Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Wally was born to parents Bennie (born in Japan to British parents) and Ilse Schlaberg (born in Germany) on 3 November 1923 in Kobe Japan. In 1929 the family moved back to the UK so they could gain their British citizenship. While the family was in England Wally was sent to Dulwich College for his education and this allowed him to visit his mother’s family in Germany where he learnt the language. In 1934 Wally’s mother and father, having stayed the perquisite five years for their citizenship, returned to Japan and the family business leaving Wally behind to continue his education. As war descended on Europe Wally’s parents moved him back to the family home in Japan, which they believed would be safer than London. Wally was now educated in Japan where he learnt to speak and write the Japanese language. In 1941 his father was informed that in the event of a war the family would face internment for the duration. Not wanting to be interned Bennie decided to move the family to Australia leaving behind in storage all their household property.
Arriving in Australia on 14 April 1941 the Abraham family need to find a place to live and a job for Bennie. As Bennie was a fluent Japanese speaker and writer, he soon found employment as a civilian translator at Victoria Barracks and eventually an Army commission where he worked in the ATIS. Wally finished his education at Sydney Boys High School and enlisted in the RAAF on the 16 December 1942 at the age of nineteen. Wally was a member of the five RAAF personnel who made up the central team of the Air Industry Section.
After the war Wally returned to his family in Australia and contemplated his future. Always interested in naval architecture, there was probably limited opportunities for this field in post war Australia so he enrolled at the University of Sydney as a border and studied architecture and town planning. Wally thrived under the wing of Professor (Arthur) Denis Winston. After graduating university Wally worked tithe Cumberland Country Council in Sydney before returning to Sydney University as a lecturer. In 1964 Wally was nominated as the architect planner for what would become Macquarie University.
Wally is remembered as a very philosophical person. Not one for small talk, he liked to stir things up and loved an argument with the intent to get people thinking. He would be the person at a gathering who would ask the question no one else would ask. Wally died on 20 August 2006.
As a fitting tribute to Wally’s planning work, in 2006, the main west-east pedestrian spine of the Macquarie University campus, formerly known as University Walk, was renamed "Wally's Walk