News Release:
UNE launches its 50th anniversary celebrations
| Date 17/3/04 No 052/04 Five vintage cars, two trunks of clothes and an original recording from a radio broadcast are just some of the items of memorabilia uncovered by members of the public responding to an SOS from the University of New England. The University is celebrating its 50th anniversary and, to launch the celebrations, has organised a cocktail party on Friday, March 19. More than 180 guests are expected to attend the party, where the memorabilia will be on display. The University's Archivist, Bill Oates, and Curator, Dr Nicole McLennan, have also worked hard to unearth memorabilia specific to UNE. They discovered rare film footage of the University, including the installation of its first Chancellor, Sir Earle Page, and photographs of Armidale taken in the early 1950s. The MovieTone newsreel has been transferred on to DVD and will be screened during the party. Five members of the Classic and Specialist Car Club of Northern NSW Inc are donating their services (and cars) to pick up some of the guests in vehicles from the 1950s. These are a 1952 Dodge sedan, two Morris sedans, a 1951 Ford sedan, and a 1955 Holden. |
Guests arriving by vintage car include Northern Tablelands MP Richard Torbay, Professor Dick Stanton (travelling from Canberra for the event), and Kathleen Letters, whose husband F.J.H. Letters was a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts at UNE in 1954. A big band will be playing a selection of songs from the early 1950s, including The Ames Brothers’ "Naughty Lady of Shady Lane", Perry Como’s "Papa Loves Mambo", and Mario Lanza’s "The Serenade". Other memorabilia to be displayed include a UNE exam paper from 1954, a menu from the formal dinner celebrating the installation of the first Chancellor, and architect's plans for the new University. Marketing and Public Affairs at UNE would like to thank the community for its generosity in lending the memorabilia to make the cocktail party a memorable event. Media contact: Lydia Roberts, Public Relations Manager, UNE, Armidale
(02) 6773 2779. |
