Dunedin Medical School opened

The British campaign against the Germans in East Africa: A detachment of the Kings African Rifles in a skirmish with a German patrol. - Otago Witness, 4.4.1917.
The British campaign against the Germans in East Africa: A detachment of the Kings African Rifles in a skirmish with a German patrol. - Otago Witness, 4.4.1917.
The official opening of the new Medical School, which has been erected as as adjunct to the University of Otago, took place yesterday afternoon.

The Chancellor of the University (the Rev. Andrew Cameron) presided, and was accompanied on the platform by Sir James Allen (Acting Prime Minister), Mr J. J. Clark (Mayor of the City), Dr Lindo Ferguson (Dean of the Medical Faculty), Mr John Roberts, C.M.G., and Mr G. L. Denniston.

The attendance was very large, and included a number of local members of Parliament, city and suburban councillors, members of the University staff and the medical profession, members of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, representatives of the various religious denominations, and many other friends of the University.

The Chancellor congratulated not only the University but also the city of Dunedin, and the whole dominion, on this mark of progress in connection with the Medical School. He was sure they would see that the erection of such a building, expressly for the purpose of the bacteriological, pathological and other departments, was a great advance on anything they had hitherto.

He would like first of all, in the name of the council, to thank those who had helped to secure such a fine building. He mentioned first of all the press.

Both the papers in Dunedin had again and again come the help of the University, and when the proposal was made to erect this building the press at once came to the help of the council and did everything possible to make the movement a great success.

Then there was the band of citizens who entered into the scheme with such heartiness that within three months of the first appeal being made they had promises amounting to very nearly 8000. The council thought that a marvellous piece of good fortune, for the reason that the appeal was made just before the outbreak of the war, being made in March, and the war starting in August of 1914.

Then they owed a great deal in connection with the building to the way in which the staff had not only assisted in the planning of it, but by the gifts they had given towards it. To the staff they were indebted for about one-tenth of the whole amount that had been promised. (Applause.)

The University owed a very great deal, also, to the trustees of the Dunedin Savings Bank. He was glad they had with them on the platform the chairman of the trustees (Mr G. L. Denniston). In 1903, at which time the University was in financial straits - that, however, was a chronic condition of the council - (laughter) - the trustees of the bank gave no less than 6500 to the University.

When the new Medical School building was proposed, and a deputation waited upon the trustees, they promised 750, and when it was subsequently found that it would be necessary to spend something like 1200 on the foundations of the building, the trustees increased the donation by another 750.

•A correspondent suggests that, on the day before Anzac Day, the head masters of the public schools should read to the boys and girls in the Upper Standards as many extracts as possible from Mr John Masefield's ''Gallipoli'' in order that the children of the dominion may realise and remember the noble deeds that were performed on the 25th April, 1915, and in order that they may understand what ''Anzac'' means to them.

Our correspondent, who has been deeply moved by reading the extracts from ''Gallipoli'' that were published in the Australian Monthly Life, suggests that selected passages from that work should be published in leaflet form and given to every boy and girl in the schools.

- ODT, 3.4.1917.

COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ 

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