TitleDesperate Dan vol.7 no.1 1978AuthorAnonymousDate1978DescriptionDesperate Dan was an irregular sheet produced at the University of Waikato in the 1970s through to the early 80's.
The satirical chronicle opens with New Year greetings and pared‑down awards for 1978, poking fun at Waikato’s quirks. Paul “Captain” Dangerfield transforms the Student Centre into a mock military regime, staging potato‑peeling marathons and battle re‑enactments, while plotting grander ambitions. Briefing Week 1979 continues the parody with recruits treated as soldiers. Farewells are given to campus personalities E.H. Knight and Glennis Ericksen, while Norman Mkingsbury departs for a flamboyant safari in Botswana and Ivor “Invisible Man” Snowdon resurfaces with a rambling speech. Amid Waikato’s mediocrity, the diversity of writing styles is celebrated. Grounds feature cannabis plantings, slow‑growing trees, and controversial construction projects like the “Burma Road,” with talk of history students building an Autobahn. The issue closes with the Clairvoyant Correspondent’s gloomy Almanac for 1978. Number of Pages6FormatPrinted documentVolume7Number/Issue1Year1978
