Page 34 - Luce 2020

A l u mni News
A l umni News

Perspectives gained through

a seventy-year association

During her long association with the College, Dr Fiona Caro (Macleod
1950) has been a student, tutor, Vice-Principal, Chair of the College Council,
and a College Fellow. During the COVID lockdown, she took time to talk
with the Principal about how the College and the University have changed
during that time, and what remains the same.

How did you become involved with the events as well as College events. I played
College, and what are your memories hockey in a University team.
from student days?
It was a very enriching environment
JCH was ideal for me, a country girl at JCH. If we were back early in the
from Tasmania who had been at school afternoon we enjoyed afternoon tea in
at Clyde in country Victoria. For me, our Common Room (now SCR), listening Samuel. The arrival of Professor Joseph
the ‘big smoke’ of Melbourne was very to the long-playing records of classical Burke from London to take up the new
exciting. I had no sense that there was music from the College collection. ‘Herald Chair’ of Fine Arts was also very
any other choice. To JCH was where I important for us all.
was always going. One late afternoon Miss Joske encouraged us to go to parties
I toured the College. I enrolled for with the Trinity students – she was old- I always took part in the Trinity plays
scholarship exams later and luckily fashioned in that way. She was very strict with enthusiasm. I was keen on drama,
won one. I stayed in College for all four about leave passes. It was all so exciting and had been in many school plays.
years of my Honours course in Modern and there were so many parties! If you We also had plays in the French and
Languages. Miss Joske was the Principal were going to be out after 10.30pm you German Departments. We hankered
– I think she was ideal in that role. It was had to write a leave pass. You were only after being in the University Review, but
her last 18 months at JCH. She was very allowed a certain number of these late Miss Joske advised against that as it took
caring, and very keen for us to excel in passes. You could go out until 10.30pm too much time from our studies. We
our studies. It felt like a home. I still love without a pass – I recall you could get reluctantly took her advice.
that atmosphere in the College today. to a play at the Union Theatre and back
We were very well looked after. to College by 10.30pm, but if you were And then, of course, there was Carlton!
invited for coffee you were too late Lygon St was cosmopolitan and exciting
Miss Joske certainly did not seem so old ‘home’! And if you were late back you to us – the influx of Italians and Greeks,
to us, although she was hard of hearing had to see Miss Joske! But we did not the interesting varieties of food! I was
using an old-fashioned hearing aid with really mind. I think we needed that care studying some Italian so I loved hearing
a microphone in a little bag. She was – we were young and naive ‘Freshers’. I the language spoken in the local
ambitious for us all academically – she think we needed the discipline to ensure community. On some afternoons we
encouraged us to make the most of our we studied well and got our essays in on would go there to explore and ‘taste the
education. She was committed to the time! wares’ after lectures.
Classics and she used to encourage us
to have play readings with the students She used to invite us to her place at At other times – not often – we would
from Trinity College. As we were part Harkaway on a Sunday – she would get on the tram to go shopping in
of Trinity, it really can’t have been easy come down from High Table on a Friday Collins or Bourke Streets and that was
for her having their oversight in the night and invite two students to go with fun. I recall we bought prints (such as
management of the College. It must have her. Sometimes we did not really want to reproductions of French Masters that
been humiliating for her to be under go because we might miss some exciting we had discovered in Dean’s bookshop)
the authority of the Trinity Warden, Dr social event, but we wouldn’t dream of to decorate our studies. Sometimes
John Behan – but I think she handled saying no! And we would enjoy it. We we also went down into the city for
it graciously. She was an admirable would do some gardening for her. It was concerts. This reminds me… In our first
person. a bush garden, wild & beautiful. She was year at JCH Miss Joske matched the
a sympathetic person for young people. students very thoughtfully. We slept on
We felt close to the University and We were excited about the new world the balcony and shared a study with
Miss Joske encouraged that. Our tutors opening up to us. The University was our another girl. I shared with Dorothea
were mostly University tutors running whole world – as well as JCH and Trinity Jessop (McLennan 1950) from Brisbane.
Trinity tutorials. We had Olive Wykes events, there were plays and revues in She was studying Music and we have
for French and Anita Rosenberg for the University Union Theatre, debates been friends ever since. She now lives
German, and Dr Knight for English and general lectures. I was very fortunate in England. She was a pianist and would
Literature – they were all a wonderful in my French and German lecturers be often in the music practice room
influence. We took part in the University – Professor Chisholm and Professor which gave me more time to work alone

34 LUCE Number 19 2020