Capturing Monash Uni student life and migrant stories of the 1960s & 70s

10 July 2024 4:56pm

A rare photographic exhibition by Harry Fatouros, offers a unique glimpse into student life at Monash University and the experiences of European migrants and their children in Melbourne during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Harry Fatouros who began his photography journey in his teenage years, had to set it aside due to university studies, a teaching career, and family responsibilities. It wasn’t until 2001 that he rekindled his passion, focusing on documenting the career of a now-renowned sculptor. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Fatouros took the opportunity to digitise and organise his historic negatives, alongside selecting newer digital images for online display.

His collection, developed from 35mm black and white negatives taken with a Pentax Spotmatic camera and Kodak TriX film, survived over five decades of travels and has now been digitised for this exhibition which showcases a series of black-and-white images that document the lives of students and migrant families who settled in Melbourne’s Eastern and South Eastern suburbs, including Mt. Waverley, Glen Waverley, Clayton, Springvale, and Oakleigh.

The 1950s saw a significant influx of European migrants to Melbourne, many of whom settled in the city’s manufacturing hubs like Dandenong and Fisherman’s Bend.

Antonis, Evangelos & Andreas – three Greek men who arrived in Melbourne in 1956, all with children who gained degrees at Monash Clayton in the 1970s.

These migrants, eager to secure a better future for their families, created a high demand for educational opportunities, particularly university placements.

Moomba Parade 1968. Migrant communities joining in the local cultural events.

Monash University, established in 1961, played a pivotal role in meeting this demand. Starting with an initial intake of 347 students, the university’s student population soared to 9,500 by 1969, largely comprising individuals from migrant and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Evangelos and family on a Sunday country drives in the back-blocks of Rowville,1968 .

The University distinguished itself with its modern and inclusive approach, in contrast to the more traditional university environment in Melbourne at the time.

Greek family in Oakleigh backyard adopting local culture and tending to the sausages on the BBQ 1968.

Its diverse student body, many from public high schools and migrant families, brought fresh perspectives on higher education. This period was marked by numerous student meetings to shape the university’s governance and a vibrant Student Union offering new experiences to students from various socio-economic backgrounds.