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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 28, No. 4. 1965.

Multitude Marches

Multitude Marches

The biggest student demonstration in this University's history took place last Thursday when student marchers in their hundreds poured into Parliament Grounds.

Actual marchers numbered 1000 as they entered the grounds, and other groups of students present swelled the total to a claimed 1500.

To the beat of drums, students swung out from the University at 1pm. Staff lined the road and other students cheered as the march moved down Salamanca Road behind the lead banner: "Government Inaction Leads to Desperation."

Girls with pamphlets flitted amongst cars and passers-by.

As students moved down The Terrace, office workers came out to watch, and all accepted pamphlets. Salient reporters checked public reaction, which they found mostly favourable.

Only incidents in the march occurred here when water bombs showered from a construction site and the driver of a concretemixer tried to drive through the procession.

As the first marchers reached Parliament Grounds, the last were still in Woodward Street. Press and TV photographers clambered for good positions, and several more waited on Parliament steps.

Police barred the main entrance to Parliament Buildings in force, and inside police reinforcements mingled with watching MPs.

As students formed up before Parliament, Mr. Nordmeyer appeared, to announce that Mr. Holyoake and Mr. Kinsella "apparently" both had an "important engagement." He accepted the petition and then strongly criticised government inaction on the issues put forward by students.

In a speech punctuated with applause, he criticised delays in university building, reiterated Labour's policy of 80 per cent hostel subsidies, and described boarding bursaries as "pitifully inadequate."

Students' cheered Mr. Nordmeyer, then peacefully dispersed.