TALK: Friends of the Library talk

In 1998, soon after retirement from the University of Western Australia after 40 years with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Wager was appointed an Academic/Industry consultant to an Australian Team on a project funded by the Asian Development Bank and the Indonesian Government, charged with developing relevant professional engineering curricula for universities and technology institutes throughout Indonesia. The brief also included development of libraries and laboratories in the archipelago. He was required, with the team, to travel widely, contacting companies employing Indonesian engineering graduates. He interviewed company CEOs, graduates, and supervisors, to ascertain their respective views on the current assimilation into industry of Indonesian-educated engineers and technologists. The timing of the project coincided with the 1998 period of rapid economic crisis. The drastic devaluation of the Rupiah brought about the collapse of many companies, leading to much unemployment, and great hardship for millions of Indonesians on very small incomes, with no social security. This resulted in significant social disturbance, particularly among thousands of university students, who increasingly and vocally demanded a change in government. Dr. Wager will comment on the lead-up to these events, and particularly describe the violent four days of looting, burning and shooting he witnessed in May 1998 which eventually led to the resignation of President Suharto.

About the Speaker

Dr. John Wager is the former Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Western Australia. During his 40-year tenure at UWA, he also held the positions of Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Head of the CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing) Laboratory. He has also held a number of esteemed positions overseas – the Fulbright Scholarship to the USA, teaching in Canada, South Africa, Mozambique and the UK and the prestigious election to CIRP, (the Paris-based International Institution for Production Engineering Research) in 1997. Dr. Wager has been a member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, for over 50 years, as well as Chairman of the WA Division, Chairman of the National College of Mechanical Engineers and National Vice-President responsible for Education and Assessment. He relinquished the Deputy National Presidency in 2002 and now works as a part-time consultant on engineering matters.

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