History

To address a forecast doctor shortage in Western Australia, Curtin asks the Federal Government to support a proposal for a medical school at the Perth campus.

On 31 March, Prime Minister Julia Gillard opens Stage 1 of the Engineering Pavilion at the Perth campus. The Pavilion has been designed to meet the best environmental standards.

On 26 July, Curtin University of Technology begins trading as simply Curtin University. The change reflects the breadth of our offerings.

The Resources and Chemistry Precinct opens at the Perth campus.

Curtin Stadium opens at the Perth campus. With a main hall large enough to accommodate three full-size netball courts, Curtin Stadium also houses a fully equipped gymnasium and enough seating to accommodate 2,500 people.

Curtin Singapore opens its doors in December. Curtin had been active in Singapore for more than two decades through a number of partner institutions. The new campus consolidates these operations in a single location close to the bustling heart of the city.

Construction begins on Curtin's Resources and Chemistry Precinct at the Perth campus. The precinct represents a $116 million investment primarily funded by Curtin, with contributions from BHP Billiton and the Australian Federal Government.

Curtin's Sydney campus is established on 20 June.

37,116 students attend Curtin.

Curtin's commitment to regional education is honoured with new constructions in Esperance and the creation of a new campus in Margaret River.

The Sarawak campus is opened as Curtin's first offshore campus and the first foreign campus in East Malaysia in June.

31,393 students attend Curtin. Female students now account for 54% of total enrolments - vastly different from the WAIT days when female students accounted for only about one quarter of enrolments.

Curtin develops defining partnerships with industry. Research centres are established in conjunction with CSIRO, Woodside Petroleum and Murdoch University.

The Curtin Bus Terminal is constructed at the Bentley campus.

Erica Underwood House (student accommodation) is completed.

Curtin introduces the John Curtin Medal, an award presented annually to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the community. Among the recipients in the first year are paralympian Priya Cooper and pioneer of key hole surgery, Dr Eric Tan.

Construction of the John Curtin Centre is completed at the Bentley campus, to house the John Curtin Gallery, John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library and Bankwest Theatre.

The heritage building at 78 Murray St, Perth is refurbished and Curtin's Graduate School of Business takes up residence.

The words "look ever forward", taken from the writings of John Curtin in 1932, become the University's motto.

Japan House (student accommodation) is completed.

The new Centre for Aboriginal Studies building is opened. The beautifully-designed building reflects the relationships between Aboriginal people and the land.

Curtin is asked to represent Western Australian universities in the Open Learning program (now Open Universities), to begin in 1993. The program would be a mainstay of Curtin's activities, providing flexible education to students unable to attend a campus.

Curtin celebrates 25 years of operation (the first 20 years of which it operated as WAIT).

18,068 students attend Curtin.

Marine scientists from Curtin undertake a 14-week expedition to the Antarctic to measure the abundance of krill. The Federal Government provides $91,000 for the expedition.

Library stage two extensions commence which dramatically change the face of the Robertson Library.

Curtin gains international exposure through involvement with Jon Sander's solo triple-circumnavigation of the globe.

Curtin accepts its first students as a university.

WAIT is reborn as Curtin University of Technology with the passing of an Act of Parliament in December. Its name is taken from former Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin.

Technology Park, adjacent to the Bentley campus, officially opens on 24 July.

The Aboriginal Studies Unit (later renamed the Centre for Aboriginal Studies) is established.

Under the leadership of its new director Dr Don Watts, WAIT undergoes a restructuring which strengthens the institute's community focus.

An exhibition on the life and work of Albert Einstein, prepared by the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations in Stuttgart, Germany, is displayed for three weeks on campus.

WAIT's international hockey stadium is opened. The stadium is the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere to have synthetic turf installed.

Curtin collects more than three tonnes of outdated medicines and pills from Western Australian households throughout its Medi-Dump program.

A newly built Guild House is opened in 1977, providing low cost accommodation to 150 students.

Curtin FM, then called 6NR (New Radio), commences broadcasting on October 16.

The common first year for all engineering disciplines is introduced.

9,782 students now attend WAIT. Female students make up only 28% of total enrolments.

One of the most significant changes to education in Australia is actioned when the federal government abolishes up-front tuition fees and offers financial assistance to students. Tertiary education is no longer heavily weighted toward the affluent.

The first public productions are staged by the Hayman Theatre with professional actors. Students play minor roles and provide technical support.

The Duke of Edinburgh visits to officially open the WAIT ovals, one being named Edinburgh Oval.

Parking protests of 1971/72 see every parking sign on campus destroyed and ceremoniously dumped into the lake.

WAIT orders an ICL 1902A computer, boasting 1 megabyte of main memory across four terminals, for $250,000.

Construction of the T.L. Robertson Library begins.

Dr Thomas Logan (T.L.) Robertson, WAIT Council Chairman, dies aged 67. Previous to his appointment at the institution, he was the Director General of Education in WA, and in the late 1950s vigorously supported proposals for the establishment of WAIT.

Three institutions were merged with WAIT: The Western Australian School of Mines (originally opened in 1902), the Muresk Agricultural College (dating from 1926) and Schools of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy in operation since the 1950s at Shenton Park.

The Guild starts as the WAIT Student Guild in November.

A lake is fashioned from swampland on the western side of the campus and vegetation planted to encourage wildlife for study by biology students.

First enrolment of students at WAIT. Official enrolment is 2,891 students.

WAIT's core infrastructure is finished and the institute officially opens.

The Chemistry and Pharmacy buildings at the new campus are occupied.

Work on the first WAIT buildings (applied sciences) begins in October.

In June, Western Australian Premier David Brand announces the Collier Pine Plantation as the site for WAIT.

The State Government approves the establishment of WAIT with a view to building the campus immediately north of Perth. There is opposition, however, to building the campus here, in what is considered an important cultural area.

A fire burns out a large section of the Collier Pine Plantation in Bentley, clearing the space on which the Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT) would later be built.

Overcrowding at Perth Technical College reaches crisis point.

John Curtin dies in office on 5 July, aged 60.

John Curtin becomes Prime Minister of Australia on 7 October.

As the Great Depression reaches its lowest ebb, much of the state-owned land in Bentley, 6 km south of Perth, is used to grow pine trees. The Collier Pine Plantation is established.

The Western Australian School of Mines opens in Kalgoorlie.

Perth Technical School opens in St Georges Terrace, Perth.