Lumen Autumn 2025 - Flipbook - Page 25
“UNIVERSITY
AUTHORITIES
THOUGHT THE
BEST WAY TO
REMOVE IT
WOULD BE
EITHER BY A
STEEPLEJACK,
OR BY CUTTING
THE ROPES
WITH A RIFLE
SHOT.” –
REPORTED BY
THE NEWS
the mechanical mechanism for
the raising of the skull and
cross bones flag, and Des Lilly,
an ardent prankster, who did
nothing on this occasion as
he was afraid of heights!
Bob said that the tying of
the mannequin to the spire was
achieved not by climbing the
outside wall, but by climbing
to the top of Elder Hall from
inside the building. He forced
a hole in the roof at the top of
the spire to the outside and
installed a pulley.
By means of a “bosun’s
chair”, he could raise or lower
himself on the outside of
the building to lash “Fanny”
to the spire and paint the
footprints, effectively
“abseiling”. The footprint paint
was yellow ochre dissolved in
shellac, because it was quick
drying. Bob also said that there
were no animosities at all with
the Vice-Chancellor; this was
just a prank.
The three students involved had
distinguished careers later. Bob Duncan
became a leading scientist at the CSIRO
Division of Radio Physics and was awarded
a DSc degree by the University of Adelaide
for his research. Dr Eric Murray was a
lecturer in Physics at Flinders University.
Des Lilly became senior manager of the
insurance division of NRMA, which later
became the company IAG.
I told these exploits to Dr Ron Eckers,
former Director of the Australia Telescope
and also employer of Bob, and he made
them public in his eulogy at Bob Duncan’s
funeral on April 28, 2004.
Dr Eckers extolled Bob’s scientific
achievements and also gave details of the
prank and its originators. He also mentioned
Bob’s embarrassment when, during
breakfast just after the prank, his mother
made a close examination of the stitching
of the skull and crossbones flag from a
photograph that was shown on the front
page of The Advertiser. She recognised
that it was the same flag that she had
made for her son for an earlier student
theatre production!
LUMEN
Dr John J Lowke, now aged 90, earned his
PhD in Physics from the University in 1963.
He is a former Chief of CSIRO Division of
Applied Physics, Sydney. Lumen thanks him
most sincerely for sharing this story.
Photo of John at home - with the tear sheets he
has kept preserved from the 1950s - by Isaac
Freeman, Lumen photographic editor. Main
image from The News, then Adelaide’s
afternoon newspaper.
If readers have other such stories, we would
love to hear them: lumen@adelaide.edu.au
