Over the years, the University has received gifts in surprising shapes and sizes - from great works of art and musical instruments to archival treasures. Beyond the generosity of their donors, these unique contributions represent rich stories that have transformed the University and the wider community in often unexpected ways.
From masterpiece to medicine
It began in 2010 with an unexpected visit from a woman holding a plastic bin bag. "I want you to sell this", she said. "It will change many lives."
Inside, staff discovered a framed, amateur painting of a horse. It was slightly underwhelming until the woman reached out to peel back the painting - underneath, there was a vibrant, cubist portrait of a woman sleeping. It was Jeune Fille Endormie, a 1935 Pablo Picasso portrait depicting his muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, which had been unseen in public since 1939.
The woman had two requests - that funds from the painting's sale be used for scientific and medical research, and that she remain anonymous.
Accompanied by Professor Steve Simpson, the painting fetched $20.7 million at auction at Christie's in London. It was an extraordinary sum that kickstarted the University's Charles Perkins Centre (CPC) and its vision of a multidisciplinary approach to tackling chronic disease, with Professor Simpson at the helm.
"It was an act of kindness that ultimately did end up doing what she requested - to change many lives," he reflects.
Despite her anonymity, the donor's generosity is anything but invisible. And fifteen years on, the gift continues to make an impact. The CPC's interdisciplinary model has an influence across the University and beyond, as it brings together scientists, clinicians, engineers, economists, and policy experts to solve the most pressing health challenges of our time.
Transporting the Carillon Bells to the University past Railway Square. Image source: University of Sydney Archives, REF-0009686
Music across time
Murray Rainsford Smith was a promising 22-year-old Engineering student when war broke out in Europe in 1914. In November 1916, he wrote to his mother, wishing for peace, "and me home again."
He was killed in action on 1 December 1916.
Murray's name is one of 197 inscribed into the bronze at the entrance to the carillon - a musical instrument composed of bells - that commemorates students and staff lost in the First World War. The list reveals the sheer scale of grief felt by the community. Plans for a University memorial began as the war ended. Working with the community, then-Chancellor, Sir William Portus Cullen (BA 1880, MA 1882, LLB 1885, LLD 1887), wanted the memorial to reflect the same "public spirit" as the institution's founders.
The idea of a carillon and its music reaching across Sydney captured hearts. More than £17,500 (over AUD $1.7 million today) was raised in just six months.
"It is such an important presence throughout the University. It fills the space with music," says Titus Grenyer (BMus(Perf)(Hons) '20), Manager of the University Organ and Carillon. "That the music we play can be joyful is also a way of honouring the legacy of those who served."
Following his death, Murray's mother, Adelaide, quietly gifted his £76 in outstanding wages to the University. A century later, Architecture and Civil Engineering student Aakash Singh was the recipient of a $200 prize bearing Murray's name.
For Akash, the story was deeply moving. "It's inspired me to continue making the most of the opportunities available to me," he says.
When he graduates at the end of 2025, the sound of the carillon bells will accompany him.
Artefacts of understanding
When the tiny-but-weighty metal bird arrived in the University's collection, it was labelled as an 'opium weight'.
"I believe it came to Justice Roderick Meagher's (BA '54, LLB '58) collection via Thailand, and the association with opium was used to increase its appeal for the tourist trade," says Dr Eve Guerry, one of the curators of the Object Based Learning (OBL) program at the Chau Chak Wing Museum.
Roderick (Roddy), an eccentric jurist and judge, left his extensive art collection to the University following his death in 2011. Museum curators are drawn to the collection's big-ticket items, but Eve and her colleague, Jane Thogersen, ensure that the smaller items find new purpose through the OBL program.
OBL uses carefully chosen objects to spark critical thinking, communication and collaboration by prompting students to engage all their senses. The program was such a popular part of the students' courses it was adapted for corporate groups, as 'The Art of Teamwork'. Participants examine pieces, observe their own reactions, ask questions and gain insights into their colleagues' strengths and ways of thinking.
"It's great for challenging assumptions because you use the duck weight as a starting point for even broader discussions," says Eve.
It turns out, the weight is in the shape of a Brahmani duck - Myanmar's royal insignia - and was part of a set of standard market weights. No opium involved. The Museum has updated its record, and the 'opium weight' label is used as a discussion point for students. "These objects might have lost some of their story, but here they have connections to all these wonderful communities who visit us at the University," says Jane. "We get to build the catalogue and the story together."
Justice Roderick Meagher's bequest included this bronze weight, which has gained a new life as part of the Object Based Learning program. Credit: Donated by Justice Roderick Meagher (UA2012.1123). Image credit: Chau Chak Wing Museum/ Kylie Holmes.
Living history
"We get a lot of requests related to Elkin's papers," says Nyree Morrison, Senior Archivist at the University Archives.
The personal papers of Anthropology Department chair, Professor AP Elkin (MA 1922), were donated to the University Archives in 1979 and 1983. The papers include fieldwork notes and photographs from Aboriginal communities, along with extensive correspondence, reports and research notes by fellow anthropologists.
They contain confronting documentation of colonisation, dispossession and violence. But they also represent a link to culture.
In 2007, Indigenous Research Fellow and Yolŋu Elder, Dr Joseph Neparrnga Gumbula (DMus '07), assessed the collection, identifying the contemporary access needs of Yolŋu communities.
From Elkin's papers, he unearthed photographs of the Yolŋu, taken in the Arnhem Land community of Miliŋinbi between 1927 and 1939. He reviewed and organised the images into family groups, then categorised them according to Yolŋu knowledge protocols.
In a lecture, Dr Gumbula explained the project as a way of returning culture - "What has been done before is now being given back. Tracing our roots is the mali', the shadow, to follow the footsteps of that generation."
The Archives receives regular requests from Aboriginal community organisations and individuals for the use of Elkin's papers in native title claims, language revival and genealogy. One request from community organisation, Yorgum, led to the location of a genealogy by American linguist Gerhardt Laves, hidden in Elkin's letters. It's so large that Yorgum has since been able to use it to reconnect additional members of the Stolen Generation with family.
"Projects like Dr Gumbula's reflect the Archives' commitment to collaborating with Indigenous communities to support self-determination and ownership over their data," says Nyree.
The University of Sydney Archives receive a high volume of requests for the Elkin papers. Photo credit: University of Sydney/Louise M Cooper
Legacy of music
Sometimes, try as they might, the University is unable to locate any additional information about a donor. As is the case with Oliver William Bedford's bequest of around 150 violins and violas to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. The search for information about his background or connection to the University yielded nothing.
"I wish we had more information on Mr Bedford," says the University's Associate Professor Ole Bøhn - violinist and former concertmaster of the Norwegian Opera. "His passion must have been to collect, but why?"
Ole enlisted the help of Peter Goodfellow, an award-winning local luthier (or stringed instrument maker), to determine the instruments' quality for the Con. He found that they were high-quality, contemporary and antique models from Italy and China.
Ole was thrilled. Instruments of that age and quality are vital for their sound, but can be prohibitively expensive for young musicians.
"A famous violinist can play beautifully on a 'cigar box' violin," says Ole. "But when young violinists play a quality instrument, they advance very quickly. Suddenly, sounds they have been looking for are possible."
When Ole made his debut in 1969, he played what he calls a "nice" Italian violin. In 1971, on the advice of his mentors, he began playing a 1766 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin.
"It was like a whole new world," he says. "It was magic."
Ole's violin was purchased for $125,000 (AUD $1.6 million today) by Nordea Bank of Norway. Globally, foundations exist to purchase instruments for music students and professionals. Australia has no such program, though Ole passionately believes it should exist.
Mr Bedford's bequest represents unleashed potential - 40 violins and 20 bows will be kept for loan to students. The sale of the remainder will pay for their ongoing maintenance, overseen by Ole.
"These instruments only grow in value," says Ole. "The philanthropic mission to get them to Australian musicians is an investment in culture."
Mr Bedford's violin gift will vastly expand access to quality instruments for Conservatorium students. Photo credit: The University of Sydney / Stefanie ZIngsheim
Hero image: Jeune fille endormie, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). Courtesy Christies.
