MICAEL - LIFE AT UOW

By way of introduction I am a self described “old fart mature age Uni student”, born and bred no more than a kilometre from where the university now stands. In fact, when I was just a little blighter my friends and myself would go “rabbiting” on “Chinnock’s farm” which is now UOW.

I first attended UOW in 1973, the year after completing my HSC at Wollongiong High. Too young is my excuse for failing miserably at that attempt. Upon reflection, I had just turned eighteen and really should have taken a year or two away from scholarship.

In my previous life I worked for wages for many years as a plant operator. I’ve dug holes all over Wollongong. I was thus employed when the Hope Theatre was built. I distinctly remember having lunch sitting in the partially built lecture theatre on the south western corner of the stage of the Hope Theatre and telling my boss; “You never know, I might be sitting in here one day attending lectures”.
Wonder of wonders, here I am attending lectures in the Hope Theatre.


Retrenched at Xmas in 2004 from my tiresome excavating employment I tried to work for other companies. No probs getting the work, it just wasn’t the same, the fire had gone out. Off to Centrelink to see the JET adviser who suggested a TAFE course. In July 05 I enrolled in the Diploma course at Wollongong TAFE and eighteen months later emerged with a Diploma in Comm. & Media and a bonus forty eight UOW credit points. I came to Uni on the say so of my mentors from TAFE. I only knew earthmoving up to this time and the prospect of Uni was daunting to say the least. I applied anyway and was accepted in BCM, on the second round. Being divorced and single with my son now 18 and old enough to take care of himself financially I decided to let fate take its course and enrolled at UOW in 2007.

I can only describe my experience ay UOW as one of expansion. The work load was huge compared to TAFE and the learning curve was ditto. The enjoyment I get from my epistemological advancement is priceless.


Normally being the oldest student in the room does not faze me. It is great to be in a discussion about issues/subjects that are “ancient history” to the majority of students and being able to draw on the knowledge that I actually lived through it, especially since the rise of neo-liberalism and globalisation.
I try to share some of my experience in tutes, possibly with mixed reactions from fellow students. I understand the natural interaction of the culturally re-inforced tensions existing between “young dudes/ old fart” which I deal with easily by not shoving my opinion down their young throats, instead speaking only from my previous experience explaining that I am not qualified to sit in judgement of them, nor to offer advice.This outlook has enabled me to have some very lively discussions with the younger students here. I’ve got great respect for them and when I show it to them, I get it back.

From digging holes to “Digg”ing on line. My hopes and dreams? My future lies I know not where. Opportunities are presented in one’s life, all you need to do is keep a weather eye out and recognise them. When I see an opportunity presented, I take it. For myself, the only thing that makes me fail is fear. I try to kick the fear out and when I am successful in kicking that fear out I achieve so much more. If I fail I have solace in that I did my best without being “scared”. I do not predict my future. I stay in today and try to enjoy the journey, not the destination.

Having got that of my chest, I would like to bee a part of developing relationships between local students and those from overseas. It sticks out like dog’s the segregation between locals and “others” and I intensely dislike the obvious invisible boundaries on campus.

As from earlier, speaking only from my own experience, each session I have tried to make friends with overseas students, to actually live the “cultural myth" of Australians being open, warm and friendly people. How do I achieve this? By turning the ‘us/them’ dichotomy upside down and seeking similarities instead of differences.

By the time I finish I hope to be able to have rid myself of the continually re-inforced false western philosophy of "others", replacing it with “us” and seeing a campus where students actively engage in critical analytical thought through epistemological endeavour as well as sharing in the great knowledge available in FtF communication with overseas students. I see only the first half of that occurring at my University at this point in time.