This autumn, we were delighted to welcome Dr Peter Graves (1972–1974) back to College for tea and warm scones; the perfect setting to reminisce about his Burgmann days and hear about life in retirement, where he's kept wonderfully busy.
Until recently, Peter served as Chair of the Canberra Chapter of the Walter Burley Griffin Society, an organisation devoted to honouring the lives and legacy of architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Walter won the 1912 international competition to design what would become Canberra, and his wife Marion Mahoney Griffin was a celebrated and visionary architect in her own right.
Passionate about the Griffins’ enduring influence and Walter’s original vision for the nation’s capital, Dr Graves encourages anyone interested in the Griffins' remarkable story to visit griffinsociety.org or explore the Griffin Trail, which you can find at the National Capital Authority's desk at Regatta Point, to rediscover their architectural legacy throughout Canberra.
In his final years, Walter found what he considered to be his ‘spiritual home’ in Lucknow in India’s State of Uttar Pradesh, and there he was laid to rest.
Peter was recently pleased to have arranged for a passionate Lucknow local, Prateek Hira, to maintain the previously neglected gravesite into the future. The headstone now has additional signage explaining who Walter was and how he came to die in Lucknow in 1937, with his wife Marion by his side.
Regarding his time at College, Peter said:
'Being at Burgmann in its early years was a wonderful experience. I made life-long friends and even enjoyed the potato gems in the dining room. I still feel connected after 50 years.'
Thank you, Peter, for returning to Burgmann and sharing your latest life updates!
Photos below (L–R): Peter during morning tea at Burgmann College; a photo of Peter as a resident at Burgmann; Peter visiting his former room at College.
