Alumna Edna (née Scott) Dundas (1971) recently shared these gorgeous photos of her wedding to alumnus Ian Allen Dundas (1971) on 13 November 1971, which was the first wedding held at Burgmann College.
A regular visitor to Burgmann alumni events since reconnecting during the College’s 50th Anniversary year, Edna shared the story of her wedding day and handmade wedding dress with us. See the photos and read the full story below.
‘I was a resident at Burgmann College living on the second floor and studying Economics at the ANU [originally from the western suburbs of Sydney].
‘Ian was a resident of John XXIII College and studying Forestry at the ANU [originally from the suburbs of Melbourne].
‘When the Burgmann kitchen was out of operation, the Burgmann residents had the option to eat at one of the other Colleges. I chose John XXIII, and the rest is history.
‘At the end of the University year before friends disappeared and families from Sydney and Melbourne could travel to Canberra, we decided to have a wedding in the Atrium of Burgmann College. We had a fairly traditional wedding with both families attending and a few close friends, and I wore a white dress I had made by hand. I had a sewing machine set up on the desk of my room at Burgmann College, and I would clear away the papers from my desk and sew.
'The best man was Michael Cosgrove, our marriage celebrant was Rev Donald Affleck [who would later serve as the third Master of Burgmann from 1981–1982], and there was confetti and cake. I still have the wedding dress and skull cap, as well as a tier of the cake.
'However, it took time and effort to find the wedding photos to copy. In the last few years, I moved residences and still had not gone through all of the boxes of papers and photos. I asked my daughter if she had the photos, but she thought I had them.
'I asked my son, and he thought he did not have them either, but he did finally find them. He lives in Adelaide, so he scanned the photos and sent them to my daughter, who sent them to me.
'So, from the time of cameras with film and few photos, I now have a visual memory of the happy day.'
Thank you, Edna, for sharing this important piece of Burgmann's history. We're grateful that the photos were not lost, and that we may preserve this special event in Burgmann's historical archives, and share with our cherished alumni and friends!
