The following story comes from a series of pieces that bring to life a conversation with two long-standing members of staff at La Trobe University. Michael Torney is Director of Student Services at La Trobe University and has been in the employment of the University since July 1973. Kevin Coates is Deputy Director of Student Services at La Trobe University and has been in the employment of the University since March 1972, when he started (with hair) as a ‘Junior Male Clerk’. Their combined years of service spans over 80 years – they have a wealth of good stories to share, should you ask, and you will never be short of a laugh in their company. This story first appeared on La News, and was written during my time as an intern.

The Thursday markets at La Trobe University’s Melbourne campus are a highlight to the week of many staff and students on campus. From clothes to plants, leather to donuts, there is something for everyone at the selection of stalls. But where did Market Day begin?

“[Market Day] was an initiation of some student members of the Union Board at that time – they had seen markets outside in the community and thought it’d be a good idea to bring people to this building [the Union Building] and have general entertainment,” Michael Torney says.

“So, Thursday was designated as Market Day, after they’d done some research and found that virtually no other places were doing a Thursday market. So, we established that back in 1973.”

In the days before the Agora mall was established, and before markets were in vogue, market day offered students and staff something different.

“Our first market direct was a bloke called Ed Gladstone, who was a student of the campus, and a bit of a character, he got a campaign, a marketing campaign, happening, attracting the people to come to the markets. [He’d say] ‘La Trobe University…ideally located between the mental institution and the cemetery,’” Mr Torney laughs.

He continues, “But yes, all the stall holders would come into this building or outside this building if it was fine weather and all along the concourse and we’d get out the piano; there was this student, he was a very good pianist, he’d play away. They’d always have some entertainment going on at lunchtime,”

“On the North-Court, on the road, down past Union Drive, spread out onto that,” Kevin Coates interjects.

Then came the ‘90s, and the Agora Mall started to be developed, shifting students away from the Union Building. The market saw a decline in traffic, and stall holders wanted to be at the centre of the action.

“There was a move afoot from the stall holders to the Agora, and we came up with the compromise, not to hold it in the Agora, but near the Agora, because the other shop holders were conscious that they would take too much of their business away from them. So that’s why it moved some time in the mid-90s/late-90s,” Mr Torney says.

“Yeah, plus there was a bit of undercover space near the ELTs [Eastern Lecture Theatres], with the walkway, adjacent to the kind of main hub on campus and the stall holders; well, that was fantastic as far as they were concerned, where the, most of the students, tend to congregate,” adds Mr Coates.