The End of an Era

It is fitting that we should pay tribute in these columns to two brothers who have served the college to well over the past six or seven years. Kevin O'Brian was elected Secretory of (he Association in June 1947. After the ideas of Much in 1948 he was elected President, an office which ho held (except for a brief period following his resignation in April 1950) until June 1951 when he did not seek re-election. He had been appointed College Council Representative in 1949. and was reappointed to this office in 1951. He resigned from this post last year and was succeeded by his brother Maurice. Maurice has since been appointed to serve on the Council for a further two years. It is particularly interesting to note, that in the case both of Maurice and of Kevin, each, at the time of his withdrawal from Executive office held the office of College Council Representative, and Provident of N.Z.U.S.A. Maurice himself was first elected to the executive as Vice-President in 1950. was re-elected in 1951, and has for the last twelve months been President.

Their outstanding merit lay in their administrative ability. Each threw himself into his his job within a [unclear: wholeheartedness] that in itself is worthy of commendation. Of the things they did, we need say little. A man does not succeed at election after election unless he is worthy of the post which he seeks.

Of the two. Kevin was perhaps the more capable, and Maurice the more approachable. Each seemed to stand head and shoulders above his contemporaries. If one felt, as one often did, that the affairs of the association were dominated by them, one had to remember that it was their ability, knowledge, and energy which put them in a position to do so.

Victoria appreciated them most at N.Z.U.S.A. conferences where their skill placed the Victoria delegation in the enviable position of being more likely to succeed in their endeavours than the other delegations.

We called this the end of an era; the direct influence of the O'Briens on the affairs of the Association has existed longer than most people have been at this collage, and in a university lift, that is a long time. Noteworthy, too, is the fact that it is the first time [unclear: in the] history of the [unclear: assocation] that two brothers have hold the office of President.

We do not say that they are above criticism for we know through our own bitter experience that they are not. We do feel, however, that, at least, we may pay them a tribute which they well deserve.

We end with a note of warning. There is still another O'Brien to come.