More recently digitised negatives from 1979-1980

We are continuing to send a selection of 35mm film negatives to the Digitisation Centre of WA for professional digitisation services. Our aim is long-term physical preservation as well as to provide the community access to these records of the university’s foundational years as the Western Australian Institute of Technology.

This selection of images were originally taken by photographers in 1979-80 for publication in our early university journal The Reporter, created by the WAIT Public Relations Department. The Reporter documented the goings-on at the Institute across teaching faculties, student life and Bentley campus.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers should be aware that this story contains names and images of deceased persons.

The Guild Emporium, where you can get anything and everything on campus. This was likely in B103 facing Atkinson Forum, built in 1977. Today this building is still a retail service as ‘The School Locker’, providing stationery, books, branded uniforms and equipment that students require for their specific teaching discipline.

Library Studies students studying in a common room. The blackboard behind gives an insight into the activities on campus too. A smaller student body and physical campus than we have now meant leaving notes on the blackboard was obviously a successful method of communication.

6NR radio station was the home for community broadcasting programs in Perth when it was started in 1976 at WAIT. In 1979, Yamatji indigenous elder Vi Chitty was a regular broadcaster with her program ‘Wanju Banburru’. Along with Ken Colbung, Vi’s radio work created the foundations of Aboriginal Radio, later known as Noongar Radio which continues to broadcast today on 100.9FM.

The WAIT Theatre production company kicked off in 1972 and put on multiple productions throughout the year with WAIT students and professionals from the industry. 1979 saw the production ‘WAIT! On Revue’ – a revue show with a showcase of skits, singing and dancing. Note the WAIT logo on the white jumpers of two performers in the back row.

Above is documentation of the installation of a nature garden in the courtyard of the Guild precinct, and below is Edith Young, one of the WAIT gardeners on staff outside buildings 501 & 208 on the South end of campus.

A visit to campus nowadays always means sighting the large Curtin Stadium building built in 2013. Next to it resides the geodesic dome with a silver metal roof, which can be seen at the top of this image. It was built in 1977 and is still in use to this day.

WAIT had an annual Open Day so members of the community could visit each department and learn from staff and students about what studying there was like. Above is a look into the Department of Surveying, established in 1970 at WAIT and continues to be taught at Curtin University today. Note the student’s shirt that reads “WA Surveying Students Association, WAIT 1979”.

A major part of Open Day were the games, activities and performances scheduled, providing entertainment for the community.

WAIT Open Days were for the whole family, children included. A visit from Fat Cat in Atkinson Forum is a headline event.

Professor John de Laeter (right) of the WAIT Department of Applied Physics was instrumental in the discovery and study of the iron meteorite found near the Mount Manning ranges in 1979. John de Laeter was at WAIT from its beginning days in 1967 and later became Acting Vice-Chancellor in 1987, retiring in 1995.

The meteorite now resides at the WA Museum.

This kind of construction sign may be familiar in nature to Curtin staff and students: development and growth is always happening on campus to make way for new activities, students and spaces. This photo of a hand-painted road sign and somebody’s pet dog is a testament to the relatively small community WAIT was in its formative years compared to Curtin University today which has a systemised approach to the management of its campuses.