Digging Up a Past by John Mulvaney

Author:John Mulvaney
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781742232195
Publisher: UNSW Press
Published: 2011-01-12T00:00:00+00:00

8

1971–76 IN RETROSPECT

Our homecoming on New Year’s Day 1971 proved a traumatic and disillusioning event. Our home was in a shambles. We had rented it to a family with many children who we had heard were unable to find a house to rent because of their number, so we felt a kindred, sympathetic spirit. We decided on a low rent, because we felt charitable. The father of the family had agreed that the locked shed in the backyard contained private material and would not be opened.

That shed had been broken into, objects removed, and children’s toys were broken and scattered about. Inside our home, all the carpets were filthy, as were mattresses and bed linen. The ceiling in the lounge had food adhering to it. Most of a dinner service, other crockery and valuables were missing or broken. We had to lodge my family with friends while I spent two days scrubbing the bathroom and kitchen. We replaced the floor coverings and mattresses, while the house interior was completely repainted. Apart from the massive cost, we lost many wedding presents and other sentimental treasures.

We complained to the real estate agent, who had evidently failed to inspect the house at any time during our absence. The agent challenged us to go to court stating that, while we were wealthy enough to travel overseas, our poor tenants would be treated leniently by the law. We were so upset at the time that we took no action, beyond agreeing that we would never again rent our home.

Following this heartbreak, we soon resettled into life in Canberra as the children reunited with their friends and resumed school. I commenced my new role as a professor in the School of General Studies at the ANU. Because the University Commission had temporarily barred the creation of any new departments, Vice-Chancellor Sir John Crawford evaded this barrier by attaching prehistory to the History department. This was achieved with the willing co-operation of the three other history professors – Manning Clark, Mick Williams and Robin Gollan.

I was provided with a room in Block F of the long wooden huts located on the edge of the campus on Childers Street. The huts were a wartime relic. During 1971–72, I occupied what had formerly been the law library. It was 2008 before that hut was demolished. As the proposed courses had to be formulated and approved by the Arts Faculty, teaching could not begin until 1972. I delivered a few lectures in history, but otherwise had little teaching.

Because I had spare time, I was invited to become the acting principal of the AIAS for the year. I had been elected to the council in November 1964 at its inauguration and, at a later meeting, I was elected to the executive. The foundation principal, FD McCarthy, took retirement leave during 1971, although he returned to the principalship during 1972, until the arrival from London of the new principal, Peter Ucko. The institute then occupied the first floor of the NRMA building in Lonsdale Street, Braddon.

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