Melbourne

Hawthorn

After the week's induction course in Sydney, all the scholarship students were assigned to their respective places of study. I was sent to Swinburne Technical College in Melbourne. I did not like the accommodation arranged for me at Richmond. It was full-board at a hostel run by Mrs. Henderson. I was sharing room with another African student from Nigeria. I remember the smell of lamb chops on all the bed sheets! Breakfast and dinner were provided; but I had to buy my own lunch at the college cafeteria. That was usually a salad roll and a milk shake, with malt. My favourite lunch was Four&Twenty pies with large chunks of real beef inside. Fish and chips were also quite yummy! I had no problem getting used to the western style food because any thing will taste good after what I had for two years as a boarder at Tanjong! After a month I moved into a rented property shared with 4 other Asian students. I started cooking my own meals from then onwards. Some times I bought takeaway from Rice Bowl cafe on Burwood Road, opposite Swinburne college. Life was not that easy, having to go shopping and carrying every thing home on foot from Safeway Stores, near the Camberwell junction. Cars were cheap but very expensive to maintain.

These are the Asian students at the Catholic Student centre in Footscray. Our chaplain was Fr. O'Connor.

Next to me was Joseph Lee (2nd left), a close friend from Sabah. We spent a lot of time together. Joseph owned a very old Ford Popular which he bought for 80 pounds as soon as he arrived. He was sent by the Sabah gomen for 2 years in-service training in graphic arts at RMIT. We sowed a lot of wild oats in Melbourne. The Ozzie girls were blonde hair, blue eyed, able and very willing. I still have very fond memories of Lynette Barbeta, Elizabeth Thomas, Marie Culhane Zangelini and Leigh Goodaire*