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  1. Christmas message from University House

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    Christmas message from University House

     


     

    Dear Members and Friends of University House

    Although we’re still more than a year away from reopening ANU Building #1, 2024 has been a year of good progress by the architects, Lovell Chen, and at the building site by the project manager, John Hindmarsh, and their sub-contractors. Some of you were able to see that for yourselves when you joined the Members’ tour in November, and everyone can now see part of that tour in the short video just released by the ANU Alumni Team.

    We’re scheduled to receive the (electronic) keys to University House around this time next year; then follows the process of moving back in. Founders Day 2026, 16 February, is when we hope to celebrate our return to Balmain Crescent – so please keep that date in your calendar. We’ll defer the 2025 Founders Day celebration until the autumn and some of the next milestones in the repair work – details to follow in the new year. In 2025, we’ll continue to waive our membership fee, but you can continue to draw on the reciprocal rights at other institutions – please contact our Membership Team as usual.

    The necessary focus on building design and work has been paralleled over the past few months by a parallel emphasis on fitout details – we hope you’ll enjoy the new look Fellows, Drawing Room and hotel rooms as much as we have in choosing furnishings and fabrics, as you see in the images with this message. Eighteen hotel rooms will be fully restored to 1954 furnishing and feel; the other 80 rooms will celebrate the mid-century modern look, and each will have some of the original Fred Ward furniture, but there will be newer pieces too.

    We’ve also begun, with the assistance of the Drill Hall Gallery Team, planning for the return of the artwork – including those donated, or to be acquired with funds donated, by members – thank you. Your generous donations will also allow us to embellish the renewed University House in other ways which we’re still planning – thank you too! And the Friends of University House Fund remains open for any further gifts at any time.

    Symposium, our wine bar in the ANU Kambri precinct, has flourished this year – thank you for your support, including to those who joined our Members’ Christmas Dinner last week. On your next visit, you might like to sample our latest wine – Professor Brian Schmidt’s first Shiraz Viognier vintage, complementing other great local wines and many by women winemakers. The Symposium team, led by Albert and Dan, will take a well-deserved break after 20 December, returning on 3 February. I thank them, and all of the University House team, for their continuing dedication and good work on your behalf in 2025.

    Wishing you, your family and friends all the best for the end of 2024 and the new year ahead. We thank you sincerely for your commitment to University House, and to helping us keep the spirit of the House strong while we await its renewal!

    Professor Peter Kanowski
    Master

  2. Give now

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    Since its founding in 1954, University House has been at the centre of the ANU community, nurturing the social and intellectual capital which support and nourish so many parts of ANU life.

    But like many of our national institutions, University House has endured an unprecedented series of blows in the past four years – extreme weather events, a global pandemic, and the disruption of normal campus life and its cherished social and scholarly traditions. Our buildings have sustained significant damage, and immediate repair and refurbishment work has been constrained by the University’s challenging financial situation.

    Our vision is for University House to remain true to its origins as Building Number 1 – the vibrant heart of the University’s social, intellectual and ceremonial life.

    Your philanthropic support for University House can help us to restore and enhance this unique heritage-listed precinct for the benefit of ANU and the community we serve.

    The scale of work before us is significant, and every philanthropic dollar helps. Your support can help preserve and enhance an iconic, heritage-listed cultural asset and renew a vibrant community hub for our University.

    You can support University House with a tax-deductible gift to our general fund, which will provide flexible funding to help us fulfill our vision for the future of the House. Or you may prefer to speak with us about directing your gift to a specific area of need – such as a much-loved room or design feature. Click the link below to make a tax-deductible donation.

     

    Friends of University House Fund

     

     

    Images above: The roof restoration stage of the building works. 2022