Marian Foster (née Budd)
A "charmed existence"
French and German lectures on the top floor of Booloominbah, delicious communal meals in its dining room and life-long friendships - Marian Foster has fond memories of her time at the New England University College, the precursor to the University of New England.
Enrolling to studying Arts and pursue her passion for languages, 16-year-old Marian arrived from Murwullimbah in 1946, not long after World War II had ended. The three years that followed were a "charmed existence", the now 91-year-old recalls.
"I don’t think it was unusual for women to be going to university at the time," she says. "My mother was a teacher and I wanted to become a language teacher; I guess it ran in the family.
"A lot of ex-servicemen had returned to Armidale by then and were resuming their studies where they left off. Most of my classes were in Booloominbah; it was a magnificent place. The university wasn't very big and it was a wonderful time.
"We wore a black gown to lectures - it was very formal. For special occasions I wore a gown with a fur-lined hood that my mother wore when she went to the University of Sydney, so it was special for me. Even though NEUC was part of the University of Sydney at the time, it felt like its own university. There were various faculties, for science, arts and languages."
Marian boarded in a former hospital in Armidale - a women's residence called Sturry- which was overseen by a fierce former matron "who ruled us with an iron rod". Fortunately, her room mates Pam Cheers and Elsie Worton (later Goodacre) were much more pleasant and became life-long friends.
Each week-day buses would transport students from their residences around Armidale to and from Booloominbah and, apart from breakfast, all their meals were taken with lecturers and staff in its spacious dining room. "We were very well looked after and had Turkish coffee after dinner and sometimes cocktails in the common room," Marian said. "It was a charmed existence and I was really glad I had gone to Armidale. My graduation (on 30 April 1949, two days after her 20th birthday) was a gala occasion and I remember having photographs taken on Booloominbah's southern lawn."
Marian also fondly recalls being a member of the choral society and, while completing her Diploma of Education at Armidale Teacher's College, attending Saturday night dances. "Our group loved dances, and we ended up going to a lot of them," she said.
After graduation, Marian taught languages and physical education in secondary schools for five years, beginning at Mullumbimby High School, where she met her future husband Deryck Foster. They married on 3 May 1952, coincidentally the same day as Pam and Elsie, and went on to raise four children.
Looking back, Marian says she "very much valued" her university education and began donating to UNE in the 1950s to help give others a similar opportunity. Having maintained those donations until recently, Marian is thought to be one of our longest continuous supporters.
I think the university has done very well, she says. It has expanded in all sorts of ways and it’s been a benefit to the city of Armidale.
Marian is also pleased that all four of her children have studied at the tertiary level, and "thrilled" that one of her grandchildren attended UNE for a time as part of the Joint Medical Program with Newcastle University.
