The World University Service Backs the Fun Revolution

Towards the end of 1969, with backing of the university and student administrations, I travelled to Geneva and obtained the support of the HQ of the World University Service for a proposal to travel round the campuses raising fun and funds for the WUS branches and giving oratorical performances on various radical sociological and psychological topics not generally promoted. Only France and Italy were opposed. WUS is a voluntary non-aligned, mutual-aid organisation of students, administrators and academics and was therefore ideal backing for my revitalisation campaign.

 

Whilst I was away the Maoists and Libertarians staged a coup and occupied the NSW Student Union building Fortunately, being ‘radical chic’ amateurs, although they had managed to engineer a problematic student vote abolishing the student administration they did not occupy the building quickly enough to stop the executives and staff taking the equipment and setting up office in an alternative site on campus. The coup leaders were effectively beheaded. Meanwhile the Heroes of the Revolution couldn’t, or wouldn’t, clear the purchase of the return ticket that had been authorised by the ousted SUC. I was marooned in London for a couple of weeks.