Independent and free from University influence, the Guild holds considerable sway over decision-making at UWA, working in the interest of the students.
The Guild of Undergraduates was established as an independent organisation at UWA free from University influence, with official control to govern relations between the University and its student body.
As much as the Guild maintains independence, it has always seen itself as a partner in the success of the University – critiquing when needed and helping where required. One such example of this is from 1932, when the Reflection Pond outside Winthrop Hall was being built. Workers went on strike just days before a visit from an international benefactor, leaving a half-finished pond. Administration arrived at the campus the next day to discover the students digging the pond themselves, as a gesture of goodwill towards the University.
Two shillings & sixpence
At the behest of Chancellor and Guild President Sir John Winthrop Hackett, it was decided by the University Senate in 1912 that tuition would be free for students.
However, this meant limited resources for the management of social and sporting events for undergraduates. The Guild took these on, setting a blanket membership fee in 1913 of a half-crown, two shillings and a sixpence.
To this day, the Guild continues to represent the students of The University of Western Australia at all levels of the University, while providing support services and an engaging campus culture of events, clubs and volunteering.
The First Council
At the first meeting of the Guild, held on Friday 11th April 1913, Sir John Winthrop Hackett was “asked to accept the position of President.” Members of the teaching staff and “other gentlemen interested in the University” were requested to be the three Vice-Presidents of the Guild. The first three Vice-Presidents of the Guild included Mr C. Andrews (The Pro. Chancellor of the University), Mr P. Le Couteur and the Chairman of the Professorial Board.
The first Guild Committee was to consist of 10 students (5 daytime students & 5 evening students). Members of this committee included: Miss Fairweather, Miss Houghton, Mr Appel, Mr Roydhouse, Mr Leach (Daytime Students) and Miss Corr, Mr Caldwell, Mr Reedy, Mr Fitzgerald and Mr Flinn (Evening Students).
Since 1913, the UWA Student Guild has been led by UWA students who have gone on to become Prime Ministers, Supreme Court Justices, high-ranking diplomats and business leaders.
Past Guild Presidents
| 1913 Sir John Winthrop Hackett | 1949 Mr SB Rosier | 1983 Mr MJ Huston |
| 1914 Mr JJ Fitzgerald | 1950 Mr DE Hutchison | 1984 Miss DE Willmont |
| 1915 Mr JG Robertson | 1951 Mr JO Stone | 1985 Mr DJ Kelly |
| 1916 Mr HS Thompson | 1952 Mr RJ Hawke | 1986 Mr MT Schaper |
| 1917 Mr J Shearer | 1953 Mr BH Lochtenberg | 1987 Miss JA Quinlivan |
| 1918 Mr HT Stables | 1953+ Mr LG Wilson | 1988 Mr AC Tomlinson |
| 1919 Mr AF Backhouse | 1954 Mr JH McConnell | 1989 Mr MZ Sumich |
| 1920 Mr E Grace | 1955 Mr JFM Gillett | 1990 Mr TL Smith |
| 1921 Mr EW Gillett | 1956 Mr EN Maslen | 1991 Bruce Baskerville |
| 1922 Mr HPD Lyon | 1957 Mr JK Walsh | 1992 Justin Kennedy |
| 1923 Mr F Maw | 1958 Mr KB Paterson | 1993 Luke Forsyth |
| 1923+ Mr TA Hartrey | 1959 Mr RD Nicholson | 1994 Sarah Haynes |
| 1924 Mr SG Demasson | 1960 Mr EM Palandri | 1995 Natalie Curling |
| 1925 Mr W Southern | 1961 Mr GG Harvey | 1996 Simon Freitag |
| 1926 Mr GL Throssell | 1962 Mr RSW Lugg | 1997 James Fogarty |
| 1927 Mr KL Cooper | 1963 Mr AH Fels | 1998 Rosie Dawkins |
| 1928 Mr RG Wright | 1964 Mr DR Williams | 1999 Emmanuel Hondros |
| 1929 Mr AM Stewart | 1965 Mr SG Errington | 2000 Tim Huggins |
| 1930 Mr RV Nevile | 1966 Mr RB Alexander | 2001 Kristy Duckham |
| 1931 Mr HC Coombs | 1967 Mr PG Edwards | 2002 Ryan Batchelor |
| 1932 Mr C Sanders | 1968 Mr D MacKinlay | 2003 Myra Robinson |
| 1933 Mr TG Wilsmore | 1969 Miss SJD Boyd | 2004 Susie Byers |
| 1934 Mr TH Roberts | 1970 Mr KC Beazley | 2005 Natalie Hepburn |
| 1935 Mr PWE Curtin | 1971 Mr RJ Perry | 2006 Mathew Chuk |
| 1936 Mr GP Paterson | 1972 Mr JA McGinty | 2007 Dave de Hoog |
| 1937 Mr NG Traylen | 1973 Mr RB Porter | 2008 Nik Barron |
| 1938 Mr H Giese | 1974 Mr PM Alexander | 2009 Dominic Rose |
| 1939 Mr S Johnson | 1975 Mr DC Parker | 2010 Emma Greeney |
| 1940 Mr AJ Williams | 1975+ Mr NG Roberts | 2011 Tom Antoniazzi |
| 1941 Mr GB Hill | 1976 Mr NG Roberts | 2012 Matthew Mckenzie |
| 1942 Mr FM Bennett | 1977 Mr AD Fitzgerald | 2013 Cameron Barnes |
| 1943 Mr JM Thomson | 1978 Mr WR Grace | 2014 Thomas Henderson |
| 1944 Mr AL Arcus | 1979 Mr KW Strahan | 2015 Lizzy O’Shea |
| 1945 Mr FH Hibberd | 1980 Mr DN Anderson | 2016 Maddie Mulholland |
| 1946 Mr GE Ross | 1981 Mr ERJ Dermer | 2017 Nevin Jayawardena |
| 1947 Mr DD Dunn | 1982 Mr MW Rennie | 2018 Megan Lee |
| 1948 Mr PD Durack | 2019 Conrad Hogg |
