Good Vibrations will mark golden anniversary

In 1967, Harold Wilson was trying to get Britain into the European Common Market and the Beatles said all we needed was love as war raged in Vietnam and the Middle East.

It was also a momentous year for the city of Dundee.

On August 1 1967, Dundee University became an independent institution, paving the way to becoming a major economic driver for the city and a world leader in many areas of research.

Its early days will be highlighted in a new exhibition, opening at the university’s Lamb Gallery on Thursday and running until July 1.

Good Vibrations explores the events of that pivotal year, both on campus and in the city as a whole.

Using rarely seen photographs, documents, artwork and artefacts, it describes the major developments in the university, as well as looking at what life was like as a student in Dundee at that time.

It was also a time where the student body was becoming more radical, with various demonstrations and sit ins, some led by George Robertson, who eventually became the 10th secretary-general of Nato.

The university was already gaining a reputation for worldleading research in areas such as neurosurgery, orthopaedics, bacteriology and radiotherapy.

University archivist Caroline Brown said: “It is fantastic to have this opportunity to look to the university’s past and to celebrate not only the achievements of the students and staff but also the day-to-day life of the institution.

“It’s important to have an understanding of this past to give some context to the university today.”