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It was a grand campus tour fit for an ‘Oracle’.

In December our much beloved UWA icon dubbed the ‘Oracle’ donned his UWA gear and vast campus knowledge to give staff the final ‘Terry Tour’.

Terry Larder had been welcoming staff, students and the general community to UWA for 28 years.

After almost three decades of service, Terry decided to call it a day, but not before he made his mark in the form of fun and frivolity.

The final staff tour and unveiling of a commemorative bench, celebrated not only Terry’s long love affair with UWA, but also the wonderful team of UWA graduate volunteers of the Visitors Centre for their dedication and service over the past 18 years.

The tour was followed by a toast to Terry and all of his inspiring volunteers, of whom four were in attendance for the bench unveiling in the Tropical Grove:

Dr Ted Adler (B.D.Sc. ’51, M.D.Sc. ’54) - UWA’s first dental graduate

Mr Paul Campbell (B.A ‘53; M.B.A ‘77) - a past lecturer in accounting

Mrs Jane Green( B.A. ’60, Grad.Dip.Ed. ’61) - a former acting principal of Hollywood Senior High School and current volunteer at the Visitors Centre

Mrs Freda Livingston (B.A. ’53, Teach.Cert. ’54) - a retired teacher and the inaugural volunteer at the Visitors Centre

Brenda Tournier, Associate Director from Development and Alumni Relations, said Terry and the volunteers were treasured members of our community who represented much of what is good in us - service, generosity, passion.

“This is a celebration of contribution and community.  It is a toast, literally and figuratively, to three decades of service from a man who knows our secrets and loves us just the same,” Brenda said.

Following amusing anecdotes, fun facts and sensational stories, Terry was reflective of his time at UWA and upbeat about what the future will bring in his much talked-about retirement.

“Time is more than two hands on a clock. Time allows us to store many memories and like the board game Snakes and Ladders, my memories in reflection have been mostly ‘up’ moments,” Terry said.

While it’s hard to imagine anyone being able to fill in Terry’s shoes, our ‘Oracle 2’, Mrs Jane Green continues to welcome visitors to UWA, carrying on Terry’s legacy with graduate pride, and a warm smile.