Support that stands the test of time
Marian Foster describes studying in the 1940s at the New England University College (NEUC) – the precursor to the University of New England – as a “charmed existence”.
World War II had ended, life was getting back to normal, and she relished the opportunity to further her interest in French, German and English languages in a close-knit community. Enjoying lectures on the top floor of “magnificent” Booloominbah and daily meals in its expansive dining room, Marian made friends that have lasted a lifetime. She graduated in late April 1949, just two days shy of her 20th birthday, and went on to gain a Diploma of Education at the Armidale Teachers’ College.
Now 91, Marian can’t recall when she first began her annual donations to UNE. If it was in the 1950s, as we suspect, that makes her our longest continuous supporter.
“I know I donated for a very long time, but I simply wanted other people to have the chance to go to university, like I did,” Marian says. “My university education was of great benefit to me. I was pleased when all four of my children finished their HSC and went on to study mining and medicine, and thrilled when one of my grandchildren attended Armidale for a short time as part of the Joint Medical Program with Newcastle University.”
Marian was a mere slip of a 16-year-old when she took the train and bus from Murwullimbah to enrol in an Arts degree. At Armidale, in the room they shared in a women’s residence, she made life-long friends with Pam Cheers and the late Elsie Goodacre, who (quite coincidentally) all married on the same day – 3rd May, 1952.
“My family didn’t have to struggle to pay my way through college – my father was working as a solicitor – but there were a lot of students who came from farms and were not so well off,” Marian remembers.
UNE Chancellor James Harris applauded Marian’s generosity, saying the cohort of students who studied at the fledgling NEUC hold a special place in UNE history.
“It’s students like Marian and their commitment to learning, scholarship and excellence who provided the young university with the founding spirit that we seek to live by today,” he says. “Some went on to donate to the university, and none more regularly than Marian, and they show that UNE holds a special place in their lives as well. My personal thanks Marian for supporting the university for so many years.”
