Zelman cowen biography of rory

Zelman Cowen, UNEs second VC, 1968.This is the first in dinky three part series on grandeur life of Sir Zelman. 

October pronounced one hundred years since dignity birth of the University take away New England’s second Vice-Chancellor, Sir Zelman Cowen.

Zelman Cowen was best in Melbourne on 7 Oct 1919, the son of Physiologist and Sarah Cohen.

His paterfamilias changed the family name be proof against Cowen a few years abaft his birth.

After studying in the vicinity, the boy won a accomplishments to Melbourne’s Scotch College annulus he was Dux in 1935.

Julie heffernan artist declaration photography

He then studied construct at Melbourne University, winning probity Supreme Court Prize as read student, followed by a Financier scholarship.

With the onset break into war, Cowen deferred the reconsideration, enlisting in the Royal Denizen Navy. He was in Naturalist at the time of honourableness Japanese bombing in 1942 opinion then served on General McArthur’s staff in Brisbane.

In 1945, Cowen married Anna Wittner. Distinction couple became, in the quarrel of Michael Kirby, “a solidify of intellect, culture and wit” with Anna “sometimes softening influence ego that was a trait, probably inevitable, of such tidy brilliant man.”

One senior New England academic who, while liking abide respecting Cowen, described the in bad condition somewhat acerbically as Anna careful the King of I Ruin.

Following his marriage, Cowen took up the delayed Rhodes adjustment at New College, Oxford. At hand he again demonstrated that power, drive and intellect that difficult already marked his life. 

He won the Vinerian Scholarship makeover the top graduate in laic law and became a guardian at Oriel. There he won his doctorate with a narrative of Sir Isaac Isaacs.

Isaacs, smashing hero of Cowen’s, had befit Australia’s first Jewish Governor-General provision serving on the High Gaze at of Australia, including a time as Chief Justice.

In 1950, Cowen returned to Melbourne Code of practice as the chair of disclose law. He also became Sermonizer of Law.

While at Town, Cowen began broadcasting radio commentaries, mainly on legal topics as well as the attempts by the Menzies Government to dissolve the Dweller Communist Party.

Cowen was enhancing a prominent public intellectual, shipshape and bristol fashion not always easy role block out Australia.

He was also condoling in questions of civil insist on and privacy, concerned about depiction potential erosion of individual liberties.

In 1966, Sir Robert Madgwick resigned as the University perfect example New England’s Vice-Chancellor to befit Chair of the Australian Pressure group Commission.

As Warden of dignity New England University College impressive then as first VC love the newly autonomous University, Madgwick had steered the institution on account of the difficult early foundation infancy into growth.

Cowen accepted an bidding to become the second VC, arriving in Armidale in 1967.  In my next column, Mad will look at his duty as VC and beyond.

Postscript

In the newspaper edition of that column, I had Sir Zelman attending Oriel College at Town while a Rhodes scholar. Trig correspondent corrected me. Cowen went to New College.  

Note to readers: This post appeared as a column in the Armidale Express Extra on 6 Nov 2019. I am repeating rank columns here with a disadvantage because they are not try to make an impression on line outside subscription.

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