News Archive

It was the Crawley campus like nobody had ever seen it before.

LUMINOUSnight, the magnificent and spectacular launch of UWA's Centenary, showed off the best of the most beautiful campus in Australia, attracting up to 60,000 people.

The evening, on February 8, could have been renamed PERFECTnight: with the inspirational LUMINOUShall projection on Winthrop Hall, entertainment to suit every taste, thousands of families enjoying the spectacle and the atmosphere all set against a glorious summer night.

The hundreds of staff who worked hard to bring the festival together and ensure it ran smoothly on the night felt proud to welcome to their workplace  the visitors who experienced a new aspect of the campus: one of pure joy.

Even people queuing for 20 minutes for tickets or food seemed happy to soak up the atmosphere with live music, giant puppets and light projections to keep them entertained.

Every session of LUMINOUSnight was sold out, with people cramming the ring road and even Stirling Highway to get a glimpse of what will surely remain the year's most unique visual art experience.

Clint Walker, Director of Facilities Management, said that during one of the later shows, there were about 3,000 people on the median strip and lining Stirling Highway to see the projection on Winthrop Hall. "That was double the number of people with tickets in Whitfeld Court," he said.

Every performance was packed but some visitors were content just to set up their chairs and picnic rugs on Riley Oval and watch the passing parade, including children who quickly created games using the giant peacock painted on the grass.

The idea of using light as the theme of the evening came from Ted Snell, Director of the Cultural Precinct. But back in 2006, when staff were asked for their ideas on celebrating the Centenary, Graeme Rymill from Information Services had suggested a ‘son et lumiere' with fireworks to be launched from the iconic buildings.

Ted was unaware of Graeme's suggestion but they agreed that a great idea can have many parents.

LUMINOUSnight gave way to the Alumni Weekend, during which more than 1,000 alumni revelled in returning to their alma mater.  They enjoyed a feast of presentations and entertainment and it was a joy to see old friends meeting again, whether it was a few years or a few decades since they had last been together.

The stories that flowed would fill a book.

One visitor from Sydney, 73-year-old Margaret Pinchback revealed that, as a young graduate with a new baby, she attended Economics lectures for her husband, who was forced to work full-time to support his young family, while trying to complete his degree.

"He just couldn't get to the lectures, so I went for him, taking the baby in the bassinette," Mrs Pinchback said. "I took very good notes and would discuss them with him that night.  He sat the exam at the end of the year and passed!"

Shaun Tan's sundial, Jenny Gregory's Centenary history, the Centenary CD and Centenary plant were all launched, along with hundreds of rekindled friendships and a renewed interest in the research at UWA.

It was a shining start to a special year.