19 July 2007
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International House under construction in the 1960s |
When International House opened as a hall of residence in 1967, there was just one telephone to serve the 120 resident students and visiting academics.
"I can still remember there was always a long queue in front of the telephone with students desperate to talk to their family and friends back in the home countries," recalls Graeme de Graaff, the first director.
The simple lifestyle of the 1960s has long since disappeared. Now every room has its own phone and wireless internet connection.
But for Graeme de Graaff, the biggest change is not about technology or life quality, but about the acceptance of different cultures in the University. "Forty years ago the House was isolated to some extend because it was very difficult for society to understand cultures different to the prevailing Anglo culture," he points out.
International House celebrated its 40th birthday on Saturday with a party in the Great Hall which brought back hundreds of alumni from around the world including Allan Moss, the chief executive and managing director of Macquarie Bank, CSIRO scientist Paul Gottlieb and Michael Hwang, a prominent Singapore barrister and a professor at the National University of Singapore.
Standing on City Road opposite Victoria Park, the House has welcomed and cared for thousands of students from around the world of different skin colors and speaking different languages.
From the first day of opening, its purpose was to bring together overseas and local students in a community where they could explore each other's languages and cultures.
All sorts of activities have been devised to enhance communication and understanding among students. One of the most successful has been a food fair, set up in the early days to give people an opportunity to taste different food from around the world.
Forty years later the food fair is still going strong and the range of foods has become more colourful than ever. With students from more than 40 nationalities now living in the house, the event has become a unique culinary experience tempting many Sydney students to take part every May.
Jessica Carroll has been director of the International House since 2002. "Multiculturalism is still expanding its concepts every day, and how will we adapt to its development is a challenge for us," she says.
Whatever changes occur, she is confident the underlying principles of International House will not change and that it will continue to bring students of different nationalities and cultures together in a community of mutual respect, understanding and international friendship.
In 2006 the House had an average of 256 co-ed residents during the academic year. A third were postgraduates and visiting academics, the remainder undergraduates. Australian students wanting to live in International House apply so they can experience its unique atmosphere.
"I feel it is sometimes just like a mini United Nations," says Ms Carroll. "We experience the same feelings that may occur anywhere in the world, over things such as religious issues and the political conflicts." In its own way, she says, International House is helping to bring down some of those cultural barriers and encourage greater understanding and respect among nations.
Contact: Claudia Liu
Phone: 02 9351 3191