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The iconic Reflection Pond has had its biggest make-over since it was dug by students in 1932.

It will be cleaner, and safer for its resident ducks.

As a team from Grounds (Facilities Management) drained the mud and sludge from the bottom of the 80-year-old pond, Horticulture Supervisor Jamie Coopes said it had been about 20 years since it had last been drained.

"The ducks are loving it - finding all sorts of treats in the mud," he said. "We found a few dollars too, from people throwing in a coin and making a wish."

Staff and visitors who wished for better facilities for the ducks and geese who live in and around the pond have had their wishes come true.

Cracks in the floor of the pond meant the water level was constantly dropping and new-born ducklings sometimes found it impossible to jump high enough to get out of the water and onto dry land.

The main purpose of the make-over was to fix the cracks and reseal the pond for the first time in its history.

There are also duck ramps installed in each corner of the pond to help the ducklings (and any other small animals that might fall in) get out of the water.

Some half soakwells have been installed to provide refuge from bird predators for the large fish that will be stocked in the pond.

An aerator will help to keep the water clean and healthy.

"We don't want to interfere with the pond's reflective qualities so the aerator will only be used at night," Jamie said.

The pond is home to a flock of Mane Geese and sometimes to families of Canadian Mountain Ducks (the ones with white collars) as well as the local ducks whose ducklings are always a big attraction in late winter and spring.

When the sludge was cleaned from the bottom of the pond, a name appeared. Grounds staff could make out HARROLD.  UWA historian Jenny Gregory said the name was probably carved by one of the students who dug the pond.

"Engineering students did most of the work," said Winthrop Professor Gregory, from the Centre for Western Australian History. "So it is likely to be one of them."

But staff in the University's Office of Development and Alumni Relations could find no graduate with that name from any faculty in the 1930s, let alone with the name of Harrold as either a first or family name.

Professor Gregory said the University's first seven graduates in Dentistry, in 1951, included a K I Harrold. But that was nearly 30 years after the pond was dug, so it was unlikely to be him.

If anybody has a clue to the name at the bottom of the pond, please contact us at UWAnews: [email protected]