Page 2 - Luce 2014

L UCE

Dr Eva Eden AM 5 December 1924 – 7 July 2014

On 7 July 2014 the College was was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to
deeply saddened by the passing education.
of Dr Eva Eden, who led the
College through 21 years of As Tim Thwaites (1973) reminded listeners at the large
change from 1964 to 1984. As gathering in her honour, Eva will be forever associated with
Dr Eden’s friends and students the introduction of male students into the life of the College
across many generations and — an opportunity for which he and those first three other JCH
different walks of life met in the men, and the many generations who have followed, are deeply
College to celebrate her life and grateful. She worked tirelessly with the Committee to raise
contribution, they were struck funds for a new Common Room now named in her honour, as
by the breadth of Eva’s varied she sought to improve and upgrade the building with state-of-
and remarkable achievements in education. The high esteem the-art infrastructure, including the first student computers in
in which Eva was held in educational circles and her national the Melbourne colleges. Having introduced coeducation, Eva
profile as an administrator were balanced, as testimonies in ended the College ‘cooking test’ (domestic economy exam
her honour reflected, by her abiding interest in the success tied to the Manifold bequest) which, by the 1960s, was viewed
of those students in her care - although the true extent of this as increasingly anachronistic. While all who knew her would
interest was not always self-evident to students, for whom Eva agree that cooking was never her strong suit, Janet Clarke Hall
remained a deeply private woman. It was noted that hers was enjoyed a strong intercollegiate reputation for the quality of its
an oftentimes radical reforming agenda for the College at a food during her years at Principal.
time of tumultuous change in higher education, and for society
in general. Many remembered a word from Eva, or a practical As Dr Eden told the current Principal towards the end of her
gesture of support, that had helped them in their formative life, she felt that she spent her most important days and made
years at JCH. her greatest contribution within the walls of Janet Clarke
Hall. Her final, remarkable act of generosity was to leave a
Eva Eden came to Janet Clarke Hall in 1964 with a national significant bequest, promising $450,000, through which the
reputation as a biochemist and an administrator. Following College will continue to advance its plans for the future.
a distinguished education at Girton College, Cambridge Eva
had taught within the Universities of Sydney and Western Never one to look backwards, the College has lost, with the
Australia, and from the time of her arrival in Australia in 1951 passing of Dr Eden, a most devoted and loyal servant.
was quickly drawn into the collegiate world through a deputy
headship at Women’s College Sydney and the headship of St Dr Damian Powell
Catherine’s College UWA. Her belief that students should be Principal
taken and treated seriously was present from the time of her
appointment. As the Age reported, Dr Eden ‘believes in giving
students quite a lot of freedom, and she expects them to have
high standards’. Eva felt that the College must modernise and
change to reflect the world around it — most powerfully by
admitting men in 1973 — but in other significant ways such
as the early adoption of computers for student support in
the 1980s, and the deepening of conference trade to offset
student fees. She was deeply proud of her students, following
the careers of those many such as Nobel Laureate Elizabeth
Blackburn (1966), and Director of the Royal Children’s
Hospital Centre for Adolescent Health, Prof Susan Sawyer
(1981), who went on from JCH to great success.

Dr Eden was at once actively critical of and deeply devoted Dr Eden in conversation with Prof Susan Sawyer at an alumni
to institutional life. Always a ‘joiner’, Eva’s years of College reunion: Susan had worked closely with Eva during her time as
leadership were balanced by voluntary service in a range Senior Student of the College in 1982. In retirement Dr Eden
of educational bodies including Firbank Grammar, Toorak remained deeply interested in the success of her students
College and as Chairman of the Association of Independent
Schools of Victoria. President of the Australian Residential
Colleges and the Australian College of Education, she served Our back cover image is taken from a large photo
on the Melbourne University Council from 1972 to 1975. presented to Dr Eden by her students. It held pride of place
Eva was Victorian President of the Australian Federation among her possessions, and was gifted to the College by Dr
of University Women and Chairman of the Women in Eden at her passing. The image shows Kate Norman (1970)
Management Group at the Australian Institute of Management. and Kathy Esson (1971), both of whom worked closely
In 1975 the State Government appointed her to Chair the with Dr Eden as Senior Students of the College in 1972 and
Victorian Status of Women Committee, which led to Victoria’s 1973, with Geoff Chettle (Trinity) and ‘Kiro’ (whom JCH
first Equal Opportunity Legislation. In 1986 the University students snuck into the 1972 College photo). Geoff is now
of Melbourne recognised Eva’s contribution to education a County Court judge. Readers might help the College with
with the Doctor of Laws honoris causa. That same year she information on the name and subsequent career of ‘Kiro’

2 LUCE Number 13 2014