This year we celebrate the University’s 60th anniversary and we’ve been diving into the archives will help from our Career Ready Placement students.
Supporting our 60th-anniversary commemorations, Bachelor of Arts (History) student Alex Hunter was a valuable Career Ready Placement student at the GLAMx Lab in Semester 1. They worked with our team of industry experts and volunteers on the digitisation of the iconic NBN Television archive (Channel 3), specifically reviewing historical film for university-related content. This project is helping Alex hone their historical analysis, research, and collaborative skills. Alex worked a team of other students who are creating short documentaries of each decade of the university.
How did you find working in the GLAMx Lab?
“Working in the GLAMx lab was a very interesting experience. To see the behind the scenes of exhibitions, special collections, and how knowledge is gathered and preserved in the university experience was fascinating.”
What key takeaways did you gain from hands-on work with the television archive?
“The television archive is a unique medium. It was a very interesting exercise in meta-analysis, as the consistent lack of audio made guessing at context difficult, and even with audio my personal lack of experience in Newcastle history in the time period the footage was from made things difficult. The volunteers and staff were incredibly kind and patient with my endless questions about the context of the footage I was looking at.”
In what practical ways were you able to utilize your skills and knowledge throughout this project?
“The way I was able to utilise my skills and knowledge in this project was mostly in noticing what was and wasn’t filmed. The censorship of the NBN footage, especially when cross-referenced with other sources (eg, the OPUS), was fascinating. The main news source in Newcastle with no mention of the freedom rides, very few pieces of footage with people of colour, or Indigenous people until they were clearly forced to. NBN is under a very conservative media conglomerate, and it shows where they actively choose not to film. So much footage of coal fleets and as little as possible of social movements until they were clearly forced to given the size of varying protests. Even then, there was a clear preference for white men to speak for varying groups, whether womens rights, indigenous rights, environmentalism, anti-war protests, and varying other movements over the decades.
The other space where I used my skills was tracking some of the trends. Whether in fashion, linguistics, or vocabulary, and just how people talk about varying topics. The time period also shows the start of secularisation, which in classic NBN fashion is shown by simply having fewer and fewer priests being interviewed, and churches only mentioned on religious holidays. The linguistics shift from forced trans-atlantic accent by presenters into something resembling an Australian accent was also very interesting.
Another trend was how changes in technology allowed for the public to have more of a voice, as street interview start to become an accepted part of the news by the 70s, which was very rare in the 60s.”
See annotated notes OPUS Magazines (1963-1982). Note: some articles from this period are reflected in the associated footage. See also Opus: Official Journal of N.U.C.S.A. (Newcastle University College Students’ Association)
NBN News Rewind Plus – NBN Rewind episode showcasing University of Newcastle’s 60th anniversary
NBN Television featured a half hour ‘Rewind’ special episode showing archival footage, and some historic footage celebrating the University’s 60th Anniversary. NBN News Rewind Plus is available on 9Now.
Just log in and then search Rewind and the ep will come up.https://www.9now.com.au/nbn-news-rewind-plus/season-2025/episode-1
Below is a chronological selection of footage found in the NBN Television archive.
1965 April 9 – Newcastle Teacher’s College concert
1965 July 1 – Autonomy Day celebrations
1965 July 9 – Professor James Auchmuty with trophy, shots of rugby union match at Tighes Hill
1966 March 9 – UON logo presentation(?) Passing of torch ceremony
1967 April 13 – Professor Auchmuty at University of Newcastle. Presentation at the library
1968 August 1968 – Researchers and UON students
1970 January 20 – University Seminars, James Auchmuty
1970 March 12 – Colin Hills interview about introduction of computers into university administration
1970 – University graduations at City Hall
1970 June – University opening the Engineering building
1970 July 15 – Student response to Autonomy Day incidents
1970 July 9 – Sculling competition, beer drinking. University student activities in city, parade, flour throwing
Also see Autonopus – Vol. 17 – July 1970, https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/67603
1970 July 31 – Student protest meeting at university (anti-war)
1970 Sep 3 – New building at university – staff house
1970 Sep 10 – Mary Byrnes interview with Prof. Brin Newton John
1970 Oct 4 – University growth
1971 Jan 27 – Construction progress on new CAE building at Callaghan
1971 Feb 26 – Vice Chancellor Auchmuty showing visiting dignitary around university, construction progress
1971 Mar 3 – Traffic and road widening of University Drive
1971 Feb 23 – Shots of students being shown around the university, orientation
1971 Mar 19 – University graduation ceremony in City Hall
1971 Apr 15 – Anne Wingrove interview with disgruntled Student Representative Councillor over referendum voting, Sydney University
1971 Apr 23 – Interview about NBN/UON pollution monitoring van with James Auchmuty
1971 May 28 – Shots of Lord Mayor and university dignitaries unveiling foundation stone for Great Hall appeal. Shots of bricklaying
1970 June 7 – Shots of students, Auchmuty library, bulldozer clearing land, grader shaping land
1971 June 12 – Shots of two people receiving congratulatory telegrams, one is Vice Chancellor Auchmuty (Queen’s Birthday Honours?)
1971 July 14 – Byrnes interview with student about success of antiapartheid protest at the Newcastle Rugby Union Club
1971 – student gathering at university about parks and Blackbutt Reserve
1971 July 15- University students congregate on library forecourt, shots of beer sculling competition, shots of students in bar in city, shots of police on footpath
University students protesting on waterfront, flour fight, harbour “regatta” -likely Autonomy Day
1971 July 17 – Shots of students listening in lecture theatre, Mary Byrnes interview with bod about student activism
1971 July 26 – Anne Wingrove interview with professor Beryl Nashar about her role as vice president of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women
1971 July 29 – Shots of architecture students’ projects being assembled and displayed
1971 Aug 27 – Visitors being shown around Auchmuty library
1971 Oct 14 – Large gathering in school hall, speeches, unveiling of portrait of Griff Duncan, applause and shots of painting
1971 Nov 8 – University students completing exams, handing in papers
1971 Oct 19 – Shots of teachers graduation ceremony, Griff Duncan and Ted Gray officiating, Anne Wingrove interviews with three young teachers.
