Reminiscences of Robb College

Abstract

The first men's college at UNE was Wright College, and plans for the construction of the 'second men's college' were first displayed in October, 1958, and caused some excitement among the students who were to become the occupants. This college was to be built south-west of Wright College on the open expanse of a dairy farm which had been acquired by the recently autonomous University of New England. The concept was an ambitious one, provided by a new architectural graduate from the University of Sydney, Michael Dysart, who had just been appointed to the NSW Government Architect's Office. The new college was subsequently named Robb College after William Menzies Robb, appointed Registrar of the New England University College in 1948, and who guided NEUC through the process of becoming autonomous as the University of New England in 1954. Sadly, he died in 1958, and was honoured by the naming of the second men's college after him when it was officially opened in 1960. The first Master was B.C.J. (Ben) Meredith, the Warden of Students at UNE from 1956 to 1960, who was Master of Robb from 1960 to 1966.