A former Dundee student who has gone on to become an eminent professor in Australia has given thanks to the people of the city for their part in getting him “where I am today.”
Professor Sundram Sivamalai came to Dundee as a teenager and studied in the city from 1972 to 1977, firstly at the College of Nursing and Midwifery at Dundee University, following which he did A-levels and Highers at Dundee College’s Kingsway campus.
He ended up with a zoology degree from Aberdeen University and is now associate professor in medicine at James Cook University in Queensland.
Originally from Malaysia, he left home at 17 and went to work in factories in Singapore where the wages were hardly enough to scrape a living.
“I was having a rough time as a machine operator it was a very small amount of money so I decided to come to Scotland and I ended up in Dundee in 1972,” Mr Sivamalai said. “I started at the College of Nursing and Midwifery and I got a scholarship to do A-levels and Highers.
“I would like to say a big thank you to the people of Dundee. If it wasn’t for the help I got here I wouldn’t have been able to do anything at all. The people were very friendly and gave me a lot of support. Without that support I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
Back in the city for a few days, Mr Sivamalai is visiting friends in Windsor Place and remembers his time in Dundee with affection.
“I arrived in Dundee yesterday and it felt good to be back, although there are a lot of changes since I was here before.”
While here he is also meeting up with his son Anand (30), who was born in Aberdeen and who now lives in Nuremburg.