NEWS
CROMWELL
COLLEGE
Magazine
Within The University of Queensland
JULY 2011
Official Opening of the
HM Begbie Building
• Issue 2
o Cca
Editor • Ross Switzer • Volume 13
On Sunday June 5, almost two hundred guests attended a very special ceremony to officially name and dedicate Cromwell’s newest accommodation facility, the HM Begbie building. The building is named in honor of former Cromwell Principal, Rev Dr Hugh Begbie, who served between 1995-2010. The ceremony included addresses from the Student Association President, Mr Nicholas Finlay, the Principal and Chief Executive, Mr Ross Switzer and the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr Ben de Jong. The Moderator of the Uniting Church Qld, Reverend Bruce Johnson, blessed and dedicated the building and Mrs Barbara Merefield, Fellow of the College and daughter of the Foundation Principal, Rev G. Lindsay Lockley, cut the ribbon and unveiled a plaque to officially declare the building open. Student led tours of the new facility followed by afternoon tea, completed a very successful event. In his address, Board Chairman Mr Ben de Jong paid tribute to the fine work of Rev Dr Hugh Begbie over fifteen years, describing both he and (Foundation Principal) G. Lindsay Lockley as the two “builders” of Cromwell College. The Chairman thanked the many people who together turned the vision into a reality. This team, including Architect (Elizabeth Watson-Brown), Project Manager (Hammond Associates), Builder (Walton Construction), the many suppliers, donors, and Cromwell Board of Governors, staff and students both past and present, were all acknowledged and sincerely thanked. Student President, Mr Nicholas Finlay spoke of the good fortune felt and respect that current Cromwell students have for this new state of the art facility. Principal, Mr Ross Switzer linked the past with the present and looked to the future. The Principal’s address follows:
What’s INSIDE
On this very day, 5 June, at about this time in the afternoon, fifty seven years ago in 1954, fifteen men moved into Thatcher Wing and so began Cromwell College, the first residential college on the St Lucia campus. In his report to the Board of Governors at the time, Founding Principal, Reverend G. Lindsay Lockley wrote: “a bitter westerly wind was blowing on 5 June and had no difficulty in invading the College through many unglassed windows and through doorways in which doors had not been hung. The upper Thatcher rooms were occupied with piles of wood shavings and other builders’ debris. Floors were unsanded, blinds were un-hung, there were no drawers, louvers, light shades or
A Magazine for Old Collegians, Friends of Cromwell, Current Residents and their Families
From the Principal
6
From the Student President
7
Rhoda Hooper Farewell
12
Resident Mentor Appointment
12
College Memorabilia
13
Sponsor Dining Room Furniture
13
Sponsor Framed College Photographs
14
Formal Dinners
14
More Alumni News for Future Editions
14
HM Begbie Building Challenge
15
Help Cromwell….Without Paying a Cent
16