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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria University College, Wellington N.Z. Vol. 20, No. 5. May 2, 1957

[Introduction]

Much the most interesting looking portrait in the College library shows a little old man with a wry smile sitting cross-logged with a pipe on the arm of his chair.

It represents Professor G. W. von Zedlitz, knows as "Von" to a generation of V.U.C. modem languages students.

Arriving at the College in 1901 (aged 31), his personality and background made him a first favourite with college clubs. From a German father and an English mother, he had derived a broad European culture, and had debated at Oxford with Belloc. His wit was sharp, often barbed and he hated sham.

The Heretics' Club, V.U.C.'s bannerbearer of daring thought in the early 1990's, adopted Von enthusiastically and he it.

At the same time he joined the O.T C. (the Officers Training Corps, [unclear: or "old] tom cat") formed at V.U.C. in 1909—in the words of "Spike." "the latest form assumed by the military epidemic at Victoria." Marching around Kelburn Park to barked orders, Von little thought he would fall victim to this epidemic in another sense.

He became part of New Zealand so rapidly that he entirely neglected the official move of taking British citizenship.