Above: Reunion attendees catch up over dinner at the Christchurch Club, where they also heard from guest speaker, Lianne Dalziel, ex-Mayor of Christchurch.
Pictured above: UC Third Pro Engineering Class of 1969 (inclusive of all Engineering disciplines)
In late October, Third Pro Civil Engineering alumni gathered at the University of Canterbury Ilam Homestead to kick off the Class of ‘69’s 55th Anniversary Reunion. After a weekend of reminiscing with fellow classmates, Rod Cameron, a coordinator of the now-regular class catch-ups and Co-Director and Industry Liaison of the CanConstruct programme at Massey University, recounts how quickly conversations pick up, with old lab partners, flatmates and friends always eager to make the most of their time together.
Nearly 30 alumni and family members from across New Zealand participated in the weekend’s events—the encouraging turn-out reflecting the enduring strength of the bonds and connections this extraordinary group has maintained over the years. Tours of the UC laboratories and facilities helped weekend-goers stay grounded in current teachings, while guest speakers Brendan Bradley (Dep HoD, UC Civil Engineering Department), Helen Trappitt (Director, Lewis Bradford Consulting Engineers), Jim Bradley (Technical Director, Stantec) and Enda Crossin (HoD, UC Electrical and Computer Engineering Department) shared industry developments and personal insights and learnings.
Other highlights from the weekend included a panel discussion reflecting on the Class of ‘69 donor-funded 2023 pilot course ‘Communication Matters’. Established as a class philanthropy initiative during the 2019 reunion after questions were raised on how to best help engineers facing difficult presentations mid-career, the two-day practice-orientated course was designed to introduce techniques for effective interactions with government, business, professions, a variety of media channels, and the public throughout the engineering sector. With the programme being well-met by industry professionals, the University of Canterbury is now looking to expand its offerings, with the potential for two courses in 2025.
In spite of some exceptionally wet weather on Saturday, the group visited the Christchurch City Centre followed by a tour of the Christchurch Town Hall. Having studied the Town Hall’s construction in 1969 as a part of the Structural Engineering course, Rod shared how discussions on the Christchurch earthquakes rebuild and repairs helped establish a natural connection, linking the present back to the past and 1969. Those same links were further cemented on Sunday with a private screening of feature-length documentary ‘Maurice and I’. Celebrating the transformative partnership of Town Hall architects Sir Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney, and the efforts of the Christchurch community to save the earthquake-damaged Town Hall from demolition, the film provided alumni with an emotional look back on a beloved lecturer, leaving many with tear-stained cheeks as the final credits rolled.
Finishing the weekend with a leisurely lunch on Sunday afternoon, a class consensus was reached that five years is too long between meetups. With email and social media replacing Rod’s old facsimile machine as the standard group communication medium, Rod is already thinking ahead to the next gathering, planned for 2026.
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