International House: The early years 1949-56

Sam Dimmick

Sam Dimmick was Secretary and President of the Students’ Representative Council. In 1959, when he wrote this article, he was Liaison Officer for Overseas Students. He went on to become the second Warden (Head) of International House.

This is an edited version of an article published in Satadal in 1959.

Early post war years saw many changes in the University of Melbourne, not the least being the increase in student enrolments. Many students, prevented from attending the University during the war years, now wanted to resume or begin their university courses. The Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme as well as the Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme were other major factors bringing about the increase in student numbers. Many of these students required satisfactory accommodation near the University.

However, there was another factor in the increase of student numbers. This was the influx of overseas students which not only added to the numbers but also changed the composition of the student body.The University of Melbourne, with no residential qualification, soon had amongst its students a significant number of students from our fellow Asian countries. This added to the shortage of student housing. It was estimated that in 1949 over 1,000 students were unsatisfactorily housed.

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In 1949, a Student Needs Conference was held at the University and was attended by students representing the University, Technical Colleges and High schools. One of the topics discussed was housing and a motion was passed that more halls of residence should be established. A small committee with representatives from technical Colleges, high schools and students of the university was appointed to further discuss housing problems in general and to try and initiate the establishment of halls of residence and hostels.

The general consensus of opinion of this committee was that the only long term answer was the establishment of halls of residence, and as both Australian and overseas students would be accommodated it was agreed that these would be called International Houses. However, this committee soon encountered many problems which eventually brought about its dissolution. An active member of this committee was Mr A. C. Jerath, an architectural student from India who later became secretary of the International House Committee and an executive member of the Melbourne University S.R.C.

The question of raising money for the Houses was the first problem. If an appeal was to be successful it was necessary for donors to receive an income tax rebate on their donations. However after many months of discussions and negotiations with the Taxation Department and members of Parliament it was found that no income tax rebate could be obtained on donations to an appeal for funds to house students at educational institutions. Donations to an appeal sponsored by the University of Melbourne were an allowable tax deduction but an appeal for an International House open to University and non-University students would not receive this concession. No way out of this problem could be found and eventually it was agreed that the only solution was for separate hostels to be built for university students and for technical college students, and reluctantly the committee decided to disband.

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The university student members of the Housing and Accommodation Committee decided to approach the S.R.C. to set up a new committee within the university to be known as the International House Committee. Members were to be nominees from the S.R.C. and the Australian Overseas Club. One of the members of this committee, Rajaratnam Sundarason, is now a resident of the partially completed House.

This International House Committee consisting of both Australian and overseas students approached the then Vice-Chancellor of the University, Sir John Medley, with the request that the university should sponsor an appeal for funds, thereby overcoming the difficulty of obtaining tax remissions on donations. Sir John Medley and Mr Justice [Arthur] Dean (now Chancellor of the University) both extremely sympathetic to the project, were of the opinion that the University Act did not permit the University to erect and control student hostels. Sir John Medley took the matter to the University Council, which, after endorsing in principle the idea of building an International House, agreed to approach the State Government to amend the University Act to enable the university to enter the field of student housing…

[You can read this rest of this article in Satadal 1959.]