Twenty two years ago I completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Queensland. In those last years of free education, you could do a course just because you wanted to. I took majors in English Literature and a double major in Sociology, without any idea at the time of how that would be useful. Luckily that knowledge has come in very handy not just in life but in the profession I chose to pursue seven years later: storytelling.
Last November to my great surprise and delight, I found myself working at Southern Cross University (SCU)- as a marker of the Storytelling Unit in the School of Education. I enjoyed the atmosphere of learning so much that I then surprised myself by enrolling to study again.
Then I got an email from the University of Queensland saying that as they were about to celebrate their centenary, they were inviting Alumni to contribute 100 words or less to their website.
It was fun to sift through all those memories, choose the most vivid one, then hone it down to 100 words. Below is what I wrote:
When I was at UQ, we protested for Aboriginal rights, free speech, the right to assemble and against student fees.
When Joh Bjelke Peterson was given an Honorary Doctorate of Law, we gathered outside the Great Hall. We yelled our disgust, pounding our fists against the tall glass walls. Then we noticed that the glass was swaying dangerously. Frightened faces were looking out at us.
I realized then, that while ‘the price of freedom is eternal vigilance’, it always pays to keep your cool.
Twenty years later, I still express my political views actively, creatively. But I never yell them.
Memories that wouldn't fit into 100 words were:
Seeing Peter Garret speak as the President of TWS (The Wilderness Society)and being impressed by his presence, his sweaty bald head and his incredibly long, expressive fingers. Ah what high hopes we had of him!
Walking in October at exam time down to the Dutton Park Ferry. The path wound under great Jacaranda trees through thick carpets of lavender blossoms.
Visiting 4ZZZ student radio when it was still a grungy, underfunded dungeon which nevertheless buzzed with creativity and passion. It looks a wee bit different now!
