IH’s student founders

Many of the people regarded as the founders of International House were prominent in their fields. There were politicians, academics, a judge, and a surgeon among others (Larkins, 2018a, 34–7). But establishing International House was a community effort, and students too had important roles to play. Here we look at the three most prominent of IH’s student founders: Sam Dimmick, Abinash (sometimes known as Abinasti) Jerath, and Rajaratnam Sundarason.

Sam Dimmick

Students’ Representative Council, The University of Melbourne, 1952–1953 with Sam Dimmick in the back row. University of Melbourne Archives. UMA-ITE-2017007100734

It is the policy of the Government to invite these students here, but they have nowhere to live.

Sam Dimmick, “Foreign students homeless” (1951)

Samuel (Sam) Guy McLaren Dimmick (1922–1984) was born in Melbourne and served in the navy before enrolling at the University of Melbourne. After completing a Diploma of Social Studies, he enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce (Coppel, 2007). Dimmick was active in the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), first as the representative for the Department of Social Studies (“Stop press”, 1949), then as one of the group’s Housing Officers (“News in a nutshell”, 1950). He went on to become SRC Secretary (1950–1951) and President (1951–1952) (Coppel, 2007). Throughout this time, he was active in lobbying for improvements to student housing, forming the first International House committee with fellow-students Abinash Jerath and Rajaratnam Sundarason (Dimmick, 1959).

Although there was support among students and the broader community for the international house project, there was a problem: the University Act 1923 (Vic.) prevented the University of Melbourne from being directly involved in providing student housing (Larkins, 2018a, p. 7). Dimmick later described the difficulties in these early days of planning Melbourne’s International House: ‘On many occasions the meeting [of the International House Committee] consisted only of the President, Secretary (Mr A. C. Jerath) and one other member (Mr Sundarason). It was difficult to maintain interest in a project which appeared at that stage to have little chance of success’ (Dimmick, 1959, p. 26). It required an amendment to the University Act in 1951 to allow planning and fundraising to begin in earnest (Larkins, 2018a, pp. 7-8). Dimmick became the chairperson of a new International House Committee with Ian Clunies Ross (1899–1959) as the committee’s president (Dimmick, 1959, p. 28).

After finishing his studies in 1953, Dimmick joined the public service (Coppel, 2007). In 1960 he was appointed Warden of International House, holding the post until 1971. In 1983, the Dining Hall at International House was named after him.

Abinash Jerath

Abinash Jerath, Farrago, 18 April 1951

If other people have since become enthusiastic about an international student centre in Melbourne…, it was principally Ab Jerath who originated the initial idea around which a project has since grown.

Webb, 1953

Abinash (Ab) Chand Jerath (1928–1991) was born in India and travelled to Australia in 1948 to study architecture at the University of Melbourne (“Abinash C. Jerath”, 1950). He was active in student groups including the Australia-Overseas Club and the India League of Australia (“International House”, 1957, p. 3). In 1950, he stood for election to the Students’ Representative Council. Among his policies were better support for international students, improved access to education, and the building of an ‘International Students’ Hostel’ (“Abinash C. Jerath”, 1950).

The policy of many such hostels is to house half overseas and half local students. The result is that both sets of students benefit, because they learn something of the foreigner’s point of view.

Abinash Jerath quoted in Hetherington, 1951

Jerath was secretary of the first International House committee and assistant secretary of the second. During this time, he was also Warden of the Drummond Street Hostel (later named Medley Hall, now Wilam Hall) (Webb, 1951).

In 1953, Jerath left the University of Melbourne to continue his studies at Sydney University of Technology (now UTS) (Webb, 1953). The President of the SRC, Jim Webb, paid tribute to his contribution to the International House project, describing Jerath as the person ‘who originated the initial idea’ (Webb, 1953).

Rajaratnam Sundarason

Rajaratnam Sundarason (facing the camera) with other supporters of International House, c. 1953. International House Archives.

Perhaps the most enduring legacy of the founders of International House is the opportunity they provided for bonds to be forged.

Rajaratnam Sundarason, 2004

Rajaratnam (Raj) Sundarason (1929–2017) was born in Singapore and arrived in Australia to study medicine in 1950 (Larkins, 2018a, p. 37). Like many other international students at this time, he struggled to find accommodation in Melbourne (Humphreys, 2004, p. 3). It was at this time that he met Sam Dimmick who was then the SRC Housing Officer. Sundarason later recalled discussions with other students (both local and international) and their shared feeling that ‘the only way to break barriers and correct misconceptions was for Asian and Australian students to live under one roof and experience one another’s cultures’ (Sundarason quoted in Humphreys, 2004, p. 3).

In 1950, with a group of students including Dimmick, Jerath, and others, he began working towards establishing an ‘international house’ at the University of Melbourne. He had a key role in choosing a site for the planned new accommodation, spending weekends searching with Sam Dimmick for the perfect spot: ‘When we passed this property along Royal Parade, we instinctively knew this was the right place’ (Sundarason, 2004).

Sundarason was a member of the first International House Council in 1955 and remained a member until 1961. He was also Vice-Warden of International House from 1960 to 1963 (Larkins, 2018b). He again served on the International House Council from 1973 to 1993.

References and further reading

Abinash C. Jerath (1950, August 2). Farrago, vol. 26, no. 17, no page number.

Asians say no place like home (1954, October 19). The Argus, p. 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23441637

Coppel, C. (2007). Samuel Guy McLaren (Sam) Dimmick (1922–1984). Australian Dictionary of Biography. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dimmick-samuel-guy-mclaren-sam-12419

Dimmick, S. (1959). International House: The early years 1959–56. Satadal, 25–28. https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/international-house-melbourne/2020/03/21/international-house-the-early-years-1949-56

Dimmick, S. (1951, July 11). This year of grace: Sam Dimmick makes a report. Farrago, p. 4.

Foreign students homeless (1951, December 13). The Argus, p. 6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23097590

Hetherington, J. (1951, March 28). 200 students from Asia. The Herald (Melbourne), p. 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248323655

Humphreys, L. R. (2004). Of many nations: A history of International House, The University of Melbourne. International House.

International House: Melbourne has a new home for Australian and Asian students (1957, May). Hemisphere, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 3–4.

Interview: Mr S. G. McL. Dimmick (1972). Satadal, 10–14.

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

Larkins, F. (2018b, March 9). Singapore student helped to found International House: Rajaratnam Sundarason 1929-2017. The Age, 37.

News in a nutshell (1950, March 22). Farrago, vol. 26, no. 3, p. 1.

Schedvin, C. B. (1993/2006). Clunies Ross, Sir William Ian (1899–1959), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/clunies-ross-sir-william-ian-9770/text17265

Stop press (1949, August 10). Farrago, vol. 25, no. 21, p. 1.

Sundarason, R. (2004, July). Speech at the launch of Of many nations: A history of International House, The University of Melbourne by L. R. Humphreys. International House Archives.

Webb, J. President’s review of the week (1953, 6 May). Farrago, vol. 29, no. 7, p. 4.