The founders: Samuel Wadham

Black and white photograph of Arthur Dean, Richard Casey and Samuel Wadham in academic gowns at International House at the University of Melbourne. — Samuel Wadham (right) with Chancellor of the University of Melbourne Arthur Dean (left) and Richard Casey (centre) at the opening of the Samuel Wadham Wing, 1963. International House Archives.

Sir Samuel Macmahon Wadham (1891–1972) was Professor of Agriculture at the University of Melbourne and the second chair of the International House Council. Wadham oversaw the expansion of International House during the 1960s. As his biographer L .R. Humphreys writes, International House’s “great decade of expansion was made possible by [Wadham’s] persistence, sagacity and ability to deal with the university’s administration” (Humphreys, 2002).

Perhaps the biggest project during this time was the construction of IH’s second purpose-built accommodation building, the Samuel Wadham Wing. In 1960, International House launched a campaign to raise funds for a new building. The International House Building Appeal, chaired by Wadham, aimed to raise enough money to provide accommodation for a further 118 students (Larkins, 2018, pp. 46–47). The resultant new building, named after Wadham, opened on 23 March 1963 (“New student quarters opened”, 1963).

Black and white photograph of the Samuel Wadham Wing at International House, The University of Melbourne, circa 1960. — Samuel Wadham Wing, c. 1963. International House Archives.

Other initiatives during Wadham’s time as IH Council chair included purchasing the property at 205 (now 197) Royal Parade and the Hilda Stevenson Wing.

No man has worked harder for International House than Sir Samuel Wadham.
International House Council, 1970

Wadham resigned as chair of the International Council in 1970. Council members paid tribute to him noting: ‘No man has worked harder for International House than Sir Samuel Wadham. His dedication to the ideals of the college and his qualities of leadership inspired both the Council and the Administration of the House. The students have considered it a privilege to have known him’ (International House Council, 1970).

References and further reading

Humphreys, L. R. (2002). Wadham, Sir Samuel Macmahon (1891–1972), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wadham-sir-samuel-macmahon-11930/text21375

International House Council (1970, September 28). Minute of appreciation: Sir Samuel Wadham. International House Archives.

Larkins, F. (2018). International House Melbourne: Sixty years of fraternitas. Melbourne University Publishing.

New student quarters opened (1963, March 25). The Age, p. 4.