Interview with Robert Dickson and Ralph Middenway – A Discussion about the design and construction of the new Union Building in the mid-to-late 1960s.
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2007-08
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Sound
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Ralph Middenway began working at the University in 1965, and quickly became involved in planning the new Union Hall building at the North Terrace campus. With the assistance of Graham Sweeney, Ralph developed an architectural brief which he presented to the Union House Committee, and suggested that architect Bob Dickson would be a great fit for the project. Around mid-1967 Bob joined the project after working in both Italy and Adelaide – most recently on the Arkaba building at Fullarton. He had been approached by the University to work on the Kathleen Lumley College project, and almost simultaneously the Union Hall. As it developed, the Union Bookshop also emerged as a need that was to be met by the new building. In this interview, Ralph and Bob discuss the planning, development, debates around and final outcomes of the project, providing great insight into a significant moment in the history of the development of the University.