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Salient: An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 12, No. 2, March 16th, 1949.
[Introduction]
In the trading of brains with other countries, New Zealand has a pretty uneven trade balance on the wrong side of the ledger. We did mark up something to our credit when E. A. Plishke came to New Zealand. In any place, an architect with a world reputation would be an asset. In this country of much building and few architects, he assumes major significance.
The 1947 A.G.M. decided unanimously that Plishke should be responsible for the planning of the new Students' Union Building. And so, when Salient wanted to find out just what was going to happen to all this money when it is finally raised, we knew that the only way to find out was to ask Plishke.
We managed to interview him in a coffee house which was about half as crowded as the Caf. at 5 p.m.—this fact brought home the urgency of having a place which can cater for the needs of students.
"A lot of thinking seems to have gone," he said, "into the gathering of money to build this for you. Into the form of the building; into the functions which it should serve, very little."
"Your building can be an answer to a very real problem in New Zealand universities—the lack of any social focus. At present, when you go up there, you go into the Cafeteria and get out as soon as you have finished eating; you go into the Library, but—ssh; you go into your common rooms, but where can you talk, relax?"
We saw what he meant. The men's common room at 5 p.m. isn't really suited to quiet discussion.