Armidale I thought I knew...

I attended the University of New England, Armidale in the 1980's as an 'external student'...
(completing neglected studies at Sydney University...
UNE was the regional 'sister' of Sydney University)...
That meant that for the larger part of the year, I studied at home,
but travelled to Armidale from Camden, Sydney
for intense school holiday lectures...some lasting till after nightfall...

I loved the university on the hill...especially in autumn...
I loved living on campus and experiencing some crazy social gatherings
sitting on hallway floors in our campus dorm
wine and cheese in hand
listening to anyone who wishes to share their music
(strumming guitars was the norm)...

It was a time when Captain Matchbox was in full swing...
The band played one night at UNE...
There was sitting room only on stairs and handrails...

I loved tramping up the hill through waves of autumn leaves early morning
to our lectures on the hill...
great exercise to start the day...

Loved piling in someone's car for a special dinner downtown on weekends...
(Somehow...I managed to hitch a ride in a Mercedes with a musical director and teacher...
That spun a friend's comment I'll never forget...
'Why is it you always get the Mercedes while I only get the FJ Holden...'
But that's all another story... And no, I'm not a tramp...)

Loved geography lectures...50% outdoors strolling the landscape...
(special memories -
slowing down traffic that wondered
why a bunch of us were standing roadside staring at rock...
connecting with a sheep who wanted desperately to see my landscape sketch up close
and then followed me to the next point of interest)...

and, of course, some really 'out there' lecturers...
Ian Grenfell
my English lecturer...
a tall solid man
who chose a Volkswagon as his preferred mode of transport...
He squeezed himself in somehow...
I glowed the day he slowed his little beetle down...
eased his bulk out of the wound down window...
and waved me 'go' across a pedestrian crossing...
In lectures he was a performer...
Would you believe he had a whole lecture theatre of students singing 'Rule Britannia'
while he pranced across the stage
black gown flowing
and a rose between his teeth...
His lectures were always popular
attracting students from many disciplines, just to see and hear him...
And yes...we learnt a great deal about English literature...

Geography lecturers who seemed to lose sight of time
so passionate were they about their subject...
One told the tale (and screened views) of exploring 'non-tourist' volcanic Hawaiian islands...
a jaunt that required approval registration with the U.S...
Sometimes we concluded about 9pm...
At least we had dinner somewhere and coffee was readily on hand...

and there was Dingley...
another English lecturer...
knowledgable
but rather 'bland' to listen to...
However, he cut an interesting character in his manner...
always in a black suit...
always swinging a black brolly as an accessory...

You may note...
I don't mention anything about my beloved History...
UNE offered no Ancient History studies...
There were limited Modern History choices...
I ended up with
Victorian Age and Victorian Empire...
stodgy choices
and the lectures were equally stodgy...
But I did learn some interesting bits at the time...
which I can't recall now...

In reflection
on Armidale
through rose-coloured UNE glasses
I simply loved the ambience, the beauty of the place...
loved university life...even for a short time...
The beauty I thought I knew...

But now this...

'Dark Town' - regional Armidale (NSW) - fringe camp where dispossessed Aboriginal people lived on the town rubbish dump. Early days? NO... November 1958 over 100 lived there...'1956 until the end of 1961 the area had no sewerage and no electric light.' https://t.co/oATDbxuV3V

— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) May 9, 2020

My memories are now a little smudged...
I really had no idea...
None at all...

So I'll still keep the memories...
That will never change...
But they are a little smaller now...

Yet there is one that I can't minimise...

On the last day of one university life session...
a group of us were waiting for the bus to take us home...
The bus was supposed to arrive at 6pm...

We waited...we waited...
Darkness fell and cold mist drifted in...
Closer and closer we gathered round university street lamplights...

Then one student took out a book of poetry
and read selected poetry out loud
under the lamplight...

We were entranced...

He read and he read...

We barely noticed that the bus didn't arrive till 9pm...