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Mervyn Aston |
Name: Mervyn Aston
Age: 68 years
Job: I started as a lecturer in Botany and am now Sub Dean in the Faculty of Science and Academic Adviser to Exchange and Study Abroad students with the IEO.
Where were you born?
Wonthaggi, a small coal mining town in Victoria.
How long have you worked at ANU?
40 years.
What was the campus like when you started work? How has it changed?
It was quite sparse with a lot of areas sharing buildings. University Avenue was the entrance and was a long street extending from the Law Courts to Bruce Hall. It has filled in a lot with buildings and vegetation and has become one of the nicest campuses in any Australian university.
What would you change about the campus today if you could?
I would like to see a return to collegiality and a place where staff and students could meet in meaningful discourse.
What's your favourite place at ANU and why?
The science laboratories at night. The glowing red and green lights of the instruments look like the eyes of watchful dragons.
Which is more difficult: teaching, research, or administration?
Each area has its own challenges but the real difficulty is, for our lecturers, to effectively integrate all three activities.
Favourite restaurant at which to eat in Canberra?
Teatro Vivaldi because it combines good food, fun and a great atmosphere. It is a good place to meet friends.
Currently reading? What's it about?
Mao's Last Dancer. It is the autobiography of Li Cunxin who started as a desperately poor peasant boy in China and by good luck and perseverance became a world recognised ballet dancer.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
Johann Pacabel's Canon.
What couldn't you live without and why?
My dreams because they keep me alive and moving forward.
What do you do to unwind?
I like to fix and make things.
What would you do if you had 24 hours left to live?
I would spend it with my wife, Brenda, relaxing in one of our National Parks.
Who would you like to play you in the film of your life and why?
Jack Thompson because he is a bit of a wag and a ruffian.
Who would you most like to go sailing on Lake Burley Griffith with and why?
My two Beatle crazy friends with whom I used to race yachts. We had a Lightweight Sharpie and could really make it hum in a good wind.
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