HIS CUP RUNNETH OVER: FIFA’s Robert Sheppard THANK YOU VERY MUCH: Bond’s Elvis alumni ONE-TRACK MIND: Ultramarathon runner Zoe Hawkins IN CASE OF PANDEMIC, BREAK GLASS: Sky’s Stephen van Rooyen
Vice Chancellor Don Watts had a lot on his plate in 1989. The new Gold Coast university he had agreed to lead two years earlier was finally open but many of its buildings were not. The true extent of founder Alan Bond’s finances were being laid bare in the media, leading to questions about the future of his namesake enterprise. And Professor Watts had just signed up to become a late-night taxi driver in Surfers Paradise. The pledge, made in front of students and parents at the Opening Day Ceremony on May 15, was unequivocal. If students found themselves stranded on the Glitter Strip in the early hours with no way to return to their on-campus accommodation, they were to call Professor Watts and he would give them a ride home.
“He never had to do it but the offer was there,” his wife Michelle Watts says. “I think the parents felt reassured that someone cared about their children, because most of the young people came from elsewhere. Not a lot lived on the Gold Coast.” Mind you, Professor Watts would probably have relished the chance to slip into his little sports car for a late night drive. “He had an MG and one day someone reported that a student was making a lot of noise driving around the campus. It was actually Don,” Mrs Watts says. “He loved to rev it up!”
Bond University has led national student experience measures for 17 years but the standard was set long before by its inaugural Vice Chancellor Donald Walter Watts AM who died in
his hometown of Perth on May 23, aged 88. The esteemed educator studied, taught and led at leading universities around the world but in 2014 said he considered Bond his ‘finest contribution to education’. Professor Watts was born on April 1, 1934 and went on to became an internationally recognised expert in inorganic chemistry. He enrolled at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 1951 at the age of 16 to study a Bachelor of Science and attained a PhD before moving to University College London on a CSIRO Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in 1959. It was in London that he reconnected with his soon-to-be wife Michelle Yeomans who was teaching in the East End during a working holiday. The pair had met years earlier on family holidays when they were 12 and 10 respectively.
“(After the teaching stint) I went off to Europe to meet my parents and I said to Don, ‘Write to me at post restante here, here, here and here’, not expecting that he would. And I got to the first
stop and there was a letter. When I got back to London and we met up we were married very soon after, because I was booked to come back to Australia with my family on the ship. So it was either get married and stay, or say goodbye. We were married for 62 years.”
The newlyweds returned to Australia in 1962, with Professor Watts becoming a Senior Lecturer in Physical and Inorganic Chemistry at UWA, rising to a Readership in 1968 and a Personal Chair in 1978. In 1980 he was appointed Director of the Western Australian Institute of Technology which became Curtin University of Technology.
Professor Watts was its inaugural Vice Chancellor. He would go on to launch not one, but two universities, arriving on the Gold Coast in July 1987 to oversee the recruitment of academics and construction of the Bond campus which Mrs Watts says was ‘horrific – a mud puddle amidst pine trees’ following
THE ETHOS OF BOND UNIVERSITY IS ‘STUDENTS FIRST’. THE LEADER WHO SET THE TONE WAS INAUGURAL VICE CHANCELLOR DON WATTS, WHO DIED EARLIER THIS YEAR AGED 88.
The dynamic couple established the high-water mark in standards of student care and their actions set Bond on its journey of leading the nation in the student experience.
months of wet weather delays.
Professor Watts told the 20th anniversary edition of the Arch in 2009 that he took the job because it was ‘absolutely vital’ there was an alternative to public university education in Australia. “I felt the overbearing bureaucracy in public education needed to be shaken by the existence of a private alternative.”
Professor Watts’ recruitment was a two-for-one deal, with Mrs Watts taking an active role in the University and the lives of its first 322 students. One of them, Claire Bibby (Class of 1989), remembers the isolation she sometimes felt as a West Australian on the Gold Coast and how fellow Sandgropers the Watts made her feel at home – literally. “I’ve always treasured my memories of Michelle and Don inviting the cohort of 15 or so Perth students into their home,” Ms Bibby says. “They both made us feel welcome and cared for and understood the depths of our own
homesickness and vulnerability. I’ve always cherished my recollection of them opening their hearts and home to us and embracing us with their kindness and generosity of spirit.” While focussed on student achievements, the Watts reminded students to enjoy their time at university and participate in the social life of campus. It was at the suggestion of students that the University’s tavern be named Don’s and it remains a hub of campus social life to this day.
Tom Betts, another 892 student and foundation staff member, describes Professor Watts as ‘a bloke and a human being first, a university administrator second’. “During the contentious and fraught few weeks leading up to opening day in May 1989, when catastrophic rainfall set construction back months, Don showed his true self,” Mr Betts says. “In the middle of these battles, Don dropped everything to rush into the Gold Coast hinterland
Don Watts and his wife Michelle at a University function. Vice Chancellor Tim Brailsford with Michelle and Don Watts at their home in Western Australia.to join the search for a faculty dean (Steven Johnson) who was tragically swept away by raging floodwaters on his way to the campus. When his body was found, Don helped carry him out of the mud like a soldier with a fallen comrade. That kind of leadership isn’t taught at business schools.”
During his academic career Professor Watts spent time at the University of Southern California as a Fulbright Scholar, at the University of Toronto and the Australian National University. Outside of academe, Professor Watts held a number of distinguished positions including a seat on the Australian Science and Technology Council, Executive Chairman of the Northern Territory Trade Development Zone, board positions on the Western Australia Institute of Sport and Queensland Academy of Sport, and Chairman of the Australian Space Council.
Current Vice Chancellor Professor Tim Brailsford says Professor Watts’
contribution to the University has been ‘immense and remains unparalleled’.
“Professor Watts and his wife Michelle welcomed and embraced the initial cohort of Bondies and subsequent cohorts, taking care of both the students’ academic and personal needs,” Professor Brailsford says. “The dynamic couple established the high-water mark in standards of student care and their actions set Bond on its journey of leading the nation in the student experience.”
Professor Watts was the first recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Bond University in 1990, his final year at the helm. His achievements and contribution to education were recognised in the 1998 Australia Day Honours when he was made a Member of the Order of Australia. Following a stint working for the Northern Territory government, Professor Watts retired in 1995 and returned to Perth where he was asked to become an advisor to the Vice Chancellor of The
University of Notre Dame, which he was for 20 years. The couple visited Bond University regularly, attending the 25th Anniversary Ball in 2014, and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2020.
Mrs Watts and her family were special guests at Bond University in September to attend a function marking the contribution of her late husband. Appropriately, it was held at Don’s Tavern.
Professor Watts is survived by Michelle, sons Andrew and Tim, their partners Fran and Gill, and grandchildren Isaac, Ella, Angus, Caleb, Corinna, Ruby and Cooper.
L to R: Ella Watts, Cooper Watts, Fran Caratti, Michelle Watts, Andrew Watts, Ruby Watts and Angus Watts at the memorial function for Professor Watts.
Angus Watts holding Don's tankard at the memorial celebration at Don's Tavern.
L to R: Scott Beasley and Vice Chancellor Tim Brailsford attend the memorial celebration at Don’s Tavern.
In this edition, we talk to Bondies about how the ups and downs of their careers have prepared them for the heights they are now scaling.
Robert Sheppard is the man in charge of making sure FIFA’s 2022 World Cup runs smoothly amid controversy around the host nation, while CEO Airlie MacLachlan shares lessons from her own 30 years in business.
Ultramarathon runner Zoe Hawkins reflects on the literal heights she had to climb in training for one of the world’s most gruelling runs and Sky’s Stephen van Rooyen explains how seismic shifts brought forth a whole new way of making television.
We also profile the University’s inaugural Vice Chancellor, Professor Don Watts.
We hope you enjoy their stories of perseverance and innovation.
Best wishes for a safe and happy end to 2022. I look forward to seeing you at Homecoming in May 2023.
Nicole Walker (Class of 2001) Head of Alumni Relations From the editorNominations open November 2022. Voting will take place January 2023.
alumni.bond.edu.au/advisoryboard
Bond University student Lachlan Creese is tackling the global food waste problem one dehydrated lime at a time.
In his final year studying a Bachelor of Property at Bond University, Mr Creese launched Dehydrated Co, a business which transforms fruit bound for the bin into a dried garnish with a long shelf life.
“Most weekends, I approach farmers at the local markets and purchase their fruit seconds,” explains Mr Creese.
“I turn this imperfect fruit into something that is stylish and delicious and can be celebrated in the kitchen.”
His success has been made possible by the Bond Transformer program which supports entrepreneurial students like Mr Creese to bring their businesses to life.
Having been through several iterations of the Transformer program, Mr Creese has benefitted from the advice and
Bond produces more successful start-up founders than almost any other Australian university according to new data.
The League of Scholars compiled information from Crunchbase, the top source of data on venture capital funded start-ups, to show which Australian universities had produced the most founders of successful start-ups.
Published in The Australian newspaper, the figures are based on the number of founders who reached the milestone of attracting venture capital funding.
When adjusted for the size of each university, Bond was just beaten for the top spot by the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
Bond can boast 18 graduates over the past 10 years who have founded successful start-ups, which equates to 97 founders for every 100,000 graduates when adjusted for student population.
Earlier this year Bond alumnus John Christie, who founded modular home company ModnPods while still an MBA and Master of Finance student at
support of Transformer judges and supporters.
Mr Creese credits the feedback and ideas he received throughout the Transformer process for the complete refresh of his branding and pitch approach, which saw him take out the most recent Transformer Launchpad competition, receiving a $2000 boost to his business coffers.
Lachlan Creese presents his products.
Bond, secured Queensland Government funding to double the size of the ModnPods Arundel factory, allowing them to produce 200 modular homes a year.
The State Government support will allow ModnPods to expand its current 1400sqm factory to 6200sqm, cutting pod construction time from 12 to four weeks.
Mr Christie’s business success was borne out of Bond’s Australian-first Transformer program, a feefree, extracurricular option for all students that’s designed to foster and support start-ups.
Bond Business School’s Vishal Mehoratra has received the 2022 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Learning and Teaching. Mr Mehoratra won the prestigious award for delivering engaging student experiences using real-world projects and business cases.
Professor Paul Glasziou won the Research Excellence prize at the annual Vice Chancellor’s Research Awards. The Early Career Research Excellence Award went to Bode Ogunmakinde from the Faculty of Society & Design and Dr Adrian Gepp (Class of 2001) from the Bond Business School received the award for Research Supervision. The PhD Award for an Outstanding Contribution to a Field of Research went to Jamie-Lee Thompson.
Bond researchers
Associate Professor Robin Orr and Associate Professor Christian Moro (Class of 2010) took out gongs at the Queensland 2022 Young Tall Poppy Science Awards. Dr Orr won for his work in injury prevention for servicemen and women, firefighters, police officers and first responders. Dr Moro was recognised for his research into the physiology associated with bladder diseases.
“I turn this imperfect fruit into something that is stylish and delicious and can be celebrated in the kitchen.”
PwC Australia CEO Tom Seymour (Class of 1992) has claimed the top prize at the 2022 Bond University Alumni Awards. Mr Seymour was presented with the Robert Stable Medal at the University’s Alumni Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 19.
Carly Fradgley (Class of 2004), the Founder and CEO of charity Baby Give Back, received the Community Achievement Award.
The Young Alumni Award went to Deloshaan Subhaharan (Class of 2013) who is a Medical Registrar at Gold Coast University Hospital.
Chancellor Annabelle Bennett, Deloshaan Subhaharan, Tom Seymour, Carly Fradgley and Vice Chancellor Tim Brailsford at the Bond University Alumni Awards.
Bond’s students and staff continue to benefit from the generosity of one of the University’s keen supporters, Basil Sellers AM, with a further upgrade to the lecture theatre named in his honour.
Mr Sellers’ association with Bond University dates back to 2004 when he first provided support to renovate the main theatre, and he has continued to provide additional funding.
Vice Chancellor and President Tim Brailsford says the theatre has the capacity
to accommodate 500 people and is one of the busiest theatres on campus.
“The theatre is used on a daily basis for student lectures, forums and information sessions. It has also been widely used as a community resource hosting conferences and special events,” says Professor Brailsford.
“We greatly appreciate Basil’s generosity and philanthropy to support our world-class facilities for teaching and learning.”
Right: The recently upgraded Basil Sellers Theatre.
View highlights of the awards hereBond community members gathered in the hundreds to celebrate one of the University’s most popular events as the Kumai Karulbo Indigenous Gala made its post-Covid comeback.
After a three-year hiatus, the Bond University main hall buzzed with excitement at the event to raise funds for Indigenous scholarships.
Vice Chancellor and President Tim Brailsford revealed 133 recipients of Indigenous scholarships had graduated and gone on
to make an impact in their chosen fields thanks to the generosity of donors from the Bond community.
“There are now 133 role models out there, role models for their siblings, for their friends and their community who can demonstrate that it is possible to attain higher education and to succeed in higher education,’’ Professor Brailsford says.
Guest speaker Dr Mark Wenitong hailed the event as ‘reconciliation in action’.
The trailblazer in First Nations clinical medicine and policy, who was awarded the 2020 Australian Public Health Association’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Public Health Award, Dr Wenitong has been at the forefront
of Indigenous health for over 20 years. He has held board positions at a host of national advisory bodies and is a previous recipient of the Australian Medical Association’s President’s Award for Excellence and the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council Hall of Fame Award.
“It is massive, this is reconciliation in action,” says Dr Wenitong. “This is where our students actually get supported by the wider Australian community in a really nice way, in a genuine way. And you can feel that in the room. It is genuine, it is the right way to do things and is a true spirit of reconciliation.’’
Marion Charlton, Chief Operating Officer at Queensland Airports Limited (QAL), has joined the Bond University Council.
Ms Charlton has more than 30 years of experience in the aviation industry and is currently overseeing the transformational Gold Coast Airport terminal expansion and managing the day-to-day operations of QAL Group airports.
Council oversees the operational performance and sets the strategic direction of the University. It is accountable for ensuring the University is managed prudently, efficiently and in compliance with all relevant regulations.
Alumni David Baxby (Class of 1992), Derek Cronin (Class of 1989), Lisa MacCallum and Kate Vidgen (both Class of 1991) are among Council’s members.
Top: The Kumai Karulbo Indigenous Gala gets underway.
Left: Margaret Douglas Indigenous Medical Scholarship recipient Sara Fagan (L) joins Margaret Douglas on stage.
Inset: Keynote speaker Mark Wenitong.
Scan the QR code to see highlights of the night
Above: Marion Charlton.It is massive, this is reconciliation in action.
Bond University has the best educational experience of any comprehensive university in Australia according to the Good Universities Guide 2023. This marks the 17th year that Bond has dominated the rankings.
Bond tops all six undergraduate categories of educational experience: learner engagement, learning resources, skills development, student support, teaching quality, and overall educational experience. Bond also has the lowest studentto-teacher ratio of 11:1.
The federal government’s annual Student Experience Survey also ranked Bond’s educational experience Australia’s best in three of six categories: student support (91 per cent positive), learning resources (93.5 per cent positive) and learner engagement (83.1 per cent positive; national average 47.9 per cent).
The University was second in Australia and best in Queensland in the remaining three categories: skills development (90.6 per cent positive), teaching quality (90.1 per cent positive) and quality of entire educational experience (86.6 per cent positive).
Emeritus Professor Neville de Mestre will be remembered as ‘the surfing professor’, whose lifelong love of the ocean led him to publish a scientific paper on bodysurfing. The gifted mathematician and sportsman died earlier this year aged 83. Professor De Mestre joined Bond University at its opening in 1989 and served until his retirement in 2004.
Professor de Mestre studied a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and a Graduate Diploma of Education at Sydney University, becoming a maths teacher at the Royal Military College at Duntroon. He received a Master of Science at the University of Western Australia and
in 1973 gained his PhD at Cambridge.
After more than 20 years at Duntroon and the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra he joined Bond University where, through his research into sports science, he developed a surf hazard rating system later adopted by Surf Life Saving Australia. His algebraic formula to help bodysurfers find the perfect wave led him to publish the world’s first scientific paper on bodysurfing and a book.
Professor de Mestre was married to Margaret for 60 years and is survived by daughters Nicole, Simone and Justine, and grandchildren Emmi, Tali and Saxon.
International adventures are back on the menu for Bondies as student exchange programs resume after a Covid-driven hiatus. For Hayden Bygott and James Frizelle it’s the chance to finally make a reality of their poutine-inspired pipedream.
The pair, both studying a Bachelor of Laws/Commerce, along with Efa Mullin, studying a Bachelor of Business/ International Relations, are among the first students to take part in Bond’s exchange program since 2019 and will
spend the next semester in Canada at Western University.
In 2020, exchange programs around the world were thrown into turmoil due to Covid-19 and related travel bans. This September, 16 Bond University students packed their bags for countries including Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Mr Frizelle says he and Mr Bygott are keen to sharpen up their snowboarding skills while expanding their educational horizons.
The pair are part of The Cowin Scholars Program, made possible thanks to the generous donation of Western University Alumnus and former Chancellor, Jack Cowin. The Cowin Scholars Program paves the way for life-changing exchange experiences between Bond and Western students and academics, fostering an international network between the two institutions.
Above: Bond University students (L-R) James Frizelle and Hayden Bygott.
International travel back on the menu as Bondies chase poutine dream
A group of novice weavers made a splash at the SWELL Sculpture Festival, with their work included in one of the largescale sculptures displayed as part of the Currumbin Beach festival in September.
They were part of a monthly community weaving group at Bond University run by First Nations artist Desert-Rain Magpie. The group, made up of around 25 first-time weavers as well as skilled craftspeople, began working on the piece in November last year, meeting behind the Abedian School of Architecture each month to practice the ancient art of weaving.
The piece represents the non-linear journey of healing, says Ms Magpie, who teaches weaving to the community as part of her work providing arts and cultural services. The art of weaving has been practiced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for generations
and can strengthen cultural identity and improve mental health, she says.
“Any activity that involves repetitive movements, works to relax our sympathetic nervous system. The physical things people will notice when weaving are that their shoulders will drop, their breathing will slow, their heart rate will slow, and their eyes will soften.
“When you sit, talk and connect with other people, very quickly the things that are worrying you bubble up to the surface. Weaving acts as a bit of a social lubricant. It’s similar in the way people might go to the pub together and drink alcohol, only weaving is much healthier for you and you’ve got something to show for it at the end.”
The weaving group includes 12 local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who take part and help teach the newcomers.
“Many of them travel to remote communities, so in a way we are connected here on the Gold Coast, but then that connection spreads out all over the country,” says Ms Magpie.
The Bond Community Indigenous Weaving Group is one of the many ways the University celebrates Indigenous culture and knowledge and is part of Bond’s Reconciliation Action Plan.
The Bond community weaving group’s work on display at SWELL Sculpture Festival.When you sit, talk and connect with other people, very quickly, the things that are worrying you bubble up to the surface. Weaving acts as a bit of a social lubricant.
Joanna Tupou isn’t quite sure how she would have made it through her first semester at Bond without the support of the BondCare team. The Australia Award scholarship winner came to Bond in January from her home in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to start her MBA and Master of Project Management.
But pursuing her dreams meant leaving her four children aged 14, 12, 11 and four months with her family in PNG. Along with the fear and homesickness that can come with studying abroad, Ms Tupou was wrestling with the impact of being separated from her children. Her connection with BondCare Student Wellbeing Officer Iesha Shafei and the support, comfort and advice she provided gave Ms Tupou the confidence she needed to carry on.
“Talking with Iesha, she let me know that I do have options, that if I needed to go back it was a possibility and that was really helpful,” Ms Tupou says. “Knowing I had the space to make that decision and that there were options available to me made such a difference.”
Ms Tupou originally connected with BondCare when one of her assigned classes fell on a Saturday, traditionally a day of worship for
Seventh Day Adventists. The team supported Ms Tupou to have the class changed without impacting her degree, connecting her with the appropriate people and services.
“Having that guidance and support and knowing that Iesha would be the conduit for me, was really valuable,” she says.
Creating individual connections with students and being their link to services and support inside and outside of the University is a key aspect of BondCare, says Director of Student Success and Wellbeing Kerry Valentine.
“BondCare takes a holistic approach to supporting students through university by connecting them with one of our three highly-skilled student wellbeing officers who become a touchpoint for students no matter the type of support they need,” she says. “It might be as simple as being an objective ear in stressful times right through to helping a student find housing or connecting them with services that can help with medical or mental health issues. It’s not just about what’s happening at university but in their whole lives – BondCare offers support to the whole person, not only the student.”
Knowing I had the space to make that decision and that there were options available to me made such a difference.
by Jo Crompton
Airlie MacLachlan understands the value of creative accounting. With a career in business spanning 30 years that’s to be expected, but it was a lesson she learned long before she worked with some of Australia’s best-known companies including Clayton Utz, Minter Ellison, Outward Bound, and Hynes Lawyers.
It was in her very first class at Bond University, where she was studying a Master of Business Administration (MBA). As one of only four female students in the Bond class of 1990 MBA, and a matureaged student at that, Ms MacLachlan saw her future from a brand new perspective.
“I very clearly remember my first day, first class, it was an accounting class, and the lecturer said to us ‘I’m going to show you that accounting will be the most creative subject you do at university, not the least creative’ and he proceeded to put up a set of numbers and told us that from those he could, within the law, make this into a profit or a loss.
“From that moment I realised that accounting is a very creative space.”
That MBA, Ms MacLachlan says, has enabled her to have a varied and exciting career over the past 30 years leading companies in the private, public, philanthropic and not-for-profit sectors.
Her time at Bond also demonstrated to Ms MacLachlan the value of entrepreneurship and building resilience through failure.
“There’s a lovely moment in the world of business when you understand that you learn more from your mistakes and giving it a crack than you do from your successes,” she says.
“So that piece that comes with being entrepreneurial is about having a go, a calculated go, but having a go. I think with some of our earlier education we didn’t support that so much – it was more ‘learn this set of skills and go and deliver that’.
“Life isn’t like that. When you get out into the business world it’s about how you can be flexible and how you can adapt and grow and contract. It’s a constantly changing environment. The skills that come with entrepreneurial environments, that allow you to be flexible, make a massive difference.”
Ms MacLachlan has helped ensure new Bondies continue to learn those entrepreneurial skills through the Thyne Reid Foundation’s support to establish the University’s revolutionary Transformer program.
The Foundation, of which Ms MacLachlan is a director, has also supported the development of Bond’s women’s rugby and netball teams, Indigenous entrepreneurship and creative arts.
Creativity has always been an important part of Ms MacLachlan’s life, providing a crucial foil to the world of business.
As a board member of HOTA, the Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts, Ms MacLachlan has been very involved in the
Coast’s burgeoning cultural renaissance. She’s also supporting Somerset Storyfest to go from strength to strength as a director. From its inception as a three-day festival of literature, Storyfest has grown to become a registered cultural organisation hosting an annual calendar of events throughout the Gold Coast and regional Queensland.
That passion for creativity, she says, comes from her mother.
“My mother learned piano at the Sydney Conservatorium and had a beautiful singing voice. Sadly she had six children who between us have zero skills in either, but she was always making sure we were exposed to the arts at a really young age,” she says.
“From her I learnt the importance of the cultural piece as a balance in life and it has been easy to seek that out, especially on the Gold Coast. The growth in that space over the last 10 years has been quite significant and exciting to see. HOTA and Storyfest are both part of that, along with many other organisations, and I think any of us who live here feel like we’re living in a place that’s more balanced than it used to be.”
Watch the Orange Chair interview hereThere’s a lovely moment in the world of business when you understand that you learn more from your mistakes and giving it a crack than you do from your successes.Bond University's Vice President Engagement Catherine Marks in conversation with Airlie MacLachlan.
The sound of bells ringing across campus invokes different memories for Bondies. For some, it’s the noon bell combined with the smell of sausages from Wednesday by the Water; for others, it’s that annoying time when The Saints Go Marching In interrupted a stellar answer in a tutorial.
When they were installed, Bond’s bells were the first of their kind to be hung in Australia. Cast at the Royal Eijsbouts Foundry in Holland in 1989, the nine brass bells are a slightly different shape from traditional bells, which means they can play tunes in a major rather than a minor key. The bells are linked to an electronic system that allows them to be programmed to play different songs at different times of day.
The order of those songs has remained constant – until Giving Day. Donors were given the chance to nominate their favourite songs and the top four donors had their songs played across campus.
Head of Alumni Relations
Nicole Walker says 1970s Swedish supergroup
ABBA took the gong for most requested bell tower tune: Super Trouper.
Generous donors raised more than $120,000 supporting the Scholarship Fund to promote classroom diversity and equal access to quality education; the Area of Greatest Need Fund to provide immediate support to students in need; and the Endowment Fund to support the long-term financial stability of the University.
In 2023, a new donor recognition circle will launch for donors contributing $2000 to the Area of Greatest Need.
“Alumni really understand the power of a holistic and highly engaged on-campus experience," Mrs Walker says. “I’m excited the University is launching this opportunity to connect and recognise alumni who share a similar vision for the University.”
Top right: Visionary and campus project manager Brian Orr in front of the tower.
Middle: The bell tower and the clock tower at the University’s entrance.
Bottom left: The bells being installed.
Bottom middle: The bells have been much-photographed over the years.
Bottom right: A crane lowers the bells into place.
The Bells Circle is a community of generous benefactors who demonstrate vision and commitment to Bond University through an annual gift of $2000.
Launching in 2023, The Bells Circle donations go directly into the University’s Area of Greatest Need. The Area of Greatest Need exists to support a wide variety of Bond students and alumni who need assistance to take their next step, whether it be assistance with tuition fees, undertaking volunteer work, supporting higher degree research or attending elite athlete competitions. Your support will give them the confidence to succeed and help reduce the financial pressures they are facing. We strive to ensure that all Bond University students have access to the tools they need to succeed in their individual journey.
The Bells Circle members will be recognised with a pin and are invited to attend special events in recognition of the University’s gratitude for their ongoing support.
Invitations are now open for founding members of The Bells Circle. For more information, please contact the Alumni Centre on 5595 1540 or email alumni@bond.edu.au
Class of 2018
Litigation Associate at Pelletier Litigation, Alberta, Canada.
At the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, there was significant commitment to achieving a net-zero future. What could not have been accounted for in achieving this objective was the severity of global instability resulting from the Covid19 pandemic, increased global public debt, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, growing interest rates, disrupted supply chains, exponentially higher rates of inflation, and stalling growth in the world’s largest economies. Thus, achieving a net-zero emissions future may prove much more complex than originally anticipated.
Prior to the Ukraine invasion, even with significant commitments by the private and public sectors, efforts proved insignificant in meeting the ambition of net-zero by 2050, much less achieving significant emissions reductions targets by 2030. Even if all current commitments were executed, efforts to stabilise global warming temperatures below the Paris Agreement’s decade-long goal of 1.5C still would not be achievable. Most commitments also did not have the required financial support and lacked a plan for implementation.
With only eight years left in the decade and the historically unambitious implementation of emissions reduction measures, it is possible there will be a late and rapid policy shift forcing businesses and governments to implement harsh interventions and impracticable policies to meet fast-approaching commitment deadlines. This is likely to result in severe job loss, supply chain issues in carbonintensive sectors, and further economic volatility.
Therefore, it is likely current global instability will contribute in some degree to the slowing of the transition to a net-zero emissions future. However, the trend of unambitious commitments and insufficient action over the past few decades will likely be the cause for missing the net-zero by 2050 target. A rush to make up for lost time may prove to have serious consequences, so our next steps must consider whether a disorderly transition to meet the 2050 goal is the most effective way to achieve long-term climate change ambitions or if a potential extension of this deadline is necessary.
Is current global instability slowing the transition to a net-zero emissions future?
Class of 2008
Honorary Adjunct Professor at Bond University, Executive Director of the Centre for International Emissions Trading Law, worldleading expert on carbon market integrity.
Australia, alongside many other nations, has a target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. What exactly is ‘net-zero emissions’?
Net zero does not mean zero pollution in the atmosphere. Rather, net zero is an aspiration. At best it means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere by oceans and forests.
Notwithstanding how net-zero may be defined, this much is clear: transitioning to a future in 2050 with much lower emissions will mean changes to business (life) as usual, by all of us, as quickly as possible. We can’t wait until 2050 when it will be too late.
All of us - nations, governments, corporations and individuals –need to be seized with a sense of urgency to transform.
However, I suggest that for any of us to leave the ways we are currently locked intowhich are responsible for our emissions yet which underpin our current prosperity - we need stable global economic, social and political frameworks that allow us the promise, if we change, of continued prosperity.
So, yes, current global instability is slowing the transition to a net-zero emissions future. For if we continue as we are, we lack the stability needed to embrace and action urgent transformation.
Global emissions continue to rise, and as noted in the State of Climate Action 2021 report, ‘the hard truth is that for … (needed) transformations, action is incremental at best, and headed in the wrong direction altogether at worst’.
Class of 1991
Head of Industrial Transition and Clean Fuels, Senior Managing Director, Green Investment Group, Macquarie.
In the short term, global instability giving rise to increased oil, gas and coal pricing is a backward step for the energy transition. However, unlike other periods of high pricing, this is not universally translating to a surge in new development of large-scale fossil fuel projects. More importantly, global instability has increased the focus on both energy security and energy independence which should inevitably lead to an acceleration of the energy transition. The clear area of focus on this is in Europe. European nations have implemented a range of measures to move away from Russian pipeline gas. These include significant energy efficiency initiatives which will take some time to take effect, but are a positive from a net-zero lens.
The impact of the Ukraine conflict is being felt much further afield. The move by Russia to nationalise the Sakhalin-2 gas project will impact on Japan given its substantial Japanese ownership. This has forced Asia to relook at where its dependencies lie. India and China both have means to substantially reduce their reliance on energy imports as each has strong domestic renewable resources. It is no coincidence that both have introduced wide-ranging policies in recent months to ramp up the production of green hydrogen, which is often referred to as the 'Swiss army knife' of energy because of its versatility.
In addition, while climate change has instigated a growing sense of urgency since the Paris agreement, the unfortunate reality is that high energy prices and looming shortages are much more pressing. With real urgency comes innovation and there is a renewed rush to find solutions across the energy spectrum. Governments are reacting to this urgency by increasing mandates and subsidy pools to accelerate a cleaner and more diverse set of energy sources. There is no doubt that the last six months have caused significant suffering and uncertainty for many across the globe. However, it may just have finally fired the starting gun in the race to net zero.
All of us - nations, governments, corporations and individuals - need to be seized with a sense of urgency to transform.
For someone who loves getting his hands on vast amounts of data to study, Adrian Gepp (Class of 2001) sure is wary of giving out his own. “I get annoyed when I'm signing up for some rewards program that is asking for my data. Why do you need my date of birth? You're going to do nothing with it other than potentially lose it or give it to someone else,” he says. Years spent studying financial fraud will do that to an Associate Professor of Data Analytics.
Dr Gepp’s research spans the gamut of dubious dealings in multibillion-dollar companies to the financial literacy of older Australians. Through it all, a common thread has emerged: education
is the only way to beat fraudsters and cybercriminals, and that applies equally to CEOs or your grandmother.
“That’s because we're never going to defeat fraud if we're just trying to build models to detect it,” says Dr Gepp, whose own computer models have helped sniff out companies at risk of bankruptcy. “There's too many (bad actors), they evolve. Detection is valuable but we also need to educate people so they’re less vulnerable.”
The risks were driven home to Australians in late September when the details of 9.8 million Optus customers were hacked and stolen. Licence, passport and Medicare numbers were among the records taken in the breach
and the telco, banks and governments raced to protect victims from online scams and identity theft. At the business level, Optus’s reputation was shredded.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre received more than 67,500 reports of cybercrime during the 2020–21 financial year, up almost 13 per cent on 2019-20. Ripping off the careless and vulnerable is so lucrative an entire ecosystem has sprung up to support the criminals. Cybercrime services such as ransomware-as-a-service can be obtained via the dark web, opening the market to a growing number of ill-doers without significant expertise or financial investment. Their victims include government agencies, critical
infrastructure providers, small to medium enterprises, families and individuals.
The growing threat has underpinned the development of a new subject to be offered by the Bond Business School from September. Cyber and Fraud Threats in Organisations is an elective subject available to every student regardless of their discipline. It can be studied by anyone as a non-award single subject, for example, alumni seeking to further their careers through professional development. “I think it’s a subject every student should do,” Dr Gepp says. “It's really interesting and it’s something all of us need to know more about because increasingly, you could find yourself working in an organisation, and your computer says it's encrypting itself - it's ransomware and they want $10,000. What are you going to do? Hopefully your answer isn't, ‘Well, I've got a really good guide in Word’, because you don't have control of your computer anymore. So you need a printed plan. And this is a high stress situation and it will be natural to be panicking.”
Dr Gepp says whereas in the past cybersecurity might have been the domain of Chief Information Officers, CEOs and the Board of Directors were increasingly expected to be across the
risks. “You're the CEO, you're the CFO. When you put your profile on LinkedIn, do you know what sort of information you’re providing to bad actors? Are you aware that a criminal will look at this and go, ‘Right, now I know their org chart and what software platform they use.
I probably know that Steve approves your
press ‘attack’. It’s plug-and-play. You can stop a lot of threats by having your IT people have proper systems in place, because these people are often looking for low-hanging fruit such as exploiting known weaknesses because you haven't updated your system.”
expense reports’. So if they pretend to be Steve, what's the result? I’m not saying don't use LinkedIn or other services, because they are extremely useful and convenient. But be aware of what is going on out there and make informed decisions that consider the risks.”
The good news is, you’re not always going up against a foreign governmentbacked hacker collective. “Some are, but many cyber criminals are not digital geniuses,” Dr Gepp says. “Often they will just buy a little program and
Dr Gepp says to reduce the chance of becoming one of the Australians falling prey to cyber criminals every eight minutes, it could be as simple as pausing and putting safety ahead of convenience. “Be mindful when you share information,” he says. “If you went into a shop and they said, ‘What’s your date of birth’, you'd be asking , ‘Why do you need this?’ But you type that into a computer form without thinking twice. We can have arguments all day about what the government legislation should be, but I still think the turning point is going to be when we get people to realise that their data is valuable.”
Keep your computer programs up-to-date and reboot your computer regularly (at least once per week) to allow updates to install.
Before you share personal information online, think about whether you would share the same information if the person was standing in front of you. Use the security features available on social media and only post what you would be happy to be made available to the general public.
Speak up – it can happen to the best of us. Visit a local police station or call police on 131 444. Cybercrimes can also be reported to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (www.cyber.gov.au). IDCARE (www.idcare.org) is a not-forprofit charity that offers free support to victims of scams and fraudulent activity.
"Detection is valuable but we also need to educate people so they’re less vulnerable."Watch a video interview with Adrian Gepp here
FROM THE WORLD CUP TO MOVIE BLOCKBUSTERS, THESE BONDIES ARE KICKING GOALS
When the Socceroos play reigning world champions France in their November 23 World Cup opener, 40,000 fans will file into Qatar’s Al Janoub Stadium, each mixing sweatypalmed excitement with a nauseating undercurrent of dread that is the tax payable for those whose passion for sport sends them around the world to cheer on their teams. Robert Sheppard (Class of 2013) will share that uneasy hammering in his heart with his fellow sport buffs. Many will attempt to distract themselves by marvelling at the roof on the $A1 billion stadium, inspired by the sails of the traditional dhow boats used by local pearl divers, a unique architectural gem of the first-ever World Cup to be held in an Arab nation. Mr Sheppard is gratefully immune to the result-based anxiety that will engulf the crowd. He already knows he will be belting out his national anthem in celebration at the end of the match. With a French mother and an Aussie father, this game is a win-win for the sports-mad Bondy. The Gallic pride that bubbles to the surface each time he hears La Marseillaise is
matched only by the patriotic fervour inspired by Advance Australia Fair. And unlike the estimated 1.5 million people who will converge on the Gulf nation, he is not in Qatar for the trip of a lifetime but will instead be taking a quick timeout from his busy schedule as Project Manager in FIFA’s People, Technology and Operations division. It is the success of the tournament that has him on edge.
While the Green and Gold Army, the traveling band of hardcore Socceroos fans, gaze in wonder at their sporting heroes, Mr Sheppard will tick off a mental checklist to ensure the return of the Australian side to their base at the Aspire Academy, a customised facility that has one indoor and six outdoor football pitches, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an indoor athletics track, an outdoor gym and a table tennis area. He will do the same for France, who are lodging at the palatial Al Messila Resort about an hour from the ground. At the completion of the match, a tidal wave of fans will spill out of the stadium, some floating on the euphoria of watching their side take the first step towards a hopeful place in the tournament’s final 16, the others
shadowed by a dark cloud of despair at missed opportunities on the pitch and already looking towards the next opponent with a pulse-quickening sense of trepidation. Almost subconsciously these fans will follow the person in front of them towards the transport systems that will distribute them to accommodation spread out across Al-Wakrah, Qatar’s second largest city which sits on the shores of the Persian Gulf or further afield to the capital Doha. Mr Sheppard will watch the flow of human traffic, bouncing along like tiny sailboats on a river, satisfied that each fan is on a predetermined course, years in the planning.
“People assume sporting events just happen but there is so much that goes on behind the scenes,’’ he says. “It is unrealistic to believe you can produce a perfect event, but the way for us to deliver the best World Cup is to make sure problems of previous competitions are fixed and that all our internal processes work well. And externally, it is simply that people feel safe and enjoy the experience of a lifetime.’’
The entire 64-game World Cup, contested by 32 countries including Qatar who receive automatic entry as host nation, is run out of a Main Operations Centre (MOC) in Doha, where Mr Sheppard will support the operation of the Guest Services Integration Area which looks after the needs of visiting teams and key guests, including transport and travel, accommodation, logistics and VIP operations. The army of event staff and volunteers it takes to run a major global sporting event will also be under his remit. No two days are the same at the World Cup, but a typical shift begins around 6am when Mr Sheppard will produce reports for management on the day’s activities and track the planned movements of key stakeholders to ensure the best possible experience for them. Then it’s into game time when he will rotate between the MOC or the VIP and VVIP areas at one of the tournament’s eight stadiums. The final siren sparks a frenzy of activity to ensure teams and guests are delivered safely home or to one of the FIFA activations around the country. Finally, he will return to base where the day’s procedures are summarised and any issues that may have occurred are addressed and rectified ahead of the following day. Sometime between midnight and 3am when big matches are played - and around 10pm on the few quiet days on the schedule - he’ll head back to FIFA base camp for some much-needed sleep before lacing up the boots and doing it all again.
Robert Sheppard at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
“It is quite diverse, and it is mostly an overall coordination role of certain key aspects of the tournament,’’ he says. “They are very long and intense days but that’s the way we like it. It is one of the most exciting events to be involved with in world sport.’’
Mr Sheppard was born near Lausanne, in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, which means he also has skin in Group G where the Swiss will come up against football heavyweights Brazil. He stayed there until moving to Australia, via a stint in Samoa, when he was 16. He completed his schooling in Sydney and immediately adopted the AFL’s Swans and the A League’s Sydney FC as his two sporting sides. From there he headed to the Sunshine State to undertake a double degree in Law and Communications at Bond University. “It feels like yesterday but it has been more than five years,’’ he says. “Bond was a very special time for me. I loved every minute of my time there.”
He began his working life as a lawyer, with the breakthrough for a career in sports administration coming when he scored a role as a client liaison officer in the visa hub for the 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. That led to a Spectator Services Supervisor’s gig during the Gold Coast Games. “I have to say that the first event I was involved in as staff remains very special to me,” he says. “The Commonwealth Games, which is known as the ‘friendly games’, was incredible and opened the doors
for me to this wide world of sporting events. I saw first-hand the raw emotion that an athlete experiences. And to be part of creating these emotions was the most rewarding feeling I had felt.
I remember on the final night of the swimming when Australia won the final gold of the competition in the relay, the atmosphere was electric, and I could see that the crowd were forgetting all about their daily tribulations of problems just for a moment. It’s when I first realised the power sport has and it was then that I decided I would move away from the legal world and make this my career.’’
So he packed his bags, grabbed his passports and headed to Glasgow in Scotland as Member Federation Relations Manager at the European Championships, a seven-sport mini-Olympics contested by over 1500 athletes from 52 nations throughout Europe. His path was set. From there he tic-tacked from one major sporting event to another around the world in a variety of roles. He was a Patron Services Officer at the Australian Open tennis in 2019, Resident Services and Athlete Villages Operations Manager at the World Summer University Games in Naples, Italy and then Athlete Role Model Attaché for 2020’s Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland. At Naples, where he was in charge of operations in the athletes’ village, he enjoyed a unique set of challenges not even the most seasoned sporting administrators are likely to have experienced. The athletes were housed on a pair of cruise ships in
the Stazione Maritima in Porto Napoli village, the terminal within the city’s main harbour. A vivid imagination and some clever project management was required to ensure the athletes were provided with the type of conditions and facilities that would allow them to perform at their best.
“We created an open-air gym on the top deck and makeshift ice-baths from jacuzzis, to name a few examples,’’ he said. “I basically lived on a ship for three weeks and barely stepped foot on land, so much so that I couldn’t stand properly when it finally got to going back to land. But it was great fun.’’
All the time he was building the skills, experiences and contacts for entry to the big league. And in world sport, that can mean one of only two things: a soccer World Cup or an Olympics.
At the completion of this World Cup, Mr Sheppard will head home for a well-deserved rest before reprising his role with FIFA for the 2023 Women’s World Cup to be hosted in Australia and New Zealand in July next year. Mr Sheppard does not know to which exotic global destination his sporting journey will carry him beyond that, but he is sure of one thing: this is an around-the-world trip that will eventually return him to Queensland for the 2032 Olympics. “It would be a homecoming,’’ he says. ”The very first event I worked on was the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and to come back to Australia to help deliver an Olympics would be the ultimate for me.’’
Find your perfect fit with a Postgraduate Test Drive experience. Join us virtually, or in person at our Gold Coast campus or new Brisbane teaching location. bond.edu.au/test-drive
by Jo Crompton
Want to run an ultramarathon?
Train consistently. Wear good shoes. Find some hills.
School hours were Zoe Hawkins’ saviour when she was in training for the world’s oldest and largest ultramarathon. Between running errands, running a household and running four kids to and from school and sport, squeezing in time to actually run was a daily juggle. Now, having completed South Africa’s Comrades Marathon for the second time, her only regret is not allowing herself a little more ‘down’ time in her training.
Comrades is run every year between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. The direction of the race alternates each year between the ‘up’ run (87km) starting from Durban and the ‘down’ run (92km) starting from Pietermaritzburg. Having completed the ‘up’ run in 2019, Mrs Hawkins (Class of 2001) was determined to collect the ‘full set’ when the ‘down’ run returned after a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Most people would expect a downhill run to be much easier, but as a graduate of Bond’s Health Sciences (Sports
Coaching) degree, Mrs Hawkins knew she was in for a world of pain.
“It took an hour longer to run the downhill race than it did the uphill,” she says. “It was much quicker going up than going down because my legs cramped so much going down. The difference isn’t about fitness levels,
it’s about muscle fatigue. And it was hard to train well for the downhill aspect because we just don’t have the same terrain around here. Short of running down Mt Tamborine, there’s not a lot of territory nearby that I can get to inside school hours that would have prepared me more. Most people would think the up is actually harder than the down but maintaining your pace and stability while running downhill is that much harder because you have
"There is so much respect for anyone who runs Comrades, they know how hard and how gruelling the course is."
to stabilise yourself. You almost have to be ‘braking’ the whole time which puts a lot of strain on your muscles. It’s up for the first 42km and then 50km down at the end and the muscle fatigue was the most painful in my life.”
But the sense of achievement that comes with completing a race requiring such stamina and preparation, she says, makes it all worthwhile.
“Comrades is known to be the oldest and toughest in the world, so many people compete in that race from all around the world,” she says. “South Africans are incredibly passionate about the race. I’ve never been supported along the entire route the way I was there – there are people cheering and people dancing, it is such incredible support. And there is so much respect for anyone who runs Comrades, they know how hard and how gruelling the course is. It’s the best race I’ve ever run, and I’ve done quite a few races.”
Mrs Hawkins won her first 100km national championship when she was in her 20s, a feat made easier by youth and not having parenting responsibilities.
“The training is exhausting. When you’ve got a large family with four kids you just don’t get the rest that you would if still young and single. Running now
is much more challenging but I enjoy the challenge,” she says.
“I’m also extremely lucky in that despite my husband’s extremely busy job, he is a massive supporter of my running and even came to South Africa with me as my support person.”
With children aged 13, 11, 9 and 7, all with their own individual sporting and extra-curricular goals, finding time to maintain a training schedule that required her to run up to 140km a week was almost as tough as the race itself.
“For a long run, I would run 50km and be running for four hours or more. School hours were usually when I managed to get my best runs in. I would drop the kids off at 8am and then run until midday or 1pm, then I’d head back, eat something and then go and pick them up again,” she says. “Weekends weren’t really an option as all the kids play individual sports or have activities and my husband’s job means weekends are busy for him as well, so fitting in running around the school runs was how I made it work.”
1 Find a good coach that you can trust to help formulate a training plan that is achievable for your fitness and ability.
I am indebted to my coach Jackson Elliott from Gold Coast Run Co.
4
A hill session once a week is great way of getting strength in your legs, especially if your marathon or ultramarathon is over an undulating course. Also consider backto-back long runs if training for an ultra.
2
Be consistent with your training and don’t increase your weekly volume by more than 10 per cent as this increases your injury risk. 3
In your training have at least one speed session a week. So this is faster than your race pace. This taps into your anaerobic zone and a different energy system and has a greater cardiovascular stimulus than your slower aerobic long run. This helps you run faster for longer and therefore reach your personal best.
5
Rotate shoes and keep track of how far you run as they only last approximately 500km depending on the quality. That’s not long if you average more than 100km a week.
Watch a video interview with Zoe Hawkins here Zoe Hawkins and her husband Andy pictured with their four children (L-R) Mia, Harriet, Isla and Macaulay.
by Andrew Hamilton
Patrick Buckley sat on Baz Luhrmann’s back deck, sipping a glass of champagne and chatting to Tom Hanks, his hunger sated by oysters and caviar.
To borrow a slogan from a popular theme park, it was Hollywood on the Gold Coast – yet Mr Buckley thought to himself, ‘This isn’t the life for me.’ It was the second time he had taken stock of his career path. The first came during his first crack at a university degree when he was studying for a Bachelor of Mechatronics at the University of Queensland.
“I was studying robotics, doing maths and physics and I got a year into it before I realised I just wasn’t enjoying myself,’’ he says. “I had a friend who went to Bond, and he encouraged me to have a look. I went to orientation for the film and TV course and I found my people there.’’
Mr Buckley (Class of 2014) has enjoyed steady work since graduating in 2016, boasting a list of credits for sound effects or editorial roles on Hollywood films that include Thor Ragnarok, Dr Strange, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Guardians of the Tomb and Winchester. TV has been
just as productive with gigs on Tidelands, The Bureau of Magical Things, Grace Beside Me and Harrow. None prepared him for his time on the set of Elvis, in a role tailor-made for any budding film buff with dreams of becoming a director.
in talks with the producers, this time for a spot on the editorial team which is where his passion and skillset lies. That’s when he received the call, while working on another production in Cairns, that would set him on the type of rollercoaster ride that wouldn’t be out of place at the above-mentioned theme park.
Before production was shut down due to Covid-19 in March 2020, Mr Buckley had secured a job on dailies, the industry term for the raw unedited footage which is collected at the end of each day. It wasn’t his dream job, however the work was supposed to be steady and the opportunity to be part of a feature film the size of Elvis was too good to ignore. When the resumption was greenlit for September, Mr Buckley was once again
“The producer said to me, ‘The second your plane lands, get in the car and drive to Baz’s place’,’’ he says. “When I got there, I thought it was going to be a job interview, but he ended up grilling me on my life for about two hours, asking me about my childhood and what my parents did, that sort of stuff. “Then he abruptly stood up and said, ‘You start Monday’, and that was it.’’ And so began a hectic year-long stint that would see him spend 12 hours a day as Mr Luhrmann’s right-hand man, get repeatedly punked by Mr Hanks and make friends with Austin Butler, the actor who has won rave reviews for his portrayal of Elvis.
“I would never have gone for a role like that,’’ he says. “I was originally doing a job I don’t really enjoy doing, then I ended up going for a job as an assistant editor
“The producer said to me, ‘The second your plane lands, get in the car and drive to Baz’s place’.’’
which I usually like, and it turned into this crazy make-it-up-as-we-go type job that I would never have imagined experiencing. I called myself the director’s media manager or creative manager. He had a researcher and a personal assistant, and I was almost in the middle. I helped with his day-to-day stuff, but I also helped with writing, I was his photographer. It was the most stressful job I’ve ever had, and I got told all the time that if I can survive that, I can survive anything. It was eye-opening and it was a great experience, but I believe I belong in post-production.’’ He headed straight back to an edit suite and has just wrapped-up Joe Exotic, the Stan remake of The Tiger King. However, thanks to Elvis, he will forever be able to hold court at any party by name dropping a couple of Hollywood A-listers.
“Tom Hanks is just like a friendly dad walking around on set, cracking jokes and he would always try to flick the cap off your coffee cup with his cane and then just disappear into the
night,’’ he says. “And Austin Butler was probably the friendliest person I ever hung out with. Baz would have us back at his place for after-work drinks on a Friday and Austin was always just great company. That is the glamourous side of things. Baz would say, ‘I might just have drinks after work today’, and it was a spur of the moment thing but when you arrived he would already have an oyster bar set up, there would be caviar. It was another world.’’
Although he remains convinced his future lies in an edit suite and not under the bright lights of a movie set, Mr Buckley said the time spent with Mr Luhrmann was tremendously beneficial to his career. “It gave me a new level of confidence and I ended up starting my own business, Patty Post, which I don’t think I would have considered before my time with Baz,’’ he says.
Above: A scene from Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis
“It is surreal going to work alongside people you grew up watching, loving and even studying. There's an amazing feeling seeing another Bond alumni on set or in the production office and thinking, 'Look at us, huh? We are finally here’.”
“I dedicated two years of my life to this film and it was like no other that I had experienced before. You had to jump on the Baz Luhrmann train at full speed, hold on tight and enjoy the crazy ride.”
Travel north on the Gold Coast Highway through Miami and you will pass a nondescript building opposite the state high school where “The King” was reincarnated and one young Bondy’s life changed forever. It was here that 22-year-old Lleyton Hails (Class of 2019) landed to cap off a whirlwind 12 months since graduating with a Bachelor of Film and Television in February 2021. Inside, legendary Hollywood director Baz Luhrmann and a crew of highly skilled post-production specialists pulled together the hours of footage shot of Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Bondy and 2015 BUFTA winner Elizabeth Cullen and the entire cast of Elvis and
turned it into the cinematic masterpiece that is a hot tip to claim a swag of awards at next year’s Academy Awards. It has already raked in over $US210 million worldwide since its May 25 release.
“If you drove past it, you wouldn’t recognise it as the place Baz Luhrmann would turn up each day to work on Elvis,” Mr Hails says. “It is just a white building in front of a bus stop. It was quite amazing how that building was converted into a post-production facility. There was an indoor theatre and all the rooms were soundproofed. At one stage the office was transformed into Elvis’s Hilton room.’’
Mr Hails is happily following the well-trodden path of aspiring filmmakers.
On Elvis he was a post-production assistant – the gofer who was the first one in each day and often the last to leave, the 10-12 hours in between spent racing to collect whatever was needed for that day’s tasks, organising lunch, doing airport runs and reconciling all the daily expenses. His break came on Aussie romantic comedy Love in Bloom, a gig he landed through an internship while studying at Bond with Brisbane-based The Steve Jaggi Company. That led to a permanent spot on the series Troppo, which tells the story of a couple’s fight for survival in North Queensland, based on the best-selling novel Crimson Lake and starring Hollywood veteran Thomas Jane and former Logie nominee, Aussie Nicole Chamoun. As is the way in showbiz, he had just finished Troppo when he received a call from another contact, the post-production supervisor on Elvis
"The one thing is you feel important. Even though I was entry level, you feel important to the project."
“I got a call from him one night in January saying they needed another person on board,’’ he says. “It was life-changing for me. I graduated in February 2021 and within 12 months I was on a low budget rom-com, then an Australian series (Troppo), then Elvis. It was amazing for me.”
Any nerves Mr Hails felt arriving to work on the first day were soon dispelled when he was called into an edit suite to meet the boss. “He (Luhrmann) is just such a nice and friendly guy; so is his wife Catherine (Martin),’’ he said.
Top: A scene from the film.
Bottom: Baz Luhrmann with cast members on the set of Elvis
“The one thing is you feel important. Even though I was entry level, you feel important to the project. If someone had a birthday there’d be cake and everyone, including Baz and Catherine, would sing Happy Birthday. And it was particularly close among the Bondies. There were a lot of us and it was amazing to have that connection.’’
Mr Hails grew up in Scone, NSW and from the age of 12 knew he wanted to pursue a career in film, a dream that would lead him to Bond University. “As a young kid I was always doing online courses and making my own short movies,’’ he says. “And when I entered Year 12, Bond was a massive priority for me.
The Gold Coast was becoming a real hub for Hollywood and that was a factor, but after attending Open Day, particularly for me it was the small classes and the fact you could go and talk to your lecturers. Coming from a small country town and a small school, I liked that interaction.’’
Mr Hails had grown up dreaming of directing his own movies but after doing Elvis he has developed a greater appreciation for editing and post-production. He has now earned a place in a Local to Global young director’s development program run by Screen Queensland and the Australian Directors’ Guild where he will look to specialise in a certain field, probably editing.
“Because Baz is such a driven storyteller, who is fearlessly aware of the breadth of tools and techniques available within the medium of cinema, we had to step up and meet the standard he set. Look side-by-side at some of the original ’69 Special, Russwood, or showroom concert footage and compare it against what we shot. If you can look past Austin’s incredible performance you’ll see just how fine the attention to detail was from every department on this project.”
SECOND ASSISTANT CAMERA
“Watching Baz and Mandy (Director of Photography Mandy Walker) work together and being in the thick of things with the actors and the set designers was amazing. It is the way Baz works, he makes everyone feel included, it was awesome. You are there to do a job you can be taken aback by their presence, but you have been hired to do a specific task and you just do it to the best of your ability.’’
“If I end up producing some day, I now have this library of experience. Becoming a producer is about building trust with people and Elvis gave me the opportunity to do that with some awesome practitioners and I have since worked with many of them on other shows.’’
“My time on Elvis was spectacular. It was certainly the largest production I’ve worked on, both in the crew who worked their hearts and souls into it, but also the duration. While it was only the second feature I’ve work on, I now feel as though I’ve been in the industry for years.’’
Beneath the Earth’s crust amidst fierce heat and intense pressure, diamonds are forged. In this geological phenomenon the altered conditions transform dull graphite into a sparkling gemstone. In society, times of great upheaval have similar impacts – mass disruption, unforeseen challenges, and irreversible damage. But they also create rare pockets of brilliance. Stephen van Rooyen (Class of 1991) saw this in action
during the pandemic. The Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Sky UK and Europe helped one of the world’s biggest media companies navigate through Covid – keeping staff safe and finding new ways to deliver their products and services, all while bringing people the news on the global calamity. Amidst all of that, the Sky team managed to create something entirely new that would transform television: Sky Glass.
“In the middle of a pandemic which had upended entire sections of our business, we started making a new kind of television,” Mr van Rooyen says. “We started the project in 2019 but launched at the back end of 2021. So we were running engineers and supply chains and building warehouses and factories and all that sort of stuff during Covid.”
Sky Glass is the next step in streaming, offering a premium TV service integrated into a bespoke flatscreen. It comes with built-in Sky TV plus an extensive number of alternative services, without the need for a dish or a set-top box. Mr van Rooyen believes the pressure and change caused by the pandemic led to more innovative thinking and ideas, ultimately delivering a better product.
The challenge of innovation during that period is tough, but it helps you develop new and novel solutions; it helps you innovate in ways that you wouldn't have otherwise done.
“The challenge of innovation during that period is tough, but it helps you develop new and novel solutions; it helps you innovate in ways that you wouldn't have otherwise done,” he says. “It was a difficult period for us, like it was for everybody, but I think the organisation is a better place for it.”
The changed and changing world has long been a source of fascination for Mr van Rooyen. Growing up in South Africa during apartheid, state media played a role in shaping his perspective on the world.
“When you’re a kid over there, you’re pretty protected from it. We lived in a neighbourhood that was segregated, so you didn’t know what you didn’t know, and TV was controlled by the state and so what you saw, what you read, what you heard, was pretty limited. Of course it started cracking through, you saw the rioting and you saw all the sanctions.”
Mr Van Rooyen and his family moved to Australia in the late 1980s, and he continued his schooling on the Gold Coast before completing a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Law at Bond University. What followed were roles in Sydney, London and Helsinki, and a stint with Virgin Media, before Mr van Rooyen was tipped off to James Murdoch’s plans
to launch a broadband business in the UK.
Within a week of arranging a meeting, Mr van Rooyen had been offered a role at Sky. Fast-forward 16 years and he remains fascinated and inspired by the world of media and entertainment, and its ability to help change the world for better.
Sky and Mr van Rooyen have embraced the media’s role and responsibility in society as a driver of positive change. In 2018 the organisation teamed up with National Geographic on a campaign to reduce ocean plastic, while later in the same year they imposed a limit on the number of gambling advertisements able to be broadcast per ad break. He will be watching closely and with deep curiosity as the world heads into what could be one of the greatest periods of societal upheaval ever seen. We may be emerging from the Covid pandemic, but the cost-of-living crisis, the war in Ukraine and intensifying weather conditions driven by climate change are creating a new set of challenges for society to navigate.
“Here in the UK, fuel poverty is going to become a real thing in the next six months. The forecast is that by January almost 60 per cent of the UK - that's an extraordinary number - will be in fuel poverty,” he says. “I think the next year or so is going to be incredibly tough for families.”
Though he worries about the potential for civil unrest and increasing support for nationalistic policy as people are forced to fight for the basics – shelter, heating, food and fuel - an inherently optimistic nature drives Mr van Rooyen to reflect on the positive changes he’s seen come from times of great struggle. That ability to maintain a gentle, almost detached curiosity about the events to come and how they might shape the future world comes from focusing on the bigger picture, Mr van Rooyen says.
“I read a book once called the Rational Optimist, which I loved. And the underlying thesis of the book is that no matter how tough it gets for humanity in society, we always find a way. Find a way to overcome, to innovate, to change. I believe in that notion, I believe in humanity’s capacity to innovate,” he says. “Despite all these crises we are, as a society, better off than we were a decade ago, two decades ago. So, I just look through the moment of crisis in a change and believe that we remain on an upward trend of improving our society.”
Richard Evans has been appointed General Manager of the Perth International Jazz Festival (PIJF). Mr Evans has had a long career in the entertainment industry, returning to Perth after 20 years in New York City where he co-owned an arts and entertainment management company. During the 1990s, Mr Evans was owner and manager of Perth’s Greenwich Jazz Club, Players Night Club and the Indian Summer Music Festival and Conference.
Luke Daunivalu has been named Fiji’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Offices and Other International Organisations in Geneva. The Bond Law graduate was appointed to the role in June this year. He has extensive experience as a barrister and solicitor prior to joining Fiji’s foreign service and served as High Commissioner of Fiji to Australia and Ambassador at Fiji’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Solua Taylor (Middleton) has been appointed as a digital journalist with ABC’s Story Lab team. The Gold Coastbased journalist was also a finalist in the Queensland Clarion Awards Photo Essay category for her story on Erub in the Torres Strait. Ms Taylor has worked at the Koori Mail, NITV as well as the ABC, and has self-published her own Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander newspaper, Be Counted.
Stuart Floyd has been appointed Director International Recruitment, Scholarships and Awards at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. The former Vice Chancellor’s scholar spent 11 years in Canada working for Bond University as International Regional Manager for North America. Recently returning to his hometown of Adelaide, Mr Floyd spent six months helping Prince Alfred College, where he attended high school, improve its systems, scholarships and marketing.
Multiple award-winning lecturer, author and Indian film expert Rajeev Kamineni has been elected the 100th President of the Adelaide Rotary Club – the third oldest and second largest in Australia. Dr Kamineni holds a Master of International Management from Bond University which led him to the world of entrepreneurship. Dr Kamineni started his working career in a bookstore almost three decades ago and has authored a book on Indian cinema published by Routledge.
Noosa Shire Council Mayor Clare Stewart will be part of the team shaping the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games after being elected by the South East Queensland Council of Mayors to the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG). Councillor Stewart is a former barrister at law, published author, nationally accredited mediator, keynote speaker, wife and mother. In 2013 she published her memoir.
Julia Barling has been appointed a Magistrate of the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria. The Bachelor of Laws graduate has had an extensive legal career including periods in private practice, more than a decade as a regional manager at Victoria Legal Aid and most recently running a mediation and family dispute resolution practice. She commenced her LLB at Bond University in 2000 and graduated with Honours on October 5, 2002.
Matthew Winkler is looking to merge procurement and political science thanks to the Bond University Global Alumni Scholarship. With a Bachelor of Film and Television and an MBA/ Master of Finance, all from Bond, already under his belt, Mr Winkler is undertaking a Master of Political Science at the prestigious Sciences Po in Paris. He hopes to progress to a PhD and undertake research that can shape green procurement policy and influence sustainability outcomes.
Milan Gandhi is the 2022 Lee Liberman John Monash Scholar and will undertake a Master of Public Policy at Oxford University, followed by a MSc in Public Policy Research. The Bond Film and Television graduate currently works as an advisor on law and policy within Australia's defence and national security sector and leads a national non-profit investigating questions at the intersection of law and technology.
Email your update to alumni@bond.edu.au.
Have you recently changed roles or want to share some exciting career news?
Having been at the forefront of the global legal design movement for years, Meera Klemola (nee Sivanathan) recently co-authored The Legal Design Book: Doing Law in the 21st Century. This is one of the first publications in legal design. The book has already become a staple text in many law schools worldwide. Ms Klemola is now collaborating with Bond University to create and teach Fundamentals of Legal Design – the first microcredential in legal design.
Georgina Bayly is using the skills gained through her Bachelor of Journalism to forge and strengthen community connections in Toowoomba, Queensland. In her role as Community Relations Manager for Queensland Investment Corporation's (QIC) Grand Central Shopping Centre, Ms Bayly delivers local events and activities designed to foster connection and inclusivity. She recently received a QIC Inspiring Excellence Award for her work on Grand Central’s NAIDOC Week celebrations.
Georgia Kelleher has joined the newlyformed National Emergency Management Agency as Assistant Director of Digital. Ms Kelleher’s work will focus on leading the implementation of the Agency’s digital communications strategy. Ms Kelleher, who studied a Bachelor of Business, has previously held digital marketing and communications roles at Bond University, the Australian Digital Health Agency and Australia’s scientific research agency CSIRO.
Patrick Cross has been awarded the prestigious Govenor Philip Scholarship, valued at $140,000. The scholarship is available to Australian students studying at Oxford University. Mr Cross will spend the next two years undertaking an MPhil in Politics: Comparative Government. The Bachelor of Laws and International Relations alumnus says he is grateful for the 'unbelievably generous' scholarship and his experience at Oxford's Pembroke College has been wonderful so far.
Tatiana Carter has been appointed as a Social and Video Producer at Network 10. Ms Carter says she is excited to be part of the team bringing breaking news to Australians and keeping them informed. Having developed a special interest in misinformation and conspiracy theories during her Master of Communication and Bachelor of Journalism, Ms Carter is helping highlight these issues to Network 10’s social media audiences.
Samantha Sutherland has recently joined Deloitte's Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Mergers and Acquisitions division as an Analyst. Ms Sutherland is a passionate advocate for corporate sustainability, a passion discovered through her Bachelor of Global Studies (Sustainability). She moves to Deloitte from her role as a sustainability manager for Bond alumna Larissa Rose, the director of GG Enviro.
As borders reopen, our alumni chapters around Australia and the world have been able to start reconnecting in person, making new friends and catching up with old ones.
Top left: Class of 2007 Medical Program Reunion.
Bottom left: Perth Alumni Chapter.
Right: Brisbane Alumni Chapter.
View upcoming alumni eventsThere are now more than 32,000 Bond University graduates in over 100 countries. Supporting connections globally is a group of 200 alumni leader volunteers leading our 30 alumni chapters. Contact us today to join your local chapter, or let us know if you are
interested in working with fellow Bondies to host a reunion or regional event in your area! Contact the Alumni Centre at alumni@bond.edu.au or phone +61 7 5595 1450
Top
Centre:
Left:
The Bond University Bull Sharks can lay claim to being the best club side in Australian women's rugby after claiming three titles this season.
First they took home the 2022 Queensland Premier Women's rugby championship in a stunning 25-12 win over Easts Tigers following a hotly contested 15s season.
The Bull Sharks stormed home to secure Bond University Rugby club's first premiership trophy since 2015 in a powerful display at Suncorp Stadium.
They followed up with a stellar season of 7s rugby, taking out the inaugural Charlotte Caslick Cup at the Queensland State Sevens in Noosa, hot on the heels of their win in the National University 7s Series.
The team's resilience was tested
throughout the 15s season with injuries forcing wholesale team changes almost every week, but the side pushed through some tough losses and tight wins to emerge holding the silverware.
The bruising Grand Final saw some clear stars emerge, with a stellar performance from centre Melanie Wilks who took out the inaugural Cheyenne Campbell Medal as player of the match. Meanwhile, winger Dianne Waight racked up 16 tries across the season.
Waight's stellar performance earned her the Best and Fairest Medal at the club's annual presentation night, where Wilks was named Back of the Year and Shelley Fox won Best Forward.
Caitlyn Costello, who scored the winning Grand Final try, was named 7s Player of the Year.
Top: Caitlyn Costello. Middle: The side in action. Melanie Wilks charges down the field.Bond athletes grabbed glory on the world stage, bringing home a swag of medals from the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Dominating the pool was Elijah Winnington (Class of 2018) who took gold in the 400m freestyle and the 4x200m relay, along with a bronze in the 200m free. Young gun Flynn Southam brought home gold in the 4x100m and 4x200m relays.
The best mates were stoked to be side by side on the winners’ podium after supporting each other and training together since Southam was just eight years old.
Jenna Strauch (Class of 2017) brought home silver in the 200m breaststroke. After a strong start in the women’s 200m backstroke, Minna Atherton narrowly missed out on clinching bronze after being pipped by Scotland’s Katie Shanahan.
Meanwhile back on dry land, Bull Sharks rugby stars Maddison Levi, sister Teagan and best mate Charlotte Caslick formed part of the gold medal-winning Australian Rugby 7s side.
The talented trio were part of the side that defeated Fiji 22-12 in the gold medal match. The proud island nation was banking on back-to-back wins over the Aussies after posting a shock win in their pool game.
The women in green and gold booked their spot in the decider after upsetting New Zealand 17-12 in their semi-final. The Kiwis relegated them to runner-up at the event on the Gold Coast four years ago.
It's been a big year for our Bull Sharks.
Scan the QR code below to read the best of Bond's sports coverage.
AFLW
Top: AFLW player Jasmyn Smith.
Below: Netballer Elka Macaulay.
Top:
Middle:
Below:
Above: Swimming star Flynn Southam. RUGBY Rugby player Angus Blyth. Australian cricketers Usman Khawaja and Matthew Kuhnemann.
by Matt Webber
Bond University’s sporting excellence shone through at this year’s Unisport Nationals in Perth. Led by championship-winning swimming performances by both men’s and women’s teams, Bond University claimed the Doug Ellis Per Capita Award for the ninth time in 12 years. Unsurprisingly, Bond University also took out the Patrons Population Cup as best Per Capita Champion for the northern region.
Bond University Director of Sport Michael Collins was thrilled.
“Bond has a strong reputation for sporting excellence, superb training facilities, and a wonderful culture of participation," he says. "Seeing our students achieve great things is extremely satisfying and we are very proud of them. We’re also very grateful for all our coaching and support staff for supplementing such an impressive showing.”
Back row-left to right: Isabelle Mason, Laura Taylor, Minna Atherton, Madeleine Hardy, Jesse Welsh, Olivia Cooper.
Front row left to right: Charlotte Hughes, Maddy Condren, Abby Schoorl.
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja will study an MBA at Bond University as he charts a post-sport career.
Mr Khawaja, 35, became the first Pakistan-born cricketer to play for Australia when he made his debut in the 2011 Sydney Test. The left-handed top order batsman has represented Australia in all three forms of the game: Tests, One Day and T20 Internationals. He is joining the Bond Elite Sports Program which helps students to balance study with their sporting commitments. Mr Khawaja says he chose to study an MBA because it was the all-rounder of postgraduate degrees.
“I don't want to necessarily go into business management when I finish playing cricket but I believe an MBA from Bond will give me the right skills and knowledge to
help me in a broad range of professions,” he says.
The Queensland Bulls captain says Bond’s small class sizes appeal to him.
“I love the campus but the most important thing to me was the people and attention to detail. It's a relatively small campus in terms of admissions so you have more chance to interact with your lecturers and tutors on a personal level.”
Mr Khawaja is a qualified commercial pilot who completed a Bachelor of Aviation while still a young up-and-coming cricketer.
“I just loved flying. My parents travelled a lot as a child so I got very used to planes and thought I might as well do something I enjoy. I always wanted to play cricket but I understood it was a very hard profession to make it in. I wanted to have something under my belt in case it
didn't work out,” he says.
Having signed a four-year deal with the Brisbane Heat, the cricketer knows he will have to be disciplined with his study and time management.
“Throw two young children in the mix and things could be pretty tight,” he says. “But Bond has already put me in contact with some great people across the campus who are keen to help me through that journey. There are a ton of athletes who are completing degrees at the University, so they understand the demands and flexibility athletes may need at times.”
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja with Vice Chancellor and President Tim Brailsford.Michael Collins joined Bond University as the new Director of Sport in August at the completion of the Super Rugby season. The former Chiefs CEO immediately became part of the furniture at Bull Sharks rugby and AFL games and is revelling in the fellowship the University’s sporting clubs generate.
“It is quite refreshing, the sense of community you get from club sport. You just can’t buy that and you can’t get it anywhere else,’’ he says.
Collins believes Bond’s sports clubs have an important function to provide engagement opportunities for students and he will also use his vast experience in professional sports to expand the Bull Sharks’ charter to develop elite athletes.
“I think the pathway that we can
provide to state and national teams is very exciting,” he says. “And so for me to be part of the journey with these athletes, helping them with their tertiary qualifications and also with their sports careers, is exciting.”
Mr Collins was born in New Plymouth in rural New Zealand and has been involved in rugby for his entire life. He was a New Zealand A side, Colts and Barbarians representative and played professionally for the Chiefs in Super Rugby. He finished his playing career in the UK with stints at premier rugby club London Irish and the Glasgow Warriors, before embarking on a successful career in sports administration with stints as CEO at Taranaki Rugby Union and the Chiefs.
“I’ve been in love with rugby union for as long as I can remember. Before
the game was professional people used to say, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I would always answer, ‘I want to be a rugby player’. I represented every New Zealand side except for the All Blacks - that’s the after-dinner speech I usually give people. I was really lucky to play with some great players and I had a great time, travelled the world and made some great mates.’’
Main: Bond Director of Sport Michael Collins.
Inset: Michael Collins in his playing days with the Chiefs.
