New College opens ... 1969
Circa 1969 (Front Row): second from left Dr John Higinbotham, Rev Noel Pollard (Master), Phil Grouse (Dean), Dr Russell Clark with the rest of the inaugural academic staff (Tutors).
The College opened in February 1969 with a full intake of 210 male students. Apart from care and support for students, the College sought to engage intellectually with the University and wider community. See a brief History of New»
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Flash Back to … 1974
• Tom Walsh (pictured below right) was elected New College Students Association (NCSA) Chair and Bill Barwick Secretary.
• Women were admitted to NewCollege for the first time as residents.The Chair of the NSCA wrote: “The year has been the first (of many, I hope) with female New Collegians,who have, as anticipated, altered College life. College life, as a whole,has been enriched by their presence,but their contribution could be increased. Their numbers willbe increased in 1975 and I hope their presence will be felteven more. Their contribution has been felt and this can onlyenhance advantages of living in New College.”
• A system of College Blues was created for achievement insports and leadership; the NCSA’s first of these awards weremade at the 1974 Valedictory Dinner.
• The first O’Week committee was set up in 1974; prior to thisit was coordinated by a single organizer, this resulted in “amuch more exciting Orientation Week programme than everbefore, emphasis was placed on creating opportunities formembers to meet one another.”
• Did you know the sporting colours of New College wereoriginally red and black? But 1974 saw a change of sportingcolours to black, blue and grey, in order to bring both thesporting and academic colours together.
Flash Back to … 1981
• Nando Nicotra was in his 5th year of Architecture, had an HD average and only slept “10 hours a week”. A keen sportsman, Nando was a member of College’s victorious squash team, and also captained College’s Soccer 2nds to victory in the final against Warrane!
• Dave McDonald was College Shop Manager and a hard working Director and participator at Garden Night.
• The New College Men’s Tennis Team “miraculously” won the intercollege competition, winning 5 matches and losing one (to Warrane). Warrane and Shalom were the main opposition. Karl Gubbay, Paul Drabsch, Mario Pacak, Bruce Barry, Warren Smith, Greg Thackeray and Peter Hicks all played.
• The College Ball was held in the courtyard with the theme Spaceshuffle and it was “a great night of dancing, socializing and fun” according to organizer Jude Capel.
• Mark Holloway pushed his vehicle from Broadway to Kensington in the annual Car Rally, and participants did “a quick run up and back 81 Basser steps”
• Peter Hicks was a member of the Netball Team: “I had the privilege of being a New College resident from 1980 to 1984. It represents some of the great things about New College. We were a group of diverse ages, home bases and
university studies. In this group is at least one social worker, civil engineer, psychologist, Doctor and town planner. We came from Wollongong, Canberra 
and Yass to name a few home locations and comprised freshers through to postgraduate students. Yet we all under the New College banner donned our Netball skirts to uphold the sporting tradition of New! I have great memories of my time at New and now enjoy helping as a Board Member at Robert Menzies College at Macquarie University. In two years time my eldest daughter will be considering University and who knows she may attend New!”
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