The Development of the Faculty after World War II
From Faculty of Medicine Online Museum and Archive
In the optimistic post-war environment, Faculty made plans for developments which had long been delayed by the Depression and the war. It was flooded with students, many of whom were returned soldiers supported by CRTS Scholarships. This broadened the social spectrum of the intake, which was further diversified by The Colombo Plan students from South East Asia, and numerous refugee doctors from continental Europe who were forced to retrain to acquire registration in Australia. Classes in first year reached a high of 600; lectures were duplicated or held in the newly–built Wallace Theatre, and shifts for practical classes ran from 8am into the evening. Temporary accommodation was erected. Some of these transient buildings still remain half a century later, but others such as the ‘barn’ adjacent to the Blackburn Building have long since made way for new structures. The exodus from Europe also brought some imminent researchers to Sydney such as biochemist Dr Max Rudolph (Rudi) Lemberg and biophysicist (Sir) Dr Bernard Katz.
Go to next article in timeline: Royal North Shore Hospital Becomes a Clinical School of the Faculty in 1947