VOLUME 3 NUMBER 3

THE GAZETTEThe University of Newcastle

New South Wales 2308

DECEMBER, 1969

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Opening of the Chemistry Building and theScience Lecture Theatre

At a ceremony held at the University on Friday, September 5, Sir lames Vernon, C.B.E.,B.Sc. (Sydney), Ph.D. (London), Hon.D.Sc. (Sydney), F.R.A.C.I., General Manager of the ColonialSugar Refining Company, opened the Chemistry building and the Honourable C. B. Cutler, E.D., Ministerfor Education and Science, opened the Science Lecture Theatre.

Prior to this, the Deputy Chancellor, Dr. G. A. Edwards,admitted Mr. Cutler to the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letterand Sir lame Vernon and Mr. R. Basden, B.Sc. (London).M.Ed. (Melbourne). A.S.T.C.. F.R.A.C.1.. F.I.M. Aust.. first Wardenof Newcastle University College. to the Honorary Degree of Doclorof Science.

In pre enting the Honourable C. B. Cutler, E.D., to theDeputy Chancellor for admission to the Honorary Degree,Profe or 1. 1. Auchmuty aid:

Mr. DeplllY Chancellor,

r present to you the HonorabJe Charle Benjamin Cutler onwhom has been conferred the Efficiency Decoration. Member of theLegislative Assembly, Deputy Premier and Minister of Education andScience in the State of New South Wales.

A fifth generation Australian and already a member of theCitizens' Military Forces when war engulfed thi country. CharleCutler. who was ultimately to retire with the rank of LieutenantColonel, bad a very di tingui hed career overseas in North Africa.Palestine and Syria, serving in both the Siege of Tobruk and theBattle of El Alamein a well a in the Pacific I lands before hereturned to take an active part in the local affair of his nativeOrange prior to election to the Legi lative Assembly in 1947 as theyoungest member of that body.

Dr. R. Ba~den

The Honourable C. B. CUller, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor l. l. Auchmuty, and Sir lames Vel'llol1

THE GAZETTE December, 1969 December. 1969 THE GAZETTE 3

He had served a long parliamentary apprentice hip and he hadlearned something of parliamentary tradition and practices in otherparts of the world by his membership of the Au tralian Delegationto the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Nigeria in 1962before his party achieved power in the Liberal Country Partygovernment which came into office in 1965. As Country PartyLeader in the State since 1959 Charle Cutler not only becameDeputy Premier but al 0 accepted the heavy re pon ibility of theportfolio of Education and Science by far the major expender ofpublic funds of all the ministerial departments in thi State.

Under hi leader hip the department ha een great changes. Iti not merely that enormous sums have been pent on new class­rooms, new school and colleges and new facilities; uch expansionbelongs to the routine of any developing country and the mainproblem is for supply to keep pace with demand; but the Ministerhas altered the make up and composition of his department, increasedthe sources of advice and actively encouraged much wider consulta­tion and decentralization. The Universities Board, the AdvancedEducation Board and the Board of Teacher Education now ensurethat government policy is affected by careful preliminary examina­tion&, by representatives of many interests; Teacher Collegeformerly under direct departmental control are becoming semi­autonomous and of course a number of new ones have beenestabli hed. The legislative output of his department in his years ofoffice ha been considerable and the department is concerned withmuch more than Education in it popular ense but accepts respon­sibilities in connection with the Library of ew outh Wales. theConservatorium of Mu ic and the Opera House for all of whichrec nt legislation ha been enacted.

Although over 20 years in Parliament Charle Cutler is till ahealthy and vigorous young man by any ministerial tandards. Heha ucce sfully faced up to the problem of a great department, ontwo occasion erved a Acting Premier of the State and ha recentlyreturned from a world tour in which he studied educational problemin many lands; it i accordingly with much admiration. Mr. DeputyChancellor, that I pre ent to you Charles Benjamin Cutler foradmission to the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters.

The Vice-Chancellor in presenting Mr. R. Basden to theDeputy Chancellor for admission to the Honorary Degree of Doctorof Science. said:

Mr. Deputy Chancel/or

[ present to you Ralph Basden, Bachelor of Science in theUniversity of London, Master of Education in the Univer ity ofMelbourne, Associate of the Sydney Technical College, Fellow ofthe Royal Au tralian Chemical In titute, Fellow of the Au tralianInstitute of Management; fir t Warden of the Newcastle UniversityCollege. Honorary Re earch Fellow in the Department of Chemistryin thi Univer ity.

Ralph Basden after serving in the Fir t World War in FieldAmbulance Units and sub equently in private industry had had along and di tingui hed career in Technical Education when the ew

outh Wale University of Technology decided at the end of 1951o establish a University College within the confines of the ewcastle

Technical College and to make the Principal of that College also thefirst Warden of the new College. He was exactly the man to fosterthe cuckoo in the nest. Himself always a scientist with researchjntere t a well as an administrator, his natural ea e of mannersmoothed over many a difficult situation a the aims. objects andambition of the two institutions forced into a joint existence in aconfined area inevitably clashed. At least in the early days the twoI=olleges were both primarily technological but with the introductionbf the Division of Arts in 1954 and the Division of Commerce in1957 and their quick and disproportionate expansion, new stressesand strains became apparent which were again smoothed over byRalph Basden's own personality which would give offence to no man.

By deliberate choice Ralph Basden made his career out idethe Capital City of this State. Everywhere he served - in ewca tiefor 0 many years. in Wollongong and in Broken Hill - he took avery active part in community activities but he never gave up hisinterest in Geology, in Botany and in Chemistry. e pecially in theessential oils and sugars of native plant and so it wa no urprisethat when he reached hi official retiring age he was happy tocontinue his connection with the University College and later withthe University which prang from it. a an Honorary ResearchFellow in our Department of Chemi try, where it would be fair tosay he i at least as regular in allendance as any mem ber of theacademic taff and from which paper and contribution under hisname regularly appear. The affection and respect in which he i heldby our graduates is shown by hi election and re-election as arepresentative of Convocation on the Council of the Univer ity.

Mr. Deputy Chancellor. it is with great personal pleasure thatI present to you Ralpb Basden, one of the creators of our Univer ityof Newcastle. for admission to the Honorary Degree of Doctor ofScience.

Sir lames Vernon, C.B.E .• was pre ented to the Deputy Chan­cellor for admis ion to the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Scienceby the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Profe or of Chemistr , Profe or1. A. Alien. Profes or Alien said:

Mr. Deputy Chancellor

I present to you lames Vernon. Knight Bachelor, Commanderof the Most Excellent Order of the Briti h Empire, Fellow andLeighton Medallist of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute,Bachelor of Science in the Univer ity of Sydney, Doctor ofPhilo ophy in the University of London, Doctor of Science honoriscausa in the Univer ity of Sydney. General Manager and Directorof the Colonial Sugar Refining Company.

Sir lame Vernon's early scientific intere ts and profes ionalcareer were in physical chemistry, a di cipline in it own right incethe 1880's and one sometimes defined a "anything intere ting," Thecareers of few men in thi country have so richly justified this defi­nition. At the early age of twenty-eight he was appointed ChiefChemi t for his Company; thirteen years later he moved into theupper levels of management. a translation which led ultimately in1958 to his appointment as General Manager of one of the greatenterpri es of Australia and the South Pacific.

The diversification of it industrial activities in the past twodecades has been remarkable and is reflected by his directorships notonly of hi parent company but of others concerned with the pro­duction of chemicals, power alcohol, iron ore. and alumina and withtelevi ion. Thi breadth of experience and his active participation inuch national bodies as the Manufacturing Industries Advisor}

Council and the Australian Indu trie Develooment A ociation madehim a natural choice in 1963 as Chairman- of the CommonwealthCommillee of Economic Enquiry. The report of that Committee.widely known as The Vernon Report, i one of the significantnational economic document of our time and a model for otherwhich mu t inevitably follow in future year a the indu trializationof this country proceeds apace.

ir lames has made a notable contribution to higher edu:ationthrough hi long tanding membership of the Australian UniversitieCommission upon who e recommendation the development of theUniver ity of ewca tIe on the Shortland campus has so vitallydepended. His expertise in management has found further educationalexpres ion in his membership of the Council of the AustralianAdministrative Staff College, and a a prominent member of theScience and Industry Forum of the Australian Academy of Sciencehe has contributed much to the building of bridges between academiccience and the world of men and affairs.

Mr. Deputy Chancellor, I have the honour to present Sirlames Vernon, scientist, industrialist. and distinguished servant ofthe Australian nation to be admitted to the Honorary Degree ofDoctor of Science.

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The full text of Sir lames Vernon's address at this ceremonyis a follows:

Mr. DepUly-Chancellor and members of Council, Mr. Vice­Chancellor, Mr. MiniSTer, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you Mr. Deputy-Chancellor for the honour you ha edone me in conferring on me this Honorary Degree.

My family roots lie in thi di trict. for my forbear ellledon the Hunter and the Upper Hunter many years ago when theycame to this country from England. The Hunter Valley has thereforebeen part of the di tant background of my family and to come tothe University today to receive it Honorary Degree has very specialignificance for me.

[t must have been in 1962 that I came with the AustralianUniversity Commission to inspect thi Shortland site, an area thathad been et aside by the N.s.W. Government for the future develop­ment of the then Newcastle University College. The Commissionhad no difficulty in deciding that the proper thing to do wa tobuild on thi new site during the 1964-66 triennium and it wasfurther agreed that the time had arrived for Newcastle to become afully autonomous University. An amount of $2j- million wasrecommended at that time to be provided by State and Common­wealth Governments and work on the site sub equently commenced.

r well remember the occasion of my fir t vi it here when Itramped over this ite with the Univer ity Commission, trying toorientate myself amongst the trees and trying to vi ualize how thetimbered 'lope would look in the future a a University campus.[t ha been plea ant to visit Shortland from time to time in theintervening year, and again today. to ee the growth of the Univer-ity campu and the emergence of it tyle and character.

The recommendations just published in the 4th Report ofthe University Commi sion include another $4t million for the1970-72 triennium. and this further capital expenditure should permitthe campu to continue 10 develop. One particularly pleasing elementi that the construction of the Great Hall can now proceed, financedby generous public support and by Go ernments, and that the fir tHall of Re idence can also be tarted.

I believe. therefore, that the foundation of the Univer ity ofNewcastle have been well laid. The University ha developed apresence and an established reputation. It ha shown a high growthrate in its student body. I congratulate the University and the Vice­Chancellor on the care and imagination that has been shown in itplanning and development. Tt is a pleasure for me to be able toregard myself as one of the University' founding fathers, twiceremoved. Perhaps it would be more correct to list myself as one ofits godfather. These are the people, after all, who bear a general.but not a very direct responsibility; they are conditioned to appearat intervals (in my case triennially) to do the proper thing and thenretire. leaving their charge in other hands.

What we are seeing at the University of Newcastle is partof lhe larger scene of tertiary educational development throughoutAustralia which has embraced more recently the vigorous develop­ment of non-university institutions (the Colleges of Advanced Educa­tion) as well a the Universities them elves. These colleges are onlynow receiving the "new look" treatment initiated ome years ago inthe Universitie. Doubts have. of cour e, been expres ed by somepeople, indeed by Universities on occasions, as to the wisdom ofthis College development. [ believe there may be ome in tinctivefears amongst Universities that the growth of the Colleges ofAdvanced Education will in some manner diminish the growthpro pects of the Universities.

I do not share these fear. Some problem will certainly beencountered as they always are in real life, but I do not rate thema potentially erious enough to tip the scales against what I believei a mo t desireable development. Australia i at a stage wherediversity is required in tertiary education in order to meet the needsof it economy and its society. I believe, therefore, that Universitiesand College of Advanced Education should continue to work withone another and with Governments to be t order their affairs forthe common good.

I have. of cour e, been much involved in the developmentof Australian Univer itie over the la t decade. It is indeed almo texactly 10 year ince the Australian University Commission heldits fir t meeting on the 6th August, 1959. It seems a suitable timeto comment briefly on some of the changes that have taken placeover the period and reflect a little on some of the implication ofthese change.

Over this 10 year period. the growth of population and thechanging attitudes of people to University education have placed agreat train on Au tralian Univer itie and have harply increa edtheir financial needs.

The population in All tralia as a whole has been increa ingat the rate of say 2% per year. The younger age group of 17-11year of age, which comes mainly into consideration when we arethinking of tertiary education. ha been increasing more rapidly atthe rate of about 5% per year. University enrolments, however.have been increasing at about 81% per year throughout the wholeperiod. (Newcastle over the last 5 years has grown at over 12% peryear). These are high growth rate when measured by any of theyard tick that r can apply. University enrolments have not onl}reflected the fa t rate of grow h of the young population; they havereflected the fact that each year an increasing proportion of theseyoung people has enrolled at a University.

This progre s ha only been achieved because of thewillingness of the community and its Governments, State andCommonwealth, to finance the expansion and meet the rising operat­ing costs of the Universitie. [t is interesting to recall that in thefirst triennium for which the Australian University Commi ion maderecommendation. the triennium 1961-63, the total expenditurerecommended for capital and for recurrent expenditure, was $235million. Recommendation for the coming triennium 1970-72 amountto $665 million. In addition to thi expenditure on Univer ities ithould be remembered that the College of Advanced Education will

be pending another $23l million, making a grand total provisionby State and Commonwealth Governments for this coming threeyear period of abollt $900 million.

J have lillle doubt that growth will continue and that thefinancial needs of these tertiary in titutions will continue to be met.We have to reflect. however. that the community as a whole meetthe bill and that, with harply rising expenditures, the communit}will ask que tions and will continue to ask questions regardingtertiary education: the alidity of its aims. its relevance to ournational aspiration. its place in national development and in ourociety. r bel ieve that Universitie in particular have a respon ibility

to interpret and re-interpret their role in our society. They havetaken on new shapes and a different dimension; they are affectingthe careers and the fortunes of an increasing num ber of youngpeople: they are no longer remote institutions known only to a few;they are part of a ocial and economic pattern and important usersof public money.

Comment has been directed recently to the trend in enrol­ments in the scientific and technological faculties as compared withthose in the humanitie and social ciences. There are indeed sometrend evident in the enrolments in the different faculties. Over theperiod 1961 to 1969. for instance. when undergraduate enrolmentin all Australian Universitie increased at about 8t% per year, thefaculties of science. applied science, architecture and engineeringcombined increased at only about 6% per year. Notably highergrowth rates were shown by the faculties of art. law, economicsand commerce, etc.

[ do not have comparable figures covering a long period forthe Colleges of Advanced Education but over the last few year, forwhich figures are available, the colleges are showing the amecharacteristics: enrolments in the non-technological discipline areincrea ing markedly faster than in the cience and technologies.

I confess to a feeling of unease about this. r am not onewho considers that the po es ion of a cience or engineering degreeis the ole measure of a man. The humanities and social scienceare necessary for our ba ic educational system, for the developmentof our institution, for the conduct of bu ines aod for the nouri h­ment of our ociety. I do not believe that much purpose is ervedby cientist accu ing the humanist or vice versa. or by one groupderiding the values that are alleged to attach to the other. J thinkwe should accept that there i a need for many and diverse disciplinein our developed democratic society; no one discipline give theanswer to all questions.

But if the change which we now think are evident are con­firmed. and become established as secular change in the pattern oftertiary education, then we have plenty to worry about. We maybe heading for a situation which could be untenable; for an economicpattern and a standard of living which we may be unable to ustain.The "technological gap" may become unmanageable; if a serious"gap" develops, it would take year or decades to close it. Whetherwe like it or not, science and technology have an essential role inthe development and mainlenance of our economy and our tandardof living.

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It i easy to give superficial explanation for these changeswhich seem to be evident. I am personally inclined to think thatthe seeming trend away from cience and technology does notreflect 0 much ocial reaction and changing social values, as thepractical fact that the ciences and technologies are becoming moreformidable in content and in volume of material to be absorbed,that they are making heavier demands on mathematical competence,and that many young people may be looking for easier routesthrough their tertiary education.

It eem to me that the ituation is one that can only bere olved by detailed study-a tudy which reache back into ourprimary and econdary education methods a well as into the tertiaryfield. I believe that there is a great need for the Univer ities toaddress themselve to the examination of the problem and to re-assesstheir own teaching principle and methods in science and technology.Unle s they take the lead it is difficult for me to see where we go.

And what better place for uch a tudy to commence thanat Newca tie. The University of Newcastle has sprung from anenvironment where technology i an obvious element, and theUniversity i not yet overborn by weight of numbers as are someof the larger universities. It has a well developed range of non­technological disciplines to give the necessary counterweight andunder tanding. I commend this thought to the Vice-Chancellor, ifI may do so to a distinguished historian. We are much in need oftruth and enlightenment and who hould be beller able to provide it?

APOLLO 11 FROM THE FRONT ROWAssociate Professor Colin S. L. Keay

obody at Cape Kennedy, Florida. on the morning of July16th, 1969, i likely to forget the magnificent ight of the hugeSaturn 5 rocket bla ting the Apollo 11 expedition into pace on itsepochal voyage to the Moon. Seldom ha uch an historic eventbeen witnessed by 0 many spectators, not to mention everalhundred million television viewer. early one million peoplegathered at the Cape to ee at first hand the dawn of a new age ofexploration.

The vast majority of the spectator were American whocontrived their ummer vacation itinerary to bring them to the ea tcoa t of Florida in time for the launching. Almost fifty thousandof those watching were connected in some way with the activitieof the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and therewere ten thousand V.LP. guests present. The most favoured watcherswere the 3,500 repre entatives of the news media of the world. Theyhad the clo est view because the press-site is barely three miles fromthe launch pad. I wa fortunate to be one of the dozen or soAustralians among this privileged group, and no word can adequatelyconvey the impact of the occasion.

On the day prior to the launching. Brevard County, Florida,was fit to bur t. Motels and hotels were fuller than full, the caravanpark were overflowing onto the street and for a hundred milesaround there was nowhere to sleep except in a car or on the beach.Apollo 11 was the sole topic of conversation as anxious eyes sur­veyed the occasional wisp of drizzly rain and people wondered ifthe good weathere forecast for the morrow would allow thelaunching to proceed. The drizzle was very light and carcelytroubled the campers pitching their tents and awnings along theedge of all the causewa s and clear road ide as much as fifteenmiles from the Apollo launch-pad.

The Pre Centre at Canaveral City, just south of the CapeKennedy re tricted area, was like a mad-house on the eve of thelaunch-day. Reporter, cameramen, commentators and corre pondentslined up ix deep to register and be i sued with the all-importantpress-badge which wa e sential for entry to the Press- ite at LaunchComplex 39. It was also essential for unchallenged acces at thefront entrance of the Pre Centre where a very burly bouncerefficiently took care of all unbadged gate-cra her. Out .ide thePress Centre a couple of youthful entrepreneur al 0 caught everyone,coming and going, for the purchase of an ApoJlo 11 bumper stickerat a dollar a time-proceeds going to some ob cure tudent organi­sation.

The bedlam at the Press Centre continued by night as wellday. Hundreds of foreign journali t created a Babel of tongues

and it was every man for himself. After all, they were there to getnews and get it they did with the haras ed taff being kept busyhanding out red hot news release, answering rapid-fire questionsand making transportation arrangement to and from the launcharea fifteen miles to the north. Mo t of the taff of the Press Centrecarried out their duties with an efficiency and aplomb born of

previou experience, but this was their greate t test yet and manyof the key per onnel, particularly tho e in the transportation section.had not le pt for day.

At midnight the bu es began a huttle service taking new mento the Press ite near the huge Vertical Assembly Building, omethree mile we t from the Apollo J I launch pad. The seventeen-milejourney led through the Cape Kennedy Air Force Station. originallyknown to the world as Cape Canaveral-the cene of hundreds ofrocket firings-then acro s a two-mile causeway leading to theJohn F. Kennedy Space Centre on Merritt [land. Seen from thecau eway the northern horizon wa aglow with light from theearchlight focussed on the Saturn rocket and the thou and of

floodlights around the Vertical As embly Building. The bu tra elledwe t through the industrial launch- upport area where the astronautslay a leep in the Manned Spacecraft Operation Building and turnednorth on the last four miles to the Vertical A embly Building andthe nearby Press Site, already a hive of activity.

At this stage, eight hours before lift-off, the astronaut back-upcrew had finished their pre-Iaunch checks and with scores of othertechnicians were clearing the pad area as the tanks of the threestage of the Saturn 5 were chilled with liquid nitrogen prior toloading the liquid oxygen and hydrogen, referred to a cryogenicpropellants because of their extremely low temperature. A teadystream of vehicles returned along the three-mile cau eway fromPad 39-A as this operation commenced and the three stage of thegiant rocket began to glisten with frost as their temperature waslowered. Already 700 tons of kerosene wa aboard from fuellingoperations carried out the pre ious day and in the course of the nextfour hours almost 2000 tons of cryogenic propellant wa pumpedin at the rate of 10,000 gallons a minute from storage tanks aroundthe perimeter of the pad area. During thi hazardous operationnobody was allowed within half a mile of the rocket.

Back at the Pres site the view of the Saturn 5 was unfor- Agettably impre sive as it tood illuminated by the best part of a ,.,hundred earchlights. The new men in the Press stand found theirvocabularies stretched to the limit to do ju tice to the ight. Intothe dozens of telephone in the tand they were breathing words like"translucent" and "iridescent" in an attempt to convey to their neweditors thou and of mile away ome idea of the beauty of therocket. One aid "It gleam like white porcelain" and anotheradmitted that it wa "just the greatesl." I had to agree because tome there was no doubt tbat tbe giant white rocket, viewed againstthe velvet black of the night ky. wa the mo t beautiful man-madeobject I had ever seen.

)n the long hours before dawn the Press site steadily becamemore crowded and the ten ion grew. Everything was proceeding sounbelievably smoothly-even the weather forecast was good. 1badly needed leep. The night before on the transcontinental flightI had scarely dozed but at the Pres site the air of expectancy madesleep impossible. Beside, there was no place comfortable enough.So I listened to the countdown commentary from the loudspeakerseverywhere, took a few telephoto time exposures of the rocket andwatchcd the professional newsmen at work.

Shortly before dawn fla he of lightning could be seen in theea tern ky from a thunder torm far out to sea. Apprehension wadi pelled when tbe grey light of dawn revealed an almost clear kyover Cape Kennedy, except for a very thin, very high cloud layerand a few wi p of cloud at lower altitudes. 0 wind. Almo tperfect launch conditions. A little after 6 a.m. the loud peakersannounced that the astronauts had boarded the crew tran fer vanand were on their way. This wa followed by the new that liquidhydrogen wa leaking from a faulty valve in the launch tower. butno hold was necessary-yet.

A wail of sirens heralded the arrival of the a tronaut. Theycould have been lost amid the thou ands of vehicle everywhere hadit not been for the flashing red light on the transfer van and theblue rotating beacons on the escorting patrol cars. They pau ed nearthe Vertical Assembly Building for last hots by photographer andTV cameramen and headed through the barriers erected at the endof tbe cau eway leading to Pad 39A. There they left their escortbehind and sped to tbe pad at 40 mile an hour. As they rode theelevator 300 feet up the launch tower tbey passed the technicianwho were busy switching the liquid hydrogen fuelling operation toa duplicate set of feed pipes thoughtfully provided for just uch anemergency. At this point in the countdown the fuelling should havebeen finished except for topping off but fortunately it had nearlybeen completed when the leak occurred and the topping off opera­tion, with the astronauts aboard the capsule, was stepped up a littleto avoid a hold in the count-down.

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A the sun rose above the thunderclouds out to ea. wherean occasional flicker of lightning could still be een, the activity atthe Pre Site began to re emble the confu ion in the tally room ata General Election. Leaving a ide the TV cameras and monitorcreens the amount of photographic equipment scattered around the

area wa quite fantastic. Every conceivable camera-telescope com­bination wa there being fu ed over in readines for the lift-off. Iwould gue that never before ha hi tory been 0 comprehen ivelyrecorded on film.

The sun and the temperature climbed higher together andthe generally clear conditions proved a temptation for many airlinerpilot who brought their big Miami-bound jets down low to letpassenger view the rocket. The la t to do so flew past barely 45minute before lift-off. In the late tage of the count-down heli­copters continuously patrolled the whole launch area, keepinginquisitive light aircraft at a afe distance. The sound of helicopterblades had been almost unbroken from daylight as 18 helicopterschartered by N.A.S.A. ferried the V.Y.T.P's in over the heads of themultitude blocking the highways outside all six entrance to theCape Kenncdy restricted area. The V.Y.r.P's. Very Very ImportantPersons, included ex-President Lyndon Johnson who, more thananyone else, had squeezed out of Congres the funds necessary forthe Apollo programme. It wa his fir t attendance at a majorlaunching. Other V.V.r.P's included Herman Oberth, the Roumanian­born father of space-flight, and Mr. Robert Goddard, widow ofAmerica's rocket pioneer who de igned and fired the world's fir tliquid propellant rocket.

The count-down proceeded with un he itating smoothnes , eachloud peaker announcement confirming that all systems were "go"and ending with what eemed almost like a magical incantation: "Iti- now T minu X minutes and Y econds and counting."

Lift-off time had been fixed months previou ly at 9.32 a.m.Thi wa the sixth Saturn 5 rocket. Its five predecessors had all leftthe pad within econd of their cheduled launch-time. Everyonewondered if thi one would a well.

A the minutes and econd ticked away the tension grew.llention focu ed more and more on the huge rocket standing

majestically on it pad and thought were with the three astronautperforming final check in their sealed cap ule.

At T minu 15 second a great hu h de cended except for themeasured intonation of the count-down over the loudspeakers. Butfor the network commentators in van parked at the back of thePre enclosure nobody spoke and all eyes were glued to the rocket,it internal y tern flexing in a computer-controlled pre-launchequence. A puff of moke from underneath the rocket at T minus

nine seconds signalled the tart of the ignition phase. The computer.in its own way, had pressed the firing button. Next came a smallpurt of flame as the turbine powered pumps began to feed propel­

lants into the rocket motors. Then. at T minu 3 seconds, all hellbroke loose from under the rocket and flames shot out for almosta quarter of a mile on either side of the pad. Hundred of feet intothe air rose huge clouds of moke and steam from the deluge ofcooling water in the flame trench. Unperturbed by the cataclysmthe computer checked that all five engines were running moothlyand flashed a signal to release the hold-down clamps on the launcherplatform. Lift-off. The Saturn urged upward to the shout andcheers of the million spectator. Later we learned that the Saturnleft the pad even tenths of a second late-the computer was playingit cool!

At about T plus 5 seconds, as the tail of the rocket wa aboutto clear the top of tbe 400-foot mobile launcher tower, the oundhit the Pres ite. It lacked the thunder-clap quality of the ignitionof the smaller Saturn J rocket. In tead. it rose in about half aecond from ilence to a deep. earth-shaking, rumbling roar which

submerged all other sounds. It wa awe ome, as was the sight ofthe Saturn blasting its way into the sky on a 500-foot column offlame. Here was enough power to feed, if harnessed electrically,the whole electric power system of Western Europe, Great Britainincluded. To provide it the rocket motors were consuming propellantat the fantastic rate of fifteen tons every second.

Cape Kennedy veterans claim that Apollo 11 wa the bestSaturn 5 firing to date from the spectator's point of view. Exceptfor a brief disappearance behind a small cloud the whole period offirst-stage burning was clearly visible all the way up and down thecoast. Especially interesting wa the way the huge exhaust flamecut a neat round hole through the thin cloud layer at about 25,000feel.

Although the noi e wa deafening it was not quite as loudas I expected. The noi e le el produced by Saturn I. which hasonly one fifth the power of the Saturn 5. i al 0 deafening but thedin of the Saturn 5 ha a more staccato quality and make the groundeem to bake and tremble like a mall earthquake. Perhap the very

lowe t sound frequencie -too low to hear---contained enough energyto actually hake the body and make us imagine the groundtrembled. It was certainly severe enough to shake any loo e clothing.Whatever the true explanation. the e low frequencies are not trans­mitted by TV or radio and the viewer or listener doe not incon equence gain a full and complete impre sion of a Saturn rocketfiring. Certainly the term "blast-off" has been aptly coined.

A the Saturn 5 climbed higher its noise was heard over awider area. On one pre iou firing it was detected by instrumentnear ew York. about JOOO miles away from the flight path of therocket.

When the Saturn 5 disappeared from view near the ea ternhorizon we were left with the voice of Mission Control a our onlycontact. The remainder of the flight was followed as readily fromAustralia as from Cape Kennedy. With everyone heading for homeand their TV set the exodu caused one of the biggest traffic jamsFlorida had ever experienced. The snarled vehicle of all de criptionstook hours to clear but the million sightseers were in a good mood­their eyes had seen the glory and were satisfied. They would carrythe image of the Apollo II rocket and its huge exhau t flame burntinto their memorie for life.

The sub equent landing on the Moon and the televisedmoon-walk gave a tremendous boost to the morale of the Americanpeople, for years wearied and worried by the Vietnam conflictover ea and civil disorders at home. It wa obvious to any vi itorthat Americans were once again proud to be American. And thelong-suffering American taxpayer felt a lot le s grudgingly towardthe tens of billions of tax-dollars spent on pace. This nationalfeeling of euphoria will not la t for ever, although new Apolloexploits will refresh it from time to time. But, having felt the headyexhilaration of success in space exploration, the American nation inow p ychologically prepared for the next major goal-the voyageto Mar.

UNIVERSITY STAFFPROFESSOR c. HART

Professor C. Hart re igned as Profe or of English on Augu t15 in order to take up a Profes or hip in the State Univer ity ofCalifornia at Santa Barbara. Professor Hart has now been appointedProfessor of English at the University of Dundee.

(By courtesy of Newcastle Morning Herald)

THE GAZETTE THE GAZETTE

200.00

50.0020.00

20.0020.00

JOO.OO100.00

10.00

100.00

3, I 56.24

100.00100.00

2,000.00500.00500.00500.00

140.87

3,545.47

363.501.15

21.0010.00

110.00

240.0010.00

10.0010.00

1,"00.00

17.000.0053.75

50.00

10,300.00

40.0015.00

415.0036,770.86

7

375.00

200.00

3,000.00ew

2.505.98

3,500.00

5,000.00

5,858.84

FOR PRIZE FU DSSundry Donors-Mortirner Temple Memorial Prize in MathematicMathematics Prize ... ... ...... ..... ..Stewarts & Lloyds-Prize in Commerce ...Philosophy Staff-Prize in Philosophy.

ewcastle Morning Herald-Prizes in Engli hlame Hardie Co. Pty. Ltd.-Prizes in Architecture and

EngineeringC. J. Chandler-Prize in Commerce .

orthumberJand Permanent Building & Loan Co.-Prize in Commerce .. .. ..

William Forsythe & Co.-Prize in CommerceBroken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd.-Prizes in the Facul­

ties. of ~pplied Sc~ence. Economics & Commerce,EngIneenng and SCIence . ..

Commonwealth Trading Bank of Australia - Prize inCommerce ...... ..... ..... ... ...... . ..

Courtalllds (A us!.) Limited-Prize in Chemistry...... ..Geological Society of Australia (Newcastle Branch)-

Prize in Geology...... ...... ...... ...... .... . .Austral!an Psyc~010gica1 Society-Prize in Psychology .Au tralIan instItute of Steel Construction - Prize in

Engineering ..C.S.R. Chemical Pty. Ltd.-Prize in Chemistry .....Finance & General Co. Ltd.-Prize in Commerce

DO ATIO S OF BOOKS, EQUIPME TA DCASH FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES

Anonymous - Sir Edward Parry Memorial Scholarship- Purchase of Sports League Trophie ....

Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd.-Contribution toward co t of equipment for Analogue

Computer .... ... .. . ....Contribution towards co t of Melting Unit for

MetaJl urgy Department . .. .... .... .....F. I. Cane and P. Hayes-Ca h for Purchase of BooksHarris, Wheeler, WiIliams & McKenzie-Ca h for Pur-

cha e of Library Books ..... ..... ...... ...... ...Newcastle and District Co-operative Limited Education

Committee-Cash for Purchase of Library Books ....New South Wales Association of University Women

Graduates, Hunter Valley Branch-Cash for Pur­chase of Silver. ...... ..... .. ..

Mrs. Anne Quayle-Cash for Purchase of Library BooksStaff and Others--Contribution towards furnishing Staff

HouseSundry Donors-Lord Mayor's Great Hall Appeal

Electrical Research Board(Department of Electrical Engineering)

Ford Foundation Grant(Department of P ychology)

General Motors Holden Scholar hip(Department of Civil Engineering)

Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia andZealand Ltd.

(Postgraduate Scholar hip) .....International Nickel (Aust.) Pty. Ltd.

(Department of Metallurgy)Metal Manufactures Ltd.

(Department of Mechanical Engineering)ational Coal Research Advisory Committee

(Department of Chemical Engineering)Re erve Bank of Australia

(Departments of Chemical Engineering andEconomics) .

Rutile and Zircon Mine tNewcastle) Ltd.(Department of Civii Engineering)

Student Counselling Unit to assist Research into the fac-tors surrounding tudent performance

Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd.John Lysaghts (AlIs!.) Ltd.Stewarts & Lloyds (Aus!.) Pty. Ltd. .... .. ..National Union of Au tralian University Students

R. & N. Statham Ltd.(Department of Civil Engineering)

United States Navy(Department of Phy ics)

Australian Atomic Energy Commission(Department of Metallurgy) 4,460.00

Abbott Laboratories Pty. Ltd.(Department of Chemical Engineering) 1,967.80

Australian Radio Research Board(Department of Physics) ..... 1,850.00

Australian Research Grants Committee(Member of Staff in the Departments of Physics,Chemi try. Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering,Electrical Engineering. Geology, Commerce andPsychology) 34,811.74

Australian Wire Industries Pty. Ltd.(Department of Mechanical Engineering) 500.00

Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd.(Postgraduate Scholarship) 4,200.00

Conzinc Riotinto of Australia(Department of Metallurgy) 6.050.00

Department of Education and Science PostgraduateScholarship

(Department of Electrical Engineering) 578.00

$

The Council acknowledges with gratitude the followingbenefactions which were received during 1968 :-

BENEFACTIONS

Mr. Norman Douglas, a 1969 Graduate of this Universitywith Honours Class I in History, has been appointed a Tutor inHi tory in Macquarie University.

Mr. Leo Hillman, who graduated a Bachelor of Arts fromthe Univer ity in 1968 with Honours Class I in Economic. hasbeen appointed a Lecturer in Economics in Macquarie University.He wa previou Iy a Teaching Fellow in that University.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

Mr. Arthur Alien Parson. a 1968 Bachelor of Science (Tech­nology) Graduate of this Uni er ity, has been appointed PlantEngineer at the ewcastle State Dockyard.

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Mr. Armand Trevor Whitehead has been appointed a TeachingFellow in Economics in Macquarie Univer ity. Mr. Whitehead wa.previollsly a Tran port Analy t with the Commonwealth Bureau ofRoad. He graduated a Bachelor of Arts from this University in1968 with Honour Class I in Economics.

Mr. Francis Cecil Gatt, who graduated from the Universityin 1965 as a Bachelor of Engineering. has been awarded a ationalHeart Foundation Research Fellowship worth more than $7,000.An Experimental Officer at the Australian Atomic Energy Commis­~ion at Lucas Heights, Mr. Gatt plans to make a prototype nuclearbattery for a heart pacemaker. About one ten thousandth aspowerful as an ordinary torch battery but only about the size of amatchboX, the nuclear battery, implanted by urgery, would la t morethan ten years. Present heart pacemaker have mercury batterieswhich are effective for about two and a half years.

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December, 1969

Mi s Patricia Walker, an arts student at the University, wacrowned Mattara Princess for 1969 by the Lord Mayor of ewcastlein the ceremony held in Civic Park to mark the opening of theMattara. Mi Walker represented the University of Newca tIe WorldUniver ity Service in the competition. The [967 Mattara Princes,Mis arelle Tacon, a Fourth Year Science Student, was a memberof the panel which selected thi year' Mattara Princess.

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Or. P. H. Scaife, a former teaching fellow and doctoralgraduate in the University of ewcastle, has returned to Australiaafter two years at tbe ational Research Council, Ottawa and hastaken up a re earch post at the Central Research Laboratories ofthe Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited at Shortland.

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•

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December, J969

(By caurte'y GC ewcastle Morning Herald)

PROFESSOR K. W. ROBINSON

PROFESSOR W. F. J. PICKERING

Associate Professor William Frederick 10 eph Pickering wasappointed to a Personal Chair in the Department of Chemistry onSeptember 19. Professor Pickering is a Master of Science and aDoctor of Philosophy in the University of New South Wales andhas pursued almo t his entire educational and academic career atNewcastle, fir t at Newca tie Technical College, then at Newca tIeUniversity College and finally in the University of Newcastle.

As ociate Profe sor Kenneth Wade Robinson was appointedto a Personal Chair in the Department of Geography on September19. Prafes or Robinson is an Honour Graduate in both History andGeography in the University of ew Zealand and held academicpost in the Universities of Otago, Sydney and ew South Walesbefore coming to Newcastle in 1956 a a Lecturer in Geography.

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Mr. 1. F. Vivian, Lecturer in Mathematics, resigned onNovember 6 in order to take up his appointment a Principal Officerin Charge of the Department of Mathematics in the Collel:e ofAdvanced Education at Canberra.

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Or. D. D. S. Karamachetty, a Bachelor of Engineering inthe University of Andhara and a Master of Technology and aDoctor of Philosophy in the University of Kharagpur, took up hisappointment as Senior Tutor in Mechanical Engineering on August I.

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Profe sor A. M. Gibbs took up his appointment to the Chairof English on October 16. A Bachelor of Arts in the Universities ofMelbourne and Oxford and a Bachelor of Literature in the Univer­sity of Oxford, Professor Gibbs was the 1956 Victorian RhodesScholar. He was a Lecturer in English in the University of Adelaidefrom J960 to 1966 and in the Univer ity of Leeds from 1967 to1969.

PROFESSOR A. M. GIBBS

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Mr. A. Ivinskis, a Bachelor of Arts in the University ofQueen land and a Master of Arts in this Univer ity was promotedto the po ition of Lecturer in Psychology on August 30. He wapreviously Senior Demonstrator in Psychology.

Professor Gibbs has published a book on George BernardShaw in tbe Writers and Critics series. He was an original jointeditor and a member of the founding Editorial Committee ofthe Australian Southern Review.

Professor Hart is a First Class Honours Graduate in theUniversity of Western Australia where he obtained prizes in Physicsand in French. He wa awarded a Hackett Studentship and a FrenchGovernment Travelling Bursary and spent some time at the Univer-ity of Paris before completing his doctorate at the University of

Cambridge.In 1961 Dr. Hart joined the staff of the University receiving

promotion through the grades from Lecturer to Associate Professorin the intervening period.

A world authority on the work of James Joyce, ProfessorHart ha written a number of books on Joycean Studies as well aon the hi tory of kites.

6

8 THE GAZETTE December, 1969

Or. !vi. H. Ellis-A First Edition of The Voyage of GovernorPhillip /0 Bo/any Bay, London, printed for John Stockdalein 1789.

Dr. W. R. Laurie-A First Edition of George Bennett's Ga/her­ing.l· of a Naturaliw in A us/ra/asia, London, John VanVoorst, l860.

The Faculty Wives' Association-A pen and wa h drawing ofNewcastle by Queensland artist. Margaret Olley.

The British Council-A donation to the Department of Educationof 24 tape-recordings of talks on various aspects of British life.

Miss Nancy Morison-A donation of a large number of books tothe University Library.

Titan Manufacturing Co. Pty. Ltd.-$1.500 worth of photoelasticequipment for the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Mi5 Marlene Norst-A 1725 German Family Bible, printed in OldGothic script and illustrated with wood carvings.

Contributions toward purchase of equipment forChemi try Department -

Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd .....C.S.R. Chemicals Pty. Ltd.Newbolds General Refractories Ltd.Commercial Union Au tralian GroupDarks Ice WorksCommonwealth Trading BankAmpol Petroleum LimitedKodak Australasia Pty. Ltd.John Lysaghts (Aus!.) Ltd .......Bradmill Industries Ltd.Electric Lamp Manufacturers (Aust.) Pty. Ltd .....

H. L. Wheeler-Cash for Purchase of Library Books.

1,000.00500.00

50.0010.0020.00

500.00100.0050.00

500.00200.00200.00

50.00

Various Professional Accounting Bodies-Subscription to all Austra­lian and leading overseas accounting journals have been donatedto the Research Materials Collection of the Department ofCommerce.

State Dockyard-A donation to the University Library of a numberof journals with extensive back issues dealing with the broadfield of Naval Engineering.

Texas Instrument, Elizabeth, South AustraJia-A large collection ofnew transistors, integrated circuits and other electronic com­ponents.

Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd. and Newbolds General RefractoriesLld-Donations of small quantities of special materials forthesis projects in the Department of Chemical Engineering andIndustrial Chemi try.

Fairchild Semi-Conductor of U.s.A.-A package of transistors andintegrated circuits.

Claude Neon Ltd.-A donation to the Faculty of Architecture of allcathode tubes. tube supports and transformers for the proposedartificial sky being fabricated for the Building Science Labora­tory.

Austral Bronze Metal Manufacturers Pty. Ltd.-A donation of acomplete blower test rig to the Department of MechanicalEngineering for work associated with the desaJination project.

Professor K. H. Hartley-A donation to the University Library ofsome 370 volumes from his personal collection. The works aremainly on French and Italian literature and language.

The United States Information Service-A donation to the UniversityLibrary of 100 volumes. a number of which are concerned with

astronautics.Mr. R. C. Ward-A donation to the University Library of a

fine copy of The A us/ralian Portrait Gallery and Memoirsof Representa/ive Colonial Men, Sydney 1885.

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AUSTRALIAN VICE-CHANCELLORS' COMMITTEEAUSTRALiAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, CANBERRA, SEPTEMBER, 1969

Sir John Crawford, (A.N.V.); Professor L. J. H. Teakle, (Qld.); Professor A. G. Mitchell, (Macquarie); Sir Stanley Prescott,(W.A.); Sir George Car/land, (Tas.); Professor G. M. Badger, (Adelaide); Professor Rupert H. Myers (N.S.W.); Professor B. R.Willial11s (Sydney); Professor J. J. A uchmuty (Newcastle), Chairman; Professor Zelman Cowen (New England); Dr. J. A. L.Matheson (Monash); Dr. David M. Myers (La Trobe); Professor D. P. Derhal11 (Melbourne); Professor P. H. KC/rlll!'l (Flinders).