Alumni Reunion

Faculty of Built Environment Alumni were invited to join their peers and staff for a special look at our 2012 LuminoCITY exhibition.  Alumni came together at the historical Walsh Bay Pier 2/3 to view the work of our graduating students.  As a means of celebrating our ongoing relationship, a Sunday brunch was organised to share stories and relive memories.

Proceedings kicked off with our Dean, Professor Alec Tzannes, welcoming alumni, current and former staff, and our family and friends.  Special guest Anita Lawrence (BArch 1955, MArch 1957) spoke about the early days of the University and her uniqueness in being one of the few female students in our Faculty.  In fact, Anita is a University Medallist and our first ever female graduate!  It was great to hear about the foundations of her acoustic research and the fun she had on campus. 

Also speaking was our alumnus and Associate Dean (Education) Dr Nancy Marshall (PhD 2001). Nancy talked about the proposed curriculum changes for next year which was of great interest to those who have been through our programs.  Many marvelled how much the coursework and teaching have changed since they were here.

Attendees proved to be a reflection of the diversity of BE, with faces from recent years as well as notable support from early graduates, many of whom are figureheads in their fields.  Some names we’d like to mention are: 

• Professor Ray Toakley, our former Dean from 1986-1996.
• Dr Ben Chng, our Building Alumnus and Honorary Degree recipient.  Ben is one of our donors and the President of the UNSW Alumni Association Singapore Chapter
• Mr Paul Marsden, our Building Alumnus and former Head of Construction Management
• Mr Bob Myer, our Architecture Alumnus and Director of Planning at Cox Richardson.

 We had alumni representation from Architecture, Interior Architecture, Building and Construction, Industrial Design, Landscape Architecture, Planning, Sustainable Development and MUDD and it was wonderful to hear about what everyone has been up to since their University days.

There were many fun features, including a door prize which was drawn by Dr Ben Chng - a $1500 gift voucher to Crackenback Farm, an old woolshed located in the Snowy Mountains which was redesigned by our alumnus, Professor Glenn Murcutt.  Congratulations to our BSC(Arch) alumnus, Caroline Nute, our most deserving winner!  The BE Nostalgia Wall was also a big hit with the photos of our students, staff and campus dating back to the 1950s.  We had some video footage of Prof Harry Seidler and also a FBE promotional video from 1993, amongst others.  If you have any photos of footage of your time with us, contact our Alumni Coordinator Sam Sheridan for more information.

We like to thank all who attended the Reunion.  We appreciate the time you all spent to be there and we look forward to seeing you again next year.

PICTURED ABOVE:  Dr Ben Chng and Prof Alec Tzannes.

ALUMNI REUNION SLIDESHOW