

The Sociological Significance of Electricity

Two Poems

A Peep Into the Past

The Changing Face of Melbourne Town

: „ An Unforgetable Character

Yarra Bank on Sunday Afternoon

Away from it All

Fair Spleez

Russell Bevers

David Husband

Rosemary Rider

Robyn Campbell

Duncan McGregor

Regina Karps

Suzanne Mills

Neil Heinz

John Mcintosh

Loraine Johns

Roger Cayzer

Lauren Moore

Lauren Moore

Loraine Johns

Rodney Heath

Rodney Heath

37 All Slobs Fables Charles Benjafield/Ken Senior Charles Benjafield

Poem Elizabeth Honey

Lauren Moore ¥ urray ie6 6

F. Tylee

Joten Boucher

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the metropolitan

monster

In 1900 only ten cities in the world had

populations of more than one million.

Today there exist 106 such cities. By the

year 2000, nearly 4000 million people will

have saturated the world's cities. Cities have abandoned their old pattern of

gradual expansion; today they explode —

an explosion of people, of wealth, of

knowledge and skills, and of human

energy.

The "drift to the city" first became really

noticeable about a century ago at the

time of the English Industrial Revolution.

The Industrial Revolution meant organ­

ised production and mechanical transport.

With the rise of the factory system and

subsequent mass production, people

tended to congregate in centralised work

places and so towns began to develop

everywhere. The advent of the cheap

newspaper through power-operated

pressed (and the advent of electricity)

re-established communications and a

social environment for the people. In the

city, goods and services could be ex­

changed cheaply and conveniently. Hence

the city gradually became the dominant

pattern of living.

This huge influx of population was not

without its problems, however. A s cities

arose from towns, there was rarely any

planning for residences, roads and

facilities. The lack of planning meant

water contamination, bad sanitation and

slums.

Henry Ford once said, " W e shall solve

the city problem by leaving the city"—

and promptly provided the means to do

so. Unfortunately for mankind, the motor­

car could return and it did. The problem

of traffic congestion is very real in a city

the size of Melbourne. Cars are increasing

faster than people. For every baby born

in Melbourne, there are two or more new

cars registered. Although the population

has expanded rapidly, motor vehicle

4

growth in Australia may be described as

astounding, doubling itself in the last ten

years. O n the conservative basis of 400 cars per thousand of population, there

will be two million cars garaged in the Melbourne metropolitan area by the end

of the century — and one big traffic jam.

Already, Melbourne people are travelling

more than their parents did — and are

forced to by the sheer size of the metro­

politan area. Melbourne is typical as an expanding city in that it has been swift

in its absorption of the rural areas around

it. It has cut up many pleasant apple orchards, swallowed market gardens by

the score, rooted out natural growths, and covered wide areas with brick and

and bitumen. The Melbourne metro­

politan area is expected to double in size

by 1990; by then its borders will encom­

pass today's so-called country towns of

Werribee, Sunbury, Wallan, Healesville

and Portsea, these merely becoming

outer suburbs in a huge metropolis.

Planning experts forecast that by the year

2000 the coast of Australia from Adelaide through Melbourne and Sydney to

Brisbane and beyond will be almost entirely urban development.

Urbanisation creates many problems:

traffic congestion, noise, air pollution,

crime and lack of recreational facilities.

The bigger the cities, the bigger are the

problems. The next century will result in

urban populations so gigantic that they may feasibly spread like some noxious

weed to occupy all the inhabitable

regions on earth. Unless man can remake his cities by the end of this century in

time for the full effects of the population boom, city life will become intolerable.

Our existing urban problems are due

largely to the lack of co-operation be­

tween trained personnel. Architects and engineers seldom if ever meet public

administrators and sociologists studying

metropolitan settlements to share their

problems and experience. These talents should be pooled in the new science of

town planning.

Man is the master of his own fate, and so we must learn to live with the urban

explosion. W e must decide what we want our immense cities to be like and begin planning to achieve this. Unless new policies, insights and directions are

found, the city may become (with the

single exception of absolute nuclear war) the worst disaster to overcome the

human race.B

laurie waddington

5

suburbia in australia ron mcgrath

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In the early days of Australian cities, most of the population

lived in and about the city area, usually within easy walking distance of their jobs. The cities grew and with the development

of better transport, i.e. trains, the population extended outward

in long tentacles of habitation, following main roads and tracks.

The gold rush and the lure of the "new land" brought many

migrants to our shores, boosting the population further. The

individualistic nature of these early settlers drove them to

building separate home units, shunning the crowded tenements

of their old country. Their building habits have formed the basis

of modern Australian suburbia.

Australian suburbia is a dull sprawling mass of individual

homes, well set apart from each other. This home forms the centre of family life. Families tend to keep to themselves,

regarding their plot of ground as being completely autonomous.

The younger people venture out but the parents prefer to

remain at home and keep company with the television set.

Television could be blamed to a small extent for this "stay at

home" attitude but the Australian family has always tended to keep to itself. The neighbours are regarded with indifference

and treated more as a supply of extra sugar than a source of

close friendship. Many inmates of suburbia have only nodding

acquaintances with neighbours and, not uncommonly, do not

know their names. Conversation with known neighbours is limited to the weather and to the current status of their

particular football team. Football in Melbourne is the one thing

which breaks the monotony of suburban life.

The largeness of suburbia seems to draw people further into

their homes. During the early history of a district, people would

band together, form committees and generally help one another.

A s the district expands, the ties break between them and they turn inwards around their radio, now television, becoming less

sociable all the time. This reluctance of the suburban dwellers

to separate themselves from their easy-chairs has been one of the factors contributing to the unhappy state of "live" theatre in

Australia, shown recently by the closure of the Sydney and

Melbourne Tivoli theatres.

Because of the sprawl and low population densities, many

amenities, such as sewerage and good roads in new areas,

must be postponed to the distant future. The high cost of

providing such amenities, distributed over a low population, is

a major drawback of urban living. Early districts made provision

and provided for parklands, for the relaxation of the local

inhabitants; the more recent suburbs have tended to neglect

this.

Lands are mercilessly cleared of any natural growth, leaving a flat plain more suitable for an airfield than a living area. The

skyline is broken only by sombre-grey light-poles and various

shaped television antennae. All trees have been bulldozed

down by the heartless estate agent; then the estates have been

subdivided up into square blocks (being cheapest and easiest

to survey) without any regard to the presence of dangerous cross-roads or any overall plan. Rows of almost identical cream-

brick houses are built along rows of almost identical streets,

the gardens filled with similar plants and shrubs. The monotony tends to be broken by a brightly painted letter- or telephone-box.

The sameness of the architecture reflects the sameness of the

people. Australians form one great single class and all tend to

conform to its ideas.

Suburban life centres quietly around the home, not in the city

as it does in great cities like N e w York and Tokyo. These foreign cities remain alive and vibrant twenty-four hours a day because of the fact that a large number of people live in the

centre of the city, in apartment buildings and tenements. Also,

efficient public transport such as underground railways make access to the city fairly easy. With a city population and better

transport, Melbourne could again become the gay city which it

was in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

Commercial life of the city is being sapped by the new suburban shopping developments, such as Chadstone and Forest Hills

in Melbourne and Roselands in Sydney. Large chain-stores are

also opening up branches in the new areas. Services provided by these new stores keep the housewife district-bound, robbing

the city shops of her patronage. The drift away from city shop­

ping may well cause the city one day to become one big office block, the only shops providing the needs of lunch-hour

workers. The "cutting off" of the city from the suburbs causes

people to lose interest in the city and its problems. This apathy may also extend to matters concerning the country as a whole.

Melbourne suburbs are continually creeping outwards each year, biting deeper into the green-belt and covering rich lands

with population. Recently, however, there have been some

indications that people are moving back to the inner suburbs. Many reasons could be given for this return: the expense of

travelling long distances to jobs, insufficient amenities provided by outer suburbs and dullness of life there. Old people who

find maintenance of a large house and garden a tiring move back towards the city. Flats and compact groups of "home

units" are becoming increasingly popular. Blocks of suburban

homes are being demolished to make way for flats, providing for the demand. This can be seen happening to a great extent

in Glen Iris.

Many of Melbourne's growing pains could be cured by intelli­

gent town planning. Planned suburbs and satellite towns have

been designed and built overseas with great success. The

planning of a maximum population, with all its requirements,

can mean a more enjoyable life. Detouring of main highways

away from living areas . . . shops and schools within easy

walking distance of homes . . . landscaping and protection of

local beauty spots . .. and a fostering of community spirit. . .

These are some of the key ideas of town planning.•

does breathing cause lung cancer?

(Ife

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8

Throughout the world, city authorities

are becoming concerned about air pol­

lution. The fact is that 20th century urban-

industrial civilization has a tendency to

contaminate its own breathing-space.

The contamination comes from the

chinneys and incinerators of our factories

and homes, and from the exhaust pipes

of our trucks, buses and cars. It consists chiefly of dust, ash, smoke, sulphur

dioxide, and petrol hydrocarbons. Such

substances are suspected of causing

damage to people's property and to people's health.

At present the worst cases of air pollution are outside Australia. In Los Angeles

the problem of "smog" has become so

acute that automobiles in that city are now required to have smog-abatement

devices fitted. A press report from Tokyo

early this year stated that traffic policemen

at Tokyo's busy intersections would soon need to wear oxygen inhalers. In

Cincihatti (U.S.A.) and Toronto (Canada) as well as giving the usual temperatures, humidity and general weather information,

the radio stations also give a daily soiling

index — a number which indicates the

comparative extent to which washing hung out to dry is likely to be soiled by

the atmosphere.

Both London and Los Angeles have

experienced lasting periods of high level

air pollution which have caused many

deaths, and are claimed to have reduced

the life expectancy of thousands. During

such periods of smog, which may last

for more than a week, traffic moves at a crawl, people collapse in the streets in

danger of suffocating, and no-one

breathes freely.

Actually, one must be careful to under­

stand the meaning of the coined word

"smog". It suggests a combination of

smoke and fog. This, however, is not

always present when the word is used to

describe a state of air pollution. In

Denver, Colorado, people refer to air

pollution as "smaze". This word probably

describes the conditions which are generally present better than the word

"smog".

What, then, is air pollution? Once, all

we could suffer from was coal smoke, which gives fallout consisting mainly of

soot, ash, sulphur dioxide, oxides of

nitrogen, and carbon monoxide. The coal

smoke could, at worst, be mixed with fog to form true smog. Nowadays, however,

the chemical mixture is far more potent.

The liquid and gaseous fuels burned

today are putting solids, liquids, and

gases into the atmosphere. Organic

gases and vapours such as methane, acetylene, aldehydes, phenols, ketones,

ammonia, and various alcohols may be released. These are products of com­

bustion, but also a significant amount of air pollution stems from direct evapora­

tion and escape of these fuels.

Once in the atmosphere, these substances can react together, often aided by sun­

light, to form new substances of un­

known composition. Man knows surprisingly little about air pollution, and

much more research on the subject is urgently needed. Los Angeles, probably the worst affected city in the world, has

its problems not only because of its large number of automobiles and factor­

ies, but also because of certain charac­

teristics of its location. The city suffers from a phenomenon known as

"temperature inversion".

Temperature inversion needs: weak

winds to distribute impurities but not

disperse them, forming a low warm layer of air at about 95°F; cool sea air at

about 75°F to provide a cool layer above

the impure layer to act as a "lid"; warm

dry air aloft (at about 85°F). If sunlight

is present as is usual, it causes reactions which produce various injurious sub­

stances, including ozone.

The problem of air pollution is so bad in

Los Angeles that the city has banned

back-yard incinerators. Likewise Detroit

and Pittsburg. These cities, too, have

stopped the burning of rubbish on open

rubbish dumps, making it necessary to

instal elaborate and expensive public

incinerators well away from the main city

area, and designed to create minimum pollution. Los Angeles was forced to

discontinue open dump burning as early

as 1948. A n alert is given to citizens

when the ozone level reaches one part

per two million parts of air and they are are required to reduce their output of

polluting agents as much as possible while the danger remains.

Research on the contents of photo-

chemically polluted air has shown that it usually contains cancer-producing

agents — known as carcinogens. These

are possibly the greatest threat to our

health in polluted air. Thus the simple,

unconscious act of breathing can be harmful: in Birmingham (Alabama)

breathing the city's air is claimed to be as likely to cause cancer as smoking two

packets of cigarettes per day in fresh air.

It has been suggested that the major carcinogen in the air is a substance

called Benzpyrene — in very fine solid particle form, fine enough to pass through

any filter. It is produced under certain

conditions often present during the com­

bustion of petrol and diesel fuels in the cylinders of internal combustion engines.

If this proves correct, we may be faced

with a serious problem involving every­one who breathes, and everyone who

operates an internal combustion engine

— a problem, in fact, symptomatic of our way of life.

So far, the air pollution problem has not

affected Australian cities to any great

extent. Nevertheless we have not escaped

entirely, and naturally air pollution here is

on the increase. Evidence of plant damage

is already apparent in Sydney, according

9

to Sydney University scientists. New­

castle, too, with its large industries, is a

likely candidate for future air pollution.

A n important point is that Sydney has

meteorological conditions similar to

those causing temperature inversion in

Los Angeles. It was found that photo­

chemical smog became a problem in Los

Angeles when cars on the roads num­

bered one million. It is estimated that

Sydney will have this number by 1980. It

can be seen, then, that although Austral­

ian cities are unaffected so far, we are

not many years from being forced to face

the problem.

Melbourne has isolated instances of air

pollution, even though the problem is

not yet general. Housewives in Oakleigh

and Northcote have complained that their

washing, while hanging out to dry, is

being attacked by the contents of the

atmosphere. The cause was found to be

sulphur dioxide and sulphur trioxide from

nearby oil-burning brick works during

damp cold weather. Black coal, used

previously, had produced soot, but it had

not eaten holes in the drying clothes. At

present, Melbourne's ratio of less than

one thousand vehicles per square mile

is not sufficient to produce air pollution.

However, it seems that increases above

this figure quickly make the possibility

of growing pollution very real.

If we allow air pollution to advance un­

inhibited, we will be failing to learn by

the mistakes of others, and will be com­

mitting ourselves and posterity to an

unpleasant fate. W e will be courting ill

health through slow poisoning together

with damage to our property. The stone­

work of our buildings may crumble as

has already been the experience with the

sandstone of St. Paul's Cathedral,

Melbourne. This deterioration is said to

have been caused mainly by the im­

purities of our city air, and has cost many

thousands of dollars to rectify.

W e can also expect our beautiful trees

and gardens to suffer. One classic

Australian example of damage to vege­

tation has already been seen in Queens-

town, Tasmania. At the turn of the

century, the hills for miles around

Queenstown were completely bared of

all vegetation of any kind by sulphurous

wastes from the original smelters of the

Mount Lyell copper mines. Those hills

are still bare today, even though the

smelters no longer emit the sulphur

gases.

Impurities in the air can also be res­

ponsible for making deposits on elec­

trical transmission line insulators,

causing power failures due to flash-

overs. Metal parts of structures and

machines can quickly corrode. W e should

definitely do everything possible to avoid

the problems of air pollution already

being experienced in so many places.

Victoria's Health Department has a Clean

Air section comprising about four

fulltime personnel. Many American cities

have departments, staffed by up to 20

fulltime people. It seems that more

trained researchers are needed here.

The latest development has been the

inception of the Clean Air Committee of

Australasia, formed in Sydney. The

Committee is to promote scientific

discussion on the subject, co-operate

with other such committees overseas,

and study the Australian problem. Let

us hope these men can find it possible

to lead the way towards the development

of preventive measures.

W e have progressed a long way since the

days before motor cars. If, however, we

find that the more w e progress, the more

unpleasant it becomes to live in our

cities, then can w e say we have ad­

vanced? If, in addition to shortages of

food, water, and certain minerals, w e

should find that w e are short of air fit

for breathing, then life would be in­

tolerable, and many would say that our

progress had been in vain. Let us leave

a better legacy than this to those who

follow. •

John scott

10

HELP;

POLICE ; H

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Policeman shot down; burning of woman not murder; thieves

rob shire office; T V to guard riot convicts; watchman fires shot at man; arrest after shooting; five die before firing squad.

These are just a few headlines selected at random from one

copy of a Melbourne daily newspaper.

Where are we heading? In the United States of America, one of the most technically advanced countries in today's world,

some one is being murdered every fifty-eight minutes, raped every thirty-eight minutes, robbed every six minutes, burgled every thirty-nine seconds, having his car stolen every minute,

and undergoing a beating every four minutes. Fortunately, Australians live at a slower pace than Americans. However, Australia's population is increasing, our cities are expanding and we are becoming more affluent. W e have changed from the

forty-eight hour week to the forty hour week, and now we all have extra leisure time. To own a motor car it takes only a few

dollars deposti and a small payment every month. (Then again, there are some who prefer to get their cars by other means!)

But, with everything expanding the way it is, how much thought is given to law enforcement? It is a known fact that our police

forces do not increase in proportion to our population. Unless steps are taken to maintain our police forces at their required strength, crime cannot be efficiently curtailed.

To obtain the latest Victorian statistics, I recently had an interview with Inspector W . D. Crowley, Secretary of the

Victorian Police Association. He emphasised that Victoria has

a great shortage of policemen. Compared with the other

Australian states, Victoria has the highest population pei square mile, yet we have the poorest ratio of police to

population with a figure of one policeman to every 706 citizens,

New South Wales has one policeman to every 670 citizens,

Queensland has one policeman to 588 and South Australia has

one policeman to 690. These figures may not impress you until

you consider that Victoria has 35.6 people per square mile compared to New South Wales which has only 13.2 people

per square mile and Queensland which has the greatest ratio

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of police to population contains 2.4 people per square mile.

Searching a little deeper into the facts, we find Victoria has a

total of 4474 policemen, of which 3581 are stationed in the

metropolitan area. This leaves the amazingly small total of 393 to maintain law and order throughout Victoria's country areas.

Australians are a growing community, striving to better our living conditions. In many families both parents work, to enable

their family to continue at today's high standard of living. This can

lead to a child being neglected. He or she searches for company and many of the other things grown-up people can

have. A s long as one looks eighteen years old today, there no

problems in purchasing alcohol. Alcohol leads to high spirits and big ideas. No teenager likes to stay in the one place for

long; there might be a dance over the other side of Melbourne.

How do we get there? Cars are easy enough to get; there are so many around, and some people leave their cars unlocked.

A s time goes by juvenile delinquency increases; thousands of destructive, petty crimas can cause one police force a lot of

headaches.

On our highly populated streets and highways, motorists seem

to lose respect for life and they move with such speed from

place to place disregarding the ever increasing road fatalities.

The United States of America has a population of 189 million

people, and 83 million cars; Victoria has 3,100,000 people, and

only 1,100,000 cars. Yet the U.S.A. had 49,000 road deaths in the year preceeding 1st March, 1965, in a country where there is

one policeman to every 525 people. In Victoria we had 937 road

deaths during the same period where we have one policeman

per 710 people. You might say, "What is there to complain about? Our figures are not too bad. W e are not losing fifty

thousand people a year." But, comparing the above figures we find that Victoria has 30 road deaths per 100,000 people and the

U.S.A. has only 25.1 per 100,000 people. Also we have 85 road

deaths per 100,000 cars and the U.S.A. has only 59 per 100,000

cars. One must consider that in Australia we live at a slower

pace than the U.S.A.; therefore the remarkable disparity in the

above ratios becomes even more significant.

Victoria's police force is endeavouring to decrease this tragic

annual road death toll, but this can only be done by constant

patrolling of our highways, as was proved in 1961-62 on a

128-mile stretch on the H u m e Highway from Wodonga to Seymour. From July 16, 1961, to May 5, 1962, with three police

on special patrol on this stretch, there were 305 accidents and

36 fatalities. Over the same period of 1962-63, seven police

patrolled the route. There were 251 accidents and 21 fatalities.

This is only one example, but it goes to prove that the more

police we have patrolling our highways the better off we are

as Victoria averages on the road 31,000 accidents a year

resulting in 19,000 casualties. Yet, Victoriahas the poorest ratio of official police cars per police than any othe state in Australia.

W e have only 550 official police cars, compared with 1490 in

N.S.W., and Victoria's police cars are used in the metropolitan

area only. In the country areas police are paid an allowance to

use their own cars, but this means they are on the road only

while the policeman is on duty, and this is approximately eight

hours a day, so most country areas are without a police car for

two-thirds of each day.

The government is not spending anywhere near as much as it

should be spending on our police force. More policemen must

be recruited. At present we recruit 100 to 150 annually and yet we still do not reach the required number ant) it has been this

way for the past five or six years. At present Victoria is 180 under authorised strength, but Victorian Premier Sir Henry

Bolte has ordered the Victorian Police Force to recruit an extra

500; therefore at present our police force is 681 men under

authorised strength.

Writing in the Sydney magazine "Nation", an ex-member of the N.S.W. police force recently stated: "The citizens of N.S.W. have a physically fit, well-trained, well equipped, experienced,

honest and sympathetic body of men to protect them. These men are comparatively well paid and clothed. They are critically under-manned, over-worked, frustrated and fast losing ground

to the bad driver, petty thief and the young hoodlum." The

writer also states that in his opinion the N.S.W. Police Force is two thousand men short. He states this about N.S.W. which

has more policemen per population, less people per square mile and more police cars per police than Victoria, so how

hopeless the position must look to a member of the Victorian Police Force. A suggestion has been put forward to reduce the

specified height of policemen to five feet eight inches and even though this has been the required height for a member of the British Police Force, which number twenty-two thousand and is

one of the most efficient in the world, for the past thirty years, both the Government and the Chief Commissioner of Police have rejected the suggestion. Meanwhile crime increases, and

police statistics show that for 1964 tnere were 88,151 crimes committed in Victoria. Only 33,321 were solved. And yet this

forty-three per cent of unsolved crimes is considered satis­

factory by world standards.

In Victoria today, many businesses are located in areas which are not frequently visited by police. Such businesses have

turned to the private company guard or night watchman, and invest approximately fifty dollars a week to hire one of these guards. At present over one thousand private guards are

working in Victoria. This suggests part of the answer to our problem. If income tax was increased moderately and we were

assured of being efficiently protected twenty-four hours a day,

it would be worth the small increase in tax. You might feel you

pay enough taxes already, but during the year 1964-65 the Victorian Police Force cost the State $18,656,462 which is only

11.5 cents per head per week. Now surely this is not a great

deal to pay for complete protection. If taxes were increased, the

Victorian Government could afford to build the Victorian

Police Force to what is required by our ever expanding way of

life. It could assure us a safe community. • ric harding

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the hum of the affluence machine peter monsbourgh

The affluent society of the twentieth

century is becoming very noisy.

In the early nineteenth century (before

the invention of railways and the spread

of factories), the loudest noise experi­

enced by a normal person was ordinary

conversation which has a noise level of

about 60 decibels. (The decibel is a unit

of pressure.) In the past thirty years this

figure has increased to over 100 decibels.

The threshhold of pain (that is, the level

at which the ears start to hurt) is 130

decibels. Many of the noises experienced

today are approaching this level of pain.

To give an idea of the value of the decibel

scale, here are a few common noises

experienced daily, with their correspond­

ing noise levels in decibels:—

Threshhold of hearing 0

Rustle of leaves 10

Office noises 63

Ordinary conversation (at 3 ft.) 65

Busy street traffic 68

Hammer blows on steel plate 114

Melbourne tram 119

Experiments show that a noise of 160

decibels is enough to kill small animals,

such as rats and mice. This same noise

level on humans causes permanent

deafness. In America the problem of

harmful noise has become so acute in

certain instances that people living close

to large airports are requested to have yearly hearing tests.

A s the Affluent Society's productivity

rises, so does its noise output. Industry,

commerce, travel and entertainment are

parts of the machine, which, of necessity,

grow as the result of increased produc­tivity.

Take travel, for example. Students at

Swinburne know that it is not the external industrial noise that is most disturbing

in certain Swinburne buildings, but the

noise of road traffic and trains. Likewise at home. In Mont Albert, I have too often

been awakened at the dead of night by

some individual tearing round the streets

in a sports car.

Noise levels can be decreased by a

number of methods. Noises can be

superficially "eliminated" by educating

people to accept them. Sometimes a

noise nuisance is the result of the nervous

tension of some over-stressed individual

getting the better of him, and he uses the

noise as a means of blaming something

for his present condition. Sometimes the

noise nuisance can cause a chain reac­

tion among a group of residents who

make each other listen to the particular

noise which they would normally never

hear. By suitable mediation between the

residents complaining and noise maker

involved, the nuisance can be eliminated

but probably only temporarily.

Another way of noise elimination is to

insulate buildings against noise. But this

leaves the outside noise just as it was,

and therefore does not really achieve much.

Another more sensible approach is to

move residences and other noise-affected

institutions away from noise sources by proper town planning, i.e., zoning areas

specifically industrial and specifically

14

residential. Although this may eliminate industrial noise, there is still the problem

of noise from public and private transport. Much work is being done overseas on

the design of quiet trams and trains, with rubber wheels or with motors

encased in rubber. It would not be im­

possible to reduce the noise made by a

tram or train to something approaching

the noise of a well-maintained motor car.

There is tremendous scope for engineers designing quiet machinery, quiet trains

and quiet trams. Much work is being done

in Melbourne to reduce industrial noise by the proper design of machinery.

This still leaves the problem of motor-car

noises. It is impossible to silence a road

vehicle absolutely, because even the tyres rolling on the road surface make a

considerable noise. Every person should

be made to fit a silencer to a vehicle which will quieten the engine down to a

legally specified level. This is done to a

limited degree now, but it is not policed

well enough. Also more research could

be done into the design of quieter tyres

and road surfaces.

The "larger" contributors of noise have

been discussed, but what of the lawn

mowers at eight o'clock on Sunday

morning, chain saws in the country, neighbours with loud radio sets, back yard work-sheds, model aeroplanes — to name only a few of the obvious ex­

amples? The reduction of these nuisances

is up to the people concerned by the

application of the municipal laws which are set down to deal with such

problems.

"But," says someone, "what's the use of

eliminating noise anyway? W h y not just

let everything go on like it has for the

past 50 years. It does not seem to be doing any harm." These may be valid

questions to someone who merely takes

a cursory glance at the problem. But this increase in the noise of the affluence

machine does have effects which are

harmful and which do necessitate some

action.

Let's look firstly at the physical effects. In

America the largest outlay by the insur­

ance companies for personal injury during working hours is injury resulting

directly from exposure to high noise level in factories. Noise impairs production;

it causes loss of concentration among

students and office workers, increase of

nervous tension and loss of sleep.

There are economic effects as well. Land values drop in the vicinity of railways,

airports, and busy roads.

But what of the effects, perhaps not ob­

vious at first, of the noise produced by

the affluence machine in homes where peace and privacy is robbed by the incess­ant jingle of radio and TV. And (perhaps even more devastating) the brain­

washing of advertising which frustrates people, enslaved to hire purchase con­

tracts? Remember too, the effects of destroying peace and quiet in places of

scenic beauty such as public gardens, or

the seaside, or the mountain resorts, by

the continual invasion of the transistor radio with races and Top Forty turned to full volume. Are we growing into a race

of morons who are controlled by the

slick disc jockeys, and so on, whose role

is to keep the affluence machine at full

production? W e seem to have lost the art of being quiet and still and letting ourselves appreciate what is around us

in life and the natural world.

Are we going to let ourselves become

slaves to the affluence machine or are w e going to become the masters of it? •

15

the multi-storeyed chookhouse david husband

Do you call Sunday "Chicken Day"? Or

perhaps you ladies have tried the amazing

"seven-day egg diet". Well, I wonder just

how many of you have thought seriously

about how chickens and eggs get from

the farm to you. Last year, during the

term holidays, I was offered the unique

opportunity of an inside job at a Melbourne chicken-processing firm.

(You certainly couldn't get any closer to

the insides of a chicken than I did.) But

as I watched the chickens go merrily past,

I decided that I would dig a little deeper

into modern poultry-farming. I could not

know then how amazing and even dis­

gusting the facts I discovered would be.

The factory in which I laboured was

approximately the same size as our

Swinburne Library. Each day before dawn,

six thousand birds are picked up from

the "growing farms" and brought in for

the kill. At 7 o'clock the line is set in

motion and the chickens, unaware of

their plight, are hung on specially-

designed hooks with wings flapping and

heads down. Four minutes later the

"killer", the most skilled person in the

factory, cuts their throats in such a way

to ensure free bleeding. Three minutes

later the first dead chicken emerges from

the blood tunnel and enters the scalding

tank. After scalding for five minutes in

this antiseptic bath, chickens enter the

plucking machines. T w o minutes later

they emerge "naked". In the next ten

minutes they are gutted, vacuum-cleaned,

beheaded and finally tossed into a

chilling tank. The chickens are then

weighed, sorted and placed in the deep

freezer. So in approximately twenty-five

minutes a live, kicking chicken is con­

verted into a still, lifeless hunk of white

meat,

It is now that I feel I should introduce you

to the term "intensive farming". This

term is applied to the modern approach

to animal husbandry, and an explanation

in the words of an expert is as follows:

"Rapid turnover, high density stocking, a

high degree of mechanization, a low

labour requirement, and efficient con­

version of food into saleable products

are the five essentials for a system of

animal production to be called intensive".

This is just some of the startling infor­

mation contained in Ruth Harrison's book

"Animal Machines", in which the author

gives a vivid account of intensive rearing of livestock in Britain. You may well

inquire what has caused the introduction of this method. W e are told by producers

that the needs of suburbia (the topic we

are looking at in detail in this magazine)

demand these rapid mass production

techniques. But it is for you to decide

whether the ends justify the means I will

now describe.

In recent years, broilers or frozen

chickens have become cheap and con­

sequently popular. In an earlier para­

graph I described the operation of a typical

Australian "broiler" factory, and Ruth

Harrison describes an English counter­

part. But firstly she describes the rearing

of the birds. Day-old chicks are trans­

ferred from the hatcheries to the inten­

sive units. Eight or ten thousand of these

chicks are installed at a time into the chookhouse which gives the impression

of a long, wide dark tunnel, the floor of

which is covered with chickens. For the

first two weeks the chicks are raised at a

constant temperature of 90 degrees F in

continuous bright light. They are encour­

aged to eat and therefore grow quickly.

After two weeks the lights change to amber, and go on and off every two hours

round the clock. The birds thus contin­

ually eat, drink and sleep for the next four

weeks. The birds are then getting large

enough to feel over-crowded and the amber lights are replaced with dull

red ones to prevent fighting. So for the

16

next four weeks they remain like this,

just putting on weight. Then the ten-

week-old chickens are delivered for processing. (I have little experience of

the Australian breeding and rearing methods but do know that here only

batches of one thousand are grown.)

The killing, cleaning and plucking process

described by Ruth Harrison in Britain

was much the same as the one I observed

in Melbourne except that in Britain less care was taken with the birds and a much

higher production-rate enforced (20,000

a day). In the British examples, no blood

tunnel was provided, and the doomed

birds had to pass their dying colleagues

who were pouring blood all over the

floor and even perhaps flopping blood

over the in-coming birds. The killing of the birds in this manner was heavily

criticized in Britain. It was shown that many of the birds went into the scalding

tank alive! Several ideas were suggested

to ensure that the birds died unconscious.

Animal psychologists claimed that live

birds would realise their plight and

become terrified and therefore hard to

clean and pluck. Gassing, the first of the ideas, was too expensive for industry,

and the other, an electric stunning device,

although at first impractical, was finally

modified to suit the requirements. But a veterinary inspector showed that many

birds retained eye reflex, and further

research is to be carried out to prove

that eye reflex is not associated with consciousness. (In my experience in

Melbourne, every bird was dead on emerging from the blood tunnel, although stunners were not used.)

There is another side to poultry farming

— that of egg production. In this case, treatment of the chickens is in fact a lot

worse. Today, layers are referred to as

"battery birds", and a modern battery

house could be three storeys high and could accommodate 100,000 layers. Can

you imagine row upon row of wire cages, each packed with four hens so that each

hen can just move her head? Each hen

is de-beaked. Each wears blinkers, so

that she thinks she is alone. In front of the layer a conveyor belt carries food,

and occasionally she moves her head

down and has a pellet. Water is run adjacent to the food conveyor. Droppings

fall through the wire-bottomed cage and are carried away on yet another conveyor.

The bottom of the enclosure is also

sloped gradually; the eggs roll down the

slope, and are carried away on another

conveyor to the packing section. Each

bird lays approximately 250 eggs a year and has a life expactancy of one year — a year in which head movement is the

only possible physical freedom.

So now you know the truth. Gone are the

pastoral scenes in which animals wander­ed through green fields, and chickens

scratched for their food in their own peculiar way. N o w these poor animals

live out their dreary existence in a dim

shed, unable to move. But these artificial environments are not healthy for the

animals or the public. Disease sweeps

through the "animal factories", and only continual administration of antibiotic drugs keeps any survivors alive. The meat and

eggs produced in intensive animal farming is of very poor quality, and the application

of antibiotics is also a potential danger.

The most important question, however,

is whether these extreme methods are justifiable. Surely humans, being living

things, must have respect for life itself.

W h e n we subject animals to these

terrible conditions, we are robbing them

of the sacred right w e treasure — free­

dom. The intensive farming methods are

inhuman and cruel. W e must allow these

animals a decent existence, a respectable

existence, and thereby regain some of

our own lost self-respect. •

17

the inside story The growth of the big city is having an interesting effect on the human stomach. Because of the increasing number of urban mouths to be fed (and because of problems of transport and

storage), our food now has to undergo an increasing amount of processing. Our food is becoming loaded more and more with

chemicals — s u c h as dyes, emulsiflers, stabilizers and preser­

vatives. These additives make the food look and taste as though it were fresh, natural and health-giving — even when it isn't.

Let us take for example a hypothetical Sunday dinner. The menu runs something like this: Fruit juice;

Roast Beef with Gravy; Mashed Potatoes (processed);

Peas (canned);

Tossed Salad with dressing;

Bread and Rolls with butter;

Apple pie with ice-cream;

Coffee with milk.

18

A s a chemistry student, I would expect these foods to contain the following;

FRUIT JUICE: Benzoic acid (a chemical preservative); di­methyl polysiloxane (anti-foaming agent); D.D.T. and related

compounds; parathion or other for of potent phosphorous nerve gas pesticide; saccharin (chemical sweetener).

ROAST BEEF: D.D.T. and related compounds, methoxychlor,

chlordane, heptachlor, toxaphene, lindane, benzene hexa-

chloride, aldrin, dieldrin and other pesticides, particularly in the

fatty portions; stilbestrol (an artificial sex hormone); aureo-mycin (an antibiotic).

GRAVY: D.D.T. and other pesticides as were in the meat;

antibiotics; products formed from the interaction of the chlorine dioxide bleach used in the flour and the flour nutrients.

MASHED POTATOES: Pesticides such as dieldrin, heptachlor, chlordane, thylene dibromide; coal tar dye, sulphur preserva­tives.

PEAS: Magnesium chloride (colour retainers); magnesium carbonate (alkalizer); D.D.T., parathion, methoxychlor and molathion.

TOSSED SALAD AND DRESSING: Sodium alginate (stabilizer);

monoisopropyl citrate (anti-oxidant to prevent fat deterioration); D.D.T. and related compounds.

BREAD AND ROLLS: Products of bleach interaction in flour;

diglycerides and polyoxyethylene (softeners); ditertiarybutyl, para-cresol (anti-oxidant); nitrated flour or coal tar dye (to give the products a suggestion of yellowness, as though due to egg

yolks and butter), vitamin fortifiers (to replace nutrients lost in milling); D.D.T. and related compounds.

BUTTER: Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (anti-oxidant); oxidation products resulting from interaction of hydrogen peroxide

(bleach); magnesium oxide (neutralizer); diacetyl (artificial aromatic agent); D.D.T. and related compounds.

PICKLES: Aluminium sulphate (firming agent); sodium nitrate (texturizer); emulsiflers to dispense flavour.

APPLE PIE: Butylated hydroxyanisole (anti-oxidant in lard);

chemical agents in flour and butter and margarine; sodium

o-pheylyphenate (preservative); several, if not all, of the possible insecticides and pesticides.

ICE-CREAM: Carboxymethylcellulose (stabilizer); mono and

diglycerides (emulsiflers); artificial flavours; coal tar dyes; antibiotics; D.D.T. and related compounds.

Impressive, isn't it? I bet that you had never thought of food in

such terms. The obvious question you might be thinking is:

"What do these compounds do to us?".

The answer is that scientists hardly know. They perform tests

on laboratory animals such as mice, rats and dogs, but the results differ from species to species. A chemical agent which

affects dogs adversely may not even be detected in the tissues of a rat — a n d vice versa. So scientists only hope that, if the

animals don't die, the compound may not be toxic to humans.

There have also been cases of substances which are shown to be dangerous after years of use. A n example is Agene, which

was used to bleach flour and gives it that "pure" fresh colour.

It was not until 1946 that a chemist showed that Agene con­

verted a minor constituent in flour into a highly toxic substance which induced fits in animals and possibly humans. With this

evidence before them, the companies concerned turned a "blind eye" to it and continued to use Agene for ten years more.

Another case is of two related compounds, Coumarin from Tonka beans and Woodruff which had been used for flavouring

sweets for literally hundreds of years. It was not until 1958 that it was proved to be toxic as it caused internal haemorrhage, and damaged the kidneys and liver.

Yet another case concerns Nitrate and Nitrite, which are still used in meat preservation. It is well known to the people

concerned that these compounds react with the haemoglobin in the blood and reduce its capacity to carry oxygen. Thus if a

person eats four ounces of processed meat, he only ingests two hundred parts per million of Sodium Nitrite, but this forms

from one to five per cent methemoglobin (the substance formed on haemoglobin reacting with the nitrite ion.). This is

really not much to a healthy individual who exercises regularly, but a sedentary person who smokes fifteen cigarettes a day

and eats four ounces of processed meat strains his heart to such an extent, that a heart ailment could be just around the corner.

The cases of offending chemicals are too numerous to list in this short article.

Another problem relating to chemical additions is that these compounds mask the original quality of the product. H o w can

you tell if the meat from the can or the fruit from the can is of good quality? The crux of the matter is: how can there be

sufficient control of the industries concerned, to stop harmful compounds being added to food and to maintain the use of the highest quality raw materials?

Legislation by the government might be the answer. But since

the government obtains so much money from these companies, it does not take as much notice as it should. Take cigarettes,

for example. It is well known that they have a detrimental effect

on humans. The government has been playing about with the idea of banning this advertising, but has done nothing. Cigarettes are an important source of indirect taxation!

The only solution, in my opinion, is to make the public aware

of just what it is that they are eating. Thus they could boycott

a product and force the companies to change this method of processing. In other words, it is up to you. If you care only

about the taste and appeal of a food, well good luck to you;

but if you want to stay healthy, be more conscious of what you are eating. •

abe chalef

Many intelligent people today are genuinely worried because

they feel that the world is being levelled out to one colour — a

packaged, universal grey. They point out, for example, that

recent developments in building materials and in air condition­

ing mean that people can live in the same type of apartment in

Holland or Burma, thus threatening us with a terrible standard­

isation and uniformity in townscape. The desperate cry of

"Preserve our National Heritage" is heard when someone is

confronted by a shiny block of glass and steel.

But let's look at the problem from another viewpoint. Does

"preserving one's national heritage" mean that the Dutch must

live in Renaissance buildings crumbling into the dykes, or that

the Burmese must continue to live in the utter squalor of rotting

bamboo for the rest of civilised time? Certainly some relics

from the past must be saved so that coming generations can

see what life was like in the past, but must these future gene­

rations be forced to live in the past themselves because all

relics have been "saved" and there is nowhere to live?

As for the question — "Is all townscape a universal grey?" — nothing could be further from the point unfortunately. In the

past, living was standardised in countries—that is, all buildings

were, more or less, in one style. Eighteenth century England

was growing up with clasically proportioned crescents and

avenues of terraces. But today there are so many styles of

"contemporary" architecture, or variations of it, that everything

is screaming at everything else.

Australia, perhaps, is the best example of this architectural

anarchy because we, with the Americans, have the largest

proportion of our population living in suburbs. Nearly every­

body has his own home, which is his castle, and his castle

must be just "that much" different to the one owned by Baron Jones next door.

W h e n the old mansion of "Nareeb" in Kooyong road, Toorak,

was demolished, and the gardens nicely subdivided for sale, it

was hoped that some sort of unified plan would be used for

the design of the houses. But no — the three new houses now

gracing the front of the estate are completely different in style,

all taken from previous centuries, and, are packed so tightly

that they are politely yelling obscenities at each other's

Italianate balustrades, Colonial-Georgian columns and mul-

lioned windows.

Le Corbusier, a Swiss architect, in 1922 designed "garden cities" which almost allowed for uniformity in living. This man

has, perhaps, been the most important influence on town and

city planning in recent decades. He criticised the structures of

our stone deserts (cities) for their inadaptability. Traffic jams

waste our time. The "placing of functions" (commerce, indus­

try, administration, dwellings) is haphazard and wasteful. The

placing of buildings along "corridor streets" is unhealthy

because of traffic noises and fumes and lack of sun and

vegetation. The dimensions of the buildings are insufficient.

Le Corbusier says that even in N e w York the skyscrapers are

timid and that N e w York is a spectacular catastrophe.

The Le Corbusier has two types of plans — t h e "linear

industrial city" and the "radio-concentric city".

The linear industrial city is a place of "transformations"

established along the routes for the passage of goods. It is

divided into parallel belts which include (on one side of a

turnpike reserved for motor vehicles) factories in green areas

and roads for the passage of goods, and (on the other side,

isolated by a green curtain) the dwelling sector.

The radio-concentric city is a place of exchanges which groups

the functions of "leadership, administration, commerce,

handicrafts, and thinking". It is built vertically, so that it brings

together, as much as possible, the different sector of indi­

vidualized activity: business city, civic centre and dwelling

zones.

In the "villas superposees", Corbusier extended spatial quality

to the outdoors as well as the interiors of his apartments by

providind his two-storey livingroom with a two-storey garden

terrace. Here is a wonderful concept of urban living — the idea

that a private "garden-in-the-sky" can be provided for every

family even in a so-called tower-apartment unit.

Another idea was the "roof garden" plan. A s opposed to the

punched-out private garden next to each apartment, the roof

garden was conceived as a communal space, a kind of elevated

piazza for the use of inhabitants of the building. The buildings

were raised high off the ground on stilts to allow lawns and

gardens to grow, and perfect freedom for pedestrians. Auto­

mobile traffic was planned for elevated highways. The

architectural pattern in this "radiant city" of 1930-6 was

geometric, but the pattern of pedestrian paths and landscaping

was very free.

The Prahran council is erecting blocks of flats on stilts like this but there is no vegetation or landscaping.

Not enough regard is given to landscaping today. Suburbs

bite great chunks of greenery out of existence and that which

is left or replace is trimmed diligently to elbow height.

Would it be better perhaps if townscapes were a universal grey

instead of red, salmon pink, purple-grey, blue, creme and

chocolate? Uniformity would possibly be really the best if enough consideration were given to greenery — a n d this does not mean a row of poplars in pebble-pots. •

20

it's your funeral russell bevers

Can you afford to die? This question may

seem irrelevant to you at present but it is one you may well ask yourself as you

approach the twilight of your years, for if

trends continue your funeral could be

the most expensive purchase you will

ever have to make.

Death and its associated ceremonies have never been common talking points,

but much attention has been drawn to

the subject recently by Jessica Mitford's

book, "The American W a y of Death", which has caused a stir in the United

States. Miss Mitford exposes what in her

eyes is a racket on the part of

American funeral parlours and a con­tradiction to American morals.

In her foreword, the author states that

she has concentrated on average American funeral practices rather than

on unusual religious rites and un­common or very expensive funerals. She

believes that, because of the very nature

of funerals, the public has been tricked into thinking that the expensive funeral is

part of the American way of life. One mortician's journal proclaims: "Today's

funeral procedures are founded in

American tradition . . ." If this is so, says

Miss Mitford, where is the plain pine box

and the family burial plot on the hill? American morticians have the public at

their mercy, for people seldom use

common-sense bargaining when pur­chasing the services of a funeral

director. Emotion clouds people's

judgement and, because they want the best for the deceased loved one, they are

led into paying fantastic sums to the

funeral organisations.

The mortician uses all the tricks of

persuasive selling and he has many up his sleeve. To summarise the author's

findings, let us examine the arrangements

21

for the burial of the typical American —

Mr. John Doe. The family of the deceased,

having chosen a "reputable" mortician,

are asked firstly to select a suitable casket. This could be likened to buying

a car, for each casket is classified as a

model and given a name —"French

provincial"; "Transition" (futuristic

model); "Valley Forge" (patriotic model),

etc. The author quotes a typical sales

patter —

". . . The Monaco, a Duraseal metal unit

by the Merit Company of Chicago, with

sea mist polished finish, interior richly

lined in 600 Aqua Supreme Cherry

Velvet, magnificently quilted and shirred

with matching jumbo bolster and

coverlet.. ." This model could be purchased for not much more than the

cost of a round-trip flight to Monte Carlo.

Even the less sophisticated models would

cost more than $100.

There are other details to be arranged for

Mr. Doe — embalming and the selection

of clothing for the deceased are only two

of the mortician's self-imposed duties. W h y the attention to beautifying the

corpse? Because the family are expected

to pay their lasts respects before the open coffin as it rests in the mortician's

"Slumber Room". The mortician's

believe that the mourning heart can be

healed by the sight of the serene coun­

tenance of the deceased, so Mr. Doe

must look his best. The embalmer,

restorative artist and cosmetician set to

work to make him look better than he did

when he was alive. They give him rosy

cheeks and a radiant complexion; they

patch, fill and smooth; replace any

missing limbs, a nose here, an ear there,

and finally dress him in a smart pin­

striped suit with accessories, including

shoes ("Fit-a-Fut Oxford Shoes which

come in calf, tan or oxblood with lace or

goring back, and soft cushioned soles").

The ladies, says the author are supplied

with fashionable streetwear garments or

negligees from leading garment manu­

facturers.

The funeral director calls a staff con­

ference to see that every staff-member

knows his duties for the coming

religious ceremony; he notifies pall­

bearers, clergymen, organist and soloist,

provides transport for these people and

arranges and lists all flowers sent by

relatives and friends. The mortician

prefers the service to be held Jn his own

chapel, as it is more convenient and

allows him to show off his beautifully

appointed "Funeral Home". After the

service, the mourners and friends file past the casket for a last glimpse of the

earthly remains of Mr. Doe. The family

is never asked whether they want an

open casket ceremony; it is taken for

granted. In over 90 per cent of all

American funerals, this is a feature.

Miss Mitford quotes the case of an

English w o m a n who while in America

attended the funeral of an old friend and

was quite horrified when she found she

was obliged to file past the open casket.

The woman exclaimed later: "There and

then I decided that I could never face

another American funeral — even dead".

N o w we move from the chapel to the

graveside, and Mr. Doe who has been

resting on the "Classic Beauty Ultra

Metal Casket Bier" is transferred by a

"Porto Lift" hydraulic device to the

"Glide Easy Casket Carriage" and thus

to the Cadillac Funeral Coach which is

either lavender, cream or light green

(never black). At the graveside Mr. Doe

is lowered into his brick and metal vault

with the aid of a patented mechanical

lowering device. Untouched by human

hand, Mr. Doe has been laid to rest.

"After the home and the car, the funeral

is now the third biggest item in the

budgetof American Life," says Miss

Mitford. Is it any wonder? According to

a government estimate, Americans spent

$1.6 billion on funerals in 1960 (a new

national and world record). Averaged out

over the number of deaths in the United

States, this would amount to $942 for the funeral of every man, w o m a n and child.

And this is only a partial figure, because

there are many other industries, allied

with the morticians, who have hopped on

the funeral band-wagon—florists, 22

newspapers, and a relative newcomer,

the memorial garden cemetries, to mention only a few.

The modern cemetery industry rates

second only to the funeral parlours as a

money-making venture. Begun by a few far-sighted financiers, the modern

cemetery sells its burial plots to indi­

viduals or whole families on an instalment basis. Gravestones and paths are done

away with; now one sees acre upon acre of sweeping lawn, punctuated only

by small marker plates set into the

ground. Thus the modern cemeteries can

boast "the world's largest lawnmowers".

A newer development still is the 5 or 6

storey mausoleum where one can reserve space for the whole family. Cremation, although it is very popular today, is no

cheaper than normal internment and the memorial cemeteries fear no opposition.

Will this monster continue to expand and

thrive at the expense of the American people? Miss Mitford relates how many

modern funeral trends are beginning to appear in England. They may even begin

to appear in Australia. However, there are moves being made towards funeral

reform in the United States: memorial societies and individual states are

attempting to fix prices and establish a uniform cost code; funerals paid for by

the government have been suggested. The clergy could show great influence in these reforms but have remained silent

because they say there are not set doctrines within the church stipulating

costs and modes of funerals.

We in Australia seem to slavishly copy

all modern Americanisms; one can only hope that we never encourage the

practices of American morticians.

Jessica Mitford concludes her book by

saying:

"Whether the narrow passageway to the

unknown, which everybody must cross,

will continue to be as cluttered and as

expensive to traverse, as it is today,

depends in the last analysis entirely on

those travellers who have not yet reached

it". So you see — it's Y O U R funeral. •

THE SOCIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ELECTRICITY

W

* * i

M r t r . r t

During the past hundred years, all the

various fields in which instruction is

offered at Swinburne have had a remark­

able influence on society. But without

decrying the wonderful efforts of art,

commerce and the other engineering

professions, I believe that electrical

technology has had perhaps a more

wide effect.

Towards the end of the 19th century there

was an obvious need for some prime

mover which was easy to create and

which required no special knowledge for

its application and operation. At this time

gas engines were used to operate lathes,

drills and other forms of heavy equipment

in factories. The more prosperous farms

probably used paraffin oil engines to

operate ohaff cutters and circular saws

(those not so fortunate used good old-

fashioned manual labour). So although

some form of mechanization was avail­

able, it was costly to install, unreliable, and required complicated maintenance

regularly.

Therefore when electricity was introduced

in a commercial state — i.e., one

generating station supplying power to a

vast area surrounding it — this enabled

the complete mechanization of industry

and the home. This was because electri­

city had certain unique advantages. It

was relatively cheap, easy to transmit

from one point to another; transformation

and other methods enabled different

amounts of power to be drawn from one

line; and finally it was very easy to use —

just plug in and switch on.

Electric motors could efficiently drive

both large and small loads, whilst

electric lighting provided universal

illumination, all at increasingly low

prices.

In considering the influence of electricity

in the home, let us first see what a typical

Australian home was like in the middle

of the 19th century. The parlour or

lounge was placed in the front and

behind this were the bedrooms and drawing room. You think I've forgotten the

kitchen? Well, that was usually put with

the fairies: right down at the bottom of

the garden. W h o could blame them

putting it there when we remember that

24

then the kitchen was a hot, smelly and

greasy place? The stove, usually wood

fuel, belted uncomfortable heat and lots

of smoke. Ironing was done here too,

because you had to heat the heavy cast

iron weapon on the "puffing billy" stove.

A vastly different proposition to that of

today's kitchens!

The introduction of small electric motors

in about 1930 led to the invention of

washing machines, vacuum cleaners,

scrubber polishers, food mixers and

such — all designed to lessen the load

on housewives. By using the heating

effect of electricity, inventors provided

electric stoves, irons, toasters and many

other gadgets, all of which contributed

to making the kitchen what it is today.

Electric cooking is clean and easily

controllable thermostatically. So now

the kitchen is an integral part of every

home. Indirectly this has helped women

to become more important. No longer are

they banished to a run down back; for

now they are present at all times, an important member of the family.

*

""

•*r

•iffe r» , '<

The latest invention of course, television,

provides us with hours of endless

enjoyment, or so w e are told. Many people feel the T V set should be thrown to the

fairies.

Now we can see the impact electrical

technology has had on society. But this

is understandable. A n engineer is defined, among other things, as one who controls, maintains and improves upon

society's environment. W e must, as

future engineers or as practitioners in any chosen profession, ensure that the

good work started by our predecessors

is continued.

Electricity has had a tremendous impact

not only on the home but also on the

factory. It is hard to picture a factory of

the 19th century or even early 20th century.

Firstly you must realize that only one or

two steam or gas engines were used to

drive all the machinery in the factory.

So because of the large losses charac­teristic of transmitting actual mechanical

energy, all the machines had to be

placed very close together. All the energy

and resulting rotation must be trans­

mitted through pulleys, gears and shafting. A large percentage of the work was

done by hand, due to the difficulty of

applying this limited source of energy.

Electricity changed all this. Factories

today are cleaner, safer and quieter. Because electricity can be sent along

wires and cables under floors and in

ceilings and walls, it has been possible to eliminate the oily, dangerous and noise line-shafting and belt-drives.

Obviously cables are much more flexible

than mechanical linkages, and therefore we now have portable appliances. These can be applied in many ways to relieve

the heavy burden of manual labour.

Control is much safer and easier when

you realize simple off/on switches can be

used for each machine's independent

motor, whereas in the past, hand-

operated clutches and such had to be

used. Machines no longer have to be

cramped together because of physical

linkages, and so the modern factories of

today are one-storey buildings, spacious

and clean. This results in much healthier

conditions for factory workers, and

economical savings for owners and employers. The time saved because of

these advantages enables us to have shorter working hours. You yourself can

probably think of many more similar improvements and advantages due directly or indirectly to the availability

of cheap electrical energy.

What about the present? Today's age is

one of automation, and this has been made possible through electricity.

Already we have seen the introduction

of skilled engineers and unskilled

operators with the result that w o m e n can

be employed, thereby increasing a nation's

work force considerably. W e know of

heavy factories completely operated by

a central computer. The future therefore is boundless.

The central force of this industrial progress is the change from manpower

to electrical power. Suffice to say that

in 1900 less than 5 per cent of factory power was electrical and now in 1966

over 90 per cent electrical power. And

that is a conservative estimate. •

david husband

25

r Silence Then

A leaf stirs.

The stillness is shattered

By its soft scraping

Upon the earth.

Wildly

The wind is rising,

Growing stronger,

Colder,

As grey clouds

Whirl to its mounting fury.

A man

Looks up.

He is dwarfed, Weak,

Easily destructible

And weak.

The wind tugs his hair.

He feels Its icy touch

Fill his lungs.

It is part of him.

Weak Easily destructible

And weak?

He breathes faster, Throws back his head,

Joins nature's exalted fury

And his weakness is scattered by its power.

He is strong Strong and free.

His strength Is the strength Of the wind. Strong Unity

Strength augmenting limitlessly To surmount all barriers —

Except the barrier of separation.

Weak, easily destructible

And weak.

A man sits Sheltered

In warm silence.

Chilled only by an

Anguished remembrance Of his now lost strength.

strong unity

two poems fry rosemary rider

out of the darkness into light

I ran south

All other ways

I had run

Seeking freedom from myself; And in this the last

Felt it was sure — Yet found it not.

I heard the voice Of another being;

An evil black voice

Calling me —

Calling m e down

To be with myself

For evermore. Alone, for evermore!

I wept,

I despaired,

I knew not what to do.

This evil voice grew, And only when

It reached the

Height of its furious passion

Heard I a still, tranquil voice, 'Look up,

Look up, m y weak and weary friend. Find your escape in me.'

The compassion of this voice

Was more compelling in its calm

Than the strength and fury of the voice of darkness. And as I slowly looked up,

And reached up,

And was surrounded bv glorious dav JO J

Such as I had never beheld, I heard a far-off distant moan;

And crashing thunder Told of the fury And Anger

Which Flashed from the

Depths of the darkness.

26

a peep into the past robyn Campbell

"Vf *^*!^*iaa^a»

ijpnt

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1

SBHWHBKF'*'"'' '""'-;'; ;* '•

In 1909 Swinburne Technical College was founded. What was life like for that first generation of Swinburnians? In order to

find out, I recently made arrangements at the State Library to examine some 1909 newspaper files.

Well, 1909, it seems, was a pretty good year. Peace and pros­

perity were everywhere. "The Cowboy's Sweetheart" was

playing at the Moonee Ponds Town Hall, and a good set of

false teeth cost only 1 to 2 guineas. The Great War was not to come for five years, any type of political unrest was far away

in Europe, the Mother Country "reigned Supreme under Good

King Edward", and the British Empire was bigger and stronger

than ever.

But the people of 1909 did have some problems, including

juvenile delinquents. In an article headlined "Pitfalls of Youth",

the Melbourne Argus said, "At a quarterly Methodist meeting

in the Swan Hill district, sympathy was expressed with the

promise of the Premier to introduce legislation for the

suppression of youthful vice in Victoria." (They were talking

about our grand-parents.)

Another article dealt with a group of teenage boys who

removed the caps from the wheels of carriages parked outside

a church meeting. W h e n the carriages were driven away, the

wheels flew off, throwing the drivers and passengers onto the road. Luckily no-one was seriously hurt. And George Reilly,

age 15, was charged with causing grevious bodily harm to another boy, in attacking him with a knife.

In another encounter with the law, a Miss Hill, a passenger on

the liner Philadelphia, was detained by a group of port officials who tried to have her certified insane because she, a woman,

had dared to smoke on the promenade deck of the boat. They

were convinced she must have been mad, because not only had

she herself smoked, but she has also horrified the other

passengers by offering cigarettes to them. Another w o m a n

was arrested by port officials that year for a more serious offence —smuggling. They discovered she was carrying

fifty-four tins of opium in a specially built petticoat. But how on earth did they find it?

The cost of living in 1909, compared with that of today was very

low. A five-roomed brick house with stable, in Toorak, could be

bought for £455; a city hotel for £1650; and the price asked for

a forty-acre farm within the suburban area (complete with

house, outbuildings, implements and stock) was £1850.

Furnishings were just as cheap. A bath cost £1, a double bed

£1/15/0, a wardrobe £4, a dining-room suite £7/10/0 and a

27

billiard table £50. A gramophone, the latest type, used in all

the best 1909 discotheques and guaranteed to play up to four

minutes, was 75/-.

Clothing, too, was low priced. Men's suits, personally fitted, and

tailored to order, were priced from 42/- to 70/-, shoes from 9/11

to 15/6. A shirt cost from 2/11 and hats from 5/6. A woman's

ensemble could be bought for 12/6; and exclusive Paris gowns

for 10 guineas. Shoes were 10/6 to 30/-, a muslin blouse 2/11,

stockings from 1/6, cotton gloves 1/-, and a bargain corset 2/11.

As a special offer, Buckleys were giving, free, to all their

customers a good luck swastika, lucky symbol for hundreds of

years. Adolf was then 20, a student in Vienna.

But we must remember that, although the prices of goods were

low, so were wages. A master carpenter's wage was 25/- to

30/- per week plus keep; an apprentice's wage was 8/- to 10/-.

Most other skilled workers and office workers received about

the same amount; unskilled workers, such as labourers, much

less. A cook received 17/6 to 30/- per week; a house-maid 10/-to 15/- and a waitress or barmaid 13/-. W o m e n who did washing

or cleaning were paid 3/- per day. The hours were much longer

than those of today and the work a lot harder without modern

labour-saving devices.

There were no night-clubs, mod dances or television in those

days, but there was nevertheless plenty to see and plenty to

do. There was a revival of the Merry Widow at His Majesty's

Theatre; Miss Athmore Grey performed Salome's Dance

nightly at the Opera-house; Brennan's National Vaudeville

Entertainers were at the Gaiety. There was usually a perilous

balloon ascent to be watched; Wirth's circus was at Princes

Bridge and "The Girl Behind the Counter" was causing a

sensation at Theatre Royal. Hoyts were presenting "Mine at

Last, A Beautiful Love Story", and the Presbyterians were

conducting a "social purity campaign". Dame Nellie Melba was

on a triumphant tour of Australia, almost the same as Joan

Sutherland's recent tour. Her biography was printed in the

Argus, complete with photographs; every move she made was

reported, and tickets to the concert sold at a guinea each.

The very latest books were: "David Hill, Missionary and Saint";

"Travels in Upper Egypt"; "The Sister Crusoes"; "The Bar-B

Boys", or "The Young Cow-punchers"; and "This Day's Madness".

Several women's committees and church groups were protest­ing that literature was becoming immoral and would surely have a bad effect on young people.

The Melbourne Cup was then, as it is now, a big event. One

hundred thousand spectators were there and the book-makers

28

handled a record number of bets. It was reported to be a "splendidly run race", won by Prince Foote but only narrowly.

The weather was fine and pleasant with a light south-easterly

wind, so the elite of Melbourne's society appeared in the most fashionable clothes. Colours in vogue that year were lavender,

lichen green, light reseda, Parma pink and of course white, in fashionable fabrics such as muslin, silk, crepe de chine, coliennes and crepons.

The football situation in 1909 was very similar to today's. The

Victorian Football League was criticized for general inefficiency

and some people complained that the game was becoming too

rough. One Richmond player was banned for life for kicking (another player), and several others were disqualified for up to ten matches for striking, elbowing and kicking.

Sailing was in the news. After a drowning when a yacht sank,

the court noted that all boats should be made to carry enough life-jackets for all passengers. (This was not made law until the

1960's.).

O n December 8th that year, Young and Jackson's Hotel

lodged a claim for a late licence extending trade from 11.30 to 12 midnight. They testified that this was their busiest half-hour

and 11.29 their busiest minute. A n 11.30 swill?

Yes, all in all, 1909 was a pretty good year. •

the changing face of melbourne town

In this age of skyscrapers and triple-

fronted cream-brick veneers, it is

fascinating to look back at the evolution

of Melbourne's public and domestic architecture.

W h e n Melbourne was settled in 1835,

our first architectural style was the bark

hut, designed not for looks but merely

for shelter. A s the town devloped, more

thought was given to architectural

design. At this time the style known as

"Old Colonial Architecture" had reached

its peak in popularity around Sydney and

in Tasmania, and some of our earliest

permanent buildings followed this style,

especially hotels and homesteads. This

style (adopted from the English

Georgian) was very plain and sym­

metrical, with wide verandahs on at least

one side and sometimes on all sides.

A n example of this is C o m o House, South Yarra.

About 1837 Melbourne was laid out by

Robert Hoddle who used the universally

known open-grid pattern developed by

Roman soldiers of old. He made

streets 99 feet wide running in both

directions, which has since been proved

an excellent design, convenient and safe

for all kinds of traffic. These wide streets

with plenty of parks gave Melbourne a

boost in making it a gracious city to live

in and promoted good architectural designs.

30

The next building style to take over in

Australia was the "Gothic Revival".

This style was built in stone mainly, and consisted of imitation battlements

and towers in a smaller scale, previously

in fashion for castles and so on in the

Gothic period in England. A n example of

this style would be the older part of

Melbourne University— between Wilson

Hall and the Old Arts Building. This

style also invaded private houses. A beautifully preserved example of this is

"The Hawthorns" (built about 1850) in Creswick Street, Hawthorn, which is one

of the historic homes of Melbourne. Its

walls are rocky, dark rubble bluestone,

against which fretwork of the face-boards makes striking contrast. The

Gothic Revival lasted until about 1880, and in Melbourne this style was used

frequently in the facades of terrace blocks and in Collins Street, from Queen Street to King Street.

With the discovery of gold in the 1850's

the architectural styles changed drasti­cally. Melbourne became rich in terms of

money, people, goods and ideas. Previous early-colonial tastes disappeared to be

replaced by a style called the "Gold Style". This style could be called a rich,

plump classic revival. The newly rich

people wanted their homes, clubs and offices designed on the lines of the old Greek and Roman houses; big and

luxurious with plenty of thick columns and porticos being used. Victoria was

just celebrating its separation from

N.S.W. at this time and, as a result, the best examples of this style can be seen

in Government buildings of the period,

Toorak House, Parliament House, the Treasury and the Mint; further examples

are the Melbourne Club and Melbourne

Church of England Grammar School.

When the "Gold Rush" came to an end

Melbourne grew more crowded, land

increased in value and the allotment

sizes diminished.

These new, more compact town houses

were deeper than they were wide, with a

passage down the centre, rooms each

side, and a short veranday across the front sheltering the front door. About

1855 it became fashionable for one of the

two front rooms to be thrust forward

some eight feet to make a deliberately

unbalanced facade, with a shortened

verandah. This style was the beginning of a standard Australian house design

which is still the basis of most suburban

houses after more than a hundred years.

A further example of this style of house is the one in which I live in Myrtle Street,

Hawthorn. Our house is one of a set of four, all built about 1872, according to

papers found in the ceiling recently. The houses are in groups of two separated

by a lane, and they follow exactly the

above mentioned style except that behind

the four front rooms is a double storeyed section containing a dining room and a

kitchen-laundry on the ground floor and

three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. These houses were built without garages

and had an outdoor toilet, a universal

design when these houses were built.

Between 1860 and 1885 Melbourne was fairly compact, its size being limited by a

lack of transport and by the distance a

man could be expected to travel to work. This resulted in the development of the

terrace to house workers close to their

jobs. Each unit of a terrace averaged some fifteen feet in width, and was two

or three rooms deep and two or, on rare

occasions, three storeys high. A cramped passage and stairway edged past the

rooms on one side and led eventually

to a tiny yard at the back. There was also

a two or three-storey verandah at the front and a lot of cast iron ornamental

designs on the verandah at the front, sides and surrounding the guttering. It was generally found that the poor workers

lived in these terraced houses and the richers workers lived in the previously mentioned suburban style houses.

However, as transport improved, we see

less use being made of terraced houses.

More and more workers moved to the

outer suburbs and built their own homes. In the 1880's we were again drawn to use

new styles of architecture when the skyscraper was invented in America. This was helped by the development of

structural steel and a safe lift. These

buildings in Australia usually climbed to

four floors, but the Australia Building on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Flinders

Street (built in 1886) climbed to twelve storeys and for a while was the tallest

building in the world, being one hundred

and fifty feet high. But even so the building was in the main supported by

its bluestone and granite walls, not the

steel framework. Following the erection

of this building, the city council put a height limit of one hundred and thirty-

two feet on buildings in Melbourne, a

by-law which lasted sixty years. Another important architectural style in

public buildings was the "Functional",

which was very popular around the ^SO-

SO period. This style is best represented by hospitals such as the Mercy, the

Royal Melbourne and Prince Henry's.

They represent light, efficiency, cleanli­ness and a slightly impersonal touch.

This style was derived mainly from the

new cubist modern art styles of the time and was helped by the use of pre-stressed concrete and steel in buildings.

This brings us up to recent times where

no overall pattern of architectural style

seems predominantly fashionable. Public buildings show an efficient but light and

airy aspect and are painstakingly made to look different from each other, thus

encouraging creative originality. Factories

haven't changed much, being made to be

as efficient as possible while still limiting

costs. But, office blocks although extremely functional have attained a lofty,

delicate look which to my mind is very pleasing to the eye; this was helped by the lifting of the one hundred and thirty-two foot building height limit in 1956.

On the housing side, between 1920 and

1960 there has been a number of changes

in housing styles which I will enumerate to you but which due to the length of

this article I will have to leave to the reader's interest to find out more about

about them. The first was an American import in 1920 called the Californian

Bungalow style which was a type of small cottage; the next was the Spanish

Mission Style which appeared in the late 1920's, this style used a lot of arches and

emphasised shade. In the late 1930's the Modernistic and the Tudor Revival styles

ran in competition with each other, and these were followed about 1945 by the Contemporary style, which resulted in

the classical "Basic Suburban" style being bent into innumerable different

shapes from which it never recovered.

This style still exists today with some

minor changes.

In the future it is envisaged that building

styles will retain the current creative

originality, and, with the development of new materials, gadgets, prefabrication

and son on, we should see some

stikingly unfamiliar designs: for example

the Myer Music Bowl and the Cultural Centre. However, the basic shape of

things to come for the ordinary man

will not alter so very much within the

next few years. •

31

N

an unf orgetable character

Near the entrance to Swinburne's Art

School there is a plaque informing

posterity that this building was designed

half a century ago by Robert Haddon. A very interesting man, Mr. Haddon.

Born in 1886 in England, Haddon was

trained as an architect in London and at

the adventurous age of twenty-five came

to Australia. He must have been an

extremely busy man, a Fellow of every

Institute, a tireless worker on councils,

examining boards and committees.

The Australian architectural historian

Robin Boyd describes Haddon's influence

on Victoria's architecture as "subtle"—

and rightly so, as any blatant influence

would have proved disastrous. But

Haddon's ideas had more strength than

expected — being head of the architecture department at Melbourne Technical

College, his theories infiltrated the minds of several generations of students,

something not to be overlooked.

He was an idealist: "It is at the source

we need educating, the development of

the soul, the creative instinct . . ." And

a perfectionist: "Seek truth. Be true to

your materials. Study mass. Let nature

do all she can with her sunlight and

Shadows. Know the unfailing value of a

plain surface. Never be afraid of sim­

plicity". (From "Some Thoughts of

Architectural Design", 1903.)

Indeed, simplicity was the keynote of the

new architectural movement. In Europe,

Violent reaction to the ornamentation of

the 19th century resulted in a deviation

to plain walls and wide open spaces.

The emphasis was on Functionalism. By

1912 the principles of functionalism were

well-established. It was then that Haddon

made his debut and gave Melbourne its

first tastes of functionalism.

A s Boyd states of Haddon, "His touch

was unmistakable." Haddon's facades are

severe; his windows have no archi­

traves, come in all shapes and sizes —

looking as though cut from walls of raw

dough. Here was an inkling of an almost

"crude simplicity" while the rest of

Melbourne sat submerged in the over-

ornamental Queen Anne style.

His god was simplicity, he believed only

in the occasional "explosion of fancy".

His own decorative motif consisted of

pendulous strips of bronze and terra cotta usually supporting a head.

A fine example is Fourth Victoria House

in Collins Street. Commissioned to give

it a face-lift, he scraped off the entire

top surface, replacing it with white

cement and two enormous lions' heads

dribbling strips of terra cotta down the

centre. Actually Haddon was a great

believer in using Australian motifs, but

he had to admit that a koala's head

would never have done what a lion's head

did for a financial institution! (Probably

just as well!) The Fourth Victoria still

stands, so does the facade, but with a

new touch: the lions' heads are gone;

only the terra cotta dribbles remain.

After all Melbourne's architecture cannot

afford to be too original . . . !

Speaking of originality, another of his

works was the Swinburne Art School,

Again one notes the extreme simplicity,

the "cut-out" windows, the blank walls.

Severity to the point of ugliness but still

clever. The walls nearest the railway line

consist of tiny insignificant windows, the

walls are thick and sound does not

penetrate easily. Neither does the sun. Ornamentation is limited to a few

porthole-type shapes along the top of

the building, and the checkered beams

32

over the larger windows facing the quad­

rangle. However, Haddon was working

in a day when "simplicity" was a new

word to architecture, and, like a "new

fad", it was taken to extremes — to the

point of being severe and unattractive.

What really fascinated Haddon (besides

dribbling terra-cotta lions) was water-

colour work. He opened practice as an

architectural consultant, preparing per­

spective views of plans for various

buildings. He eventually designed facades

for office buildings, churches, factories

and houses. Thus many of the plans may

not be his; the facades certainly are.

He was first and foremost an idealist — and, seeking an ideal image, demanded

perfection. Maybe he sounds a little

inhuman, but in 1910 an item appeared in

the newspapers that may prove differ­

ently. Haddon issued a writ against a

clergyman alleging that he "caused to be

rung in the church, and particularly on

Sundays, a bell, which makes a loud

jarring sound or noise, and greatly

interrupts, disturbs and annoys the

plaintiffs . . ." Haddon did not stop at

this — indeed he sought five pounds

damages. "The harsh, jarring, annoying

sound of the bell makes my life insuffer­

able. It wakes m e up in the morning,

distracts m e at my work and makes m e

irritable and bad tempered." While

Haddon complained, the vicar laughed —

laughed so loud he lost the case, paid

his five pounds and never rang his bell again!

This was courage; after all how many of

us would have the gumption to complain

publicly about a noisy bell? •

regina karps

yarrabank on Sunday afternoon

Wolf-whistles emanated from the assembled crowd as the striking figure, clad in a ridiculously tassled black robe which

streamed voluminously in his wake, strode arrogantly through both fallen leaves and sniggering onlookers with an equal air

of authority. This was the much talked about "Queenie"—an

obvious name when one noted the marked effeminacy present

in both his gestures and speech—a man with curly blond hair, very obviously bleached, a baby pink complexion and

women's pale blue spectacles.

He was decidedly one of the favourites with the regular hecklers

because as soon as he could be seen striding towards the

crowds, a small knot of people gathered around his chosen mound. In vain, Arnold Paine, another speaker and Queenie's arch-enemy, blew on his whistle and screamed insults at his

enemy, who, with his nose in the air, snorted at the common

little man ranting and raving from the gutter.

Then it began. Queenie started off with his usual ambit about

the Government hood-winking the down-trodden working-class.

Then out came his banner for the recognition of Red China.

This was the opening for a shower of abuse from the good-natured crowd, all pressing eagerly around the mound and

uttering asides. Several of the experienced hecklers had their

own "audience" of admirers, all of w h o m listened eagerly for

the gems of witticism which their leaders might produce.

These hecklers however, are men well versed in the art of

heckling, as nothing is uttered which could backfire and be

used to make fun of them in turn. All jibes and sarcasm roll off

Queenie like water off a duck's back, and he continues with a

"Now", emphasized with a wave of the hand. This word is his

suzanne mills

usual start to a statement, and is used to jolt the proletariat out

of its apathy. Holding aloft his bible (the Melbourne Truth) Queenie proceeds to point out the faults of the present-day

Government.

Nothing is sacred here, everything is attacked —the Church, the State, communism, the con-merchant, capitalism, and every other form of "ism".

With Queenie going strong from one mound, and Arnold

(anti-communist) screeching from another mound, pande­

monium reigns supreme. Above all, there is a carnival atmos­phere. It's an unusual world: even the speakers are only

semi-serious; everybody is out for a pleasant afternoon, from

the students to the hardened hecklers. With this air of semi-

seriousness and gaiety intermingled, little tangible practical

good can be derived from the lectures given by the speakers.

The Yarra Bank could perhaps be divided into three distinct factions — t h e speakers, the hecklers, and the on-lookers. Of these, possibly the most important element would be the

hecklers. Without the hecklers, the Yarra Bank would be

reduced to a boring series of lectures by speakers who knew

little or nothing about their subject, or to tirades by people who

knew a tremendous amount about their subject, but could not

present it in a crowd-pleasing manner. The hecklers are the

means by which the speakers are reduced (or raised) to the

level of the crowd and by which their powers of self-restraint

and the public oratory are determined. The hecklers enable

everyone to join in the fun, and make the Yarra Bank for what

it is — a half-hearted, but humorous exercise in democracy. •

away from it all Have you, dear suburbanite, ever tasted

Tea Towel Pudding? Or Fricasse of

Lizard? No? Well, read on.

During Swinburne vacations, I have the

option of temporary employment in the

forest assessment section of the Victorian

Forests Commission, with the possibility

of taking a friend if an extra position is

available. Last summer, accompanied by fellow-Swinburnian Peter Salisbury, I was

assigned to a tent camp about 45 miles

from Bright on the rugged and remote

Tea Tree Range.

The function of the camp was to assess

the suitability, for logging operations, of

virgin stands of Alpine Ash and

Woolybut. The camp personnel comprised

four young professional foresters and

four chainmen. Our role as chainmen

was to assist the foresters in locating

and measuring sample plots of Woolybut,

and, with compass and chain, to traverse

newly-made jeep tracks for mapping

purposes. Being civil engineering

students, Peter and I appreciated the

experience in elementary land surveying.

The first week was spent in setting up the

camp. Although it was mid-summer, the

camp's altitude (4,500 ft.) rendered

necessary the construction of a fireplace

and chimney for warmth in the main

tent, as well as the fireplace which

enclosed the cooking stove in the kitchen

tent. The chimneys and fireplaces were

made from scrap iron, saplings and rocks.

In building the camp, the leader decided

that any members possessing any special

training or ability should not waste their

talents; even so, Peter and I failed to see

the connection between training as civil

engineers and digging the pit for the

camp latrine.

A mess secretary (appointed by the

leader on the volunteer principle of

"Right, you're it") would make a list of

stores needed, and would buy some in

Bright of a weekend. If he miscalculated,

the men went hungry by Friday.

W e took turns at being cook for the day.

It was an adventure to sit down at

mealtimes, wondering what the cook that

day had found in the recipe book and

attempted to make. The specialty of one

member was "Tea Towel" Pudding. The

34

pudding was wrapped in an unwashed

teatowel. It tasted of nothing else. "That's how it said to do it in the recipe

book" was his plaintive defence.

The camp harboured several eccentrics.

First comes "Bugs", the mad enty-

mologist. This character possessed the most amazing talent for spotting, then

leaping forward and grabbing, all sorts

of insects, moths and butterflies,-to add to his collection. W e would be sitting at

the table eating our evening meal, when

in the middle of a sentence, "Bugs"

would leap from his seat, sending food

and crockery flying and dash outside to

catch some moth or insect whose

silhouette had appeared on the tent wall.

Next comes Eli, the fanatical walker, who,

every weekend, would disappear, trying to set new records in travelling from one

mountain peak to the next. It was

rumoured in the camp that at one stage

he took to hiking with a rucksack topped

up with bricks, so that he wouldn't be carrying too light a load, and therefore

cheating.

At weekends Peter and I hiked down to

the various rivers which flow southwards

from the Tea Tree Range. Usually by

Friday there was little food left in the camp, so on these hikes we had to

employ rifle and fishing-rod to help

alleviate our food shortage. Luckily there

was no lack of trout in the rivers and rabbits on some of the river flats, and

these made excellent eating.

Having read somewhere that goannas

and other large lizards taste like chicken,

I stalked and shot a 3 foot long Eastern Water Dragon, a large lizard living along

the river banks. Fricasse of lizard was

found to be quite an acceptable dish when hunger adds sauce to the meal and

one overcomes inbuilt prejudices against

eating reptiles.

W h e n the time came to head back to

civilization, Peter and I agreed that one month in the High Country in summer

was long enough, and that the wages

were only just adequate when balanced against the remoteness, the bush-fly

problem, and the lack of amenities. Suburbia does have some advantages. •

neil heinz

35

The trammy's lot is not entirely a happy

one. Believe me. I've been a trammy.

It all began after my Swinburne exams in 1964.1 found it difficult to obtain a vacation

job. Feeling somewhat uneasy, I finally

wandered into Tramways House. They

were short of staff. Hey presto! They

welcomed me, signed m e up, issued m e

with a little parcel of odds and ends

(including something about H o w to be a

Good Conductor), fitted me with a

uniform and sent m e off to the Training

School.

I spent two days at the Training School,

then three days on a tram with another

conductor to get the "feel" of things.

(Have you ever stood in a moving tram

with "no hands"?) After another day at

the Training School for revision, I was

on my own.

A conny usually works for one week with a particular driver over a particular route

which is listed on a "table"—the table

being a list of destinations and of

departure times from each terminus for

the day's work. E.g., Depot 5.30 —

Burwood 5.42 —City 6.30, etc. You

usually work for eight hours a day,

through all weathers, either commencing

in the early morning (about 5-6 a.m.) or

finishing late at night (11 p.m. to 1 a.m.)

depending on the shift worked and

usually six days a week (due to the staff

shortage).

W h e n arriving for work, you have 10

minutes to prepare your kit and fill in the paper work (which is quite extensive)

and be out in front of the Depot waiting

for your tram. N o w you're ready to meet

the charming public who charge onto your tram in ever increasing numbers

as the trip proceeds. This first day is

fair spleez

412404 /

"hell" for the new trammy and the

public alike, with tickets torn off in­

correctly (there is a definite art in this) and

punched in the wrong place, and much

arguing over who didn't get the right

change. Fortunately this doesn't last long

as you settle in rather quickly (or go

neurotic trying).

Most people are obliging when tendering

their fare but there are always some who

are reluctant to part with their money or

have only a ten-dollar bill and look up at

you with a stupid grin and say rather

pathetically, "That's all the change I've

got". Then you may be unfortunate to

encounter those arrogant young ladies,

who ignore you altogether and will not

offer up a fare unless you challenge

them sharply, after which you are liable

to have the fare thrust at you together

with a ferocious glare.

A s the tram gradually edges its way

towards the city terminus the conny's

job becomes something of a nightmare

as the crowd increases. He cannot move

about in the tram, let alone collect fares,

and he is still expected to ring the bell to

set the tram in motion again when every­

body is safely aboard. It is no wonder that

some people shout abuse as the tram

moves on when they are hanging onto

the outside rail or while still standing on

the road — but what is the conny to do

when he cannot see the doorways or

anyone boarding?

Finally, as the tram reaches its destina­

tion, the conny is almost pushed out of

the tram by a great surging mass that

makes for the nearest exit and spills out

onto the roadway in a most determined

manner. You have just long enough time

to recover from this ordeal, run to the

front of the tram and pull down the

electric pole, change the tram's destina­

tion sign and hurry back inside to collect

fares from another load of abusive

monsters. So ends one peak-hour trip.

The driver's lot is also far from a bundle

of joy. He has to cope with the reckless

stream of motorists who come at the

tram in all directions. Indeed, there are

so many near misses each day that it is

a wonder that trammy and tram make it

safely back to the Depot after day's

work. Occasionally some motorists are

unlucky. After a collision with a tram, a

car is a "write-off". S o m e car passengers have met their death when colliding with

twenty-two tons of dead weight — t h e

weight of a loaded tram. Many a driver

has lost his nerve and has had to give

the job away because of the strain and

responsibility connected with driving.

Here I would like to give my views on

Melbourne' trams. I consider our present

tramcars antiquated — some have been

on the road since the 1920's — and

inadequate for present-day expectations

of comfort. Yet I believe that a tramways

system is essential for a modern

metropolis. I look forward to the new-

look tramcars that are promised for

Melbourne in the late 1960's.

After reading this, you might not fancy

the tramways as vacation employment.

However, I've found it to be a worthwhile

experience. For an unmarried student,

the pay is reasonable — about $40 —

and with a little overtime it was not

difficult to raise this to over $50 a week.

Furthermore, I've learned much about

Melbourne — a n d about human nature.

I shall be doing it again — next vacation. •

John m c intosh

36

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Back stage, just caught by the footlight's glare, I notice there

his wife.

Wistfully she smiles, although she knows she is his love,

this instrument, this music, is his life.

For wrapped in the sound, his eyes half closed, head bent,

he feels alone

O n a stage in front of hundreds — nought matters but the lilt,

the clarity, the tone.

Caressing fingers fill the dark with sadness singing

soft and low, The feelings of an inmost soul voiced through six strings,

but then, w h o is to know

W h e n the m o o d will change and fingers quick and free will play a melody, more like a whim,

And his foot set tapping makes you wonder does he play on it, or it on him?

The instrument he holds is Spanish made,

much older than the hand that plucks the strings, Its mellow tone a master's heritage, has sung for

peasant children and for kings.

Rich and deep black velvet notes can banish time and care and place, and spin a trance

That fascinates by sound, by minuets, or fiery flashes of

a gypsy dance.

It is as if the instrument — a lovely magic box,

and of the world, all people, there is only he W h o knows the way to bring the still to life, to coax it wide,

the way to turn the key.

38

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45

Lights, Camera, Action

Swinburne has this year become the first technological institute in Australia to establish an Art Diploma course for future creative personnel in the film and television industries.

As from 1966, students entering the third year of Swinburne's four-year post-Leaving Art Diploma course may elect to spend their third and fourth years in either the already-existing advertising-design stream or in the new film- T V stream.

The lecturer in charge of the first batch of students attempting Film and T V this year year is Mr. Brian Robinson. H e gives the following reasons for Swinburne's action in launching the new course:—

"The magic of the cinema is that it engages both heart and mind as though it were life itself. As an entertainment medium it has now been partially eclipsed by its gargantuan child, television. Together they have profoundly influenced and still influence the civilized world. The production of film and television is an art form of recent origin; a 20th Century phenomenon, its potential is not yet fully grasped.

"Australia entered film making early and in triumph. "Soldiers of the Cross" 1898, made in Melbourne by J. H. Perry for the Salvation Army, was the World's first narrative film.

"The Australian silent film industry boomed. By 1928 some twenty feature films per year were being produced. Then, in the economic chaos of "the depression", the industry collapsed. Though some thirty-five years have passed since then the industry shows no sign of recovery for in the interim Australia has acquired the easy habit of importing its films, together with much of its culture. Our national identity, so marked and virile in our erstwhile film industry, is being insidiously effaced by an alien image, predominantly American.

"What remains of film making in Australia on the production of T V

commercials (usually proficiently made) and documentary-style films (too often a prosaic salute to heavy industry). in addition the lunatic fringe remains resolutely active producing, despite a lack of training and finance, films which, if nothing else, testify to an abiding faith in the medium.

" National pride and self awareness arise to a great extent from a nation's film industry. It does not require a Hitler to recognise it as awesome propaganda potential. That such an industry should be virtually non-existent in Australia is consistent with the insular and anti-intellectual attitude pervasive of our nation.

"When TV, after an exhaustive period of appraisal, was introduced into this country in 1956, no training course for the requisite creative personnel existed. This preposterous situation has now existed for ten years! True, the odd technician's course covered aspects of mechanical control. But the creative team, in whose collective fancy the end substance of this multi-million dollar industry takes form, had no such recourse — short of going overseas. One need therefore no longer wonder at the unseen quality of Australian T V productions.

"It is with the above considerations in mind that the Swinburne Technical College has, as of this year, taken a step unique in Australian education, namely, the introduction of a Diploma of Art course in Film and Television.

"A pilot group of students is currently committed to the new course. It is hoped that they and those who follow them will, when eventually employed in film production houses, advertising agencies and, of course, the television stations, help re-establish the Australian film industry and lift local T V and film production standards to equal the world's best. They will find they have selected a most rewarding area of study.

"What they must contemplate is not only an art form but, in one sense, a catalyst of all the arts. It is an area in which versatile genius could find endless satisfaction. W e wish them every success." •

Flashback

In a recently-published history of Melbourne—John Batman's Village by Agnes Paton Bell — there is a respectful mention of the name Swinburne. On pages 144-5, Mrs. Bell writes:—

"In the late nineteenth century (1887), the ever increasing industrialization of Melbourne led to the foundation of the Working Men's College (Melbourne Technical College, now Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). It was a fee-paying college, but it was substantially assisted by Government grants.

The college was already overcrowded far beyond its capacity. While politicians wrangled over what was to be done a public-spirited engineer of imagination founded and administered the Eastern Suburbs Technical College which now bears his name, the Swinburne Technical college.

"George Swinburne, descendant of a famous Northumberland family noted for its engineering giftedness, came to Melbourne as a young man. He knew many famous engineering firms in England and on the Continent, and had himself been an apprenticed engineer. Knowing the workers of many countries, his opinion of the Australian

worker was: 'A remarkable worker, intelligent and resourceful, with wonderful skill and initiative: the idea that he was lazy was a libel, but he did not take to routine work and required to be interested. If his work presented a series of difficult problems he was all attention and intelli­gence; at a crisis he was magnificent; at repetition work he was inclined to slack'.

"Swinburne was intensely interested in electricity, and with a thorough knowledge of the German language he was able to assist wholeheartedly the German engineers brought out to advise on the brown coal schemes. He was one of the four Commissioners appointed

48

to the Electricity Commission. The chairman­ship of the Commission was in the masterly hands of the noted Sir John Monash who, among his many qualifications, was also an engineer.

"Had the technical knowledge required for the project not already been developing, Melbourne industrialists and families of today would not be enjoying such extensive benefits of electricity. With all such ground work already under way and, after World War I, with thousands of returned soldiers requiring work, the scene was set for changing the railways to electric traction.

"By 1919, the first electric train ran from

Flinders Street Station to Essendon, where a celebration was held before the train returned through Flinders Street Station to Sandring-ham. By 1932, the magnificent achievement of one hundred and fifty route miles of Melbourne railways were worked by electric traction, and in the following year, the spectacular success of transmitting electric energy from Tallourn to Melbourne sent a thrill of pride and wonder through the community.

"All this imaginative construction work at last awakened parents as well as educationists to the situation that more technical education was required. Swinburne had already

adversely criticized parents for their lack of interest in the education of their children. Although he had founded a technical college, he was most appreciative of general education as distinct from technical education, and was an advocate of the new Education Bill to reorganize the schools. The main change came in a new emphasis on secondary (as distinct from primary) education and on an appreciation of literature and art. The Swinburne Technical College maintained a special interest in art."

(In the Swinburne Technical College Library, Mrs. Bell's book is kept on one of the over-size shelves — "f" 994.5.) •

49

Library au Go-Go

Swinburne Senior Technical College this year has doubled the size of its library building, confirming its position as one of the most progressive educational libraries in Victoria outside the universities.

The extension has been achieved by taking over a large adjoining room, which was formerly used as a gymnasium and which is now being used as a reading room annexe.

Total library floor space has now been increased from 3,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet, and seating accommodation from 74 readers to 146 readers.

Swinburne's library is in its twenty-first year of operation.

It is a general reference and lending library available for the assistance of staff and students in all full-time and part-time courses from 8.45 to 8.30 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays. There is a bookstock of 23,000 volumes, comprising books and periodicals relating directly to all teaching programmes in the college, and also covering fiction, hobbies and almost all subjects of general interest outside the college curriculum. During a three months' survey in 1965 the maximum number of students in the library at any one time was 103 and the average number was 33. During this same period 5,500 books were let out on loan. There is a staff of eight. Total expenditure on the on the library for the last financial year was approximately $19,000, which is about 2 per cent of general college expenditure.

The composition of the bookstock illustrates how far Swinburne has moved towards the idea now prevalent in Great Britain and other countries that technical education should be "nearer to a liberal education with science and its applications as the core and inspiration". The scope of Swinburne's bookstock, ranging from 001 to 999 in the Dewey classification, is a reflection of the attempted synthesis of liberal and technical educations.

The Head of Swinburne's Library (Mrs. J. Harley, B.Sc, Dip.Ed.) says: "Knowledge in all fields is now increasing at such a bewildering rate that new methods of teaching are being developed to cope with this situation. It is being realised that there must be less emphasis on imparting facts, which may very soon become outdated, and much more emphasis on teaching the tech­niques of keeping abreast with new know­ledge. The most efficient and economical

method of teaching these techniques is through the provision of good libraries and adequate staff qualified to guide and instruct the students in their use, so that they learn to develop initiative and resourcefulness, and to appreciate how much they can learn for themselves. In this way it is hoped to develop the library into the information centre and background support of all teaching programmes.

"With Swinburne's affiliation with the Institute of Colleges, there is to be a further development of liberal studies, and a greater emphasis on individual study and reading at complex levels for which additional pro­fessional guidance in library use will be required. Also, research will be undertaken to an increasing degree. H o w is our library service equipped to meet this situation? It seems that we have the right kind of equip­ment but not nearly enough of it.

"Sir John Jungworth, in his Report on Library Services in Victoria, stated that there will need to be a drastic improvement in the library facilities of senior technical colleges to meet the increased demands which will be made on them.

"How drastic are the improvements required? Guided by English experience, it seems necessary to think in terms of a book-stock of 100,000 volumes and staff of 15 to 20, of whom 8 or 9 will be fully professional. Also, since the readers have every right to expect to read under conditions that are as attractive as those in the best universities, there will have to be considerable expenditure on accommodation.

"Experience in England has shown that expenditure on the college library service, once it has been brought up to the required standard, should be from 4 to 5 per cent of general college expenditure. If the library allocation is less than this, then the effective­ness of all other expenditure is adversely affected.

"A library service developed in the first place to serve the needs of the college can, with relatively little extra expenditure to provide the necessary staff, be developed into an information service for industries in the vicinity of the college. This would seem to be an economical and effective method of doing something to lessen the present costly delays in the application of new scientific and technical knowledge to industrial practice." •

Swinburne's changing population

Swinburne diploma courses are attracting an increasing number of students from high schools and independent schools. More than half of of our entrants now come from such schools. Simultaneously, we are gaining more and more entrants who have already studied for matriculation. Obviously, it will not be long before all our diploma faculties will be demanding matriculation (or equivalent Junior Technical School qualifications) as a pre-requisite.

Swinburne is doing its best to meet the Affluent Society's demand for more tertiary education for more people.

This year Swinburne's faculties of Engineering and Applied Chemistry have remodelled their diploma courses to cater more fully for entrants who have already passed in matriculation subjects. Applicants who have Leaving passes in English and in four other subjects will still be admitted to the first year of the four-year diploma courses. However, the curriculum of the first year at Swinburne has been revised, so that it is now similar to that followed by "scientific" students in Form VI at secondary schools — chiefly mathematics, chemistry, physics, social studies and Matriculation English expression. The more specialised subjects — such as engineering thermo­dynamics and applied mechanics — have now been postponed until second year. Students who come from high schools and independent schools (and who have Matriculation passes in calculus and applied mathematics, physics, chemistry and English expression), will be admitted to Swinburne's second year. In future such students may complete their diploma in three years.

One of the biggest "population bulges" at Swinburne in 1966 is in the C o m m e r c e Faculty. To cope with an increased first-year intake, several classrooms were remodelled to form a large Commerce Lecture Theatre.

Another new development this year is a course is television and film production in Swinburne's Art Faculty.

Plans are now being made to establish a Diploma of Liberal Arts at technical colleges in the near future. This diploma course would include such subjects as languages, politics, economics, sociology, philosophy and psychology.

Scholarships For the second year in succession, Kew

City Council has awarded two scholarships worth $100 each to assist young local people who are receiving their tertiary education at Swinburne.

The awards for 1966 were presented by the Mayor (Cr. A. G. Grace) at an assembly of Swinburne's 900 diploma

52

students in Hawthorn Town Hall on March 29.

This year's winners are: Douglas Sheehan and George Wengier. In line with the current trend, both Douglas and George matriculated from secondary schools before commencing their Swinburne diploma courses.

Douglas, aged 19 and a half years, cane to Swinburne from Carey Grammar in February 1965, and commenced the second year of Swinburne's Diploma of Applied Chemistry. He performed outstandingly in the 1965 annual examinations, and in Physical Chemistry I his mark was 92 per cent.

George Wengier, aged 20 and a half years, spent one year at the Pharmacy College and then commenced the Diploma of Commerce course in 1965. George, who was bom in Russia, came to Australia in 1952. This year George was awarded a Common­wealth Advanced Education Scholarship.

Anonymous Donor An anonymous donor has given $200 to

help needy diploma students at Swinburne Senior Technical College.

The donation was made to Swinburne's Student Aid Fund, which was established early in 1965 to help students whose studies might be adversely affected by financial difficulties.

The chairman of the fund committee (Mr. R. D. McCullen) says: "This donation comes as a complete surprise. The letter was posted at a suburban post office. "Since we announced the fund 12 months

ago, we have received several smaller donations from the public. Some members of the college staff have arranged to have a few cents paid into the fund from their fort­nightly salary cheques.

" The Student Aid Fund is necessary because Swinburne has 900 students doing diploma courses and because these courses extend for three years or more beyond matriculation level. Some students have won scholarships but there are others who are not quite in the race for scholarships and who need and deserve financial help."

The Publishing Department

Swinburne is fortunate in having its own Publishing Department. The main object of the Publishing Department is to serve staff and students of the College, at the same time being as nearly as is possible self-supporting.

The department was established in 1952 to produce class notes for sale to students and to prepare class and laboratory sheets for instructional purposes. At this time it was staffed by one typist and a junior, the equipment consisting of a typewriter and a duplicating machine.

The rapid growth of the department is reflected in the cash sales, which grossed $1200 in the first year of existence and rose to $36,000 in 1965.

In order to meet the increasing and varied demands made upon it, the staff has been increased to twelve, and more efficient and versatile equipment has been installed, including electric typewriters, photo-copying equipment for production of transparencies for overhead projection and a Xerox for normal copying work, an offset printing machine, duplicators, collating machine and electric stapler.

In addition to meeting the demands of the College, the department supplies publications to virtually every technical, high and registered school in the State; hundreds of individual students write or phone for items. The despatch department, priding itself on disposal of orders as soon as possible after receipt, works at full stretch.

Further to its purely publishing commit­ments, the department handles a considerable proportion of work from the administrative side of the College, including preparation of all internal examination papers. It should also be borne in mind that a considerable amount of the work carried out, whether duplicated, offset-printed or Xerox-copied, is issued to students free of charge as an aid to study — or to instructors as a teaching aid.

SRC Report Looking back on the activities and work

done by the Swinburne Students' Representative Council during the past year we find it hard to stifle a sense of pride and satisfaction. The S.R.C. has played an active part in organizing and controlling student policies and activities both within and outside this college. Our representatives on the V.A.S. T. have played important roles in suggesting and formulating ideas and policies to be adopted by all Victorian Senior Technical institutions.

This year we pledged our support for the aims of the "Workout" planned by the N.U.A. U.S. The resulting organization of activities for the day and the student participation from Swinburne received high commendation and gratitude from all bodies in the venture.

The S.R.C. is particularly proud of the interest and participation that was fostered for Open Day at the College this year. The work done by students helped to gain considerable publicity for the College and has set a pattern to be followed in future years.

This year has seen many changes in the varied student ventures at Swinburne. Clubs and societies have continued to expand, and new clubs have been established and supported with grants from the S.R.C. New names include the Car Club, Surfing

Fraternity and Rifle Club. Encouragement from the S.R.C. has resulted in the expansion of the Christian Fellowship, the formation of Jazz and Folk Groups within the College and an increase in student social and sporting activities. A Talent Promotion Quest was organized for the entertainment groups within the College. Dances, lunchtime and evening films have been increased and several car and surf rallies have been held. To cater for the increased number of clubs within the College; the S.R.C. has acqyuired a house near the College which is currently being used as club rooms for the Electrical Society, Engineering Students' Society, Overseas Students' Society, Car Club and Surfing Fraternity.

Annual College functions have met with increasing success. The Activities Committee of the S.R.C. was responsible for organizing the M o o m b a Float, Annual Car Rally, Open Day activities, the Miss Swinburne Quest and numerous other student participation. The M o o m b a Float — "Bells of St. Swinnians" — fostered a great deal of student interest and received rewarding commendations and praise. This year the Miss Swinburne Quest again resulted in a substantial donation to charity from the College and overwhelming publicity for the College.

W e have seen many improvements within the College this year. A remarkable and thoroughly commendable change has taken place in the student newspaper "Contagious". A broadminded and talented "Contagious" staff have been able to produce a newspaper that can rank with any other student publication in the State. In a similar vein, which must be described as completely successful, we look back on the S.R.C. Annual Revue. A n efficient committee, talented producer, cast, and stage crew combined to gain enthusiastic commendation from critics and wholehearted support and applause from capacity audiences.

Sport within Swinburne has taken further strides in the path of success this year. The S.R.C. has increased the proportion of money spent on sport this year and has also increased the range of sports available. W e can look forward to even further improvements next year.

During this year we have been responsible for the planning of the proposed student rooms and facilities to be built on to the cafetria at the end of this year. These new facilities (including club rooms, common room, S.R.C. offices, games rooms and showers) will be ready for use at the beginning of the new year.

With these new fscilities at hand, with past experience as a guide and with the wholehearted support and enthusiasm of the student body, we are sure that the S.R.C.

will continue to grow and in its many ventures, reap the rewards of successes that far surpass those that have made this the outstanding year that it has been.

G R A E M E MOORE, S.R.C. President.

SCS Report The main object of the Swinburne

Chemistry Society this year has been to raise $200 to set up a Trust for the J. H. Ness Memorial Award. The award is being made to the best Organic Chemistry II student of the year. Films have been organised to aid the fund.

During the year several excursions to industrial chemical plants have been held, giving students an insight into industrial conditions.

This year's Chemistry Society representative in the Miss Swinburne Contest is Rosalind Cook, a 2nd year Biochemistry student.

CLIVE LYNN S.C.S. Secretary.

SESS Report In the 12 months ending in June 1966,

the Swinburne Engineering Students' Society was very active.

Twenty-one feature films and five educational films were screened.

Excursions were run under S.E.S.S. subsidy to Morwell-Yalloum-Hazelwood, Altona Petrochemical Plant and the Victorian Railways. Four lunch hour lectures were given by

guest speakers from the Board of Works, Cummins Diesels Australia and Mr. Tylee and Dr. Molyneux.

The S.E.S.S. Report was drafted and published. A reply has been received from Mr. Bloomfield, the Minister for Eductation and in it he has requested a more detailed report about a specific part part of the first report. This has been drafted and will be sent to Mr. Bloomfield and his subcommittee on tertiary education after consultation between the S.E.S.S. executive and the College Administration.

The sum of $130 was raised by members ofS.E.S.S. and their helpers for the 1965 Miss Swinburne contest, the profits of which went to Community Aid Abroad. This was another win for the engineers, being the largest sum raised for this worthy cause.

Donations were made to the library and the scholarship committee, and although these were only relatively small sums, it is hoped that in the future the S.E.S.S. will be able to make more donations of greater signifiance to these two committees.

A donation was also made to the Electronics Society (approx. $40) just after it was formed last year.

Arrangements were made to supply the College with a Rolls Rqyce Derwent engine for the Engineering Thermodynamics Lab. to be paid for by S.E.S.S. also paying the cost of transporting the engine to the College. Negotations broke down, however when it was learnt that it would be at least a year before any use at all would

be made of the engine. In spite of this setback, the committee is continueing investigation of the possibilities of obtaining other articles of use to the Eng. Therm. Lab.

A dinner dance was held and was a great success. As a result it has been decided to make it an annual affair. There were also seven or eight Friday night dances during the year.

The Committee did some work for the S.R.C. to help the Student Workout held early in 1966. For the immediate future the S.E.S.S. has many activities organised including lectures films, dances, excusions and other activities such as the formation ofweightlifting and judo clubs within the college.

With increased co-operation between the S.R.C. and S.E.S.S., it will be possible to cater for nearly all students' needs and requests, which are coming in at an ever increasing rate. This will only be possible however, if these two groups have the full support of the student body.

A good indication of the extent of S.E.S.S. activity is the fact that $2,300 has passed through the books in the past 12 months. It is hoped that this sum will be increased during the next twelve months, indicating even greater activity of the S.E.S.S.

JOHN W. OSBORNE, S.E.S.S. President.

OSA Report Africa, Ceylon, Fiji, Hong Kong,

India, Malaysia, Nauru, New Guinea, Singapore and Thailand — these are the countries where the overseas students of Swinburne Technical College come from.

About 80 per cent, of these students undertaking full-time studies are from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

The one hundred and ten students are fairly evenly distributed amongst the several faculties of the College but with a slightly higher percentage favouring courses in Civil and Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. One student, only, has enrolled for Art.

All overseas students of the College are members of the Overseas Students' Association, with Mr. K. L. Goodman (Lecturer in Humanities) as the Honorary Advisor. The following are the office bearers for 1966:

Chairman: Vice-Chairman : Secretary: Assistant Secretary : Treasurer : Social Organiser: Sports Organiser: Representatives from: Chemistry: Civil Engineering: Commerce: Electrical Engineering

John Chan Janet Yap Connie Koh

Joseph Mak Francis Wong

Yogam Nallathamby Johnny Kok

Chan Ah Sin Martin Thien

Ronald Lee Cheah Cheng Hin

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Activities for the year consist of a Freshers' Welcome Luncheon, several dances, film nights and the Annual Dinner Dance which is to be held in August. Badminton is quite popular amongst the students.

This year, and for the first time, the Association has a Miss O.S.A. to take part in the Miss Swinburne Contest. She is Miss Victorine Lim of Singapore who is in the first year of the Diploma of Art.

During August of last year, the Hawthorn Rotary Club very kindly invited the overseas students to a snow trip to Lake Mountain.

Several students spent a few week-ends and part of their school holidays at the homes of the members of the Warragul Rotary Club. The warm hospitality of their hosts and families must be particularly heart-warming to the students who are so far away from their homes. Many more invitations of this kind are being extended to the members.

It will come as surprise to students and staff that Mrs. Winter, who is in charge of the Pottery Department, is due to retire on October 10th.

Still extraordinarily youthful and energetic Mrs. Winter has been at this College from her earliest years as a pupil in the Girls Junior School up till now, a long and happy association.

We wish her many more years of happiness in retirement, but of course, as an outstanding teacher dedicated to her craft, it is probably going to be just as active as ever.

Prize Awards Art 1st year Bevers, russet 2nd year Gerrard, andrew 3rd year Murray, david 4th year Reynolds, patricia Chemistry 1st year Dromey, robert geqffrey 2nd year Wilson, ivanjohn 3rd year Boulton, ronald william 4th year Grosvenor, robert spencer Chemical Engineering 1st year Fisher, alanjames 2nd year Lu, cheafatt 3rd year no award 4th year Kong, king joe 5th year Palmer, robin brian Commerce 1st year McGregor, duncan thomas

Wengier, george 2nd year Armstrong, Warwick james 3rd year Little, alison Commercial Certificate

Carlson, high therese Diploma Commercial Practice 1st year Luscombe, mar garet jean 2nd year Hedges, Judith isabel Engineering — Civil 1st year Roy, graham frank 2nd year no award 3rd year Both, graeme 4thyear Arbuthnot, neil james Engineering — Electrical 1st year Wood, peter james 2nd year Husband, david william 3rd year Bolden, ross james 4th year Coles, John richard Engineering — Mechanical 1st year Wilson, ian david 2nd year no award 3rd year Campbell, archibald bryan 4thyear Womersley, robert francis Engineering — Production 1st session sandwich course:

Price, zenneth charles 2nd session sandwich course :

Clough, russel james 3rd session sandwich course :

0 'Brien, richard John Special Prizes Engineering Drawing Prize

Womersley, robert francis Humanities

Wilson, peter Maths.

Womersley, robert francis Physics

W u , zuan chuan John Social Science Prize —

A. F. Tylee Prize Gerrard, andrew

J. H. Ness Memorial Prize Boulton, ron

Kew City Council Scholarships Sheehan, douglas lindsay Wengier, george

Certificate Awards Certificates in Art:

Allen, peter stuart Barton, marilla frames Basset, peter anthony Boswell, margaret jill

Crabb, dianne claire Dow, robert james Gerrard, andrew norman Golding, John douglas Harmon, June marie Jackson, graeme anthony Kennedy, lee thomas Mawson, peter John

McPherson, joy esmae Padgham margaret-anne Parkes, vivienne isabel Quinn, Jonathan craig

Stephens, diane margaret Stevenson, jill elizabeth

Thompson, helen claire Villani, Suzanne Wallis, bruce alan

Wilson, penelope anne

Certificates in Building Construction:

Hamilton, robert leslie Jenkins, rees John Kulilowski, william

Spencer, allan edward

Certificates — Building Technician :

Adkin, leonard Ashton, dharrol ottaway

James, phillip edward

Certificates — Municipal Building

Surveyors

Chapman, ian david

Certificates in Accountancy:

A ntonie, francis james Ash, ronald bruce andrew Bishop, John richard Chugg, norman harold

Collins, matthew donovan Cuddon graham edward Davidson, keith anthony Deayton, peter John Faulkner, Winifred

Foster, james henry robert Goodson, dale kathryn

Grein, rolf erich

Grierson, frederick gary Harris, donald edward

Harrison, graeme albert Harvey, geqffrey myles Hume, james thomas andrew Hutchison, james alfred Kerr, donald william Maasdijk, bernardjan Moloney, james anthony Morris, harry malcolm

Murphy, victor Northeast, edwin russell 0 'Neil, gregory John 001 TEIK SUN Paterson, peter reid Payne, russell gordon Power, allan hawkins Reynolds, Judith lorraine Self, david John

Smith, lawrence raymond Smith, norman woodrow

Snelling, anthony John Stanton, Kenneth Boyd

Taylor, francis orwell

Todman, matthew John

Tully, brain raymond Vincent, jack raymond Wagstaff, anthony John

Willersdorf, david geqffrey

Young, alan alexander

Certificates — Commercial :

Carlson, leigh therese stormont

Davies, Judith lavinia

LO SHIN TING

Certificates in Supervision:

Bowley, alfred hobden Dean, graham allan Dowries, trevor vernon Edwards, ronald John Fisher, Stanley robert Hunter, geqffrey donald

Jackson, ronald russel Johnson, ian geoffrey Kleeberg, alan francis Lindsay, Warwick myron

Moloney, vincent 0 'Connor, harry

Paterson, peter reid Plow, graeme raymond Quick, norman charles

Rigg, peter telford Southward, alexander

Stevens, lorry robert Westaway, peter cecil

Certificates in Civil Engineering:

Arnell, william scott Bower, jack edwin Clark, fredrick thomas

Coath, Jeffrey francis

De La Rue, John russell

Goodman, John leslie

Las Gourgues, John Stanislaus Nijhuis, tjeerd

Palmer, charles maxwell Peake, kenneth george

Simopoulos, con

Certificates in Electrical Engineering :

Rash, alan robert

Thomas, leonard robert

Certificates — Electrical Technician :

Green ronald william

Certificates in Mechanical Engineering:

Butler, waiter Stanley

Dungey, kevin thomas Gibson, hugh

Jansen, Marius Neagle, john robert

0 'Connor, michael anthony

Phillips, leslie james

Certificates — Mechanical Technicians :

Cerda-Pavia, barrie Joseph

Hancock, john laurence

Hudson, albert mansfield

Certificates in Production Engineering:

York, john

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Certificates — Production Technicians:

Adams, robert fulton

Allen, philip michael

Bakker, gregory john

Birch, alan david Brain, peter william

Edmonds, dive arthur

Olver, raymond gregory

Diplomas Diplomas in Art:

Advertising Art:

Gardiner, ian david

Garrett, kay lesley

Hince john david

Leech judy dale

Marks, rae merit

Robinson peter alfred

Illustration:

Wallis, patrick william

Pottery:

Griffin, ronald james

Diplomas in Applied Chemistry:

Alston, michael john

Appleton, desmond thomas

Buhner, ian james

Day, robert james

Elmore michael john

Hopwood, john Joseph

Kepert, peter ross

Kerr, william arthur

Larson, perry John

Lyons, daryl Keith

Morley, john daryl

McKirdy, archibald John

Owen, david cleaves

Rivett, donald edward

Tan Ping Sing

Walter, richard ian

Wernert, gregory thomas

Williams, victor albert

Wisel, david

Wong Sik Hoi

Wong Yen Yee

Wreford, higel glen michael

Diplomas in Chemical Engineering:

Kerr, william arthur

McKirdy, archibald john

Shaw, robert valentine

Tan Ping Sing

Wong Sik hoi

Diplomas in Commerce:

Chanyingyue

Ching gay sooi

Cuddon, graham edward

Faulkner, winifred

Goodson. dale kathryn

Hutchinson, james alfred

Jordan, peter ross

Lau ah see

Ooi teik sun

Paterson, peter reid

Tan gim hawa

Yeo gim wah

Diplomas in Civil Engineering:

Amiridis, achilles

Asche, neils georg

Blake, maxwell

Bloy, arthur john

Ceims, jubdis paul

Chapman, david george

de Carteret, john alfred

Donelly, noel maxwell

Duncan, charles wilson

Gray, john sherwood

Isherwood, john Clifford

James, anthony george Steele

Khung ching choo

Lloyd, ross edward

Merlin, john barry Morgan, james ivor

Orme, garry albert

Shaik, ad-wahed a.

Spencer, graham kenneth

Stack, lucien Joseph

Toh wengfook

Verwoert, dirk hendrick

Whitelegg, keith

Wilson, peter george

Wong ska hin

Woods, peter philip

Diplomas in Electrical Engineering:

Chin kui siong

Flanigan, gary richard

Ford, lynton cooper

Friberg, bruce robert

Headberry, michael john

Higgins, peter james

Laing, ronald charles

Medley, geqfirey raymond

Macdonald, alan donald

Ryall, david Stanley

Sloss,john Mckenzie

Smith, lindsay ian

Wingate, michael

Diplomas in Mechanical Engineering:

Allen, robert charles

Atherton, Stephen ronald

Austin, raymond george

Barnfather, elliot edward

Berryman, thomas preston

Bibby, david victor

Buley, malcolm david

Byrne, gregory james

Cameron, maxwell james

Campbell, david george

Can, bruce cockburn

Chan ping lam

Chaundy, howard george

Fricke, fergus raymond

Grosvenor, alan

Heisler, paul

Hunt, ian arthur

Kerr, george rodger

Maan, adriaan philip

Marshall, Lloyd fredrick

Morgan, garth alan

Morion, john rodney

Parker, raymond george

Respini, russell fredrick

Taylor, alan reginald

Teo teong choon

Tozer, geqffrey charles

Webber, bruce Stanley

Womersley, robert francis

Youl, john middleton

Post Diplomas in Heating, Ventilating :

Moore, leslie allan

Diplomas in Production Engineering:

Crosling, ronald edward

Hamilton, neil william

Post Diplomas in Industrial Management:

Hall, kelvin douglas

Russo, Gaetano

Fredrick William Green Prize:

Coles, john richard

58

Authors Russel Bevers, aged 19, from Caulfteld Grammar School, is doing second year Art. R o b y n Campbell, 19, matriculated at Springvale High School with an honour and three passes,, and is now doing second year Art Diploma. Abe Chalef, 20, from Elwood High School, is doing fourth year Diploma of Applied Chemistry. Ric Harding, aged 20, from Box Hill Technical School, is studying for a Diploma of Mechanical Engineering. Neil Heinze, 21, formerly in sixth-form at Lilydale High School, is now doing fourth year Diploma of Civil Engineering. The companion he refers to in his article is Peter Salisbury, 20, formerly a sixth-former at Box Hill High School, now doing fourth year Civil Engineering. Elizabeth Honey, 19, matriculated at Morongo Presbyterian Girls' College, Geelong, in 1965, with an honour in Modern History and three other passes. She was admitted this year to Swinburne's Art School at second year level, and takes an active interest in student life. David Husband, aged 20, from Burwood Junior Technical School, is studying for the Diploma of Engineering. He has two articles in this issue, including one on " The Sociological Significance of Electricity". He participates enthusiastically in many student activities. In short, he is rather a livewire. Connie K o h , 21, from Singapore, secretary of the Swinburne Overseas Student' Association, studied for matriculation at McLeod High School, and is now doing second year Diploma of Commercial Practice. Clive Lynn, 18, who wrote the report on the Chemistry Students' Society in this issue, came from Box Hill Technical School. He is doing third year Diploma of Applied Chemistry, and is being financed by a Technical Teaching Studentship. Richard Lowe, 21, formerly a sixth-former at Wesley College, is now doing second year Art Diploma. Regina Karps, 20, matriculated from Karingal High School, with honours in English Literature as well as two other passes. She is now doing second year Art Diploma. Ronald McGrath, aged 19, from Jordanville Junior Technical School, is now studying for the Diploma of Electrical Engineering. Duncan McGregor, 18 years, was formerly at the Swinburne Boys' Secondary School, and is now in the second year of the Commerce Commerce Diploma course. Early this

year he was awarded a scholarship by the Stock Exchange of Melbourne. John Mcintosh, 20, from Jordanville Junior Technical School, is doing fourth year Diploma of Applied Chemistry. He has taken an active interest in S.R.C. Annual Revue and in the student newspaper "Contagious". Suzanne Mills, 18, from Burwood High School, is doing second year Diploma of Art. Peter Monsbourgh, aged 20, matriculated at Carey Baptist Grammar School, is now studying for a Diploma of Mechanical Engineering. While engaged in research for his article on noise. ("The Hum of the Affluence Machine"), he received valuable assistance by interviewing Mr. Carr, ofCarr and Wilkinson, of Burwood Road, Hawthorn. This is a firm of consulting and research engineers, specialising in accoustics, vibration and air diffusion. Graeme Moore, 21, who wrote the report on the Students' Representative Council in this issue, is completing a Diploma in Electrical Engineering. He came herefrom Muroa High School, and now boards at the Melbourne Y.M.C.A. John Osborne, 22 years, who wrote the report on the Swinburne Engineering Students' Soiiety in this issue, came from Burwood High School, and is completing his Diploma of Mechanical Engineering. Rosemary Rider, 19, matriculated in 1965 at St. Michael's Church of England Girls' Gramar School, St. Kilda, with an nonour in English Literature and three other passes. Her studies at Leaving level had included two sciences and two mathematics. She is now doing second year Art at Swinburne. John Scott, aged 20, was in sixth form at Scotch College, and is now studying for an Engineering Diploma. Laurie Waddington, an adult student, began his Electrical Engineering Diploma Course by part-time study and became a full-time student this year.

Acknowledge ments The Swinburne Students' Representative Council extends special thanks to the following members of staff for their co-operation in producing Swinopsis'66: * M r . B. Barrett (Lecturer in the Humanities Department) who provided inspiration and assistance for the students who wrote the articles. * M r . R. Francis (Lecturer in the Art School) who provided encourage­ment and advice for the illustrators.

For the typing of manuscripts, we are indebted to: Miss V. Thompson of the Commerce School; to Miss E. Alderslade and Mrs. J. Forbes of the office staff; and to Miss Thonpson's commercial practice students.

Art Director David Murray, aged 23, gained his secondary education at Melbourne High School, and is now doing fourth year Diploma of Art. In the production o/'Swinopsis '66, his job was to plan the overall layout of the journal, and to co-ordinate his team of fellow art students who illustrated the individual pages. He holds an Education Department studentship.

Photography David Murray, Lauren M o o r e

Cover Design David Murray The cover photograph was taken from the roof of the art school looking north towards Kew.

Printing Ennis & Willis Pty. Ltd.

Illustrators (Thefollowing illustrators are students in the Art School.) Charles Benjafield, 19years, attended Box Hill and Swinburne Junior Technical Schools before comming to the Swinburne diploma school. John Boucher, 19 years, came from Blackburn Junior Technical School. He was in charge of the layout and illustration of "Swinburne 66" section in this issue. Roger Cayzer, 20 years, came from Croydon High School. He has been involved in the production of the Swinburne diploma students' newspaper, "Contagious". Rodney Fitchett Heath, 20 years, came from Carey Baptist Grammar School. Lorraine Johns, 19, attended the Swinburne girls' secondary school before comming to the diploma school, and is a studentship holder. Lauren Moore, 19yean, came from Preston Girls' High School, and is a studentship holder. Her ambition is to get "just one beautiful litho print". This year she designed the poster and brochure to publicise Victoria's Education Week, and these were widely displayed throughout Victoria. Kendall Senior, 20 years, came from Balwyn High School, and is a studentship holder. Robin Wilks, 19, attended Ruyton Girls' School, Kew. She has taken an active part in the production of the Swinburne diploma students' newspaper, "Contagious".

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tribute

Mr. A. F. Tylee, who died recently during his seventeenth

year as Director of Swinburne, was a man of wide interests.

A civil engineer by profession, he was equally interested in

the physical sciences, the social sciences and the arts.

He travelled extensively throughout Australia, and wrote

articles on Australian history and geography for many

newspapers and journals. He was closely in touch with

developments in Australian educational administration, both

tertiary and sub-tertiary, and had written articles on education

and taken part in educational conferences. Not long before

his death he was elected as a Fellow of the Australian College of

Education, a body of leading educationists. At Swinburne,

he was a unifying influence in the college, and was concerned

to foster the development of all branches of learning.

When Social Science was introduced into technical diploma

courses several years ago, Mr. Tylee established the

"A. F. Tylee Prize in Social Science." which he donated

annually to the best student in social science classes. At the time

of his death he was giving thought to the possible establishment

of a full-length Diploma of Humanities (or Liberal Arts)

at the College. Mr. Tylee was also interested in the fine arts,

and he frequently spent an afternoon painting in a studio at our

Art School. It was there that he posed a couple years ago for

a portrait by Mr. A. Moore, of the Art School staff.

Mr. Moore's painting of Mr. Tylee is reproduced on this page.

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